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Woodmaster 4-1 Planer / moulder

Started by customdave, December 29, 2008, 12:56:52 AM

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customdave

Has anybody owned or used this woodmaster machine ? Jusr got info package in mail seems like well made machine, seems like will do a lot of different operations, the one I'm interested in is tongue &groove wall boards & I guess moldings too. This rig is built in Kansas City by the same manufacture of Timberking sawmills. I like this because I know I can get parts & accessorys etc : They are on sale right now for 50% off till end of dec, so will have to decide quick. They come in 12" &18" &25". If anybody has used one would appreciate any feedback    Thanks Dave ???
Love the smell of sawdust

Faron

Dave, I have one and have used it extensively.  It is a good planer.  I would consider the spiral cutter head if I were buying now.  I don't have one yet, but ought to get one.  I have made quite a bit of molding with mine.  I recommend buying a planer head to install three knives rather than the shaft with the cutter holder.  It will do you a better job.  You will be surprised at the ripsaw attachment.  You can rip molding or flooring blanks with it that are uniform in size, and pretty quickly for the money you have in it.  I use the sander to sand flooring and it does a decent job.  I made some tongue and groove flooring with mine.  I really feel that is the weakest area where I have tried to use mine.  It did ok, but if you are not very careful, bowed boards will cause problems with proper placement of the  tongue and groove.  It is real hard on the feed rollers, and they will have to be replaced regularly.  It can be done, if you select your blanks carefully and make sure they are straight.  I changed to a shaper for flooring, and am very happy with the change. I have the 18" model.  Check out the specs. The 25" model has four instead of two feed rollers.  I wonder if that might help in making flooring.  I have to say, they are pretty much always on sale. ;)
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for dinner.  Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote. - Ben Franklin

Haytrader

I have the 25" but haven't used it enough to make an evaluation.

Like Faron said, they are always on sale. When I called about one of thier scratch and dent sales, I was told they were out of the damaged ones but I could get one with nothing wrong with it for the same price.   :)
Haytrader

jdtuttle

I have the 18" model & have made alot of moulding with it. It paid for itself very quickly. I agree with Faron about paying the extra money for a spiral head. The service has always been good & when I order they are very prompt with shipping.
Jim
Have a great day

OneWithWood

I have a 718 also.  Use it basically for planing.  I agree about everything that has been posted.  Put the spiral head on it and the extension tables about six months ago-well worth the money.

The only problem I have had is with the add-on digital thickness scale.  The first one Woodmaster sent was non functional out of the box.  They replaced it with no questions asked.  The second one worked all of one week.  I am back to using the trusty calipers.  ::)  Other than the digital scale I have had zero issues with it.
One With Wood
LT40HDG25, Woodmizer DH4000 Kiln

JV

I have owned a 718 for many years and agree that a spiral head would be great.  First, how much do you plan on doing?  This is not a heavy commercial machine, it does a good job planing but you can't hog with it.  Changing to the drum sander function or molding is not a hard job but is time consuming.  Once our shop is built, we will use our Logosol PH260 for most molding jobs.  Also for small moldings on short runs, I find my router setup to be faster.  That being said, I am satisfied with the machine and the company.  Long winded way of saying make sure the machine will realistically meet your expectations.   ;)
John

'05 Wood-mizer LT40HDG28-RA, Lucas 613 Swing Mill, Stihl 170, 260 Pro, 660, 084 w/56" Alaskan Mill, 041 w/Lewis Winch, Case 970 w/Farmi Winch, Case 850 Crawler Loader, Case 90XT Skidloader, Logrite tools

pineywoods

Dave I have a 718 which I have used for several years. I've made a lot of moulding. I make my own knives. Like Faron says, thry do tend to eat up feed rollers, but woodmaster has a fix for that. Get the plastic bed overlay, it pretty well stops feed roller damage.  I have 2 moulding knive heads, that's quite handy for stuff like crown moulding where you have to shape both sides. Mount them both on the shaft and just move the guides. If you get snipe, check the infeed table. It's good heavy metal, but it WILL bend downward if abused.. (like running 6X6 beams) It should be flat and level with the bed. Handy tip...set up the guides so the board goes through at a slight angle to the right. The infeed roller will keep the board pushed up against the guide. Don't need but one guide. There is an optional 7 hp motor. For moulding the 5 hp is adequate, but the 7 would be nice for wide hard stuff. The only problem I have seen was a defective feed motor. The brush holder was bent, jamming the brush. Ate up the commutator. They replaced the motor no questions asked...
1995 Wood Mizer LT 40, Liquid cooled kawasaki,homebuilt hydraulics. Homebuilt solar dry kiln.  Woodmaster 718 planner, Kubota M4700 with homemade forks and winch, stihl  028, 029, Ms390
100k bd ft club.Charter member of The Grumpy old Men

