3 Most Popular Stile And Rail Machines

Stile And Rail Machine Comparison Guide

The “Big 3” players in the stile and rail machine market are Vorwood, Unique, and Ideal Machine. When it comes to woodworking machinery there are really only a few brands making competitive stile and rail machines in the woodworking industry today. 

In this blog, we’re going to give you an overview of each company’s stile and rail machine models, what their general specs are, and some of their key functions. It’s up to you to choose the machine that will best meet your needs, this article is all about helping you make the best decision that works for you.

2 Stile And Rail Machines From Unique

Unique Machine & Tool Company has been around since the late 1960s. They’ve been a competitive manufacturer of woodworking machinery for many years. They build all of their machines in Phoenix, Arizona. They are certainly a trusted brand that has been building good products for many years. They happen to have two machines that fall into the category of stile and rail machines, the Unique 410-H Stile Machine and the Unique 410-S Shaper Machine.

Unique 410-H Stile Machine

Unique describes their 410-H machine as robust with industrial strength components and reliable safety features. It can be used for door profile edges, raised panels, door rails, and components of furniture. The turret positioning is adjustable and the HSK quick-change spindle allows for fast profile changes.

410-H Stile Machine Specifications

• Shaper Motor: 10HP Himmel Direct Drive, 220V, 30A, 3PH Motor, Optional 440V – 14A
• Shaper Spindle: 1-1/4″ Mandrel, 5″ Stack Height
• Compressed Air Requirements: 90PSI – 2 CFM
• Dust Collection: (1) 5″ Diameter 800CFM
• Machine Weight: 1,250lbs
• Work Height: 36″
• Machine Footprint: 48″ Width X 42″ Depth

Unique 410-S Shaper Machine

The Unique 410-S Shaper stands for “standard”. It does appear to be the same in features and function as the 410-H model but without the hopper. This allows for running larger pieces of material with the same performance specifications as the 410-H. Ideal Machine has similar offerings in their RM-100 Minimoulder and their RM-100 Hiland models. The Hiland model is the model that comes without the hopper feed system.

Vorwood Precision-Built Machinery

Vorwood is the second, large woodworking machinery manufacturer that is offering a commercial stile and rail machine. Vorwood was founded by two brothers, Jerry and Ted in 1961. They brought industry knowledge from owning and operating molding and millwork companies prior to starting Vorwood. Now, more than 60 years later Vorwood stands as an established producer in the industry of excellent woodworking machinery.

Vorwood A15 Stile & Rail Machine

Vorwood offers one stile and rail machine model, the A15. Based on the information available on their website, it appears that the A15 offers a lot of great features. It is capable of processing smaller pieces of material (1.44” x 3.5”) than the other stile and rail molders in this blog. Although the Ideal Machine RM-100 is rated for pieces as small as 1.5” in width, the A15 has it slightly beat.

Another feature that sets the A15 apart from its competition is the automatic placement of spacer balls in the pieces being cut. You can program within 1” of the beginning and end of your material and for longer pieces, you can program it to insert multiple space balls.

A notable feature of the A15 shaper is that its hopper feed system actually clamps the material which allows the operator to run multiple lengths at one time without error. Unique’s 410-H and Ideal Machine’s RM-100 offer static hoppers that do not clamp material which means it is best to run one length at a time.

A15 Stile and Rail Options

• Smallest parts in the industry (1.44″x3.5″)
• Straight cuts inside edges on stiles or rails
• Automatic hopper feed
• Labor-saving–adjustable space ball inserter (option)
• Spindles can be configured with quick change, HSK, or stacked tooling
• Double V-track (holds tolerances over time)

Ideal Machine Stile And Rail Shapers 

Ideal Machine is the third player that has thrown its hat into the commercial stile and rail machine industry. Founded in the 2000s, Ideal Machine is not as old as Vorwood and Unique. Even though they are a newer company they have quickly become an industry leader in innovation and performance. Ideal Machine’s flagship shaper, the RM-100 Minimoulder, is a versatile and customizable stile and rail machine. 

RM-100 Stile And Rail Machine Minimoulder

Ideal Machine offers the RM-100 Minimoulder, a stile and rail shaper machine for companies looking to save on labor costs, increase production efficiency, and improve production quality. The RM-100 Minimoulder is an industrial stile and rail machine that is also compact when it comes to wood molders. It comes with easy-to-learn and easy-to-use touchscreen controls and a programmable outboard material fence.

Ideal Machine’s stile and rail shapers also come equipped with HSK cutter heads and upon request you can get full tooling setups with your machine. The HSK quick change allows for faster transitioning between jobs and increases efficiency. The programmable, automatic outer material fence ensures accuracy and precision every time leaving no room for human error.

RM-100 Minimoudlers are also available in various setups. The standard RM-100 comes with a material hopper and is for right-handed operators. You can also get the same machine in a left-handed configuration if you have a key operator who is left-handed. The Hiland RM-100 comes without a hopper which allows you to more easily process longer pieces of material. You can also get a “stripped-down” version of Ideal’s stile and rail machine that comes without the electronic touch screen and automatic fence, making it a manual stile and rail shaper. Custom machinery is something that Ideal Machine specializes in, if you have a special request they are ready and willing to design and build something to meet your needs.

RM-100 Stile and Rail Specifications

• HSK interchangeable spindle, standard.
• 8 HP at 7,500 RPM
• 230 volt, 3 phase, 60 hz standard
• Variable speed RPM
• Bore diameter determined by tool holders
• Hopper feeding, typically face down
• Digitally positioned sizing fence
• Up to 20 preset “recipes“ for pre-programmed set-ups
• Part length max: none
• Part length min: 3-1/2” (depending on part width)
• Part width max: 8-1/2”
• Part width min: 1-1/2”
• Dust collection: 2 outlets at 4”
• Climb or conventional cutting
• Compressed air required: 80 PSI

Which Stile And Rail Machine Is Right For You?

This blog is not about selling you an RM-100. This blog is all about giving you a 10,000-foot view of the best stile and rail machine options available to you on the market. You will have to decide for yourself which model you like the most, which will serve your purposes, and be the best choice for your shop or business.

You can follow the links in this article to check out more about Unique’s and Vorwood’s stile and rail shapers. If you would like more information or have questions about Ideal Machine’s Minimoulders contact us today. If you are interested in a price on a stile and rail molder from Ideal then simply fill out a quote request form and we’ll be in touch.