Spindle Molder Or Good Router and table

Your note is too terse and broken up; can’t understand mssage – I am assuming you meant 3 1/2 hp router? Slow down and provide more meaningful info and we can discuss.

-- Regards, Steve2

ah , you’re right. My bench router is a Ryobi 1150 watt with good quailty rail and style bits however it struggles to cut cleanly, my plunge router is a cheap 1800 watt unit 1/4in collet as i cant find a 1/2 in collet for it. I want to make a large number of oak raised panels etc for around 50ft of stairwell and wonder what is best way to tackle this. i like doing my projects from rough timber and my other machines are of strong quality.
i have been advised that a spindle moulder would be better than a Router table.

thanks

I can’t speak to the spindle molder, but I’ve got a “3¼HP” (The numbers on HP vs watts consumed make no sense) Porter Cable 7518 in my router table, and I’ve had no problems using a raised panel bit in mahogany (no big challenge) or eastern hard maple. I generally do three or four passes, first few to get close, the last as a really fine climb-cut to make the result as smooth as possible.

As long as you’ve got a ½” collet, the only issue I can see is either feeding too fast, or trying to take too much off in a single pass. Or your router really does have a lot of run-out, but I’d try tweaking the other two before replacing your router.

-- Dan Lyke, Petaluma California, http://www.flutterby.net/User:DanLyke

Just take more passes.

-- I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso

As Dan points out equip. expressed in wattage usually equates to below the horizon H.P. – that you are limited to 1/4” shaft seals it Forget it!. Must have 1/2” shaft running at ~2 H.P. P-C 6/890 as minimum, or preferably if starting new, the 3+ P-C 7518 (or comparable) as Dan points out, With the large job you mentioned, this is minimum. I do not know what you mean by spindle moulder or how it could be better than a router table. IF by spindle moulder you mean a shaper, I have both and while shapers are predecessors to router technology but certainly no better as a blanket statement. Each has its own merits/disadvantages.

-- Regards, Steve2

As I understand it a shaper is like a router table with a spindle for cutters .Whereas a spindle moulder again as it is in the uk is a big dedicated spindle cutter with specialized tooling not router bits, again as I understand it as the terminology is different in different countries. This spindle moulder is much bigger and more powerful than a shaper.Look if you only want to do a few panels it might be better rather than buying a spindl;e moulder either getting a shop with one to cut your panels for you.If you intend to do a lot of work then read up on a spindle moulder they can be very dangerous in the hands of a novice .Please ,please , take care you may as suggested go down the variable speed router route with 1/2” router with variable speed .this is very important as you will need to reduce the speed for large cutters as they are too large for high speeds again this can be dangerous if your not well read on the subject do your homework first then make up your mind maybe try to go to a local technical school and assk for some instruction or advice before laying oput too much money have fun and be safe god bless Alistair

-- excuse my typing as I have a form of parkinsons disease

Just to clarify, it looks like Jaxx has a 1/4” collet plunge router, and a bigger (what the industry seems to term in the neighborhood of 2HP) table router. It’s a Ryobi, which I’ve never associated with high end and leads me to consider that he may have runout issues (ie: the bearings allow shaft wobble), but if you slow down and assume it’s going to take several passes, and if you make sure the router’s running fairly slowly, because out at the end of a full-on panel cutting bit you can get some huge and scary cutter speeds if your router doesn’t have speed control, you should be able to get decent quality out of that.

-- Dan Lyke, Petaluma California, http://www.flutterby.net/User:DanLyke

thanks for all the help, for sure my routers are not upto the task. I have not been woodworking long and i bought these when i started, the lure of cheap good looking tools at the big hardware stores is strong when you start out. I have stopped this now. my last purchase was a Bosch GTS 10 Pro table saw and Dewalt thickenesser and both are superb machines.
i will keep my low power routers for light work seems handy to have a spare router

i live in spain and not easy or inexpensive to get routers here for some reason however, i get my tools from UK. here is the Router i plan to purchase its the Trend T11 1/2in with the new Built in Quick raiser as i hate adjusting with the lock. thanks again,

i just think a spindle molder/shaper would be easier to adjust for hieght etc.

cheers

george

I’ve raised panels in hard maple with a 1¾HP Porter Cable, but it was a real workout for the router. If you don’t have access to a big router, you might consider vertical panel raiser bits – they require a lot less muscle.

-- Coffee is best with a fine layer of sawdust on top. -- http://www.north40custom.com

Jaxx, something you might do, depending on what shape you want for your raised panels, is use a circular saw or your table saw for cove cutting, and then put in whatever lips you want with a straight bit on your router table.

If you build a jig to move your work piece diagonally with respect to a circular saw blade, and then take fairly shallow passes across the blade, you can get a quite respectable cove cut.

-- Dan Lyke, Petaluma California, http://www.flutterby.net/User:DanLyke

Dan, I can’t get too excited about the method you refer to on the saw (no offense intended), but some day I’ll ask you to educate me and show me how. One of these days when I need some eggs in Petaluma, I’ll stop in and see you before coming back to Concord :) :)

-- Regards, Steve2

You really just need a bigger router. That will save on tooling since all can be used on you “new” router as well as your old.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

Molly, one of the recent Woodsmith magazines had an article on doing it on a table saw, and I’ve seen someone who does it on a Festool MFT with the Festool saw, although by doing repeated “step and cut” motions rather than sliding the work piece.

As Gary suggests, though, I just went the bigger router route.

But to your other point, we here in Chickentown are happy to have visitors!

-- Dan Lyke, Petaluma California, http://www.flutterby.net/User:DanLyke

thanks for all the info, i have just about decided on a large router however, im going to look at a shaper , spindle moulder that can take router bits and do angle cuts, i just like the handwheel hieght adjustment at the side of the moulder as getting correct hieght on my router table has been my real problem.
i have priced up , router, table and lift system and it all ads up way more than the moulder. Any downsides to moulder, shapers please shout me up on this

thanks

george , spain

GaryK is right a bigger router 3 1/4hp and take your time take 3 even 4 run and it should come out ok I use a 2 1/4hp and I do a fine job but I take my time also you need a variable router or a variable switch

-- - - Tools are nice to have but you need someone to work them - -