I had acquired a used Craftsman wood shaper 15 years ago and still have not
set it up. It has a heavy cast iron table, 3 hp motor, and I believe, a
1/2" spindle.
HOWEVER, I note on all of the wood working shows that everybody (Norm, etc.)
is using router tables for their work, including raised panels.

Is this thing really worth setting up? Am I better of with a large router
table? Does one need both? If I don't plan on doing large doors, what will
the shaper do for me that a router could not?

All replies appreciated,

Ivan Vegvary

"Ivan Vegvary" wrote in message
news:4t5_e.5101$il4.553@trnddc04...
I had acquired a used Craftsman wood shaper 15 years ago and still have not
set it up. It has a heavy cast iron table, 3 hp motor, and I believe, a
1/2" spindle.
HOWEVER, I note on all of the wood working shows that everybody (Norm,
etc.) is using router tables for their work, including raised panels.

Is this thing really worth setting up? Am I better of with a large router
table? Does one need both? If I don't plan on doing large doors, what
will the shaper do for me that a router could not?


The shaper will run for hours. It will also handle large bits with
considerably less pucker factor, rotating, as it does at a lower speed, and
with a real 1.5 HP behind it.

If you have the room, leave it set up with one of the dual roundover bits on
it for that most common of tasks. Acquire cutters for cope/mold and panel
raising as you require.

Ivan,

There has been quite a bit posted here on this topic already. I'd do a
search even after you get the replies from this post.

A lot has been said about speed vs. number of knives on the tool vs
quality. But it all boils down to one major thing. Use! Both will work
for the majority of the work that any shop will do. Although, routers
will be over worked in higher production runs. Bigger bit requirements.
And, abuse of constant use.

Since you have the machine already you will likely come out ahead if
you use it instead of buying a router and setting up a table to do the
job. Your shaper cutters will likely cost more in the long run. But,
the money that has to be spend to go the router way on top of the
cutters will cost 3 or 4 times the shaper cutters alone.

Good luck!

Roy

On Tue, 27 Sep 2005 06:16:32 GMT, "Ivan Vegvary" wrote:

I had acquired a used Craftsman wood shaper 15 years ago and still have not
set it up. It has a heavy cast iron table, 3 hp motor, and I believe, a
1/2" spindle.
HOWEVER, I note on all of the wood working shows that everybody (Norm, etc.)
is using router tables for their work, including raised panels.

Is this thing really worth setting up? Am I better of with a large router
table? Does one need both? If I don't plan on doing large doors, what will
the shaper do for me that a router could not?

All replies appreciated,

Ivan Vegvary


Advantages:
a) much quieter than a screaming router
b) much more precise for setup

Disadvantages
a) cutters more expensive

In both cases, safety is paramount, a router table or a shaper can throw
material with amazing results -- the shaper does have more real power
behind those throws.

For hobby use, I've found Grizzly shaper cutters to be very reasonably
priced and work very well.




+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Mark & Juanita writes:


[...]

Disadvantages
a) cutters more expensive

Cutter price can be cut somewhat if you get a cutter head with
exchangeable blades, so for different profiles you would only need to
change the blades and anti-kickback-irons. Such heads can be seen
he (sorry, text is french only)
http://www.hmdiffusion.com/aoCCatalo...usf amille=58

I don't know where to get them in the US.
--
Dr. Juergen Hannappel http://lisa2.physik.uni-bonn.de/~hannappe
Phone: +49 228 73 2447 FAX ... 7869
Physikalisches Institut der Uni Bonn Nussallee 12, D-53115 Bonn, Germany
CERN: Phone: +412276 76461 Fax: ..77930 Bat. 892-R-A13 CH-1211 Geneve 23

On Wed, 28 Sep 2005 09:57:17 +0200, Juergen Hannappel
wrote:

Mark & Juanita writes:


[...]

Disadvantages
a) cutters more expensive

Cutter price can be cut somewhat if you get a cutter head with
exchangeable blades, so for different profiles you would only need to
change the blades and anti-kickback-irons. Such heads can be seen
he (sorry, text is french only)
http://www.hmdiffusion.com/aoCCatalo...usf amille=58

I don't know where to get them in the US.

Grizzly has a similar item:
http://www.grizzly.com/products/item.cfm?itemnumber=g2320

Had a terrible time finding it on the web page; I finally had to break
out the printed catalog. It doesn't show up when you do a search for
"shaper cutters", or shaper anything for that matter.

Afterwards, I found that a search for "moulding head" will get you there.





+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Mark & Juanita writes:


[...]


