Yearly Archives: 2011

“VALUE-ADDED” IS THE KEY TO WOODWORKING BUSINESS SUCCESS — going from “tree to trim” adds value by THOUSANDS of dollars.

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Here's something you don't see every day -- a genuine log cabin travel trailer. The Parmers renovated it with log cabin siding outside and custom paneling inside...all made with their Woodmaster Molder/Planer.

Here’s something you don’t see every day — a genuine log cabin travel trailer. The Parmers renovated it with log cabin siding outside and custom paneling inside…all made with their Woodmaster Molder/Planer.

We hear this question a lot these days. “How can I make a good living in these economic times?” Robert Parmer, owner of Parmer Lumber Company of Dawson, Georgia has found an answer.

Robert Parmer in his shop with his "4-Way Money Maker" -- his Woodmaster Molder/Planer

Robert Parmer in his shop with his “4-Way Money Maker” — his Woodmaster Molder/Planer

“My son and I make a living with our Woodmaster Molder/Planer and our TimberKing sawmill. We work with them about 10 hours a day, five or six days every week.”

Father & son business started with a TimberKing sawmill

The Parmers have a long history manufacturing wood products. “I have 42 years sawmill experience,” Robert told us, “and my son has 18 or so years.” Robert had 37 employees for about 25 years. “It was just about driving me crazy,” he says. “Now instead of 37, it’s just me and my son. We are enjoying life now.”

“We know sawmills. We looked at one with a cantilever head (cutting head supported on one side only) and my experience said that would be a problem over time.” Instead, he chose the TimberKing’s 4-post cutting head with support at each of its four corners.

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The Parmers saw logs into high quality roughcut lumber with a TimberKing sawmill and a Talon edger. The TimberKing Sawmill saws out the boards; the Talon Edger removes the raw edges (“wane”) from the boards. Acquiring logs is easy, says Robert. “We saw roughcut lumber from trees in a 150-mile radius,” he says. “I’ve been in this business all my life so I know how to get a log.”

1,500% value added with a Woodmaster

“Value added” is the name of the game in the wood business. Each time you perform an additional process, you add value. Sawing logs into boards adds value; edging them adds value; but turning them into saleable wood products adds far more.

Just about the most valuable wood product you can make is wood molding. Starting with a board worth $5, a motivated woodworker can manufacture $75 worth of wood molding. That’s a 1,500% increase in value!

Woodmaster & TimberKing: sister companies

Robert's been in the lumber sawing business a long, long time. When he and his son started their own business, they chose a TimberKing sawmill because it has a rugged 4-post head.

Robert’s been in the lumber sawing business a long, long time. When he and his son started their own business, they chose a TimberKing sawmill because it has a rugged 4-post head

To add value, Robert added woodworking equipment: a Woodmaster Molder/Planer with a Woodmaster 3-Side Molding System. “When I learned that TimberKing and Woodmaster were sister companies, I knew Woodmaster was the Molder/Planer I wanted.” Product reviews by Woodmaster owners clinched the deal. “Another reason I bought a Woodmaster was because of the things other owners had written about them.  If they liked them that much I figured I would be happy with one, too.”

But, ultimately, it came down to service. “TimberKing took care of us very well. Their sister company, Woodmaster, makes a good product but the main thing is the service — the speed of service and the quality of people they have manning the phones.  If you have a problem they will tell you how to fix it, and they haven’t been wrong yet!  That is important when you are thousands of miles away in the middle of an order and something tears up.”

Here’s real business savvy

Added to the Woodmaster Molder/Planer, the Woodmaster 3-Side Molding System allows the woodworker to shape 3 sides of his workpiece in a single pass. The Woodmaster cuts the top surface; 2 Milwaukee routers shape both sides.

Added to the Woodmaster Molder/Planer, the Woodmaster 3-Side Molding System allows the woodworker to shape 3 sides of his workpiece in a single pass. The Woodmaster cuts the top surface; 2 Milwaukee routers shape both sides.

“I wanted to add value to our roughcut lumber and I figured we could sell some molding and paneling,” says Robert. “We make V-groove paneling out of cedar, cherry, and cypress and molding to match. If a man buys cedar paneling, he wants cedar crown and baseboard to match and you can’t go down to Lowe’s and buy cedar molding.”

Robert explained further. “We have high dollar items here with custom paneling and molding. We get a good dollar for them and we’ve kind of cornered the market down here. I don’t know of anywhere else you can buy these things here.”

The Parmers got a 3-Side Molding System at the same time as they got their Woodmaster Molder/Planer. It’s an add-on “outrigger” piece of equipment added to the Woodmaster’s outfeed. It enables the Woodmaster to shape three sides in a single pass. Molding knives in the Woodmaster’s cutterhead shape the top side; two heavy-duty Milwaukee routers shape two more sides; and variable-speed feed rollers move the workpiece through…all in one pass.

Parmer Lumber Co. mills roughcut lumber and adds tremendous value by turning boards into finished lumber with their Woodmaster...then building high-value items like this beautiful custom deck.

Parmer Lumber Co. mills roughcut lumber and adds tremendous value by turning boards into finished lumber with their Woodmaster…then building high-value items like this beautiful custom deck.

