Woodmaster Tools, Inc.

Here are straight-forward answers to the toughest questions folks like you ask about Woodmaster equipment. If you have questions that aren’t answered here, please feel free to call us at 1-800-821-6651 or email info@woodmastertools.com.

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Woodmaster Molder/Planers

Why should I own a planer?

There are several immediate advantages to owning a planer:

	1)		With your own planer, you can increase the quality and variety of your projects. You can quickly dimension stock without depending on anyone else.
	2)		You can substantially reduce lumber costs by purchasing rough-cut stock direct from local sawmills. (As a Woodmaster owner, you'll have exclusive access to our Sawmill Registry to help you locate mills nearest you). This is one reason people say that a planer with enough muscle to handle rough-cut stock easily pays for itself.

	Q:	What are the advantages of a multi-duty planer?
	A:	With a multi-duty machine, you can create trim molding, picture frame stock, custom designs, log cabin siding, antique molding and much more...either for yourself or on a commercial basis. And with a variable feed rate machine, you can produce smoother, higher-quality molding than any you can buy at the lumberyard...and at a fraction of the price! Plus, because the Woodmaster quickly converts to a power-feed drum sander, you can use it to save hours of tedious hand sanding.

	Q:	There are a lot of 13-in. and 20-in. Taiwanese planers on the market. Can these handle rough-cut boards?
	A:	Sometimes, but not in a really economical way. That's because most of these machines are powered with a 2HP or 3HP motor. And because they don't have a separate power source for the feed, up to one-third of the cutterhead motor's power is "robbed" to drive the feed rollers. As a result, these planers can rarely take more than a 1/16" full width cut. However, variances in rough-cut stock commonly run as high as 1/8" on up to 3/16"...and these variance are often random along the board's length and width. So unless you're willing to painstakingly measure the thickness of the board along its length and width, there's a good chance a Taiwanese planer will come to a smoking halt somewhere in mid-pass. That's hard on the planer, hard on your board and hard on your pocketbook. Woodmaster's exclusive two-motor system uses a separate, variable-speed gear motor to handle the board feed. That means 100% of the 5HP (or 7.5HP) motor's power goes to the cutterhead...right where it counts! Woodmaster's variable feed rate means you can adjust feed to exactly fit the wood you're planing, producing a satin-smooth finish impossible on other, fixed feed rate planers.

There are also several foreign-made planer/molders out there. What about them?

The most widely advertised of these is the Grizzly® 13" planer/molder. Here are several points to consider:

	1)		This tool uses only a 1-1/2HP motor, and a good percentage of its power goes to the feed-works, not to the molding knives. This is why maximum cutting depth for molding is limited to ¾", vs. Woodmaster's 1-1/8" maximum depth.
	2)		The feed system is single speed, not variable. This is why they recommend making more than one pass for an acceptable finish.
	3)		Choice of knives is limited to 41 patterns vs. over 500 patterns from Woodmaster. Also, they do not offer custom knives and the majority of the patterns they offer are not standard American lumberyard trim patterns (as set forth by the Wood Moulding and Millwork Producers Association.)
	4)		Grizzly® knives are castings made from powdered metal. Woodmaster knives are precision-ground from M-2, high-speed steel.
	5)		Imported machines lack the capacity to gang-rip blank stock for molding. That means you must gang-rip the stock on a table-saw first, then take it across your shop to your molder, stack it and get started again. With the Woodmaster, gang-rip and molding features can be done with a single set-up in a single location.
	6)		Imported machines do not have a drum-sander feature. This means you must burn valuable cash and shop space to buy a second machine for sanding, or spend hours hand-sanding.
	7)		Machines like the 13" Grizzly® can only plane 3/32" per pass. That means they're not practical for use on money-saving rough-cut stock.
	8)		Woodmaster's strong reputation and solid, 5-year warranty mean that your Woodmaster will retain its high performance capacity and remarkable resale value far longer than any Taiwan bargain tool.
	9)		One thing is certain: you cannot build an efficient business based on a Taiwan molder. And if you're building a new home or restoring an old one, you'll want the quality, wide pattern selection and ease of operation a Woodmaster gives you. And when your job's complete, chance are you can sell your Woodmaster for nearly what you paid for it! In the long run, you're money ahead with Woodmaster.

	Q:	Is Woodmaster a dependable company?
	A:	Yes it is. Our factory has been making top of the line planers for many years. We use the very latest in modern equipment plus old-fashioned craftsmanship and attention to detail. Because of this, Woodmaster has become the largest manufacturer of planers in America.

	Q:	Is this commercial-duty equipment?
	A:	Yes it is. There are thousands of Woodmaster planers being used in pro shops eight hours a day, five (or six!) days a week. Woodmaster planers are built to stand up to the heavy demands of tough commercial jobs...that's why we can confidently offer our Five Year Warranty!

