58 - Miter Saw Station, страница 25

IN THE SHOP

CROSS SECTION

Both Sears and Delta offer a good selection of knives (25 and 32 different profiles, respectively). These include coves, beads, flutes, quarter rounds, and ogees. Several of the knives combine two or more different shapes in the same profile, so they perform double-duty. There are also special knives available for tongue and groove joints and glue joints. The straight knives can be used for making rabbets or chamfers.

Knives for the Delta molding head cost about $20 per set while the Craftsman knives are around $12 per set. The two brands are not interchangeable. In other words, you can't use the Craftsman knives on a Delta molding head or vice versa.

Check Your Saw - Before purchasing a molding head, you might want to make sure that your table saw is capable of using one. The

arbor of the saw needs to be long enough to accommodate the molding head. As a general rule, if you can use a stacked dado head on your table saw, you should be able to use a molding head.

Inserts - The other piece of equipment you'll need is an insert plate for your table saw. You can purchase one or make your own (see the box on page 27). The insert for the molding head should have a wide opening to provide clearance for the cutters. Note: The opening required for a molding head is usually wider than the opening found on most dado inserts, so you can't necessarily use your dado insert.

One thing to note is that the Delta molding insert is designed to be used with the Delta molding head. The opening in this insert isn't long enough to accommodate the larger-diameter Craftsman molding head.

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With its bright purple exterior, the new "Magic Molder" certainly stands out from other molding heads. And the differences don't stop there. It has a lot of features that you won't find on traditional molding heads.

For one, the head is made out of anodized aluminum, perfectly

MAGIC MOLDER ^

balanced so it will run smoothly and quietly. But the biggest improvements are in the knives. Instead of just flat, steel knives, the Magic Molder uses round "plugs" that have carbide cutters welded on. These plugs slide into openings in the molding head and are

PLUG

held in place by a steel locking pin and a set screw, making it virtually impossible for the plug to fly out. An anti-kickback plug design makes the Magic Molder even safer to use.

I tried the Magic Molder, and it worked, well, like magic. The moldings it creates look like they came right off a shaper.

The Magic Molder is a bit more expensive than other molding heads. But the cost is offset by the fact that the carbide cutters will last much longer than high speed steel. In addition, there are 70 different knife profiles available. See page 31 for sources.

No. 58

ShopNotes

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