“We make log cabin siding with the Woodmaster Molder/Planer and the Woodmaster 3-Side Molding System,” Robert told us. It’s a complicated shape but Robert cuts the entire profile in one pass. “I can make one pass and make the whole thing, rabbet cut and all. There’s no reason to dress the backside. If I’m doing the board for myself, I don’t bother with the backside because its hidden and you have exact thickness all the way down the board.  But if it’s for a customer, I run it through another time to dress the back. I’m very well pleased with Woodmaster’s double router system.”

Bigger shop, more Woodmasters

If you're ever in Dawson, Georgia, stop and say hello to Robert and his son at Parmer Lumber Co.

If you’re ever in Dawson, Georgia, stop and say hello to Robert and his son at Parmer Lumber Co.

“Log cabin siding is going real well,” says Robert. They’ve built three display buildings with it but their most ambitious log cabin siding project is a mobile home they renovated. “We stripped it down to the studs,” says Robert. “Then we put log cabin siding on the outside and V-groove cherry, cypress, and cedar V-groove paneling inside.”

When we last spoke with Robert, he had big plans for the future. “We are seriously thinking about growing.  In fact we are going to build a bigger shop and add one or possibly two more molder planers, and they will be Woodmasters.”

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HE DOES BUSINESS HIS WAY – and business is booming!

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“I do business on a handshake. If that  isn’t good enough for a customer, they might as well get someone else. I can be that independent.”

Among many other things, Bill Grom makes curved molding. "Quality product, price, and service" has done him well.

Among many other things in his woodworking business, Bill Grom makes curved molding. His “Quality product, price, and service” policies have served him well

“When I retired, I thought a Woodmaster would help me get a little trim and molding business going. I knew a lot of builders locally and they gave me a try. It just started rolling from there. Last year, I was making trim for eight houses at the same time!

$10 to $38 a foot

I started making crown and base molding plus corner blocks for each — the blocks go in inside and outside corners so homeowners don’t have to make compound angle cuts. I made 200 blocks for one job. I sell curved molding at $38 a foot, and straight molding for $10 or $15.

Business has snowballed and I’m as busy as I want to be. I’ve got my hands full. I provide quality product, price, and service. If you can provide those things, you’ll stay busy no matter what the economy is.”

Bill tells his story…

“I was a teacher and guidance counselor for 39 years and figured I’d need something to do when I retired so I wouldn’t be under my wife’s feet all the time. That’s when I got Woodmaster information about the machines and making trim.

I started making crown corner blocks for do it yourselfers. People are afraid of making compound miter cuts. These blocks just go up into the corner and the crown molding butts to it in at 90 degrees so there are no angles to cut except scribing it into the block if the walls aren’t square. I make crown molding to match with the Woodmaster.

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Business snowballed. Right now, I’m doing trim for a restaurant downtown. I do a lot of work that nobody wants to mess with. We’re working on a lot of the detail work that I can do with the Woodmaster.

Bill Grom can't quite retire -- he's finding success in a second career as a Woodmaster woodworker

Like so many men, Bill Grom can’t quite retire — he’s finding success in a second career as a Woodmaster woodworker

Custom knives from Woodmaster

I make bullnose corner blocks to match the base molding I make. They’re hard to find. I worked with Woodmaster to design my own knives. Woodmaster made me pattern knives from my drawings for base blocks and outside corners. I just got another knife from them so I have both 90 and 45 degree bullnose blocks.

I can buy knives cheaper other places but since I’ve started with Woodmaster I’ve had really good working relationships with everyone I’ve worked with there. I really enjoy it. I toured Woodmaster and put faces to the names of people I’d worked with and it was good to work with these people.

“There’s money to be made in curved molding.”

I also make curved molding in 3 or 4 different arcs and ellipses. I profile the curved molding on the Woodmaster. I got a curved molding jig from Woodmaster; I also made my own as well as my own patterns and templates.

Curved molding is labor intensive. I laminate everything. The finished product is really nice. There’s money to be made in it. Around Kansas City, they get $70 a foot for it. The most I could get around here would be in Telluride in the ski areas in the condos – they pay about $38 a foot. I sell straight molding for $10 or $15 a foot. I’m not in it to make a killing but to get the word our about the uniqueness and craftsmanship of what I do. It’s hard to find.

His winning policy: provide a great product, at a low price, back it with great service

A lot of what I make goes to homeowners who are their own general contractors, and a lot to contractors who’re building houses themselves. I sell a little to cabinet shops but not much. Lumberyards get a little ticked at me because I can produce the same product for a lot less money and they get fired up once in awhile.

Ingeniously simple? Or simply ingenious? Bill's corner blocks make it simple for DIY'ers to mount his molding -- compound angle cuts are eliminated.

Ingeniously simple? Or simply ingenious? Bill’s corner blocks make it simple for DIY’ers to mount his molding — compound angle cuts are eliminated.

For example, a customer went to the lumberyard for some Anderson 2-1/4” curved molding for a door was about $130. He asked me and I said I could do it for about $50.

