Pm 2700

[Ray Hurt]

Hi all
first post here. let me say this is the best wworking forum with so many talented and helpful people.
i decided to upgrade my router table and took advantage of the pm sale.
talked to jeanne at tools plus and ordered 5 hp pm 2700, router collet,
and pf 41 pwr feeder. was goin to hold off on pwr feeder but loml said
if its safer and it bolts on get it:D
now i need coping sled and tooling. downside is there are none in stock.
jeanne wiil let me know tomorrowon the eta.
please feel free to advise me if this was a good choice or not as i can cancel
before delivery. no exp. with shaper soi am getting a book and looking for insight from everybody.
thanks

[Glen Butler]

Ray,

Welcome, and congratulations on your purchase of a PM2700. Shapers are a different beast compared to the router table. 41 FPM will be too fast for most router bits, I think it has a slower speed, which should work. Being able to climb cut safely and power feed is invaluable. As questions arise feel free to ask. Most everyone here is more than willing to answer a question, no matter how many times it has been asked, or how easy it could have been to google the answer.

Glen

[Cameron Reddy]

Hi Ray. Welcome.

I have a new PM2700 and I love it. The power feeder is invaluable.

You will want to run actual shaper cutters in it. Router bits are toys. You have a manly machine.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4053/4432834065_273cdbc01b_o.jpg

Contact Lonny Weaver about a coping sled if you want to buy a really good one designed for shapers as opposed to router tables. http://www.weaver-sales.com/manual-tenon-jig.htm

Cameron Reddy

[Ray Hurt]

Thanks for the replies.
looked at the weaver sled. cameron is that what you use? it looks heavy duty.
was also wondering if the powermatic pf 41 feeder w/ 4 speeds-13-36-43-108 was what i needed.
the 2700 is backordered so i could change my feeder choice before it ships.
for this kind of moolah i want to get it right the first time.
after i saw that big cast iron top i knew i needed it!
Ray

[Philip Johnson]

Congrats Ray I think you did good...I have the same shaper and same power feed. Fit and finish is top notch....almost too nice to get dirty. The tables are drilled and tapped for the power feed...bolts right on. The dust collection is also very good almost no mess. Shaper cutters work best but I have used my router bits also for smaller projects...have not tried router bits with the power feed not sure they would stand up to that. Let us know when ya get it...pics are nice too.

Phil

[Glen Butler]

Oh right PF41 powerfeed. I read that as the feed speed my bad. That is the same powerfeed I have. It will do a fine job. I have yet to see a need for 108 feet per minute. Maybe if the shaper turned twice as fast. I mostly use the 13 FPM. 43 FPM chatters and will cause tear out sometimes even on a climb cut, but saves a lot of time, so I am learning to run a few extra parts in case something gets screwed up.

[Cameron Reddy]

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4026/4435739634_b7d5446b0c_o.jpg

Ray, I really like the Weaver sled. If you send me your email I'll send you some more pictures of the Weaver as well as a sled I made.

On the feeder, you might look up a Steff 2048. It has a low speed about half that of the Powermatic. I'm not an expert by any means, but I like having the flexibility of going really slowly.

I added sandpaper to the base of the sled. I keeps a much better grip on the wood.

[Randy Henry]

Ray,
I have got the same set-up, with the 41 power-feed. There is a dial with fast-slow, but you can change the gears around for a different set of speeds. On the sled, Ballew Saw and Tool in Springfield, MO (800-288-7483)sells a knock-off sled, identical to the Weaver sled. They also are a full service dealer for many types and brands of cutters. I personally like the Freeborn cutters and they compliment the PM-2700 well, and the feeder finished the job. My 2700 is the 5hp single phase and it is a beast. I have always used the router table the last 7 years for panels, etc., but the 2700 makes the work easy.

[Peter Quinn]

Great choices, nice machine. Tooling gets pricey. I like freeborne, amana, garniga is great, Freud is decent. Enjoy that shaper and work safe. Do ask questions, not every thing is obvious.

On the sled issue the Weavers look great, and I'm sure other commercial sleds work well also. I chose to make my own, and have used it successfully for both cabinet and passage doors. Its not difficult to do with a piece of flat material and some heavy duty toggle clamps. I made mine with a piece of 1/2" phenolic (solid phenolic plastic, not phenolic plywood), built it to handle angles from 90 to 45, and included a backer that can be recut on the fly. Its worth consideration. David D. has some posts with diagrams for good shop made options, and I think I recently found a google books post with a magazine article on shapers written by his father that has several excellent shop made shaper sleds included! Google wood shaper for that one!

[Joe Jensen]

Congratuations. I have used a PM26 3HP shaper for 20 years. I'm now upgrading to a Felder and I chose this time to go with a 1 1/4" shaft instead of the 3/4" shaft I've been using.

I can't really see using router bits that much, but I wouldn't hesitate to. That said, I'm not sure you need 5HP with a 3/4" spindle. I've never been short of power with the 3HP and a 3/4" spindle. I think I'd either get a 5HP machine with a 1 1/4" spindle OR a 3HP machine with the 3/4"/router bit holder spindles.

On the feeder, I bought an 8 speed Maggi Steff 3 wheel. There have been times when I thought a 4 wheel might be better, but the 4 wheel is a lot larger and takes more space.

PM me on 3/4" shaper cutters if you go with that size shaft. I have about 20 in really nice shape including 3 different cabinet door profiles that will be selling.

the PM2700 is a really nice machine by the way.

[Ray Hurt]

Thanks again everyone
received word today arrival of shaper is hopefully mid-may.
so plenty of time to look at pwr feeders and sleds.
can cancel feeder order if i decide to.
please continue to offer suggestions on anything, it's all
appreciated.
Ray

[Philip Johnson]

Darn thats a long when waiting for a new tool a couple day to a week is bad enough.

[Tom Welch]

Ray, I am in the same boat with you. I ordered a PM 2700 (5 HP) shaper from tools plus back in Feb. They was on back order then too. I am waiting on May also. With the price I got and then lowered during the sale last week, I am willing to wait til may. I think you made a good choice with the PM2700.

Joe, the PM2700 comes standard with a 1 1/4 spindle, they also give you a 3/4 spindle. Just to clear that up.

[Erik Christensen]

never got a router table - this is my 1st shaper. I got the powermatic 4 wheel feeder at the same time.

works great - not a ton of use but never had a need for a speed range outside the 4 speeds of the powermatic unit

[Ray Hurt]

Will i need a 30 amp circuit for this 5 hp shaper.
Have 20 amp but can add what i need.

Also can anyone tell me where that knockoff weaver sled is at on ballews
website.
Tom, i feel your pain with all the waiting but at least you got a better price:D
At least we can look at cameron's pictures. Thanks Cameron:p
Ray

[Randy Henry]

Ray,
Yes, you will need a 30 amp breaker for the 5hp. If you cannot find the Weaver knockoff on Ballew's website, let me know, I will try to post a picture of my complete set-up. I still have dial-up internet and it takes forever to upload anything. I will give it a try tomorrow.