Should I buy a spindle moulder rather than router table??

[Rob_H]

Over the years as I have moved house and had differing levels of workshop space I have bought and then sold machines - and each time instantly regretted it. I sold my table saw and record BS500 bandsaw two years ago and am now kicking myself. I also sold a Triton router table. I now need to make about 9 oak ledge and brace doors for our cottage and really wanted to T&G the boards. I was going to look at buying a router table (I am unlikely to have much time to also make a router table aswell as have a busy job). I was looking at the UJK router table but seems quite pricey with the bits and pieces. I have just been offered (to buy) a spindle moulder. I have never used one - looks a bit scary cutter-wise, but wondered re people's experiences. I meed to ,make architrave for doors aswell. I'm thinking of future proofing but also just not sure re spindle moulder as cutter looks fierce!

Any views appreciated.

 

[recipio]

A spindle moulder is ideal for joinery but has some disadvantages. The tooling is expensive, a sliding table is desirable and a power feed is pretty much essential. I bought a cheapo Chinese moulder and never really got much use out of it. It's a fairly crude machine and I'm always worried that the settings will slip when in use. A router table with a beefy router will be a much cheaper option but don't forget extraction.

 

[Spectric]

There are some spindle users on here and the question has been raised before, we seem to blindly buy a router table without thinking of a spindle but I believe @deema has one and believes the tooling is competative with router cutters. You also have the advantage of custom profiles, taking heavier cuts and have more cutter height. It is something that I have thought about but remain the rabbit in the headlamps, still thinking !

worth having a read

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/threads/best-router-for-£500-fish.137862/page-2#post-1588868
https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/threads/custom-spindle-moulder-profile-cutters.140159/
https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/threads/a-dilemma-of-skirting-boards.141031/#post-1638489

 

[deema]

I keep seeing spindles with power feeds and tooling going for around the £1000 mark. Not an exact example, but there is a Sedgwick SM3 on Marketplace with about 10 blocks for £800. Now, of the blocks an average hobby petson would need / keep around 4. So selling off the rest at around £50 each gets you a tooled spindle for around £500! When you’ve finished with the spindle you could sell it for more than it’s nett cost. It’s just far better value than a router.
Standard 40mm cutters & limiters are around £20 a set and £12 for replacement cutters. Custom made 55mm cutters and limiters are around £55. That’s hardly expensive!

 

[Spectric]

Standard 40mm cutters & limiters are around £20 a set and £12 for replacement cutters. Custom made 55mm cutters and limiters are around £55. That’s hardly expensive!

compared to say an infinity mega trim cutter for £190 !!

https://www.infinitytools.co.uk/router-bits/mega-flush-trim-bit/

 

[HOJ]

As opposed to one of these, which I use: SPIRAL PLANING BLOCK

 

[dzj]

Yes, you should. Once you have the SM, there'll be little work for a router table.
Maybe for some small detail stuff, but you can make a RT using any plunge router if need be.

 

[johnnyb]

I use them both tbh. there's little comparison tbh. the real difference is finish and a power feed(they contribute to the finish) they are more powerful as well. I can tell you if I had a profile in only a router bit I'm using it that way I'm not buying a set of spindle knives

 

[Ollie78]

Short answer is yes, long answer is you are going to need both.
If I was only allowed one it would be a spindle moulder.
To say the tooling is expensive is a bit misleading, blocks can be expensive but once you have them they don't wear out,
40mm euro cutters and limiters are very cheap and cover much basic work.
Whitehill have a broad range of cutters off the shelf as well.
Custom knives can cost a fair bit, however it is often the only sensible way to copy some mouldings for restoration work. I know some grind their own but I have yet to go down that route, which is even cheaper. They can also be sharpenned.
If you get a tilting spindle it opens up more possibilities.

Ollie

 

[Doug71]

Yes get a spindle moulder.

The bad reputation they have is mostly from the old days and the old style cutter blocks. If you got your finger in one of the old square blocks it would drag your hand in followed by your arm, these days with the limited projection tooling they only nibble away about 2mm of your fingers at a time!

Spindle moulders just seem smoother in use running at maybe 7000rpm rather than a router screaming away at 22,000rpm.