Home Depot marks up their trim 300%. That’s where I check my prices. They get $3.50 a foot for crown molding; I make mine for about 50 cents and I make money at it. They have a huge overhead I provide price, product, and service – that counts for a lot.

Word of mouth works

I don’t have a storefront. I live in a subdivision with a small shop out back, about 16 x 30’ so when I get 16’ material, I have to open the door to run it through my Woodmaster. I do business out of the house and advertise in the phonebook. But I’ve cut back on advertising because I don’t want to get more business than I can handle. Right now, word of mouth is how I get most of my business.

Word of mouth works. I do fireplace surrounds and mantles. I had a woman called me from 250 miles away. She somehow got my name and number. The world gets awful small the more you talk.

“The spiral cutterhead prevents tearouts. It works.”

I have two recommendations for anyone buying a Woodmaster: if you’re going to do much at all. Get the forward/reverse switch for the feed rollers, and get the spiral cutterhead.

The cutterhead was about $1200 but I do a lot of alder and it tears out a lot, no matter how slow you go. Woodmaster recommended the spiral cutterhead. I got it and it works. If you’re going to do a lot of planing, get it. It prevents tearout and I saved most of what I paid for it in about 6 months simply because I’m not wasting material now with tearouts. It works great; it’s off the charts.

Planer blades go head-on with the grain. The spiral cutterhead goes diagonally to the grain. If I knew then what I knew now, I’d have gotten it when I bought the machine.

I like the forward/reverse kit. I don’t know how people would do without it. When you’re trying to size something up for thickness when you’re planing, you have to run the piece all the way through to get the depth. If you’re too deep, you’ve lost that piece of wood. With the forward/reverse feature, I just run it in a bit, then back out, then put a micrometer on it, then run it through. It’s efficient; you save waste and time, too. It works when you’re matching molding, too. Just run it in, back it out, and you can see if it matches.

“I can be THAT INDEPENDENT!”

There's ALWAYS good work and good money for a motivated woodworker

The key components for SUCCESS as an independent Woodmaster woodworker? A good head on your shoulders, good ideas, persistence…and a Woodmaster!

I never take money up front. I want a check when I deliver, before I unload the order from my truck. It’s really been good. I haven’t lost any money doing business this way.

Business is based on relationships. I do business on a handshake. If that  isn’t good enough for a customer, they might as well get someone else. I can be that independent. I don’t need contracts.”

— Bill Grom, Bill’s Custom Trim, Hotchkiss, CO

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HE TURNED HIS HOBBY INTO A FULL TIME BUSINESS…and YOU can, too!

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Howard Gelles turned his woodworking hobby -- making red cedar furniture -- into a lucrative full time business...and business is great!

Howard Gelles turned his woodworking hobby — making red cedar furniture — into a lucrative full time business…and business is great!

Here's Howard at work in his woodworking shop. He planes workpieces on his Woodmaster Molder/Planer (right) then sands them on his Woodmaster Drum Sander (left).

Here’s Howard at work in his woodworking shop. He planes workpieces on his Woodmaster Molder/Planer (right) then sands them on his Woodmaster Drum Sander (left).

Imagine working at your favorite hobby and getting paid for it. Think it’s impossible? Woodworker, Howard Gelles, is doing it full time…and loving it.

“It started as a hobby but today it’s my full time business. I manufacture red cedar outdoor furniture in the Adirondack style. I own the shop and operate it by myself — a 1-man operation. See my website.

Faster production & better quality with his 2 Woodmasters

I bought the Woodmaster Molder/Planer first and use it to plane rough cut lumber. I often order rough cut lumber from the mill, either kiln dried or air dried. I buy rough cut for price reasons. Planed lumber is $1 more a foot. If I buy 1,000 feet, that would be $1,000 more for the order of lumber. For the last project I did, I ordered 1,000 lineal feet of lumber. If I’d ordered planed lumber, it would have added at least $1000.

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Every foot I plane I’m saving a dollar. If I had someone plane it for me, they’d charge a setup charge, too. I size lumber to the exact thickness I want on the planer. The quality of the planed surface is very smooth.

I plane all 4 sides through the Woodmaster Molder/Planer. I run faces and edges. I stand the boards up and plane the edges. It saves a lot of time. If I had to run it through the edger, it would add more time. I can run two boards at a time through the Woodmaster; I can’t do that on a jointer. I run 8’ lengths, 2” thick lumber two at a time on edge. I use a guide to hold them upright. I’m doing all 4 sides on the planer.

Then I bought the Woodmaster Drum Sander. Each chair I build has about 30 parts. Before I got the Woodmaster 3875 Drum Sander, I had to use a palm sander on all those pieces, both sides. That got to be very tedious. When I got the Woodmaster Drum Sander, I could run all those pieces through in less than 20 minutes. With the palm sander, I’d be doing hours and hours of sanding. That’s a big time savings.

The Woodmaster Drum Sander has just been a lifesaver. My productivity is boosted many times over. If you have a handheld sander, and stay too long in one place you’re going to get an uneven surface. With the Woodmaster sander, it goes through at a steady pace and you don’t have a problem with unevenness. That improves the quality of your product.