Grizzly has a similar item:
http://www.grizzly.com/products/item.cfm?itemnumber=g2320

Ouwww! Not even for a power feeder such an Item should be used,
because the knifes are helb by friction only, they are not secured (as
they have to be in Europe) by a shape fitting holder (like two holes
at the knives back edge that fit over twp plugs in the cutterhead).
Also for manual feeding the anti-kikckback irons that limit chip size
are missing.
--
Dr. Juergen Hannappel http://lisa2.physik.uni-bonn.de/~hannappe
Phone: +49 228 73 2447 FAX ... 7869
Physikalisches Institut der Uni Bonn Nussallee 12, D-53115 Bonn, Germany
CERN: Phone: +412276 76461 Fax: ..77930 Bat. 892-R-A13 CH-1211 Geneve 23

Juergen Hannappel wrote:

Mark & Juanita writes:

[...]


Grizzly has a similar item:
http://www.grizzly.com/products/item.cfm?itemnumber=g2320

Ouwww! Not even for a power feeder such an Item should be used,
because the knifes are helb by friction only, they are not secured (as
they have to be in Europe) by a shape fitting holder (like two holes
at the knives back edge that fit over twp plugs in the cutterhead).
Also for manual feeding the anti-kikckback irons that limit chip size
are missing.
....

They're not just friction, they're a tapered wedge altho it doesn't show
well owing to the angle of the picture.

"Duane Bozarth" wrote in message
...
Juergen Hannappel wrote:

Mark & Juanita writes:

[...]


Grizzly has a similar item:
http://www.grizzly.com/products/item.cfm?itemnumber=g2320

Ouwww! Not even for a power feeder such an Item should be used,
because the knifes are helb by friction only, they are not secured (as
they have to be in Europe) by a shape fitting holder (like two holes
at the knives back edge that fit over twp plugs in the cutterhead).
Also for manual feeding the anti-kikckback irons that limit chip size
are missing.
...

They're not just friction, they're a tapered wedge altho it doesn't show
well owing to the angle of the picture.

Not only that, but it's also corrugated so it is locked in when the gib is
tightened. So you have a wedged gib and corrugated knives, not just
friction, holding the knives in the head.
Just wanted to clear up any misconceptions.

Tom Plamann

On Thu, 29 Sep 2005 09:11:33 +0200, Juergen Hannappel
wrote:

Mark & Juanita writes:


[...]


Grizzly has a similar item:
http://www.grizzly.com/products/item.cfm?itemnumber=g2320

Ouwww! Not even for a power feeder such an Item should be used,
because the knifes are helb by friction only, they are not secured (as
they have to be in Europe) by a shape fitting holder (like two holes
at the knives back edge that fit over twp plugs in the cutterhead).
Also for manual feeding the anti-kikckback irons that limit chip size
are missing.


The blades are held in the same way as any jointer or planer blades
that I have ever seen are held in.

Is a shaper what we brits call a spindle moulder? The advantages over a
router a fast accurate cutting of small and large profiles including
ones too big for a router, relatively quiet and dust free, continuous
operation possible with a power feed, very cheap cutters possible if
you make your own - (you can accurately copy any moulding at all), can
be used with a wobble saw tool which replaces dozens of router cutters
at a stroke. Utterly superior in every way except for being more
expensive and not portable.

Jacob

In article .com, "Jacob" wrote:
Is a shaper what we brits call a spindle moulder?

Yes.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

On Thu, 29 Sep 2005 09:11:33 +0200, Juergen Hannappel
wrote:

Mark & Juanita writes:


[...]


Grizzly has a similar item:
http://www.grizzly.com/products/item.cfm?itemnumber=g2320

Ouwww! Not even for a power feeder such an Item should be used,
because the knifes are helb by friction only, they are not secured (as
they have to be in Europe) by a shape fitting holder (like two holes
at the knives back edge that fit over twp plugs in the cutterhead).
Also for manual feeding the anti-kikckback irons that limit chip size
are missing.

As others have pointed out, there is more than friction holding the
knives into the head. The knives and head are corrugated, and a tapered
wedge holds them into the head. No different, and actually somewhat more
secure than a jointer or planer knife.


+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Mark & Juanita wrote:

On Thu, 29 Sep 2005 09:11:33 +0200, Juergen Hannappel
wrote:

Mark & Juanita writes:


[...]


Grizzly has a similar item:
http://www.grizzly.com/products/item.cfm?itemnumber=g2320

Ouwww! Not even for a power feeder such an Item should be used,
because the knifes are helb by friction only, they are not secured (as
they have to be in Europe) by a shape fitting holder (like two holes
at the knives back edge that fit over twp plugs in the cutterhead).
Also for manual feeding the anti-kikckback irons that limit chip size
are missing.

As others have pointed out, there is more than friction holding the
knives into the head. The knives and head are corrugated, and a tapered
wedge holds them into the head. No different, and actually somewhat more
secure than a jointer or planer knife.

JH is used to the German rules...