spindle moulder

[Fraseman999]

Hi Folks,
I have never had any experience with spindle moulders. In actual fact i am about to buy a record router table. And i have found that i could probably buy a secondhand spindle and some also take larger router cutters. For the smaller router bits i could use a cheap table.

Anyway if i buy a spindle and fit it with say a 40mm block, can i still put larger cutters in. Can i put a 90mm cutter in a 40mm block? If i have the clearance of course.

And do i always need to fit limitors and what are they.

Any additional advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

fraseman

 

[jasonB]

No you can't fit wider cutters into a smaller block. As the width goes up so does the thickness and the pin spacing also gets wider.

For hand feeding you would be well advised to follow commercial rules and use limitors, they go in front of the actual cutting knife and stop it from taking too big a bit out of the wood which can result in kickback which is when it throws the wood back out at you.

Jason

 

[PAC1]

The Spindle moulder is one of the most dangerous pieces of kit in a woodshop. Operators should always be properly taught how to use them by experienced operators.

The limitor is a safety function that also reduces kickback on wood. It's prime purpose is to stop the cutter from taking large chunks out of operators that get too close.

 

[Mike H]

All workshop equipment is potentially dangerous, and all machines need care and common sense in use.

Professional tuition is fine but is NOT a must, I am sure that we have all taught ourselves various aspects of woodwork, through mates, reading good articles ( such as the very good ones by John Lloyd on the spindle in F&C some years back) and using websites such as this one. Beginners to my mind should not be put off.

The spindle moulder got a bad reputation because old models years ago used to freely shed knives at speed! The french nickname for this tool is 'the mother in law' !. I have witnessed one such an accident as a teenager in my Grandpa's workshop, and he was a very experienced master cabinet maker dead careful with all machines. He left the embedded knife in the door jamb!

Nowadays the kit is much safer in this respect. The knives are securely held and the limiters do a good job. With a false fence/and or table to let only the necessary bit of the cutters show through it is no more dangerous than a router table, or indeed a carelessly used rip saw, another very useful tool many beginner shun unnecessarily.

Router table and spindle are complementary tools and cannot be compared with each other.

Quality router cutters are getting so expensive that I wonder if my spindle is not cheaper to run after all.

I have used both for many years. For quality of output the spindle comes on top generally.


Mike

8)

 

[Shultzy]

It's also a lot easier to clean and sharpen spindle tooling, and there maybe more profiles available than for a router.

 

[Max Power]

Excellent advice from Mike H 8) as said no more dangerous than other machines if used properly

 

[PAC1]

Alan. I could not agree more "if used properly". How does someone who knows nothing about spindles go about knowing how to use them properly?

 

[woodsworth]

I think the OP has already learned a bit about spindle moulders just by posting a question on the forum. Youtube is also a good source for how to's as well. I think if a person is handy enough to put his hands to woodworking he already thinks in the right direction towards being competent with the tools he uses.

Wood working is not rocket science nor are the tools that complicated. Even CNC's can be built, and mastered by people who are willing to put in the time to learn. Tuning up tools to work accurately is not a woodworking skill but woodworkers learn to improve the quality of their work. In the same way people who are mechanically inclined take up woodworking because they can see the potential of a machine an in turn learn woodworking skills.

I've learned far more since doing my apprenticeship Then i ever learned in the four years of school and practicle hands on. I think people put to much stock in basic training. However the basics do give you a template to learn other skills. How long was the tutorial on spindle moulders at college? Not that long that's for sure.

 

[PAC1]

Woodsworth, I think you should read again the first line of the OP after the salutation: "I have never had any experience with spindle moulders."

It is a fact that inadequate training is a major factor in most workplace incidents. I am pleased you recognise that your basic training provided you with a template for further lifelong learning. The OP does not have the benefit of this basic training.

 

[SammyP64]

Hello Fraseman,

I recomend if you have somewhare like yandles, or tewkesburry saw (my local machinery dealer) that you give them a ring and ask if it would be possible to be shown how to set up a machine similar to yours, or to have them come out and show you how to set up yours,

Its no good being amazing on one machine, and knowing how to set iut up and use it blindfolded, if yours is completely different in every way...


Sammy

 

[Oryxdesign]

You can put a 50mm knife in a 40mm block.

 

[jasonB]

You can put a 50mm knife in a 40mm block.

Does depend on the block, I know some of Wealdens ones can only use 40mm but a couple of their larger steel ones can take 40x4 and 50x5,

The 50x5.5 should not be used in a Euro block and likewise the 50x4mm should not be used in a block for the 5.5mm cutters.

And definatly don't use 90mm knives in a 40mm block.

Jason

 

[Shultzy]

The 50x5.5 should not be used in a Euro block and likewise the 50x4mm should not be used in a block for the 5.5mm cutters. Jason

Jason can you explain the above statement as I've checked on the Record site and the hole spacings are the same for both 40 x 4mm and the 50 x 5.5mm cutters.

 

[jasonB]

http://www.wealdentool.com/acatalog/Onl ... 4_311.html

http://www.wealdentool.com/acatalog/Onl ... 5_312.html

I assume its because changing the thickness of knife & limiter will alter the wedge position but as I said it depends on teh block and maybe record are different.

Jason

 

[footinturf]

I bought a fox spindle moulder at christmas for €600 (around £500).

I had no experience, but got an experienced joiner to help me set up the machine and give me the practical do's and dont's.

My local saw doctor advises me on what tooling to use, and what size head is advisable. He can also grind a blank knives to any profile that I require.

I read everything I could find on the Internet, especially the safety stuff.

Apart from that I took a sensible, safety conscious approach and a bit of practise.

It is light years ahead of any router table, especially for repeat cuts (I prob mould 50 - 100 pieces typically with 1 set up). It may however be a PITA to set it up to make 1 mould, as set up could take 20 mins plus.

 

[Anonymous]

Some of the 50mm knives are the same thickness as the 40mm ones @ 4mm . Others jump up to @5.5mm depending on the profile and material used for the cutter . ( my sizes may not be 100% as i am not in the workshop right now )
I have no idea why you would want to put a bigger knife in a smaller block and then spin it up to 7000 RPM and chuck a bit of wood through it rather than use the right block for the right cutter . But then again learning from youtube probably has something to do with that :roll:
Dont get me wrong you can learn from the net but there is alot of rubbish out there giving bad advice so you need to be able to wean out the good from the bad and if you are just starting out how do you do that ?