Industrial machine performance at a fraction of the cost

Without a doubt, my Woodmasters are the best tools in my shop, in use every day. They work wonderfully. For a wide belt sander, you’re looking at $6 – $9000 for a big Powermatic. You can get the same results with a Woodmaster. I’ve seen both operate and I don’t see any difference in the output.

INFINITELY VARIABLE FEED RATE gives me a better finish

The Infinitely Variable Feed Rate, 0 – 16 feet per minute (FPM) – is a big help. I like the steady variable feed on the Woodmasters. I have a lot more control of the pieces going through the machine. If I want to slow down to get a better finish, I can do that.

I’d tell anybody that’s looking for a commercial-quality sander or planer – go with the Woodmaster. I’ve told several people I know that these are the best machines for the money. Woodmaster, keep up the good work.”

— Howard Gelles, Cedar Furniture Craftsman, Knoxville MD

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We’re looking for woodworkers who’ve “had it” with today’s economy…AND ARE WILLING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

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— You CAN take control of your income.

— This E-BOOK shows you EXACTLY how.

— We’ll e-mail it to you FREE — no cost & no obligation.

We'll e-mail you this 24-page book FREE. It contains EVERYTHING you need to know about starting a highly profitable woodworking business.

We’ll e-mail you this 24-page book FREE. It contains EVERYTHING you need to know about starting a highly profitable woodworking business.

 

Enter your e-mail address to GET YOUR FREE E-Book:


We at Woodmaster have about “had it” with the stranglehold today’s economy has on American woodworkers! We can’t change the country’s economy but we CAN help individuals improve their own personal economic wellbeing.

We’ve seen it again and again: when we put a Woodmaster Molder/Planer in the hands of a woodworker who truly wants a better life and is willing to work for it he improves his financial picture … if he’s serious and willing to put his back into it.

You can kick today’s economy in the pants!

You can take charge of your earning power instead of letting some boss tell you he’s cutting your hours. Woodworker, Larry Perkins lost his 30-year job at the local steel mill. So he and his son, Chris, teamed up with a couple Woodmasters and are making up to $100 an hour. Georgian, Scott Saylors, is building a family business with Woodmaster. Army Vet, Bob Helsley, tells us “Losing my job was a blessing, really. It was good money and everything but I was still working for somebody else. Now I’m working full time with my Woodmaster and I love it.” Read all these inspiring stories and many more by scrolling through this blog. You’ll be surprised how many men and women got raw deals at work that inspired them to start lucrative woodworking businesses of their own…with Woodmasters!

You can have something worth much more than money: Woodmaster woodworkers are thumbing their noses at today’s economy, proving to themselves and their families that you just can’t keep a good man (or woman!) down.

Normally $50, E-Book is yours FREE with no cost or obligation.

Because of the extraordinary economic situation so many American woodworkers face these days, we’re waiving the normal $50 charge for this 24-page book. For a limited time, you can have it at no cost and with no obligation.

Molding's everywhere! Every home needs some wood molding and some home need a LOT of it.

Molding’s everywhere! Every home needs some wood molding and some home need a LOT of it.

Here’s just SOME of what you’ll learn:

• How to turn a $5 rough cut board into $75 worth of molding – That’s 1,500% value added.

• 9 ways you benefit from owning your own business – Writing off your Woodmaster as a business expense is just one!

• 5 advantages ONLY a custom molding business gives you – Up or down economy, molding’s ALWAYS in demand.

• How to set up the business side of your business – The simple way to keep accurate records.

• Success stories by Woodmaster owners who’ve started their own businesses — “I’m making a pretty penny in the molding business” – Ray Z.

• How to sell what you make — How to set prices, when to discount…when not to…more.

• Advertising success secrets — How to set up ads, business cards, work orders, more.

• How to make highest profits with top-dollar CURVED molding — Cash in making molding that’s simply unavailable elsewhere.

• How to set up a professional shop — Checklist of min/max tool requirements, efficient shop layout.

• How to achieve high production efficiency — 11 Tips to save time and avoid waste for max efficiency.

Woodmaster owner, Tom Bardwell, told us of his business startup success with the 4-machines-in-1 Woodmaster. “In today’s economy, there are even more reasons than usual to buy a Woodmaster,” he said. “It’s one of the few products that, by itself, can let you develop a viable manufacturing business in your garage. I just think there’s no better package out there for an entrepreneur to use to launch a business on a small scale. If you’re passionate enough to develop it into something that’s income producing, and keep with it, it’ll happen.”

Woodmaster owner, Tom Bardwell, told us of his business startup success with the 4-machines-in-1 Woodmaster. “In today’s economy, there are even more reasons than usual to buy a Woodmaster,” he said. “It’s one of the few products that, by itself, can let you develop a viable manufacturing business in your garage. I just think there’s no better package out there for an entrepreneur to use to launch a business on a small scale. If you’re passionate enough to develop it into something that’s income producing, and keep with it, it’ll happen.”

