SHOP FOX® 2-1/2 HP Shaper?

[Wade Lippman]

Anyone use this? The only review is on Amazon and he hated it; but I am not sure how much significance to give that.

I have kinda decided a 1.5hp isn't adequate and a 3hp might be overkill; so maybe this is a good compromise.

[david brum]

I definitely haven't used one or even seen one for that matter. A quick look at the spec sheets and an opinion though: For the $100 price difference between the Shop Fox 2 1/2 hp shaper and the 3 hp shaper, you give up a lot of function. The 2 1/2 hp version uses the old and much copied Powermatic 26 style fence, where there isn't an ability to move both sides of the fence at once. I don't own this style, but it seems like a hassle. The Grizzly 3 hp shaper uses a similar fence and it is often complained about. In comparison, the 3 hp Shop Fox uses a tubular rack and pinion style fence, similar to the newer Powermatic 2700. It is a much newer design and seems to have a lot more thought put into it. Again, I haven't used it, so I'm just going by the photos, but it does allow the user to advance the entire fence at once. That is a major improvement, since fence adjustment and setup constitutes a lot of the time spent on a shaper.

The 3/4" spindle limitation is odd also. There is great benefit from running larger diameter cutters and you would normally expect a larger option on a shaper in this price range. You can always add bushings to a bigger cutter ( that's what I currently do), but if I were paying serious retail dollars for a shaper, I'd want more capacity than 3/4".

Given that these two shapers have the same dimension table, so the same footprint, it seems like the 3 hp shaper is the better deal.

[Wade Lippman]

I definitely haven't used one or even seen one for that matter. A quick look at the spec sheets and an opinion though: For the $100 price difference between the Shop Fox 2 1/2 hp shaper and the 3 hp shaper, you give up a lot of function. The 2 1/2 hp version uses the old and much copied Powermatic 26 style fence, where there isn't an ability to move both sides of the fence at once. I don't own this style, but it seems like a hassle. The Grizzly 3 hp shaper uses a similar fence and it is often complained about. In comparison, the 3 hp Shop Fox uses a tubular rack and pinion style fence, similar to the newer Powermatic 2700. It is a much newer design and seems to have a lot more thought put into it. Again, I haven't used it, so I'm just going by the photos, but it does allow the user to advance the entire fence at once. That is a major improvement, since fence adjustment and setup constitutes a lot of the time spent on a shaper.

The 3/4" spindle limitation is odd also. There is great benefit from running larger diameter cutters and you would normally expect a larger option on a shaper in this price range. You can always add bushings to a bigger cutter ( that's what I currently do), but if I were paying serious retail dollars for a shaper, I'd want more capacity than 3/4".

Given that these two shapers have the same dimension table, so the same footprint, it seems like the 3 hp shaper is the better deal.

I appreciate your taking the time to look at them.

I saw that the 2.5hp had a built in mobile base and a 4" rather than 3" dust port; so I figured it was probably the newer design. I don't know about the 3/4" spindle, but not being able to move both sides of the fence is a huge negative.

The other reason I like the 2.5hp is that it is 9a and the 3hp is 18a. This does not make a whole lot of sense (especially when the 3hp grizz is 12a) but I don't have the recommended 30a circuit for it; so the SF 3hp is out. And the Grizzly 3hp has the old fence and a 3" dust port!

[david brum]

That has to be some kind of misprint. It's hard to imagine that they're using a 3 hp motor that pulls that many amps. It should be in the 12-13 range and work with a 20 amp breaker. Might be worth a phone call to Woodstock Int'l to find out?

[Mike Delyster]

I looked in the manual for the Shop Fox W1702 the 3hp shaper. It rates the motor as a 3hp 18amp, but on page 8 of the manual it says it is to be wired with a NEMA-style 6-20 plug and conected to a 20amp circuit.with 20amp wire less then 100 feet long.

Good luck.

[Wade Lippman]

That has to be some kind of misprint. It's hard to imagine that they're using a 3 hp motor that pulls that many amps. It should be in the 12-13 range and work with a 20 amp breaker. Might be worth a phone call to Woodstock Int'l to find out?

