snip
Market survey results -- thanks to everyone that responded -- you
were a big help!!!!!
I am investigating the potential market for a small manual
shaper ---
snip
(1) Would you be interested in purchasing this unit?
Good response but volume not high enough to justify importation.
(Low volume import is very expensive when customs broker charges,
freight, customs etc. is amortized over a small number of units.)
(2) Would you prefer to have the handle move up and down or from
side to side? If from side to side, would "right hand only"
operation be a show-stopper?
Side to side was the winner by a large margin. No problems with
RHO -- lefties seem to have adapted to world of RH machines.
(3) Would you consider a spring assisted return stroke to be an
asset?
Skip the spring return
(4) Assuming comparable strength, would main castings from ZA-27
[zinc/aluminum alloy] be as acceptable as cast iron to you? (If
we use ZA-27 for the castings, the table would be HRS or CRS.)
Tools are made out of cast iron -- toys and beer cans are made
out of the other stuff.
(5) As long as the sliding surfaces can be adjusted for wear, do
you have any preference for the way construction such as box,
dovetail, or other? Is shim adjustment as opposed to gib
adjustment acceptable?
Real machines have dovetail ways with gibs.
(6) How much of a premium would you be willing to pay for a made
in USA shaper over an Asian import?
About evenly divided. 50% not a dime, 50% up to about a 25/30%
premium.
======== so no hand shapers at this time
but if you want to make one see
http://www.green-trust.org/junkyardp...ans/Shaper.pdf
(URL provided by several survey respondants -- thanks)

I am currently corresponding with several Asian machine tool
manufacturers who are still manufacturing small shapers for
domestic sale to see what their export prices would be. I am
hoping for about the same price as a comparable lathe. Major
sticking point seems to be the electric motor frequency/voltages.
I thought that shapers and lathes used about the same motors --
am I missing something here? Why can't they just put a US spec.
lathe motor on a shaper?

"Standard" stroke for their "small" units seems to be 300 mm [12
inches]. Metric graduations will be standard. Any interest in
one of these? Amount of metal removed per hour is lower than for
a mill, but lathe tools can be used for a considerable savings as
these are easly sharpened and special forms such as involute gear
cutters can be produced.