The 4-in-1 Woodmaster is your own personal MOLDING FACTORY

From a business startup point of view, the Woodmaster Molder/Planer’s unique advantage is that it’s ONE machine that handles EVERY STEP of molding production. With not much more than a Woodmaster Molder/Planer, you can start and grow your own molding business, and make a very good living right out of your garage.

It’s literally 4 machines in 1. Set it up as a PLANER to surface rough cut lumber; a gang rip saw to cut multiple molding blanks; a drum sander for satin-smooth finishes; and of course as a HIGH CAPACITY molder to cut any molding pattern you want.

YES, YOU CAN have the FREEDOM of owning your own business

This free book is packed with hands-on tips and suggestions from woodworkers who've started successful businesses of their own.

This free book is packed with hands-on tips and suggestions from woodworkers who’ve started successful businesses of their own

The biggest advantage you get from owning your own molding business is FREEDOM. For some, it means the freedom to supplement their income making molding a few hours in the evening and on weekends. Others throw themselves into it completely, making molding full time.

It’s all up to you. But any way you slice it, when you own your own molding business you get the freedom to choose your own hours, choose what you make, how you make it, how you sell it and to whom, how much you charge, and more.

This e-book contains everything you need to know to start and succeed in your own molding business. We offer it as a thank you to the American woodworkers who’ve made Woodmaster Tools a success…and as a helping hand to the MILLIONS more who’d like a bigger slice of the pie, especially in today’s economy!

You can download it for free by entering your email address in either of the boxes in this blog and clicking the “Get Free E-Book” button. There’s no cost and no obligation. You may read it and decide a molding business is not for you. Or, this e-book may be the start of more financial security, more freedom, and a lot more enjoyment than you’ve had in a long, long time.

Please read this important note:

Running a business is NOT for everyone. It takes woodworking skill, certainly, but it also takes other skills – all of which are detailed in this e-book. Most importantly, it takes PERSONAL DRIVE to make a business a success.

We’re not saying making a living in custom molding is easy, or that money’s going to fall in your lap. But if you’re serious about improving your lot, we want to give you this e-book because it can give you a significant head start on success.

But the beauty of a Woodmaster-based business is that you can get into it on a shoestring, start slowly, and grow it as your success grows.

Special Savings offer, too

We have a special savings offer in effect right now. Please see our online offer or call us TOLL FREE 1-800-821-6651. Or email our Sales Department!

ALREADY OWN A WOODMASTER? — Here’s an URGENT REQUEST for you:

Please e-mail our Editor your business success stories and photos. There are thousands of American woodworkers who have “had it” with today’s economy but simply don’t know where to turn for a solution….and don’t know if there even is a solution.

We will review and respond to every story submission. The best ones will be posted on this blog and reprinted in our Woodmaster literature.

Thank you from all of us at Woodmaster!

Enter your e-mail address to GET YOUR FREE E-Book:

Ready to buy now?

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CURVED MOLDING PRODUCTION SECRETS from the #1 Curved Molding Shop in America

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This is a 22-foot, custom profile curved opening and two half round openings which were all made using the 718 Woodmaster. By The Curved Molding Shop.

This is a 22-foot, custom profile curved opening and two half round openings which were all made using the 718 Woodmaster. By The Curved Molding Shop.

“BUSINESS IS GREAT. We’re #1 in online searches for curved molding,” say the owners of The Curved Molding Shop in Van Wert, Ohio. “Woodmaster’s made us #1. Without our Woodmaster we’d never be where we are today.”

We spoke recently with the owners of The Curved Molding Shop who shared some of their business tips and production secrets for making CURVED MOLDING with their WOODMASTER MOLDER/PLANER.

A request for CURVED MOLDING opened the door to profits

“We purchased the Woodmaster a little over seven years ago to make straight molding. One day, a local contractor asked us to make curved molding. We didn’t know where to start so we experimented with different production methods. We figured it out and the curved molding turned out great. The contractor told a few people and before we knew it we started to receive orders for curved molding from contractors and people who’d heard about us.

SAVE BIG NOW on Woodmaster Molder/Planers – sale prices, online specials

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Once we got our website up and running the business really took off and we started getting orders from all over the country. We’re getting 60 to 75% of our orders off the website.

Local sales sluggish? Sell online, sell worldwide

The last three weeks we’ve done work for homeowners and contractors in Colorado, Maryland, New Jersey, and Washington. We never know what part of the country customers will be calling from. It helps having a #1 website. When people do a Google search for Curved Molding, we’re the first listing on the first page.

This is a photo of an elliptical molding over a front door with two side lights. This is the most popular elliptical shape. The elliptical moldings offered by the window and door companies often only offer this molding in fingerjoint moldings which come in pieces. The Curved Molding Shop offers all standard profiles as well as custom profiles for this shape of elliptical. Everything shown here was run on the 718 Woodmaster.

This is a photo of an elliptical molding over a front door with two side lights. This is the most popular elliptical shape. The elliptical moldings offered by the window and door companies often only offer this molding in fingerjoint moldings which come in pieces. The Curved Molding Shop offers all standard profiles as well as custom profiles for this shape of elliptical. Everything shown here was run on the Woodmaster.

