Hi, all, this is my first post on here and am just looking for a bit of advice. i've been doing site joinery/carpentry and kitchen fitting for a few years now. Just lately work has become more and more slack, which would mean for me to travel away from home if I wanted to stay in the industry. This is not something I am keen on, as I have a family, so travelling the country is not ideal for me. I am looking to sart my own small joinery business in the new year and open a small workshop. I would mainly be dealing in domestic and small commercial work along with supplying and fitting a range of kitchens. I have never used a spindle moulder before, so have no experience. I am not sure wether I would need a spindle moulder or just a router table? Which would be the best option?
Router or spindle moulder?
- Thread starter roxy002
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wizer
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Welcome to the forum Roxy. What part of the country are you from?
What will you be producing? If you are intending to produce profiles, mouldings, etc Then, hands down, you need a moulder. The router table can produce a large array of mouldings, but not always easily. Sometimes on a RT you need to build up the profile over many passes, when a moulder would do it in a single swipe. There have been a few budget moulders introduced recently. IIRC there was a review in the last Good Woodworking magazine. That said, your workshop will always benefit from having a RT. IMHO Router Tables and Spindle Moulders are different beasts and you should plan on having both if space and budget allow.
What will you be producing? If you are intending to produce profiles, mouldings, etc Then, hands down, you need a moulder. The router table can produce a large array of mouldings, but not always easily. Sometimes on a RT you need to build up the profile over many passes, when a moulder would do it in a single swipe. There have been a few budget moulders introduced recently. IIRC there was a review in the last Good Woodworking magazine. That said, your workshop will always benefit from having a RT. IMHO Router Tables and Spindle Moulders are different beasts and you should plan on having both if space and budget allow.
maltrout512
Established Member
Hi Roxy and welcome. As your post says, spindle moulder or router table, well from what you have went on to say there is another option to think about. A woodrat. The reason that I mention the rat is that, 1, I have one. 2, I use it for a lot of moulding work for kitchens. 3, It is a lot more adaptable than a router table or spindle moulder ie dovetails at any angle you like for one. 4, Space saver, hangs on the wall. There was sliced bread, then came the Woodrat. I'm happy and it works, very well for me.
motownmartin
Established Member
Hi Roxy, I have never used a spindle moulder but this Router Table does the biz for me, it has the incra positioner whichs allows you to move the fence in incraments of One thou, its also great for doing joints such as dovetails
maltrout512
Established Member
What about fine pin tails, like this.
Woodrat for me very time.
Woodrat for me very time.
motownmartin
Established Member
Of course Malcolm. I've never tried the Woodrat so I can't knock it or praise it, and i would presume that you have no experience of using the incra positioner, if you lived close enough to me we could compare, but 170 miles is a little too far.
I know a man that has both and that is Tony (somewhere in the East Midlands) and i'm sure that he would say that both have their advantages.
I know a man that has both and that is Tony (somewhere in the East Midlands) and i'm sure that he would say that both have their advantages.
JonnyD
Established Member
If you are going to be doing windows and doors etc you will need a spindle moulder. You wiil also need to budget for tooling which depending on what you get could well cost more than the machine. If you are going to be concentrating on kitchens you would probably get away with the router table. An ideal situation is to have both. The woodrat is a capable machine but i dont think it fully replaces the router table IMHO.
jon
jon
Thanks everyone for your comments and advice. i'm in Grimsby, NE Lincolnshire or Humberside as some know it. i'm not to sure how things will take of at first, but my ideas are to cover all aspects of joinery. i'm not sure if there is much of a market for handmade furniture though, so that is something I will need to do some research on. Although I do think that a bespoke kitchen service will create some business. Everyone wants something different rather than buying an off the shelf kitchen from B&Q, but probably think that a handmade kitchen may be far to expensive and out of there range. I know this is not the case, so if I can provide this service at a reasonable price, along with a 3D CAD planning design free of charge then hopefully I can generate some business in that field. Wizer recommended that I should invest in a spindle moulder if producing mouldings, as they only need one pass. I would be looking at making my own cornice and light pelmets etc, and also raised paneled doors (whats the usual price for a good raised panel set for as s/m?). The woodrat sounds good too, but is it sufficient for mouldings?
So I will look into buying a spindle moulder. What names should I look out for? Would it be worth buying a good second hand one? Also, would I be OK learning myself on the spindle moulder? what sort of things should I know. Thanks everyone, this forum is really useful!
So I will look into buying a spindle moulder. What names should I look out for? Would it be worth buying a good second hand one? Also, would I be OK learning myself on the spindle moulder? what sort of things should I know. Thanks everyone, this forum is really useful!
Out int shed
Established Member
Roxy,
I'm in Hull and aiming to do exactly the same as you some time at the back end of 2009 - workshop is first! Just gotta let go of the safe salary and take the leap into full time Joinery.
I work in the timber industry so have solid contacts for materials and tools but don't have much experience of hands on - 'doing the job' - im more the office type at the moment. I have approx 10 years DIY experience and 2 years training at college.
I really do think that we are in the right part of the country at the mo. The consensus in this region, due to the floods, is that although a lot of work has been done on peoples houses already, there's going to be more and more work coming up in the future due to damp thats still to rise that has so far gone amiss. And lets not forget, in hard times people tend not to buy new, but to mend and make do - start with some quality work for your friends - word of mouth goes a long way.
Good look in it all and drop me message if you like, we may be able to help out one other some day.
I'm in Hull and aiming to do exactly the same as you some time at the back end of 2009 - workshop is first! Just gotta let go of the safe salary and take the leap into full time Joinery.
I work in the timber industry so have solid contacts for materials and tools but don't have much experience of hands on - 'doing the job' - im more the office type at the moment. I have approx 10 years DIY experience and 2 years training at college.
I really do think that we are in the right part of the country at the mo. The consensus in this region, due to the floods, is that although a lot of work has been done on peoples houses already, there's going to be more and more work coming up in the future due to damp thats still to rise that has so far gone amiss. And lets not forget, in hard times people tend not to buy new, but to mend and make do - start with some quality work for your friends - word of mouth goes a long way.
Good look in it all and drop me message if you like, we may be able to help out one other some day.
JonnyD
Established Member
roxy002":ze0iedyz said:
A basic setup will cost around £175 for the profile and scribe block and £150 - £200 for a panel raising cutterblock. You can get profiled euro knives which will do a similar job for about £20 a set but will need a euro block.
On the subject of which spindle I suppose its down to budget. Buying secondhand is cheaper but depends whether you have 3 phase power or not. I would look for a good cast iron top and minimum 4hp motor. A secondhand wadkin or sedgwick would be a good starting point. A model with a sliding table is a bonus if you want to do tenons.
Good luck with your venture especially in these testing economic times.
Jon