I sent them an email yesterday, but my experience with Grizzly CS is that they will just read you the specifications and that's that. (I couldn't understand why the 3hp cyclone required a 40a circuit, and now that I have one I know the requirement is wrong) Saying it is 18a might be a misprint, and saying it needs a 30a circuit might be a misprint; but both can't be. But the instructions do imply it goes on a 20a circuit, so who knows. Anyone have a SF 3hp and can measure the current.
My Grizzly 3hp cyclone says it draws 22a, and I actually measured it as 21.5a; so they were serious about that.

I just looked up the trip curve for the breaker I will be using; it says it can do 60a for a minimum of 3 seconds; so it ought to be good for a 18a motor. Wouldn't you think?

[david brum]

I don't think you'll get help from Grizzly. Shop Fox is a sister company, but seems to be run independently. My experience using Woodstock's customer service has been top notch. It's a much smaller operation than Grizzly and I've usually talked to the same person. I would try emailing Woodstock instead. Better yet, call them.

[Wade Lippman]

I don't think you'll get help from Grizzly. Shop Fox is a sister company, but seems to be run independently. My experience using Woodstock's customer service has been top notch. It's a much smaller operation than Grizzly and I've usually talked to the same person. I would try emailing Woodstock instead. Better yet, call them.

I did email Shop Fox. I have never contacted them before; I simply meant that if they had a similar policy to Grizzly, they will just read me their specifications (right or wrong) and nothing more.

[david brum]

It will be really interesting to see what they have to say...

[Curt Harms]

That has to be some kind of misprint. It's hard to imagine that they're using a 3 hp motor that pulls that many amps. It should be in the 12-13 range and work with a 20 amp breaker. Might be worth a phone call to Woodstock Int'l to find out?

The Grizzly 3 h.p. motor on my G1023 (late '90s vintage) has a data plate amp rating of 18. I'm guessing those motors are not the most efficient ever, or perhaps the amperage rating is conservative and actual draw is less or maybe some of both.

[Jeff Duncan]

Only way to recommend a shaper is to know what your planning to use it for;) Raised panels are going to be tough and require multiple passes. Sticking cuts may be OK, but still likely have to feed harder woods pretty slowly. Small profiles and round overs should be OK. Not sure why you would think a 2-1/2hp is good and a 3 hp is overkill? Your talking about a couple amps of power? In reality of you were planning on doing a fair amount of work I'd say 3 hp is a good minimum.....but without knowing what you want to do......:confused:

good luck,
JeffD

[Rod Sheridan]

The General International small shaper has a 1/2" and a 3/4" spindle included with the machine, and a 1" and 1 1/4" spindle available as an option.

I wouldn't purchase a shaper that didn't have a 1 1/4" or 30mm spindle as that's a common size for cutters, and you can often find used cutters for little money.

Convenience and adjustability of the fence is important, don't skimp on that feature............Regards, Rod.

[Wade Lippman]

Shop Fox finally answered my second request.
They changed 3 years ago to a 12a motor and now require a 15a circuit; so I am good there.

Does Shop Fox ever have sales? I have bought several Grizzlys, but never paid any attention to Shop Fox.

[david brum]

They are sold through retailers, who might have a sale here and there. I haven't ever heard of a national sale from Shop Fox like you'd see from Jet or Powermatic, though.

I bought three Shop Fox machines. One was bought at a physical retail location where they just had a low price. The other two were bought on ebay when there were large Bing discounts available in 2008. The price that retailers charge for Shop Fox machines varies widely, so it might be worth checking around. For instance, when I bought my bandsaw, the prices from different retailers varied by at least $300 on the same saw.

[Rick Markham]

No comment on the shaper, but I have a couple machines that are similar in their electrical "specs" so much so that electricians always have wondered why they suggest what they do, both in the manual and on the motor plate. My suspicion has always been that they are accounting for a possible high amperage draw on start up... Is this plausible? I ain't one of them 'lect-rical types!

[Wade Lippman]

No comment on the shaper, but I have a couple machines that are similar in their electrical "specs" so much so that electricians always have wondered why they suggest what they do, both in the manual and on the motor plate. My suspicion has always been that they are accounting for a possible high amperage draw on start up... Is this plausible? I ain't one of them 'lect-rical types!

Motors will draw about 3x their running current for a second or two. Breakers will allow more than their rated current for a period of time; hypothetically 1.5X for 10 minutes, 6x for 3 seconds. So you need a breaker that will not trip on your machine's startup current.

Now for pure conjecture... manufactures tell you you need an extra large circuit, so if you happen to get a breaker that is out of spec you won't complain to them about it.