Doing business online is a tremendous advantage because our reach is worldwide. New York, New Jersey, we get quite a few orders. We just did a job for someone who has a beautiful million dollar home — he never even asked the price. What I’ve found is people who have money, if they want curved windows, don’t care what the cost is. Those who’re well off are still spending money. They want curved windows, they do a Google search, they find us, and we ship it to them.

“We do it all on a Woodmaster — mold, plane, sand, saw”

This is a photo of elliptical moldings The Curved Molding Shop produced on the 718 Woodmaster. True elliptical moldings are the most difficult curved moldings to produce.

This is a photo of elliptical moldings The Curved Molding Shop produced on the Woodmaster. True elliptical moldings are the most difficult curved moldings to produce.

We do everything start to finish on our Woodmaster. We use the laminating process for curved molding, cutting the 1/4″ strips with the Woodmaster’s gang rip saw. Then we change it over to a planer to plane the strips down to the same thickness. Then we do glue-ups in a curved jig. After that, we run the curved molding blank through the Woodmaster to plane it down, then we and change the Woodmaster over to a molder and run the molding profile.

When we make arches from our favorite wood, red oak, we line up the wood grain and laminate it and it looks just like one piece of wood whether you’re doing half round or elliptical molding. People just love the look.

Custom knives to match a customer’s molding

We’ve been so busy we haven’t had time to experiment but we ran some rope molding today. We ordered the knives from Woodmaster. We do a lot of custom molding where we have to match a sample of customers’ molding. Woodmaster makes the knives for us and we make the molding to match what the customer has in their home.

Making Curved Molding with the Woodmaster 718 at The Curved Molding Shop

Making Curved Molding with the Woodmaster 718 at The Curved Molding Shop

We’ve made a lot of archways, you can see pictures on our website. And we make curved jambs, too. They’re a structural piece built into the wall, a curved header. We just built five archways for a big job in New Jersey and we made curved jambs for them using a product called bendable plywood for the backing. Then we used the Woodmaster to plane down the jambs. We used two pieces of stock we planed down for the facing of the jamb.

We spent a lot of time learning how to do curved molding. I called Gary Striegler about curved molding. (Editor’s Note: see Gary Striegler’s videos on how to make curved molding on the Woodmaster website.) He gave us some pointers to get us started and really helped get us to where we are now.

Curved molding brings high profits

Why curved molding? It’s an ultra premium product that commands high prices. It’s hard to find and very expensive. It’s the premium woodworking product. When you can make curved molding, you’re one of a few.

We charge $30 a foot. We haven’t come down on our prices because it’s such a niche market. There are people out there cutting throats to get work. But we’ve never come down on the price.

Our moldings are all the same price, whether it’s 2-1/4” 356 pattern, or the 444 pattern that’s a 3-1/2” molding. It’s the same with custom profiles. The customer pays for the knife and we don’t mark them up or charge a setup fee. Some places charge you a $100 set up fee but we’ve developed an adjustable form that lets us go from elliptical to half round in a matter of minutes so we’re not going to ding people for that.

We ship all our molding FedEx ground to homes and businesses. We make our own boxes because we never know what size we’ll need — that saves the customers money. We don’t mark up shipping. We make our money on bending the wood and making curved molding.

“We can do it better and faster.”

We researched this business before we started. We pulled up some curved molding websites and were amazed at their high prices and long lead times. On one site, a 48” elliptical molding was $400 and the lead time was six to eight weeks.

We knew we could do it better and faster. No matter how big the job is, we deliver curved molding within two to three weeks and we’ve always made our commitments. Over the years, we’ve only had two out of hundreds of curved moldings that didn’t match. And both times it was because we were given bad templates. That’s thanks to the Woodmaster — the machine just doesn’t break down.

Curved Molding emerges from the Woodmaster at The Curved Molding Shop - they have it down to a science

Curved Molding emerges from the Woodmaster at The Curved Molding Shop – they have it down to a science

It’s all good

Once you see curved molding coming through the molder being profiled, you’re kind of hooked. It’s a neat thing to see. We’ve done some huge profiles. For The Villages, the profile for their chapel was 4-1/4” x 1”. I can’t find any bad points about making curved molding. It’s all been good for us.

Our customers are contractors, homeowners, and we do some business for local lumberyards. A lot of our orders come from repeat customers.

4-in-1 Money Maker — fast changeovers critical

We chose the Woodmaster Molder/Planer because of all the functions it can do. The changeover time for us is crucial. We can change the Woodmaster from ripping to planing then to molding with our eyes closed in five minutes.

Woodmaster’s variable feed rate is crucial.

Whoever thought up this machine really had a head on his shoulders. The variable feed rate is important on straight runs but when you’re doing curved molding, it’s the best thing you can have.

With hard woods, we slow the feed rate down all the way. The last thing you want to do is go through all the work of cutting the strips, planing them down, setting up your form, let it sit for five or six hours then run it through your machine as fast as you can. Slow it down and you’ll get a good finish.

