A moulder is a machine that cuts raw material into patterns or shapes using knives. There are single-head and multi-head machines, with the latter being faster but less efficient. They are used to create moldings and edges in woodworking projects, and some have computer numerical controls for precision cutting.
A moulder is a machine used to cut pieces of raw material known as blanks. The cutting is done with cutting heads known as knives, and the knives cut into the blanks in such a way that patterns or shapes are created; the machine is not for cutting a piece of wood in half, for example. Sometimes the moulder is also a plane, which is a tool that creates a flat surface on a blank, although not all machines are capable of this function. There are two general types of formers: single-head machines and multi-head machines.
A single head former will feature a horizontally oriented shaft on which the knife or cutting head can be mounted. This means that one side of the stock is cut at a time, which can take longer but is ultimately a more painstaking process. The blank will be fed into the machine and the knife will rotate at high speed on the axis shaft, cutting the blank as it passes. The knife can be replaced with another knife of a different shape, thus allowing the user to create a different pattern on a new blank.
A multi-head former will have more than one rotary cutting head. There is likely to be a horizontal shaft with a knife in the machine, although other cutting heads within the machine may instead be oriented in a vertical plane. This means that more than one side of the stock can be cut at the same time. This is a faster process, but the machine is likely to be more expensive than a single head moulder, and the cuts may not be as clean and efficient as a single head shear as more vibration may be present during the cutting process.
One of the primary uses of a moulder is to create moldings or edges used in the finishing stages of a woodworking project. End caps, crown molding and other accents within a home can be created with a modeler quickly and easily. Some moulders are equipped with CNC or computer numerical controls, which means that the same cut can be made multiple times on different blanks with little or no difference in tolerances. This is especially useful when creating many molding pieces for one room or an entire house. CNC machines use computers with special software to control the machine during the cutting process.
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