Have you made window sash on shaper?

[richard dombroski]

I have to make 30+ storm windows. In the past I have used a sash router and matching rail coping bit. This allows a long tendon to be used. I am having trouble finding shaper sash cutters with a matching coping cutter. Does anyone know of a supplier? The cutters are mentioned in Lonnie Birds book for use on a stub spindle. I would like to avoid the cost of custom cutters if possible.

[lou sansone]

me to... I believe that CMT makes a set, but not in the profile that I need.. would be interested in the responses.

lou

[Dev Emch]

Two choices. You can use dedicated insert or brazed tip tooling. Or you can use corregated knives. Both are available from Schmidt in New Jersey. Another option is to buy the Viel custom knife grinder. Its actually a pretty nice rig considing it costs tons less than say a foley. But it also uses corregated knife stock.

You can purchase say a 2 inch tall corregated steel head from schmidt. They make several different versions and some actually have four gibs. Two are at 12 degrees and 2 are at 20 degrees. This helps out when your doing moulding cuts and coping cuts. This is typical of say 1.25 inch arbor tooling. You can get heads that use smaller diameter arbors but they may not be dual angle heads.

The knives come in pairs and are HSS. Often, when you need a limited run of some strange profile, this is the route to go. I recently needed to run some maple baseboard moulding and schmidt has several versions of the knives on the shelf. I think the profile knives cost me $89 dollars. I used the same head to also perform the relief cut on the back side. The moulding looks much nicer than some of the stock mill moulding.

My heads were modified by schmidt to run on 30 mm tooling. But you can get virtually any arbor you need. Also note that HSS provides a nicer surface finish than carbide. To sharpen, you hone the back side of the knife. That is the side without the ruffles have ridges corregations.

[Paul B. Cresti]

Just about all my tooling is from Schmidt. I had them make me a custom insert head to max my clearance under the nut. The cost is upfront in buying the head ans the knives, depending on size and if custom or not, are relatively cheap. I am not a production shop so the changing of knives, the ease of getting a custom knife and cost out weigh the little extra time involved in set up/change over. I also own their raised panel cutter, cope & stick set and rebate head ... all insert tooling. I have spent a bit now but my possibilities and profiles are endless. For me the most important aspect was flexibility and being able to produce any profile. I do not have the time to grind knives so I draft up knife profiles in Autocad (remember I am an Architect) and email them the drawing, they create the profile from my drawing. Now since I am also producing the final product from my drawings I get the perfect knife from them.

[tod evans]

i buy blank steel from schmidt and grind my own, cheepest way i know. plus i`m assured my profiles remain mine. .02 tod