“You’d think after 7 years there’s be some vibration…”

We got the midsize Woodmaster. It was just the right size for our shop. It just worked well and shortly after we got it we could tell this was just a well made machine that was going to last. We’re surprised it has lasted like it has. We’ve run thousands of straight runs through it, hundreds of curved moldings, we’ve planed lumber, we just made some rope molding and there’s no vibration at all in that machine. It’s just amazing. You’d think after seven years there’d be a little vibration.

We got the Pro Pack and all the accessories. Everything’s original. Of course we’ve had new belts, rollers, saw blades, planer blades, wearable items like that. The only problem we ever had was the variable speed went out. It was on warranty and they shipped me a new one in two days. We’ve never had any problem with it.

Watch curved molding videos on the Woodmaster website

A lot of people ask us how do you make curved molding. You can’t explain it over the phone. You have to watch Gary’s video on the Woodmaster website. We do it differently than Gary but it’s the same concept with the Woodmaster. The machine does the work. How you bend the wood is up to you. There are always different techniques. Everybody’s got their own way of doing things.

If people are thinking about a Woodmaster, this machine is so good at so many different things. The planer amazes me after seven years. The rip saw is great because of safety — you’ve got a lid over it; you don’t on a table saw.

A woodworker could pay for a Woodmaster with only a couple of jobs. We think any woodworker would want this because of all the attachments and the easy changeover. You could show someone in an hour how to run this. We’ve done it here with our employees. We can’t believe every woodworking shop wouldn’t want this machine. It’s perfect. We’d buy another tomorrow, and we would if this one broke but it’s not broken!”

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“I’VE GOT A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE over other builders.”

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Contractor, homebuilder, cabinetmaker finds a path to profits with a Woodmaster Molder/Planer.

…and in today’s economy, a COMPETITIVE EDGE is more important than ever!

Here's Lewis and his hard-working Woodmaster Molder/Planer in front of his woodworking shop. "It wasn't that much money," he says, "and it paid for itself on the first job!"

Here’s Lewis and his hard-working Woodmaster Molder/Planer in front of his woodworking shop. “It wasn’t that much money,” he says, “and it paid for itself on the first job!”

When you can create outstanding work like Lewis does, people get to know you and want your services.

Two years ago, another woodworker encouraged me to get a Woodmaster. We were discussing how difficult it is to find the knotty alder wood that many clients want in their homes. It’s a rare wood and few lumberyards carry it. My friend said, ‘If you had a Woodmaster, you could just make it yourself.’

When you can create outstanding work like Lewis does, people get to know you and want your services.“I’m a general contractor in Ardmore, Oklahoma. I build custom homes and do a lot of remodeling. I personally do a lot of the detailed woodworking in my homes and I always do my own trim carpentry. The Woodmaster Molder/Planer sets my business apart from other builders in my area. It lets me give my clients exactly what they want, any trim detail at all.“My clients want wide, thick casing – it’s expensive and hard to find.”

I wish I’d bought my Woodmaster right then because I’ve had quite a few jobs since then I could have used it on. But I finally made the move and bought one. It’s really helped me out and contributed to my bottom line.

I bought the midsize Woodmaster Molder/Planer. Woodmaster has larger and smaller molder/planers but I felt the midsize was good for what I wanted to do. I didn’t want to go too big because I’m mostly making molding; but I didn’t want to go with a machine too small to handle what I wanted to put through it. The midsize was the best one for me.

Lewis's unique workmanship gets noticed...and gets him more business.

I set up my Woodmaster with molding knives. I switch them out when I need different kinds of molding. I bought a lot of knives to make a lot of molding patterns – maybe eight or 10 different profiles.

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My clients want casings that are wide and thick – the kind of trim that’s really expensive and hard to locate locally. I order custom knives from Woodmaster and make the specialty molding myself. That’s made many of my clients very happy; they think it’s great that I can make it myself rather than buying it through a lumberyard.

Custom Woodmaster knives add profit

I built a local home using a specialty casing that wasn’t sold within two states of me. To get it shipped in was going to be astronomical. I sent Woodmaster a sample of the molding and they custom-made the knives. I made the molding for my clients for about half of what it would cost to get it shipped in and I still made some money on it. I charged them considerably less than the cost of getting it in from Illinois and still made a profit on it so everybody was happy.

The Woodmaster sets Lewis apart from other contractors in his area.There’s profit in making your own molding. You can buy rough cut lumber and dedicate a Woodmaster machine to making finished molding you can really run a good business. You buy rough cut lumber, plane it on the Woodmaster, gang—rip it into blanks, then mold it. You can set up the Woodmaster with multiple knives so you can run side-by-side molding setups.

Curved molding is especially profitable.

I’m making curved molding following the videos on the Woodmaster website, I’ve got curved molding down now and it’s going really smoothly. It’s really satisfying to know you made something as nice as that yourself.

Curved molding is a high profit item. Before I got my Woodmaster, I’d have to have millwork shops make it for me but just one eyebrow arch could cost more than $200 before it’s even cut, fitted, and installed. Houses today are full of curved trim, arches, and windows — it’s everywhere. One job we did had eight or 10 arches; three or four of those were trimmed out on both sides. Before getting my Woodmaster, we’d probably have had to drywall those arches.

