W&H molder info

Chris Mire

Member
Messages
945
Location
Southern Louisiana
Some of you may have heard me talk about venturing into the wild world of woodworking for business soon. well, I still have alot of machines to acquire before this can happen and one of machines that definitely sparks my interest is the W&H moulder. I like the idea of being able to make my own mouldings in house. especially since i am the type to like to use different moldings on different jobs to give it all a more custom feel. Unfortunately the places locally where I can get this molding wanna charge an arm and a leg to set up custom knives, plus i need to purchase a large amount of the molding to get it run. Just not an option when they want you to buy 1000 feet and you only need 100. Anyway, I have heard nothing but good about the W&H so far and have actually had the pleasure of running one for a good while in a shop I used to work in. we only used it for straight runs of crown (one type) and some other small moldings. So what I am interested in hearing from the crowd here is..

1. Do you like your W&H moulder?
2. What do you use it for?
3. Have you had any issues with it? How was the service?

i appreciate any comments. thanks for your time.

chris
 
I don't want to start the old debate about imports, but I have only heard very good things about the Shop Fox knock off of the W&H. The stand is better and knives fit both machines if you find any used ones.
At less then half the price, you could buy two SF and save on set up time.

Richard
 
Never used one but my cabinet maker that did my house had one in his shop. Not sure of the brand but best I remember it was WH. I was questioning him about it. He said it saved him a lot of money. They made all their own moldings and never bought any. He felt like it saved him a lot of money.

YMMV of course.
 
chris, i`ve been running husseys for lotsa years and don`t have anything but praise for both the machines and the company. the w&h is the only machine i`ve ever bought that paid for itself with one job. the stand is kind of hokey but it works if you`re not inclined to build one. the d/c servo from schmidt cures all of the w&h woes that i ever experienced. mine currently sits on a shop built stand with a 5hp baldor spinning the cutterblock, i kept the single belt drive for a "weak link" in the drivetrain and am glad i did on the occasion i get stuff sideways in the machine......linkbelts are cheap replacement parts. the unit i have now is 4yrs old and has had thousands of feet of radiuses run through it and lotsa straights too...the previous two machines i owned i sold after the warranty ran out at 7 yrs.......both are still pluggin away in friends shops.. don`t know if i`ll sell this one in another 3 yrs or not but the last two upgrades cost me less than 500 bucks and everyone was happy. i`ve never had to use the service department......my first hussey was bought used-n-abused but a set of off the shelf bearings and some cleaning netted me a machine that i ran for several years then showed almost a thousand dollar profit on when i sold it to buy new....this is my fourth, third new and i`ll buy another without blinking an eye......here`s a coupla pics....tod
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thanks guys

tod,

couple of questions...

are you running single or three phase on the moulder?

do you have the optional elliptical jig for running your curved stuff? in the pics it looks like you just have a curved template to guide the work through.

do you feel the upgrade to the 5 hp motor is a necessary upgrade or did you find the stock motor sufficient?

thanks a bunch
chris
 
chris, the motor on a hussey is an option, just like the stand, feeder and switch....but mine is 3-phase `cause 3-phase motors are much cheaper than single phase and last longer.....i found the 2hp motor to really work hard if you run big stuff, i ran a 3 on one several years ago and it seemed to do well but i really believe in overkill......it depends on what you`re able to find for the money? early on in w&h existance they ran 1-1/2hp from the factory...

the elipitical jig i use is one i built, you`ll see it hanging sideways on the belt side of the machine, it`s based on the bonnyman jig in that it uses air cylinders to apply pressure to the template....elipitical jigs are kinda mystery `till you see one then you`ll say " i coulda built that!" .....they`re good for running gooseneck stuff as well as elipses but you`ll find that circles-n-segments of circles generally comprise most of your work and disposable jigs like you see set up just plain make sence.

if you`re lookin` seriously at one of these machines do yourself a favor and spend some time on the phone with cg schmidt before you cut a check. they have a few usefull accys. such as different durometer feed rollers, variable speed units and fairly priced knifes-n-steel......if i can help or offer assistance feel free to ask:) .....tod
 
thanks tod,

you've been very helpful already. i appreciate you taking the time to help me with this decision. i don't really know if curvy work is something i'll be able to get into in my biz...there are lots of bigger shops around here that do that kind of stuff. but i would like to have that option if the need arises.

you've given me lots to think about. i'm almost positive i'll be getting a W&H, hopefully as soon as i open shop.

i'll keep your comments and info in mind. still got some time to sort it all out.

thanks again
chris
 
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