looking at shaper cutters

[Mike Kees]

I am wondering if anyone knows if freeborn is still in business? Where can one buy their product if they are. Also does anyone have experience with grizzly cutters? Wondering about quality etc. Thanks in advance for any help.

[John A langley]

Mike yes freeborn is still in business there's a lot of places you can get their cutter I get them at Ballew Tool Springfield Missouri l look at the grizzly ones over at their store in Springfield they might be okay for occasional use but I don't think that they would be very good for the long haul

[ed vitanovec]

Woodline also sales shaper cutters that are decent.

[Paul Symchych]

I've used Grizzly cutters and they did a fine job.
Used fairly hard but not for extended periods. They may not be the sort of thing for a production shop.

[J.R. Rutter]

Freeborn can give you local dealer names. I get mine from my local sharpener. They give a discount and drop them off to my shop. I have a few of the Grizzly cutters kicking around. Two are the 5-wing design that does cut smoothly and cleanly. But this year I tried to buy a different 5-wing from them and every tip had tiny chips in the carbide edge. I returned it without using it and tried to exchange it for a clean one. But every one that we opened and inspected had rough edges, so I ended up just getting a steel set ground for a corrugated head.

[peter gagliardi]

W.Moore profiles has freeborn and great pricing!

[Mike Kees]

Thanks for the info everyone. What other brands are worth looking at? My use will be more production or long term, I would like to buy once and then use.

[Mike Kees]

Also I should add that I am a Canadian living in Alberta. I do have access to the U.S. through mail order and am only one hour from the border. Thanks again.

[John A langley]

Mike if you're using the cutters for production I would stay with Freeborne or something of that caliber Woodline Grizzly and Those of that caliber are not going to last. also an outfit in Connecticut ,Connecticut saw and tool I may have the name wrong Peter Quinn might know the right name.good luck

[Bob Hoffmann]

I know that this is about shaper cutters, but I just purchased some rub collars, and I am very happy with Amana -- some of the others were too tight to slip on and off the spindle -- but the Amana ones were perfect. This also holds for the reducing sleeves that come with them -- the Amana ones fit like silk, but the other ones do not slide in and when stuck 1/2 in and 1/2 out, it take a mallet to get them out ...

Since you are in the market for cutters, rub collars can't be far behind ...

[David Kumm]

You might also want to talk to Greg at Rangate about insert tooling. Great for production. Dave

[Peter Quinn]

I use Connecticut saw and tool, they are a freeborne dealer and my local distributor. If check with freeborne to see who distributes in CA, they also make insert tooling. If you go with 3 wing you need to establish a relationship with a good grinding outfit, insert tooling is great as you keep consistent diameter and quick knife changes put you back to sharp, more economical long term.

[J.R. Rutter]

insert tooling is great as you keep consistent diameter and quick knife changes put you back to sharp, more economical long term.

Especially if you have dedicated setups or a smart shaper where you are actively avoiding the need to run test parts every time you change cutters. They are sharper, too.

[peter gagliardi]

You might also want to talk to Greg at Rangate about insert tooling. Great for production. Dave
Sorry ,I failed to mention Greg myself. The OP was asking about Freeborn, and Grizzly, so it didn't cross my mind.
Just to be clear here, we are talking about 3 different qualities, AND cost structures!
What Greg sells thru Rangate is very top quality stuff to be sure, a step below would be Freeborn, and Grizzly would be bottom rung.
You get what you pay for with these to be sure!! Usually someone with no , or little knowledge is just wading in the waters when asking about the brands mentioned- we don't want to drown him now, do we?
I admit, that I just learned about Greg and his offerings last year, and do not own any of it.... Yet!
After seeing firsthand the quality of the tooling he offers, I hope to soon be adding some value to my tooling arsenal!

[Rod Sheridan]

Also I should add that I am a Canadian living in Alberta. I do have access to the U.S. through mail order and am only one hour from the border. Thanks again.

FS Tools or Royce Carbide, both are Canadian manufacturers.

I use FS Tools because they're just up the road from me...................Rod.

[Peter Quinn]

Especially if you have dedicated setups or a smart shaper where you are actively avoiding the need to run test parts every time you change cutters. They are sharper, too.



I was thinking about pattern shaping with a bearing, I've seen 3 wings sharpened enough times that the cutter gets just a little smaller than the matching bearing, then you are trying to figure out some off set on a template, its the road to frustration. I know a guy who has gauge blocks for his dumb shaper that reference the miter slot, they have a runner like a TS sled, drop them in the miter slot, set the fences to them, done. Very nearly as quick to set up as a CNC shaper for a given door profile, until you have the cutters sharpened....a few times. The sharper thing regarding insert tooling is not just my imagination then? I heard a story that said insert carbide is finer than braised carbide because braised carbide must be more coarse to key the braising medium, insert can be much finer given the mechanical connection thus it can be sharpened much finer. Sounds logical, not sure of its validity? Surface quality seems better.

[Mel Fulks]

Peter, that's what I like about the three BEARings I had made to use with 4 inch corg heads . No matter how the knives are ground one of the three will be "just right"... Well, no more than a 64th off.

[Peter Quinn]

Peter, that's what I like about the three BEARings I had made to use with 4 inch corg heads . No matter how the knives are ground one of the three will be "just right"... Well, no more than a 64th off.

We had one turned down just a bit to match a large 3z rabbit head, machinist said there were limits to how far you could turn down a bearing before it fails. I've found the aluminum sleeve system works pretty well for matching corrugated cutters in a 4" head. I like the insert rabbit head with matching bearing, never have to guess, never have to get a little blonde girl to pick the best bearing for the given diameter.....:D.

[Max Neu]

Not only are insert cutters sharper, they stay sharper much longer than brazed tips.I use inserts on anything that gets used frequently.

[Mike Delyster]

All Blades in Calgary or Edmonton sells FS Tools, Royce/AYR, Leitz, Amana, Dimar and other brands. They also make custom tooling.

I've never been to the Calgary store, but have had good experience with the people in Edmonton.

[Mike Kees]

All Blades in Calgary or Edmonton sells FS Tools, Royce/AYR, Leitz, Amana, Dimar and other brands. They also make custom tooling.

I've never been to the Calgary store, but have had good experience with the people in Edmonton.
Thanks so much for all the great input here. It will take me a while to digest all the info. The canadian sources are good to know. I have used F.S.tools blades in my table and miter saws with great results in the past. What about CMT? Where would they rank on the quality ladder?

[peter gagliardi]

I would put CMT between Grizzly and Freeborn, but closer to Freeborn for sure.