oakiemac

I have the 718 and like others have said, it is a fairly good machine for light duty planing. If you are going to be running thousands of feet through it then get a more industrail machine as the woodmaster is way too lightly built for this kind of work.
I got the 7hp motor on mine but I'm not sure if this was worth the extra coin or not.
Mobile Demension sawmill, Bobcat 873 loader, 3 dry kilns and a long "to do" list.

karl

we have a 12 and a 25
I added a couple bearings,shaft , saws and feed roll to the 12" so that we could thickness and rip to width in one pass prior to feeding our 4sider.
the 12'' has the 7 hp running both planer and saw heads.

the 25" is 5hp and has surfaced, gangsawn and moulded way more feet than I ever expected for the investment. Can't even guess how many thousands of feet it's done in the 15 or so years we've had it.

Had issues with the dc feed motors n both units  and changed them to ac with step pulley's to change speeds

They are good simple machines for the money. And yes they are always on sale ;)
"I ask for wisdom and strength, Not to be superior to my brothers, but to be able to fight my greatest enemy, myself"  - from Ojibwa Prayer.

DR_Buck



QuoteThe only problem I have had is with the add-on digital thickness scale.  The first one Woodmaster sent was non functional out of the box.  They replaced it with no questions asked.  The second one worked all of one week.  I am back to using the trusty calipers.    Other than the digital scale I have had zero issues with it.

Below is a post I made earlier this year concerning the digital scale on the Woodmaster planers.    I have since replaced the "Woodmaster" provided digital scale with the Wixey model and my own bracket design.   500% Better !    8)
  If I get a chance I'll post pictures (appended to the below link) of the new scale and the mounting bracket. 

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,29827.0.html
Been there, done that.   Never got caught [/b]
Retired and not doing much anymore and still not getting caught

Handy Andy

  I have a 2hp dust collector hooked to my Woodmaster, and can fill a 50 gallon drum in just a few short minutes.  Have to watch it, or the drum will run over.  Yeah, have to agree, if I were making boards for a living, would buy an old Powermatic and a shelix cutterhead.  But my Woodmaster works for my projects.  Would be fun to take a board down to 3/4" in one pass though.  Jim
My name's Jim, I like wood.

David Freed

Woodmaster has options that they don't advertise or even mention when you talk to a salesman. I have a 10 hp 3 ph motor on mine. Here is a link where I explained my setup. My first post is about halfway down.

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,26055.20.html

OneWithWood

DR, I would really appreciate it if you would post those pics and the Wixey info.

The thought that you have a working digital scale and I don't is eating me up  :D
One With Wood
LT40HDG25, Woodmizer DH4000 Kiln

brdmkr

I have a 718 as well.  Currently, I have not used it for anything other than planing, and it does a good job at that.  I now have a router attachement and intend to try some T&G as soon as I get some time. 
Lucas 618  Mahindra 4110, FEL and pallet forks, some cant hooks, and a dose of want-to

Corley5

Picked up my Woodmaster 718 in Comstock Park today  8) 8)  Looks like a good one.  It was used only as a ripsaw for cutting strips to make racks for hanging automotive parts. 

















Now for more accessories  ;) ;D :)
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

Woodwalker

Looks like a clean unit Corley5 and there are several accessories for it. I Think I would rotate the whole machine about 90 degrees (would be easier  to feed) :D :D
Customdave, I bought the 718 a couple of years ago. Good machine. I got the Pro-pack, but I have only used it as a rip saw and molder. Just take a little time on the set up, double check you alignment. Once I get everything set just right and running, I save and mark a pattern piece. Makes it a simpler to set up a duplicate run.   
Just cause your head's pointed, don't mean you are sharp.

customdave

Thanks guys for replies , this machine looks like what I'm lookin for, pretty good bang for buck. I want this tool strictly for my own use ,somr T&G flooring & wall board,moldings for house . Trying to find if they have dealer in canada,this would make it easier to get my hands on maybe. Hav'nt phoned Kansas yet yo see about shipping,GST,Duty etc: yet                Thanks Dave ???
Love the smell of sawdust

David Freed

Quote from: Corley5 on December 31, 2008, 05:24:48 PM
Picked up my Woodmaster 718 in Comstock Park today  8) 8)  Looks like a good one.  It was used only as a ripsaw for cutting strips to make racks for hanging automotive parts.

