Lock miter cutter profile interchangeability?

[Mike Schuch]

I have a bunch of stair rail posts to make. In the past I have used lock miter joints for posts like this and really like how they turn out and how easy they are to glue.

I have an old 3hp Walker Turner shaper that I use with a Grizzly 3/4" bore lock miter cutter. I use a power feeder for the cut with the stock flat on the table. I have always hated doing the cut with the stock perpendicular to the table even with an extended height fence.

I have a router table I rarely use. I was thinking of making a perpendicular mount for the router and buying a Grizzly Lock Miter router bit. This way I could do the previously perpendicular cuts flat on the table (i.e. the router is rotated 90 degrees instead of rotating the stock 90 degrees) and use the power feeder. I know I can swing my power feeder 90 degrees so it will help with the perpendicular cut but doing so is a whole lot of hassle.

What do you think the chances of the profile on a Grizzly lock miter shaper cutter lining up with the profile on a Grizzly lock miter router bit are?

[Jerry Miner]

What do you think the chances....are?

Slim, but ask Grizzly

[Greg R Bradley]

Probably about zero.

The chances of getting an accurate answer from Grizzly is probably a bit better than zero.

[Peter Quinn]

I think the chances are slim, you could have a matching cutter made, but you can also power feed that vertical cut on most shapers, just have to spin the feeder around so the wheels push against the fence, and that tall fence has to be continuous with a cut out down low for the cutter. You angle the head down from right to left slightly to keep the boards to the table but not crush the sharp mitered edge. It may help to run an mdf bed board if the mitered edge catches on the tables or the cutter hole is not quite the right size.

spinning the feeder around can be a brain teaser like a rubix cube, as can putting it back, and it can be difficult with certain feeder mounting positions, but it definitely makes the operation easier so may be worth a look. We do all ours that way.


check out this (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?188633-Shaper-question/page2) archive, post 24, Eric Loza, great pics of how it looks with a feeder in vertical position.