2020 Product Showcase: Woodmaster Helical Head

Woodmaster machines are the multi-tool of a woodworking shop. They can be used as planers, drum sanders, molders or to gang rip. That’s A LOT of tools in a really small footprint.

The planer head

The Woodmaster helical planer head provides an amazing shear cut. Each individual cut is set at an angle to the material you are planing. This is different from, and better than, a spiral head. The helical head is loaded with four-sided carbide inserts, so you’ll never sharpen a planer knife again.

When the cutters get dull, simply rotate them to a new cutting edge. Because they’re carbide they’ll last a long time. In addition to providing a nice surface, a helical cutter, coupled with the ability to slow down the feed rate, helps reduce chipping in figured woods like maple and birch.

Switching over

Swapping from one function to the next isn’t difficult, and you’ll get the hang of it in no time.

What’s gang rip?

Imagine having an additional blade or two next to your table saw blade, with the ability to vary the spacing between the blades. As you feed a board through you’ll get multiple pieces cut to width. That’s how the gang rip function works. Multiple blades can be mounted on the tool shaft, their spacing set, and the feed rollers push the material through.

Molding

How cool to be able to produce your own molding. You might do this to get molding in species you can’t buy, or for the simple enjoyment (and bragging rights) of making the molding for your house, or to monetize by selling molding.