Making your own Spindle Moulder cutters WIP

[Teckel]

Here is a wip of me making a set of spindle moulder cutters for skirting and architrave. The skirting is 7" and 6" and the arch is 3".
Made from some HSS bar. The material is MDF.
Bare with me lads as I'm still getting the hang of this computer thingy. Pics are all over the place

 

[Teckel]

Here's a pic of the MDf going through the spindle..thanks for looking..

 

[heimlaga]

Well done!

How did you find out the correct shjape for the edge? The cutting angle is not 90 degrees so the cutter will have to fit the moulding at an angle and that changes the edge shape a bit.

I consider making some cutters for the most common moulding profiles in old buildings in my area.

 

[Jacob]

Well done!

How did you find out the correct shjape for the edge? The cutting angle is not 90 degrees so the cutter will have to fit the moulding at an angle and that changes the edge shape a bit.

I consider making some cutters for the most common moulding profiles in old buildings in my area.

I make the profile at 90º and offer it up to the sample to make sure it fits well. Then back it off with a bevel. Then comes the really clever bit (well I think it is) - I deepen all the hollows a touch so that it makes a good fit when offered up at approximately the right cutting angle. This can be very accurate with no visible difference between the original and a new piece, although technically there will be variations of fractions of a mm. There will be variations in the original sample anyway.
Also it saves a f@cking fortune and makes a spindle moulder much cheaper to run than a router, and a million times more versatile.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Excellent stuff!

Out of interest, how did you cut the HSS bar - angle grinder? Of even more interest, how did you drill the hole?

 

[Teckel]

Excellent stuff!

Out of interest, how did you cut the HSS bar - angle grinder? Of even more interest, how did you drill the hole?

Yes an angle grinder with a 1mm cutting disc and a bench grinder to shape the cutter.
As regards the hole I knew I was going to be asked this one. I'll tell ye after a few guesses.

 

[Wildman]

I have a box of around 100 pairs of moulding blades that I am thinking of selling, must get them out and see what is there. might swap for a woodrat

 

[adidat]

is this really safe?

suggesting to amateurs that grinding your own blades is a good idea. you have left out any information of chip limiters and balancing blocks.

not having a go at the OP who has gone to the trouble of documenting and posting his work.

adidat

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Excellent stuff!

Out of interest, how did you cut the HSS bar - angle grinder? Of even more interest, how did you drill the hole?

Yes an angle grinder with a 1mm cutting disc and a bench grinder to shape the cutter.
As regards the hole I knew I was going to be asked this one. I'll tell ye after a few guesses.

OK - I'll have a guess at diamond core drill (Eternal Tools or similar) used in a drill-press with plenty of water for coolant.

 

[custard]

is this really safe?

suggesting to amateurs that grinding your own blades is a good idea. you have left out any information of chip limiters and balancing blocks.

not having a go at the OP who has gone to the trouble of documenting and posting his work.

adidat

I did this once when I needed a profile urgently. I worked on the assumption that only one knife ever cuts so the other is really there as a balancer. I weighed them both on a 0.25g scale and tinkered around until they were the same weight.

I still nearly mired my trousers with dread when I switched the spindle moulder on, and even though everything progressed to plan I've never repeated the exercise.

It's worth pointing out that the OP's photos show he used a power feeder, otherwise your point about chip limiters would be absolutely valid and worth repeating and emphasising.

 

[tomatwark]

I would be very careful doing this.

A lot of the old style whitehill blocks that are on ebay have worn blade clamps and rounded nuts and will not hold the blade properly, a modern block will either have pins or will be serated which means the cutters are held better.

The OP is using a big old spindle moulder which is nice and solid, if you try this in a small modern machine it will walk across the floor unless the cutters are balanced.

I was trained to use the old style blocks when I did my machining qualifications, I have never lost a cutter, but have seen other people lose them, a cutter embedded 3" into a block wall is impressive.

The old type blocks are illegal in industry and have been for quite a few years, I don't use the old type blocks now as I run a business.

Unless you are very sure about what you are doing I would not do this and either buy profiles that are ready ground or pay someone to make them up for a modern type block.

Tom

 

[JonnyD]

It's worth pointing out that the OP's photos show he used a power feeder, otherwise your point about chip limiters would be absolutely valid and worth repeating and emphasising.

Its probably also worth pointing out that using an unlimited block in a spindle moulder even with a powerfeed is illegal according to the hse. The non limited blocks are really only supposed to be used in planer moulders with security locked guards.

cheers

Jon

 

[marcros]

It's worth pointing out that the OP's photos show he used a power feeder, otherwise your point about chip limiters would be absolutely valid and worth repeating and emphasising.

Its probably also worth pointing out that using an unlimited block in a spindle moulder even with a powerfeed is illegal according to the hse. The non limited blocks are really only supposed to be used in planer moulders with security locked guards.

cheers

Jon

in the UK. OP is from Ireland where it may or maynot be different.

