cutter head for a 3HP shaper

[mreza Salav]

I have a clone of Grizzly 3HP shaper (comes with 1/2, 3/4, and 1" spindle):
http://www.grizzly.com/products/3-HP-Shaper/G1026

Want to get a few cutters and am considering the Profile pro cutters from Amana (or similar Euro style from other brands).
I'd want to build a few doors (interior and exterior) and a few small profile (1.5" height) mouldings. I'll be using a power feeder.
I have a few questions:

- Is this style of cutter head (with an aluminum head) suitable for my shaper? I'm thinking getting the 3.5" wide (88mm) 40mm knife system with a 1" bore
(or maybe 1 1/4" bore and use with a bushing so that I can use it later if I upgrade to a larger shaper).
I am thinking 60mm cutter head is too big for my shaper, am I right?

- In general, am I right to assume it's better to get this system and buy the knives I need instead of individual cutters for different profiles?

- What brands/heads do you recommend? Freud, CMT, Amana, etc?

TIA

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Mo, I use a 40mm steel head, it's the General International one in case you want to look it up, it's rated for 9,000RPM maximum, ideal for many 3 HP shapers.

If I were to buy a new one I would make sure it has chip limiters.

What spindle speeds do you have available? That will be a big factor in deciding which head to buy.

I would either buy a 1 1'4" or 30mm bore head as those will be the more common sizes if you upgrade your shaper............Rod.

[mreza Salav]

Thanks Rod. I have to double check but I *think* the speed range are 7k and 10k.

[Jeff Duncan]

Yes, that's a suitable cutter head for your size shaper. I think I'd go with the 1-1/4" bore as it allows you to upgrade shapers in the future and not make all your tooling obsolete;)

"am I right to assume it's better to get this system and buy the knives I need instead of individual cutters for different profiles?"....no, it's not necessarily better at all.....just different. You'll still need cutters for things they're better at, but the Euro heads do allow you to do a lot of small profiles very easily. You may even grow into using corrugated heads for custom profiles. There's really no "one size fits all" in the shaper world....unless you only do a couple basic things.

"What brands/heads do you recommend? Freud, CMT, Amana, etc?"...all good names. I have Euro heads by both Freud and FS Tool and though very slightly different they both work just fine. On my machines I actually prefer the steel heads, but for smaller shapers the lightweight aluminum can be an advantage. Also FYI you can buy a handful of profiles on E-bay as they seem to be listed all the time.

In short you can't go wrong with a Euro head and a good selection of knives. I use mine all the time to put together basic profiles instead of paying to have them custom ground. I also like that the steel is thin enough you can grind it yourself with a bench grinder to open up even more flexibility. It's just not the end of shaper tooling.....more like the beginning! Both deeper and taller profiles will require a corrugated head, doors are usually either brazed cutters or insert tooling, raised panels also require either brazed cutters or insert heads....and so on! The Euro is just a good place to start:D

good luck,
JeffD

[mreza Salav]

Thanks for the comments.

[Mike Delyster]

Hi Mo

You will get lots of use out of that style of cutter head, knives are relatively cheap. I have the Dimar version I purchased through Marson equipment.

A shaper is one of those machines where the tooling cost can easily out way the cost of the machine.

[Mike Heidrick]

The Amana can be had for a decent price on amazon (or could). Laguna had one with chip limiters as well.

[Peter Quinn]

I have the amana 88mm 1 1/4" bore, ran it successfully on a 3 hp shaper for years bushed up, made several interior doors with it, it's a good investment for the small shop. The 60mm would be pushing it on a smaller shaper. My heads are aluminum, no chip limiters, not a bad idea for safety if they are available in your market, pretty much doubles the tooling cost, still a fair value per profile.