SonomaProducts.com wrote:
I tried using spacers in front of the fence and doing multiple passes
with my 3 1/4" panel raising bit in my shaper. The cutting was so
clean and easy during testing I tried just powering through a full
depth cut in a single pass (Pine). I ended up cutting all 24 panels
this way and felt totally safe.

The only issue was a slight bit of fuzzing on the cross cut with the
sharp edge at the face of the panel and a slight brush with some 100
sandpaper cleaned it up easy.

I suppose holding off 1/8" on the first pass and doing a clean up pass
would have mayde for a little smoother surface but for this rustic
project it was more than smooth enough.

That's the advantage of the shaper vis a vis the router -- power and
mass. If the cutters are good quality and sharp, you'll be amazed at
the cleanliness of the cuts you get in moderately hard woods like walnut
and soft maple.

Oak cuts easily enough (particularly white) but may want to chip out a
little more; cherry is, of course, notorious for burning but even there
a good cutting speed can hog a lot of material. There's where a little
experimentation and a power feeder shows its mettle for sure.

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