Router lift or Shaper? Can I adjust a shaper as easily and accurately as with a Lift?

[Nick Sorenson]

I've seen a lot about router lifts over the past couple years. Seem like convenient handy little setups for a router.

My question is this, having no experience with shapers other than knowing they're usually a beefy solid piece of equipment, can I adjust a shaper like I could do with a router lift? i.e. small adjustments for up and down travel with a lead screw type setup?

[Ralph Butts]

Nick I have had my PM 2700 for about a year now and while I cannot speak for any other brand or model of shaper I can say that the adjustments on my particular model are just as accurate if not more than the adjustment accuracy I can perform on my Bench Dog router lift. The PM2700 comes standard with a digital display to the thousandth of an inch. I think that while other models may utilize different display types or even no display at all the small adjustments are very similar to those of the router lifts on the market today.

[Chip Lindley]

...My question is this, having no experience with shapers other than knowing they're usually a beefy solid piece of equipment, can I adjust a shaper like I could do with a router lift? i.e. small adjustments for up and down travel with a lead screw type setup?

Nick, shapers have a raising mechanism built into the spindle, just like router lifts do. On all my shapers, (Powermatic, old Moaks, and a WoodTek) I use the *eyeball method* to adjust cutter height. It is either *go or no-go* for cutter adjustment in most cases. For most-used profiles, I have pieces cut for use as an adjustment template, such as for cope and stick or raised panels with back cutter profile.

It is what you get used to. I have found no need for digital divices. Just a hair's gap of daylight between cutter and profile equals only a couple of .001"s. Plenty close for woodworking.

~~Chip~~

[Stephen Cherry]

It is what you get used to. I have found no need for digital divices. Just a hair's gap of daylight between cutter and profile equals only a couple of .001"s. Plenty close for woodworking.

~~Chip~~

That's true, but I use a wixey digital height gauge to make it easier. For example, you can mark with a sharpie the height to a point on one knife tip. As for the fence, I am starting to use bearings wherever I can, if only just to set the fence. For example, I tenon using a bearing for the sled. Raised panel- use a bearing to establish the fence position. The bearing can be on top of the cutter, never really touching the wood.

[Jeff Duncan]

Accuracy of course will depend on the shaper, however any decent quality shaper should be at the very least as good as a router lift. And high end shapers can really dial it in and more importantly....hold it! My Martin shaper has handwheel increments measured in thousands of an inch. It takes a quarter turn of the wheel to raise the spindle 1/64" and more importantly is stout enough to hold it with no possibility of flex from undersized parts;)

good luck,
JeffD

[Peter Quinn]

My shapers and router table raising mechanisms are all equally accurate. They are capable of adjustments by the .001" consistently. Small adjustments for up are possible on either, small adjustments for down are truly best avoided on any machinery. You always want to come up to a setting to take out any existing slop in the mechanism.