Shop Fox W1812 - Unboxing and Assembly

I recently ordered a Shop Fox W1812 molder to re-create some custom moldings. Prior to ordering, I wondered exactly what I would be receiving, so for anyone else who may be having the same questions, here is my experience.

I ordered my molder from Bibb Tool & Cutter over Black Friday weekend. Adam was very helpful taking my order and explaining shipping. The molder ships in two boxes via UPS Freight with liftgate service. Since I was unsure a UPS truck could access the molder’s final destination, I had it delivered to my home and I would load it onto my pickup truck to complete its delivery.

I had hoped there would be some way to have the pallet transferred directly from the UPS truck into my truck, but the driver had it on my sidewalk before he ever rang the doorbell. This left me with two heavy boxes (63 kg/83 kg, 139 lbs./183 lbs.) and a pallet to load into my truck. Both boxes were too large and heavy for me to lift.

The boxes weren’t so heavy that I couldn’t pick up one end and walk them around. I managed to move them off the pallet and placed the longer box behind my truck. I could then rest one edge of the smaller box on top of the larger box and lift/slide it up on top of the larger box. I could then repeat the process to move the smaller box into the back of the truck. The larger box was just long enough that I could rest one edge on the tailgate of the truck and lift/slide it into the truck bed. If you will need to transport these boxes, you may want to have a second person around to just lift the boxes into your vehicle.

Unloading the boxes from the truck followed the same process in reverse.

The smaller box contains the molder cabinet with the motor. The cabinet is heavy, but I was able to lift it fairly easily by gripping through the opening in the top of the cabinet.

I placed the cabinet on a WEN MB500 mobile base, which fits the cabinet well. The base of the cabinet is wrapped with a protective sheet, which I left in place until the cabinet was placed in its final position in the mobile base and I had finished all of the assembly.

When I first placed the cabinet in the mobile base, I forgot to install the rubber feet on the base. I used the thick cardboard from the inside of the cabinet box to lay the cabinet on its side without scratching it up. The feet consist of a rubber pad and a bolt that pushes through the pad to thread into the cabinet. They should thread in by hand, but I struggled to get one of the feet to thread on fully without the rubber foot just slipping around the bolt. I ended up removing the bolt and running it fully into the cabinet, which seemed to clean up the threads enough to then thread it on by hand with the rubber pad in place.

Since the motor assembly is on a hinge, the unit is shipped with a stabilizer bar to hold it securely during transport. The picture in the manual doesn’t quite match what’s shown in the photo, but you should remove the red bar, allowing the motor to later swing up to fit the belt.

The larger (and heavier) box contains the table and cutter head assembly. Cutting down the edges of the box and breaking off the styrofoam makes it much easier to lift out the table.

Perhaps there is some clever way to lift the table onto the cabinet by yourself, but you will likely want to have someone around to help you. The table is secured with four bolts that come up through the top of the cabinet. It took a little work to get everything aligned so the bolt threads would match up with the table. A Phillips screwdriver and a second set of hands helped.

The control box mounts on the corner of the cabinet. The holes didn’t align after threading the rear bolt in all the way and I thought there was going to be a big problem, but getting both bolts started just a little allowed enough room to get everything tightened down.

The table ships with a wax/grease compound over the surface. I used a spray solvent (probably similar to WD-40) and an old T-shirt to remove it.

A set of planing knives is already installed on the cutter head and a small wrench is provided that fits the bolts. I used a couple of magnets to keep it attached to the top of the cabinet under the control box, however, my knuckles will probably feel safer using a ratchet with an extension to remove and reinstall the bolts.

I did have some black paint flecks that fell off the table during installation. I can’t recall anything that would have scraped the edge of the table, so I’m thinking this is just a slight problem with paint adherence.

Assembly is pretty simple, but you will want a second person around to help with the heavy lifting. Most other questions you may have can probably be answered by browsing the manual, but brief write-up may give you a better picture of what you’ll be receiving when you order the W1812.

I’m a novice when it comes to actually using a molder, but I’m glad to answer any questions you may have about setting things up.