proper setup for cutting crown on a shaper

[andy photenas]

Does anyone have online sources for buying moldings? The hardware store near me charges me $150 to setup the tools then $.70 a foot to run it and then they charge me 2x what I pay for the rough wood.. Does this seem expensive or about right?

[brent stanley]

Does anyone have online sources for buying moldings? The hardware store near me charges me $150 to setup the tools then $.70 a foot to run it and then they charge me 2x what I pay for the rough wood.. Does this seem expensive or about right?

If you're doing this for fun, a sense of accomplishment and your time doesn't matter too much (which I totally get by the way!) then go ahead and do it yourself.....it is fun and rewarding and you'll learn lots. Folks here will help you get good results and be safe.

Someone else's comment reminded me of a detail in how I usually do it against the fence.....leave a bit on top and bottom so you have two flats on the same plane (top and bottom) to land on the outfeed fence. I think the outboard fence can still be better but It's more work and arguably takes more expertise to set up well.

[Warren Lake]

Peter that sounds like alot of work to make a moulding on a shaper that way. I had a head made for a small woodmaster to take corrugated so it can use the shaper knives. Its one pass to run a moulding on that small machine, the only work is either making a base track for it or using another one and moving on the side pieces as the wood should have a guide on each side. You dont get the bottom cutting a big machine would do but thats no big deal.

[Peter Quinn]

Place I'm at currently has a couple of W&H's that work well enough and are easy to set up, we don't do quite enough molding work consistently enough to justify the expense and floor space of a bigger molder, would love to have something like a wood master or logosol occasionally. The shaper usually comes in when the depth of cut exceeds the Hussey's limitations, like a large 45/45 crown with a real deep cove portion or such. Its not a terribly difficult shaper set up, processing is somewhat painful as it usually involves at least 6/4 stock and long lengths, sometimes in WO or species to match the cabinetry. We have a number of excellent dedicated millwork shops in my area that provide stock moldings and cost effective long custom runs, if we're making it instead of buying there has to be some reason.