The Woodmaster - multi-function machine

[Gregg Germain]

Hi all,

The latest WoodenBoat magazine has a review of "The Woodmaster" - multifunctional woodworking machine. The guy says it milled out 80.75" x 2.5" planks 12 to 18 feet long into eighty planks of T&G "milled to perfection" in about 30 minutes including setup time.

Then they changes fixtures and ran the eithey pieces through the drum sander..."....they were so smooth and clean looking that I accepted the offer of a pair of powder-coated latex gloves.." to load them into his truck.

You can mount mor ethan one circular saw blad and rip boards into several widths in one pass. then put on the thickness planer attachment and plane them down (variable speed feed motor giving 1000 cuts per inch, 3 knife cutter head, "..precision elevation control allows the tiniest adjustment for thickness..."

Mouldings, T&G? Get the custom knife holder.

get the router attachment and the ripped planks can then have a bevel routed on them (or a rabbet etc.) as the rip saw is sawing them out.

There is a 12.5" version (5 hp motor), and 18" version (?hp) and a 25" model (7hp motor). $1,195 $1,595, $2,398 respectively.

Of course all those fixtures are going to cost more.

But if this thign can do what the author claims and does it well, you save some money on tools, perhaps;. it won't replace a table saw, though it cna do a lot of the work of a table saw

Anyone seen one of these? played with one? Read other reviews?

thanks

--- Gregg

My woodworking projects:

Replicas of 15th-19th century nautical navigational instruments:

of my 82 year old Herreshoff S-Boat sailboat:

FAQ with photos:

"Improvise, adapt, overcome." [e-mail] Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics Phone: [phone]

[John Crea]

Gregg

I have the 18in Woodmaster, and it WILL do everything they say it will, just take the change over times between functions with a big grain of salt.

And it can give you much better results planing if you turn the feed rate way down slow for the last pass thru the planer

And yes, with all the fittings for all the functions it can be expehsive

Bottom line, I really like mine and would go this route again if I had to do so.

John

[Dave Fleming]

by email only:

Gregg, for boatbuilding I don't see the use or need for such a machine. I know I know, multi purpose machines are in the spot light again. Seem like every so often they, the whole mult idea, rises to the top of the interest pile but soon sinks down yet again. jes' my .02 cents worth here.

Be Well dave Tales of a Boatbuilder Apprentice