You can get set up to run several arches at one time. Make 10 and you can make $1,000 in a day or two. My clients don’t have a problem paying $200 for an arch. As far as profit goes, my only out-of-pocket cost is lumber and I have that on the jobsite already. You can take a leftover piece of windowsill and make an arch out of it.

“It’s just not that much money — paid for itself on the first job.”

This machine is very user-friendly and it paid for itself on the first job. My 718 was a little over $2,000 and that’s a great bargain for what I got. Everybody I’ve told about this machine thinks I paid five or six thousand dollars for it. On the first job I used it on, I made a lot of panel molding and 10 or 12 pieces of curved trim, and used it as a planer and to remove kerf saw marks. It literally paid for itself on that first job.

Elegant, professional, and completely doable with a Woodmaster Molder Planer

Elegant, professional woodworking is  completely doable with a Woodmaster.

In the scope of building homes, spending a couple thousand on a Woodmaster is just not that much money, especially when it’ll pay for itself on the first job. It took me a bit to convince myself to make the move but once I did, I’ve had many jobs come up that I’m using it on. You forget about what you’ve paid once you’ve started using it. The money you spent kind of goes away when you see what it’s bringing in. There’s a whole lot more return than cost.

Even if things got slow…

Even in this economy, we’re real busy. I don’t see how anybody could go wrong with a Woodmaster. Even if things got really slow, a guy could get into the molding business. Homeowners are always wanting to do things to their homes.

If things were slow, you could go and make all the molding for the whole house. You could make double profits — I make money on making molding and installing it. There’s a lot of opportunity if someone’s willing to do it. It gives you a little something to fall back on if things got real slow.

“Folks at Woodmaster are a pleasure to deal with.”

I’ve had great luck with the Woodmaster company. I order knives and they’re back to me in just a few days, no more than a week. Woodmaster’s answered all my questions. They’ve been a pleasure to deal with. Maybe in the future I’d like to look at a Woodmaster drum sander but I’m not ready for that just yet.

I would tell others if they’re going to be in the business long term, and serious about their work, and have the money to do it, don’t hesitate to get a Woodmaster. It will pay for itself, and it will give you a leading edge on the competition. If you’re at all able to do it, I’d encourage anyone to buy one.

Lewis lets the Woodmaster do the work with Variable Feed Rate

Lewis lets the Woodmaster do the work with Variable Feed R

“There are things you just can’t do without a Woodmaster.”

The bottom line is there are things you just can’t do without a Woodmaster. The only way would be to go to a high-end millwork place and have them custom make everything for you. And even then,  you’d have to give them templates, spend an awful lot of money having it made, and probably have to wait 3 or 4 weeks to have it come in. That’s the difference a Woodmaster makes.

The machine is profitable and easy to use. If you’re in business for the long haul and are serious about your work, you need to own one.”

— Lewis Taliaferro, Woodmaster Owner, Ardmore, OK

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EVEN IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY this father & son team built a successful woodworking business.

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Bill and his son, Andy, have started a healthy woodworking business with the help of their Woodmaster Molder/Planer

Bill McQuatters (right) and his son Andy have started a busy and profitable business with help from their Woodmaster Molder/Planer

— And they offer to help you do the same.

While everyone thinks about the economy these days, Bill McQuatters has had to think about it in the short term and long term, too —  what could he do today that would help provide long-term financial security for his autistic son?

It’s inspiring to hear from a Woodmaster woodworker who has met and overcome significant challenges. Bill’s plan is working. His solution is a great example of the drive, ingenuity, and commitment we see in so many Woodmaster Owners.

“My son Andy and I are making a living with two Woodmaster Molder/Planers set up as gang ripsaws. We make stakes for construction, surveying, and nurseries.

“I worried about what would happen to Andy”

Andy is autistic, but I describe him as special. While I was employed, Andy went to sheltered workshops but when I retired, I kept him home with me. Keeping him busy, with a purpose, presented quite a challenge. I worried about what would happen to Andy after my wife and I die. Today, we’re building a business and a future for my son with God’s help.

“Even in today’s economy, business has just exploded.”

I cut stakes for a nursery that wanted some to hold up trees. I cut stakes for a company that makes silt fences for construction sites. Then I cut grade and flag stakes surveyors use. Even in today’s economy, business has just exploded.

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I had a table saw but it’s mathematically impossible to create enough stakes with a single-blade table saw to make any money at all. All the gang saws I’d seen were big commercial saws. Then Woodmaster came along at an incredibly reasonable price.

2,500 stakes a day…easily

I got the wide, 25” Woodmaster so I have 2 or 3 different setups at the same time. I can cut 1 x 1’s on the left, ½” lath in the middle, and 1 x 2’s on the right depending on how I space the blades. I upgraded to their heaviest motors they had for the head drive and the feed drive. We can easily produce a pallet of flags in a day – that’s 2,500 flags.

If somebody wanted to start up a stake business with a Woodmaster, I’d be glad to help them get started, sharing what works and doesn’t work from a production point of view – cutting, pointing, bundling, and shipping. I’d be delighted to do that.”

— Bill McQuatters, Andy’s Place Sheltered Workshop

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