 

[Teckel]

It's worth pointing out that the OP's photos show he used a power feeder, otherwise your point about chip limiters would be absolutely valid and worth repeating and emphasising.

Its probably also worth pointing out that using an unlimited block in a spindle moulder even with a powerfeed is illegal according to the hse. The non limited blocks are really only supposed to be used in planer moulders with security locked guards.

cheers

Jon

in the UK. OP is from Ireland where it may or maynot be different.

"And a great country it is....if we could only roof it"

 

[Teckel]

is this really safe?

suggesting to amateurs that grinding your own blades is a good idea. you have left out any information of chip limiters and balancing blocks.

not having a go at the OP who has gone to the trouble of documenting and posting his work.

adidat

Adidat..I am not advising or recommending anything to anyone. I would not advise any novice to attempt this type of practice. I am not blowing my own trumpet here but I am very experienced with spindle moulders. I've never used any off the shelf cutters as the mouldings that I used were from old buildings and had to be copied.
I have never lost any cutters in my time and thank god no one was hurt when using the spindle.
Yes a couple of cutters have come loose but the sound of the machine changes when this happens and this can be rectified before any harm or damage occurs.
I am sorry if I have upset anyone here.
If the mods wish to take it down by all means.

 

[Bradshaw Joinery]

i also used to use alot of whitehill moulding cutters. However, now building a collection of euro cutters, and if there is a job needs cutters i will get a set made and price it in. the same as anywhere else that would price for the job would have to do..... so why not?

both cutters cut if they are aligned equally.... if there not/only using one cutter you will have to reduce feed speed. and if your using whitehill cutters, youll probably be on a low spindle rpm anyway, so further feed rate reduction needed......

I did used to enjoy some of the mouldings, 100m of 14" wide moulded coving, took a whole day to run all the different profiles through/fettle the cutters

 

[JonnyD]

It's worth pointing out that the OP's photos show he used a power feeder, otherwise your point about chip limiters would be absolutely valid and worth repeating and emphasising.

Its probably also worth pointing out that using an unlimited block in a spindle moulder even with a powerfeed is illegal according to the hse. The non limited blocks are really only supposed to be used in planer moulders with security locked guards.

cheers

Jon

in the UK. OP is from Ireland where it may or maynot be different.

I did know that i can read but as the majority of contributers and readers here are from the uk the point is very valid.

cheers

Jon

 

[Jacob]

is this really safe?

suggesting to amateurs that grinding your own blades is a good idea. you have left out any information of chip limiters and balancing blocks.

not having a go at the OP who has gone to the trouble of documenting and posting his work.

adidat

Adidat..I am not advising or recommending anything to anyone. I would not advise any novice to attempt this type of practice. I am not blowing my own trumpet here but I am very experienced with spindle moulders. I've never used any off the shelf cutters as the mouldings that I used were from old buildings and had to be copied.
I have never lost any cutters in my time and thank god no one was hurt when using the spindle.
Yes a couple of cutters have come loose but the sound of the machine changes when this happens and this can be rectified before any harm or damage occurs.
I am sorry if I have upset anyone here.
If the mods wish to take it down by all means.

I'd echo that, except I don't think the mods should take it down. There is an interesting issue here - how to DIY your cutters, with all the amazing advantages that that brings, but safely.
When I started I had one cutter loose - forgot to tighten it. It snapped and flew out but ended up in bits behind the protection. Would have happened just the same with a 100% safety cutter. DIY had nothing to do with it.
You can run them unbalanced with just one cutter engaging - it was normal practice and perfectly safe in a heavy block. If too unbalanced the machine would let you know by the sound and eventually a bearing would fail. It's not a safety issue but you can damage the machine.
NB the old Whitehill block with no limiters, holes, serrations was much much safer than the earlier patterns (french cutters, square blocks etc) and was called the "safety" block. Still is safe if in good condition in careful hands - with a power feed.

 

[tomatwark]

I have agree with Jacob that this post should be left as it is highlighting the dangers of doing this if you don't know what you are doing.

As Teckel said the note of the machine sounds wrong if you have a lose cutter and one of the things we were taught when I did my machining training was to always listen to the sound of the machine you are using, I still do this now as an instinct and always switch if and check if it does not sound right even with safety blocks.

The big problem is that ebay always seem to have lots of the old whitehill blocks for sale, a lot these have probably been kicking around a back of cupboard for years and will be worn in some way, which is when things start to go wrong.

I am not saying people should not grind their own cutters, as it is up to you what you in your home workshop, just be careful and if you are not confident don't.

After all there is this big movement on here for taking all the guards off saw benches and fitting dado heads because Norm does it.

Tom

 

[Teckel]

Thinking about it I agree..it should be left up. As it has highlighted the dangers involved in this practice to an inexperienced person.
I don't think that amateurs would have a need to cut their own cutters anyway as all their needs can be met from off the shelf cutters.