Delta 43-379 Shaper

[Sam Abd]

Hello everyone. I recently got into woodworking and also joined this forum recently as well. I purchased a Delta 43-379 shaper at an auction for a good price yesterday. This is my first time owning a shaper. I would like to buy molding head cutters for it but I didn't get a manual with it and I'm not sure exactly what the bore size is for the cutters. Would someone be able to help me with this? Or if they have a manual for it that they can share, I would really appreciate it.

Thank you
-Sam

[Mike Wilkins]

Go to Amazon and search for books on shapers. There is an excellent book on shaper use and safety tips. I think the author is Lonnie Bird.

[brent stanley]

Hello everyone. I recently got into woodworking and also joined this forum recently as well. I purchased a Delta 43-379 shaper at an auction for a good price yesterday. This is my first time owning a shaper. I would like to buy molding head cutters for it but I didn't get a manual with it and I'm not sure exactly what the bore size is for the cutters. Would someone be able to help me with this? Or if they have a manual for it that they can share, I would really appreciate it.

Thank you
-Sam

Welcome to woodworking and the forum!

This is the most modern book on safe shaper work right now in my opinion: https://amzn.to/2R7mqkU (https://amzn.to/2R7mqkU)
It's a very handy machine but deserves respect and you should spend some time learning how to use it safely. You should be able to run a small euroblock and I would suggest one of chip limiting design for safety. Yours is a very light machine and you'll probably outgrow it if you stick with the hobby, but if you don't ask too much of it you should get some use out of it.

Cheers,
Brent

[Rod Sheridan]

The book Brent recommended is the only up to date shaper book I’ve found.

All the other books are many decades past current standards and practices......Regards, Rod

[Lewis Justis]

Sam, chances are good that your spindle is 3/4", but those shapers also had a 1/2" spindle available too. You can measure the spindle with calipers to be sure. The book mentioned by the others is very good with lots of information. There are a couple of others you might want to look at: The Shaper Book by Lonnie Bird has a lot of photos and input on Delta shapers, and the Shaper Handbook by Roger Cliffe is another. You might want to check th OWWM site for a manual. Learn all you can about how to safely set up the shaper, as it can be dangerous when hand feeding the work.

[Jared Sankovich]

The book Brent recommended is the only up to date shaper book I’ve found.

All the other books are many decades past current standards and practices......Regards, Rod

(In countries that adopted the metric system)

[Mike Cutler]

The Delta 43-379 shaper comes with a 1/2" and 3/4" shaper spindle. The spindles are separate from the cartridge and can be interchanged. A separate 1" spindle was available, but it is a single piece unit, spindle and cartridge.
You should have two speeds, 7000 and 10,000 rpm, with a reversing switch for mounted on the motor.
If you have no cutters at all, give serious thought to using 1-1/4" cutters with a 3/4" to 1-1/4" Tee bushing adapter. The reason is two fold. There are more cutter options available in 1-1/4" bore, and if you decide to resell your cutters, the 1-1/4" are easier to sell as 1-1/4" and 30mm are more or less the standard(s).
The shaper is a wonderful machine addition for a small shop, but it does need to be respected. Be safe and go slow with your learning.
You can find the basic operations manual at this link. http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/detail.aspx?id=16749