Thread: Spindle moulders

Simple safety upgrade for those who do no take the time to set them up correctly, install a small pin in the cutter slot, grind a matching notch in the cutters, converting the spindle you would have to make a new spindle or have the original turned down, there is no need, there is still plenty of tooling available. Heavy base on any machine is a advantage, no a tilting arbor is not a must have.

I have a Robinson of about the same vintage and size. I’ve been using it since I was 10 years old and I’m 53 now. The old man used it for a fair while before me too. I would imagine it has an 1&1/4 inch spindle, like mine. Collars and heads are available to fit these machines, or, the few modern 30mm bore heads I’ve bought in recent years, I have had bored out to fit, by a machinist friend, quite common. The cutters you refer to are slotted cutters, always made as a matched pair, and ground to shape to make a matched pair that each cutter of that pair is the exact same weight, this stops vibration which produces whip in the spindle. If the balance is wrong, the cut produced will not be perfect. Most of my pairs of cutters have a slot ground into the bottom, and the bottom collar has a pin in it, which prevents them sliding out if the nut comes loose, which can happen if the cutters aren’t balanced, or when cutting in reverse (clockwise rotation) there’s nothing wrong with the older style cutters, they’ve been in use for a couple of hundred years, but without care and attention, they can certainly come out. The modern pinned cuttersets, like these CMT 40mm Cutters | Carbatec. Are inherently safe because they are held by two pins into the head, and they are also quick and accurate to set up.
Spindle moulders are great machines, a powerfeed unit is an absolute essential, both for productivity and safety, and when set up well, with sharp tooling, are a joy to use, they’re old school yes, but I like them.

One thing for sure, it will out live many shiny spindle moulder sold today.

Probably illegal to be used in commercial shop due to exposed moving parts?

My old work has hundreds of sets of knifes for slotted collars with safety pins, nothing wrong with them.
A power feed and proper guards are a must.

Is that a single speed machine? I'd be very hesitant (read: categorically would not) to run large diameter cutters on full speed due to the risks posed by excessive vibration (potential to throw a cutter, potential bearing damage). If you don't have multiple pulleys, look at installing a VFD.

Originally Posted by workingdogtom

Are there any issues with old school spindle moulders if one wants to use modern tooling. I sold an old Wolfenden which had the tooling clamped into a vertical slot considering too scary / risky. Are they legal ? I think this type of machines were dubbed "widow makers". Can these types of machines be converted from the larger spindle diameter to take 30 mm tooling? Is the heavy cast base / an advantage. Is a tilting arbor a 'must have'?

Nothing is really illegal . If you cut your own arms off everyone just says "Bad luck here's some band aids"

If you let an employee on it and they cut the end of their finger off or worse your in deeper s**t than ever!

Yeah all sorts of modern things will fit that .
Don't use the old style if they don't have the safety pins in the slotted collars. Its easy to get them fixed so they do have them . There's a guy selling slotted pinned collars on ebay atm I think . Or there was?

If a blade shifts and the pin saves it from flying out, the machine will leave you in no doubt something is very wrong by the out of balance sound in will be making . Learn to hit the floor first before pushing the off button .

I was in a stone walled room at trade school being tought how to woodturn when a fellow student being tought the spindle moulder started it up and the blades flew out right through the plywood cover supposed to stop that happening . The blades bounced of three walls before landing I think . Probably 6 other students standing around and they hit no one ! You don't forget that sort of lesson .

That's a nice looking Aussie machine .

It seems a bit hard to gain experience on spindle moulders when you haven't been in a work situation where older smarter guys can show you the way . Ask a lot of questions and research all you can .

I can only imagine what would have happened if it was at operating speed instead of startup. Back of the envelope calculation puts the tip speed of a 100mm diameter cutter @ 6000 rpm at about 114 km/h, 100 grams of sharp steel getting thrown at that speed is gonna make a hell of a mess

Originally Posted by elanjacobs

I can only imagine what would have happened if it was at operating speed instead of startup. Back of the envelope calculation puts the tip speed of a 100mm diameter cutter @ 6000 rpm at about 114 km/h, 100 grams of sharp steel getting thrown at that speed is gonna make a hell of a mess

Yeah !

What surprised me is how they missed the guy standing right at the machine as well .

Ive heard the same story a number of times from different guys . Never heard of anyone being hit like that. It must have happened .

Over the years you do see or hear of a lot of guys who have lost fingers though.

These are the collars I see on ebay . Pins and a bearing for shaped work . I bought a couple off him . 3 left he says . I don't think the bearing will limit straight work much with the right blade projection .

Spindle moulder | eBay

I remember when I was an apprentice that our boss had a incident with cutters coming off and going through multiple wardrobes the factory mass produced, the old spindles were a weapon in the wrong hands i had one on solid cast iron and no safety at all.