What size motor does it have?

Corley5

A 90 degree rotation would probably help  :D :D ;D  This one has a 5hp motor.  I plan to use it to make the trim, and some paneling and flooring in the house addition.  Do any of you use a blower to suck out the chips and just blow them outside  ???  I've got a fairly big cyclone from an old grain hammer mill that I was thinking of setting up so I could back a manure spreader under it to catch the shavings  :)
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

pineywoods

 you are definitely going to need some kind of shavings blower. Otherwise, that thing will fill your shop up to your eyebrows rather quickly. I bought a cheap harbor freight dust collector, trashed the cyclone and bag and plumbed 4 inch pvc pipe out through a hole in the wall. works fine. Whatever you get, take a close look at the impeller. Needs to be stout enough to handle a few knots, prefer welded up steel. In my ignorance, I cobled up a blower off a clothes dryer. Handled sawdust just fine, but when I hooked it to the planer, first small knot took about half the blades off the plastic impeller. :-[ I've made a lot of moulding with mine, but one thing I've never had much luck at is tongue and groove flooring. It takes a good stout jig to hold the feed stock in alignment with the cutter head. Finally said to heck with it and bought a used shaper.
1995 Wood Mizer LT 40, Liquid cooled kawasaki,homebuilt hydraulics. Homebuilt solar dry kiln.  Woodmaster 718 planner, Kubota M4700 with homemade forks and winch, stihl  028, 029, Ms390
100k bd ft club.Charter member of The Grumpy old Men

Woodwalker

Has anybody set up routers on the outfeed to do an S2S or S3S with one of these machines?
I remember watching a video somewhere and thinking the setup would be a tedious process.
Just cause your head's pointed, don't mean you are sharp.

pineywoods

Quote from: Woodwalker on January 01, 2009, 11:10:12 AM
Has anybody set up routers on the outfeed to do an S2S or S3S with one of these machines?
I remember watching a video somewhere and thinking the setup would be a tedious process.


Yer right, setup is a pain, but it does work. For small runs, I'd just use a router table.
1995 Wood Mizer LT 40, Liquid cooled kawasaki,homebuilt hydraulics. Homebuilt solar dry kiln.  Woodmaster 718 planner, Kubota M4700 with homemade forks and winch, stihl  028, 029, Ms390
100k bd ft club.Charter member of The Grumpy old Men

DR_Buck

Quote from: pineywoods on January 01, 2009, 10:28:39 AM
I bought a cheap harbor freight dust collector, trashed the cyclone and bag and plumbed 4 inch pvc pipe out through a hole in the wall. works fine.

Exactly what I've done.   I use the Harbor Freight blower for my whole shop dust collection plumbed to each machine.  It all goes out through a hole in the wall.   I'm going to add a large closed & vented collection box on the outside to make clean-up easier.
Been there, done that.   Never got caught [/b]
Retired and not doing much anymore and still not getting caught

bedway

I have mine hooked up to a dust collector. It works great except when your doing real wide stock. Then the chips load up in the chute. When running wide material i dont use the collection system.

Handy Andy

 As for a dust system, I have a 6" system in my shop, after first reading the dust collection recommendations for my Woodmaster, I tried it on 4", and found it  a little lacking, so I took the hood and cut the pipe off and  found a 6" pipe, had to oval it a little, and welded it to the hood.  Hooked it up to the machine, and found it a huge improvement.  If my filter is a little plugged, it doesn't get all the chips, but most.  Clean the filter and it gets about all.  I have a 2hp Woodsucker cyclone system.  Think I can fill the barrel in  about 10 minutes.
My name's Jim, I like wood.

