Power Tool question and gloat

[Dave Dionne]

Hi All
Need to get some insight please.

I have a co-worker that moved to my area and bought a house. He has no room for his tools and is going to sell them off. (I already told him he can have use of my shop anythime) He is going to sell me his new jet 6" jointer for $200.00 and his 3 hp delta shaper with 10-15 cutters for $150.00 and about 200 bd ft of cherry 9+ in wide 8/4 for about 2 bucks a bd ft. Here is the question if I have the shaper do I still need a router table? I have a Rockler table that I put my PC 690 router in. Before this deal came along I was looking for a router to leave in the table full time, is that still necessary? Can I get by with hand held router and a shaper?

Thanks for your input Dave

[John Weber]

Dave,

Holy Cow! $150 for a Delta HD shaper and CUTTERS! Major score. I switched from a router table to a shaper about 18 months ago and have never looked back. My router table was/is a PC aluminum table, and I decided to keep it because its small and easy enough to store, and not worth much to sell. Plus I have a couple 690's I could drop in at any time, and have it ready to go. That said I have yet to use it since I bought my shaper. The shaper has more power, a better fence, better dust collection, easier to set up and adjust, makes a lot less noise, and has a power feeder. I have a router collet for my shaper and have not run into any problems using my old router bits in the shaper. I'll hang on to the router table for the reasons already mentioned, and I guess I will use it one day, but likely when I need two setups for something. The high speed of a router motor is better suited for smaller router bits, but I've had good results with the shaper even using small bits. For the money your Rockler table is worth used, I would stick it in the corner somewhere and hang on to it just in case, but you can survive without one. Many folks may comment the router table is more flexible and a better choice for a hobbyist, but I know you can get just as much use out of a shaper with better results in my case. You might consider a power feeder for your shaper. They take more of the fear out of using the machine, and deliver superior results because of the smooth feed rate and control. I would at least look at a 1/4 hp feeder, but a 1/2 hp and above will work best on your shaper.

Good Luck - John

[Jim Becker]

Holy cow, Batman! What a score...particularly that shaper. :eek:

As to the need for your router table, yes, it will be a good idea to keep it in service. While the shaper is a real workhorse, it's not best suited to smaller diameter cutters due to the lower speeds that it operates at. And, with both, you can have two setups working concurrently. You'll also find that shaper cutters are considerably more expensive than router bits, so it will be nice to have a choice when shopping for a particular profile.

[Steve Clardy]

Buy Them!!!!!!!

[Jerry Olexa]

You should wear a mask when you perform robbery such as this!! Just joking! Seriously, you did well and you have a good freind! Enjoy your new Toys errrr I mean Tools!

[Kelly C. Hanna]

Wow, where are you guys getting all these deals??? The answer is yes, you can get by with a hand held, but just think...rails and stiles on one table and raised panels on the other....hmmm. :D :D :D