	Q:	I noticed that all Woodmaster planers include both cast-iron beds and cast-iron bearing housings. Is this an advantage?
	A:	Yes it is. Because of its density and unique grain structure, cast iron has a special ability to absorb vibrations. Cast iron components are generally more stable, more accurate, better-wearing and more reliable.

	Q:	What about dust and chip collection systems?
	A:	By its very nature, planing and sanding is a dusty business. To protect your (and your family's) health and keep your shop clean, we recommend a good dust and chip removal system. In fact, the drum sanding attachment requires a minimum of 400 CFM vacuum to operate safely and efficiently. Woodmaster's dust-collection systems will handle the job for any size planer and can be easily adapted for use on other tools on your shop.

Woodmaster Dedicated Drum Sanders

	Q:	Can a Woodmaster Drum Sander make me money?
	A:	Yes it can. To be conservative, let's say your labor costs are $7 an hour and you average 2 hours a day in sanding time. We multiply that hourly rate by 1.5 to cover benefits, insurance, taxes, etc. and we get $10.50 an hour actual costs. That, times 2 hours a day, means you're spending $21 a day on sanding. Multiply that by 250 working days a year, and that means you're spending $5,250 a year on sanding. According to industry estimates, a drum sander can cut sanding time by as much as 90%...so you'll spend only 10% of the $5,250 labor cost, or just $525! That means you save $4,725 a year in labor costs, money that goes right to your bottom line! That savings translates to $393.75 a month...two to three times the monthly payment on a Woodmaster Drum Sander!

	Q:	Some Taiwanese sanders cost about half as much. Why should I pay more for a Woodmaster?
	A:	Because you get more: 6" steel drums (not 4" or 5" aluminum drums) Commercial duty, 2-ply rubber conveyor belts (not single-ply plastic belting) Superior dust chute design draws dust from the bottom of the sanding drum before it can load the sandpaper Infinitely variable feed rate Standard Reversing Conveyor Control Choice of sanding widths from 26 to 50 inches Motor options ranging from 5HP to 10HP in either single or 3-phase. Strongest warranty in the business plus Woodmaster's 30 Day Free Trial Guarantee. In sanding, the difference between superior performance and absolute failure is a matter of only a few thousandths of an inch. This is no place to cut corners! When you compare equipment you'll see that Woodmaster sanders are heavy-duty, precision machines made for years of trouble-free performance. No wonder Fine Woodworking magazine wrote that, "the Woodmaster gets our top vote. It is robustly built, smooth and quiet in operation, offers easy abrasive-strip changing, and includes a reversing conveyor."

	Q:	How is sandpaper secured to the Drum?
	A:	Woodmaster's exclusive Velcro covering on the steel drum allows felt-backed paper to be spiraled onto the drum without messy adhesives. The harder you sand, the tighter it grips. This same system eliminates any chance of stretching, creasing or creeping so common with nearly all other methods. Velcro method is far superior to spring-loaded take-up devices. These gadgets are like closing the barn door after the horse is gone: by the time a take-up device is needed, the damage is already done. Finally, Velcro method not only prevents stretching, it also makes sandpaper easy to remove and reuse.

	Q:	Is Woodmaster the only source for felt-back sandpaper?
	A:	No. Felt-backed paper is made by several firms, including 3M and Norton. You local dealer should be able to obtain paper for you. However, there are advantages to getting your paper direct from Woodmaster. First, because we buy large amounts of paper, we're able to offer very competitive pricing. Second, when you buy your paper from Woodmaster you can be sure that it has been tested and approved to work well on your sander. And finally, we almost always have a variety of grits in stock for quick shipment.

	Q:	What about dust collection systems?
	A:	By its very nature, sanding is a dusty business. For proper performance, to prevent sandpaper from loading, to keep your shop clean and to protect your health, your sander should always be operated with a dust collection system. The Model 2675 sander requires a vacuum system pulling at least 500 cubic feet per minute at 2-inch static pressure. Woodmaster's 2HP Dust Collection unit is ideal for this application. The Model 3875 and Model 5075 sanders require a system that pulls at least 1,000 cubic feet per minute at 2-inch static pressure. Our Model 1033 dust collection system is recommended for these machines. With cut-off blast gates carried by Woodmaster, both systems can be used for multiple tools in your shop.

	Q:	Can my Drum Sander be used as an abrasive planer?
	A:	With coarse grit paper the Drum Sander is ideal for light thicknessing. For this type of application, you'll want to have your sander equipped with extra-heavy 7.5HP or 10HP motors. For heavy thicknessing, there's no substitute for good, heavy-duty Woodmaster planer.

	Q:	Is Woodmaster a dependable company?
	A:	Yes it is. We have been making top-of-the-line woodworking equipment for many years. We use the latest in modern equipment and tooling plus old fashioned craftsmanship and attention to detail. In addition you are fully protected by Woodmaster's 30 Day Money-Back Guarantee and Five Year Limited Warranty.