OneWithWood

I use a 5hp blower I got from Timberking, I think.  It sucks up everything from the planer to the LT40 and deposits it in a dump truck on the other side of the wall.
One With Wood
LT40HDG25, Woodmizer DH4000 Kiln

pigman

QuoteIt sucks up everything from the planer to the LT40 and deposits it in a dump truck on the other side of the wall.
Robert, It missed a tiny bit. ;D





In OWW's defense, the log was dead and most of the trash fell off while he was turning the log. ;)
Things turn out best for people who make the best of how things turn out.

isawlogs

 Hey Bob , I am a little jalous here ...
So where is it that we put our name down for you to come and tail for us . Did Robert get an exclusive?  I offerd Dan a vacation here in the spring , while we do the Maple sirop thing .. and as soon as he saw the snow in the pic I sent him and the sleigh he was going to help pull .... he run da oder way .  :-\  Da words that man can come up with the qualify the word snow is amazing .  :P :o   Smart man that Dan , some of them words I have yet to find a definition for .  :P But in my defense, I have an old dictionary . 
A man does not always grow wise as he grows old , but he always grows old as he grows wise .

   Marcel

DR_Buck

Quote from: isawlogs on January 06, 2009, 01:43:29 PM
  :P But in my defense, I have an old dictionary . 

Yea,  and it's probably not in English.   ;)
Been there, done that.   Never got caught [/b]
Retired and not doing much anymore and still not getting caught

isawlogs

Quote from: DR_Buck on January 06, 2009, 05:54:05 PM
Quote from: isawlogs on January 06, 2009, 01:43:29 PM
  :P But in my defense, I have an old dictionary . 

Yea,  and it's probably not in English.   ;)

  Well there ya go , secrets out now .  :P :D
A man does not always grow wise as he grows old , but he always grows old as he grows wise .

   Marcel

TexasTimbers

I can't add much to what's been said. have 725 with their carbide cutterhead. Have two dozen profiles now and the gang ripper and sander kit. I Love it.

the only thing I don't like about it is that the bed moves up and down instead of the cutterhead. They have a bed  attachment for that but it isn't to my liking either. I have got used to it, but i still scratched out my own solution on a sheet of paper once.  Just another one of those "I'll get to it one day" projects.

I have a dedicated DC hooked up to it, only 2HP, but it sucks 98%+ of the wet heavy soft maple chips it eats routinely. I have a 15HP DC I was going to hook up to it but I just decided it would be better for the rest of whole shop because the shop is rather large, with long ducting runs.

Only thing I say with a planer is go as wide as you can afford. You'll never have a planer wide enough for everything you want to run through it, but the wider you go, the fewer times you'll say "I shoulda got the wider one!"

I see you haven't posted since first asking, let us know what you decide.

The oil is all in Texas, but the dipsticks are in D.C.

customdave

Thanks for all the replys guys , TexasTimber , I'm going to take your advice & get the 25 with the sprial planer head , this machine should work great for me. Just haven't had time to track down if they have dealer in Canada yet, but if they don't I can get it shipped up from U.S.    Thanks Dave
Love the smell of sawdust

wdncno

I believe they have a dealer in New Brunswick.  I have spoken to them and got parts for mine. - A 25" with 5 hp Leeson motor . I also have the gang saw, drum sander, and moulding heads and a bunch of knives.  I don't use it much since I got the Logosol ph260 and could probably be talked into selling it.

HOOF-ER

 8) 8) 8) Joined the Woodmaster crowd. I picked up a used 718 today.
Looking forward to using it. I have been looking for some time for a larger planer.
Still would like a commercial one. I will see how this fits my needs , I can always keep looking.
Home built swing mill, 27hp Kawasaki

David Freed

Quote from: bedway on January 01, 2009, 12:26:09 PM
I have mine hooked up to a dust collector. It works great except when your doing real wide stock. Then the chips load up in the chute. When running wide material i dont use the collection system.

Here is how I changed the dust hood so it would pick up dust better. If I was using the full width, I would add a third port on the other side. It works really good.


Slabs

Yep, a shavings despenser for the planer is a boss appliance.



I use a Grizzly one-hoss "roll-around/hang-on-the-wall" for my 15" planer.  One thing I learned too slow is  you can't have the "chip-catcher" grid on the intake of the blower with a planer.  The shavings from a moderate sized board will catch up on the grid and choke up the blower.  A pair of lineman's pliers will take care of the grid and eliminate problems until you use the blower to suck up the oak leaves that collect through the open shop door.  They will stick in the output grid and stop that end up.  Just don't know why you need the output grid but the lineman's pliers take care of that one too.

The drum is a homemade dust and chip separator and the lawn mower trailer will handle a couple hours worth of shavings-enough for a small project.
Slabs  : Offloader, slab and sawdust Mexican, mill mechanic and electrician, general flunky.  Woodshop, metal woorking shop and electronics shop.

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