shaper cutters

[Jaromir Svoboda]

Is it safe to use 5.50" raised panel cutter with 1.25" bore on 3/4" spindle?
I can not find 1.25" spindle for delta 43-420.

[David Kumm]

It is the strength of the shaper spindle assembly that is important rather than spindle size alone. If the shaper doesn't offer a 1.25 spindle at all that indicates the shaper may be too small. I am not familiar with the model itself. How large a cutter does the fence allow? That is another indication- along with the manual. Dave

[Leo Graywacz]

Get a set of bore adapters from 1.25 to .75 and change the RPM to slow (7000).

[David Kumm]

I looked at the manual for the Delta and it looks to accept up to a 6" diameter cutter although that is pretty near the limit for that sized machine at 7000 rpm. As Leo says, bush it out. Dave

[Larry Fox]

You can bush the 1 1/4" down to 3/4" but if it were me (indeed it was recently) I would look to see if you can find a 1" spindle and go from 1 1/4" to 1". Also look at your fence situation and look to something like the box fence shown in Lonnie Bird's "The Shaper Book" for panel raising because a 5.5" radius panel raiser is a terrifying thing to behold and not something you want your hands anywhere near.

[Jeff Duncan]

Safe is a very relative term in woodworking. My opinion is if your trying to run a small job, say maybe a kitchens worth, and take proper precautions setting things up you, should be fine. The problem trying to run larger cutters too often is the small spindle bearings on light duty shapers aren't up to the task. I killed the bearings in a brand new Powermatic 27 in under 3 years doing so.

Things that will help....use your lowest speed, take multiple passes if possible, and I highly recommend a power feeder with one of those larger cutters. The feeder alone makes the operation much safer regardless of what's installed on the spindle. I don't know that I'd bother with a buying a bigger spindle even if it was available if your just running one or two small jobs. Although the cutters will fit the spindle slightly better, (in theory anyway), without the bushings, you have to remember that even though the spindle is larger, your bearings are still the same as the 3/4" spindle. So your not really getting the benefit of a true 1-1/4" spindle machine.

good luck,
JeffD

[David Kumm]

Jeff is right on. Your Delta is fine for occasional raised panels but not engineered for a lot of them. I don't think a shaper should be sold without a feeder. Even a sliding table shaper works better with a feeder pulling the table rather than a human. If you make a sled, be sure to use hold downs both vertically and horizontally against the fence. The raised panel cutters want to pull the wood into the cutter. Take a look at the metal bridge pieces sold be Felder and others that can be attached to a subfence and bridge the fence at the tongue of the panel to give it full support. Shapers need lots of help to cut profiles safely. They are worth it though. Dave

[Peter Quinn]

Is it safe? For you or the machine? It is as safe "for you" as YOU make it. Make a good dedicated panel raising hood to catch the chips and minimize the opening in the fence, and keep your hands clear of the cutter, you can certainly minimize the risk. A feeder helps keep the quality up and your hands far away. I have bushed up a 3/4" delta shaper to 1 1/4" bore panel raisers without issue mechanically, though as others have said raising lots of panels will tax the bearings. By lots I mean thousands, not a couple of kitchens a year. I find the three horse motor has no trouble spinning even a larger panel raiser, though I get my best results with my freud insert head which is aluminum and thus very light (read "easy for a small shaper to spin").

So is it safe for the operator? Certainly can be. Is it safe for the machine? On a limited or light commercial basis it certainly can be. Remember, having your cartridge bearings replaced is under $100, a bigger shaper might cost thousands, so you can buy LOTS of bearings over the years for the price of one new large shaper. You could get the 1" spindle, but it will spin on the same type and size of bearings that your 3/4" spindle does now, you just have a thicker spindle. For my money when spinning a panel raiser which is set relatively low on the spindle and takes a relatively deep but shallow cut, I don't see much difference. I like the thicker spindle for a taller cutter stack like a double cope and stick to minimize deflection under load

Having said this, a few years back I added a minimax 1 1/4" shaper to my shop and it really doesn't ask any questions when it comes to panel raising or any thing else, it just eats wood with a bit more ease than the delta could. So if you are running the bigger cutters on the smaller shaper looking toward the future as far as cutter purchases, then go for it, that is exactly what I did. I didn't want to invest too deep in 3/4" tooling knowing I was always looking for an affordable 1 1/4" machine, because the tooling costs so much more than the shaper. But if you are satisfied with the 3/4" machine and it fills your needs I would look for the smaller cutters personally.

[Jaromir Svoboda]

I was worry about spindle deflection.I do have a power feeder.

[Peter Quinn]

I was worry about spindle deflection.I do have a power feeder.

Keep your feed rate low on the feeder, you can always take two passes as well. There is a cool video on you tube showing a guy raising panels in two passes with a feeder using a single set up. He passes first keeping the edge off the fence a bit. This takes some getting used to (I have tried it myself and it works well) as you are sort of "floating" off the fence, but its pretty safe with the feeder not set too hard to the fence. You could definitely twist a 3/4" spindle using a panel raiser with too fast a feed in a very hard species, but with care it works fine. In softer domestic species like butternut, walnut, poplar, cherry, some oak etc. a single pass works fine IME on a 3/4" spindle. The large diameter of a 1 1/4" cutter can make it harder to start with a 3 HP motor and stress the bearings a bit more, but it takes the same cut as a 3/4" bore panel raiser and doesn't IME damage the spindle if used correctly.

Peter

[Leo Graywacz]

I have a 5" 2+2 Freud panel cutter and I take one pass at 13' minute with my 3HP Delta shaper with a 3/4" spindle. Been doing it for years and all species. Not a problem.

[Ron Bontz]

With respect to deflection. I use both a 1-1/4" spindle and a 3/4" spindle. I generally take the bulk the first pass with a clean up cut the second. That 3 hp shaper with a 3/4" spindle will do just fine. Of course, am not a production shop. Best of luck to you.