As said the finish from the spindle is better and the cutters are cheap (as long as you don't start buying fancy window tooling etc).

For the odd time I need a router table my router gets bolted under a piece of MDF (or even just clamped in the vice ) but most stuff gets done on the spindle.

 

[Jacob]

A spindle moulder is ideal for joinery but has some disadvantages. The tooling is expensive,

Not if you make your own. It ends up very much cheaper than using a router and vastly more productive in terms of speed, quality, reliability, and much bigger profiles than a router.
https://www.woodworkuk.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=936

 

[Spectric]

As opposed to one of these, which I use: SPIRAL PLANING BLOCK

80mm height, optional bearing and replaceable cutters for less than the router cutter,

40mm euro cutters and limiters

What do these limiters do anyone?

 

[Jacob]

,,....



What do these limiters do anyone?

They limit the depth of cut so that if you stick your hand in you will only get a very nasty cut and perhaps lose just one finger, whereas without them you could lose more.
In other words - somewhat pointless as only an silly person would ever need this level of protection, as two push sticks will do it much better, or just keep idiots off the machine!

 

[Spectric]

So with a power feeder they are not required ?

 

[Ollie78]

80mm height, optional bearing and replaceable cutters for less than the router cutter,



What do these limiters do anyone?

They make it "legal" to use, it is to make the protrusion of the cutter as minimal as possible, supposedly it makes it less likely to pull your arm in, rather just snip off some fingers.
Obviously keeping well away from thd skinny bit is actually safest thing, another plus for power feeds.

Ollie

 

[Ollie78]

So with a power feeder they are not required ?

The modern blocks are designed to fit them so won't clamp the wedge on a knife without a balancing limiter ( just a blunt knife a few mm smaller than the actual cutting knife)

Ollie

 

[clogs]

plus u can work em, *SM) for hours without going deaf.......

 

[TRITON]

Over the years as I have moved house and had differing levels of workshop space I have bought and then sold machines - and each time instantly regretted it. I sold my table saw and record BS500 bandsaw two years ago and am now kicking myself. I also sold a Triton router table. I now need to make about 9 oak ledge and brace doors for our cottage and really wanted to T&G the boards. I was going to look at buying a router table (I am unlikely to have much time to also make a router table aswell as have a busy job). I was looking at the UJK router table but seems quite pricey with the bits and pieces. I have just been offered (to buy) a spindle moulder. I have never used one - looks a bit scary cutter-wise, but wondered re people's experiences. I meed to ,make architrave for doors aswell. I'm thinking of future proofing but also just not sure re spindle moulder as cutter looks fierce!

Any views appreciated.

The vertical spindle moulder is a really dangerous machine, and to use one safely you really should be trained in it.

 

[deema]

The vertical spindle moulder is a really dangerous machine, and to use one safely you really should be trained in it.

A vertical spindle moulder is a large router, more stable and you’re unlikely to break the shaft unlike router bits. Now, using the logic a hand held router is unbelievable dangerous, but this is seldom mentioned. The cutter projection on either is exactly the same.

 

[TRITON]

A vertical spindle moulder is a large router, more stable and you’re unlikely to break the shaft unlike router bits. Now, using the logic a hand held router is unbelievable dangerous, but this is seldom mentioned. The cutter projection on either is exactly the same.

Sorry, not following you. Are you disagreeing ?.

The OP has no professional instruction or experience in big wood working machinery. Just nipping out and buying what is considered a dangerous machine, and lets face it all big machines with fast moving cutting blades are considered by all sensible people to be dangerous.
So safe working practise is essential, and pretty much the only place you're going to learn that is by doing some sort of HSE approved course.

Nipping out and buying such its just pot luck as you've pretty much no idea how to safely use or what steps should be taken on any given procedure.

And I've never broken a router cutter shaft, and I don't think I've ever heard of anyone else doing that either.
Unless of course it was someone who with no experience thought that was just what they needed, who nipped out, bought a big 3hp router and tried to take massive bites with it. But then that kind of plays into exactly what I am saying.

Safety first. Fingers are usually forever unless you do something particularly daft