Shaper cutter info?

[Guy LaRochelle]

Hi guys,

Can anyone tell who makes a good shaper cutter with bearing guide for shaping stock using templates? It is for a General International 3/4" spindle shaper. Any info would be appreciated. Regards. -Guy

[Jim Dailey]

Hi Guy,
I don't know of or have ever seen any shaper cutters with bearings attached. However many suppliers sell bearing sized for their cutters, or you stack a bearing (you have to check it runs free...) to the cutter. I literally have a draw full of various sized bearings for my cutters.

Grizzly, Freud etc. have many sizes available.

Be very, very careful as a shaper can grab a piece of wood fast.... End grain, and going against the grain, or climb cutting on a shaper can have very serious consequences.

Hope this helps, jim

[Chris Rosenberger]

Hi guys,

Can anyone tell who makes a good shaper cutter with bearing guide for shaping stock using templates? It is for a General International 3/4" spindle shaper. Any info would be appreciated. Regards. -Guy

Most of my shaper cutters are from Grizzly. They also sell different sizes of ball bearing rub collars (bearing guides).

http://www.grizzly.com/products/category.aspx?key=162

http://www.grizzly.com/products/searchresults.aspx?q=3%2F4+rub+collar

[William Addison]

Give Steve at W. Moore Profiles a call. I needed a a custom cutter for pattern shaping and called a number of manufacturers. Steve was the only one who didn't choke, he said send him some photos of the profile and then made exactly what I wanted.

Profile shaping is potentially hazardous but so is almost everything we do. It's really pretty easy to do, just be sure you have the stock supported when you enter the wood.

[Guy LaRochelle]

Chris,

I am new to shapers. From following the Grizzly links you gave me I gather I would use a straight cutter along with a bearing guide..........is this correct? If so I noticed the tallest cutter they have is 1" (C2007). I am doing 1.5" stock. Regards. -Guy

[Earl Kelly]

Guy,

Last yr while making some round tables, I needed to do a lot of pattern shaping. I purchased a Byrd cutterhead with matching bearing. It's not cheap, but working with exotics and squirrely grain, I felt it would do the job. So far I've been very pleased.

[Jim Dailey]

Hi Guy,
You still can do 1 1/2" stock with a 1 " cutter & bearing, but it takes two passes assuming you are cutting flush to the template.

On the 1st pass the bearing rides on the template. On the 2nd pass the bearing rides on the finish surface you made on the 1 1/2" stock from the 1st pass.

Hope this helps, jim

[Guy LaRochelle]

Jim,

I realize that could be done but is a 1" cutter & bearing the max or is there larger ones available? Regards. -Guy

[Chris Rosenberger]

Chris,

I am new to shapers. From following the Grizzly links you gave me I gather I would use a straight cutter along with a bearing guide..........is this correct? If so I noticed the tallest cutter they have is 1" (C2007). I am doing 1.5" stock. Regards. -Guy

Guy,
You are correct on using a bearing guide & straight cutter.
Here is a link for taller cutters. I have several straight cutters of the same diameter & different heights. I just stack them when I need a taller cutter.

Chris

[Jim Dailey]

Hi Guy,

There are a number of companies that make insert cutter moulding heads for shapers thus you can get large rabbeting knifes (2" to 3" or more); CMT, Freud, Grizzly http://www.grizzly.com/products/g2606 Grizzly also has a spiral cutterhead H2875 (4" dia, 1 1/4" bore, 2" height) @$140 plus a rub collar H7136 @$35 You'd need to reduce this to 3/4" with bushings for your General.

However given both your 3/4" spindle probably the largest insert moulder height you could run would be 2". Of course this would be enough for your 1 1/2" stock.

Again you need to match the outside diameter of the cutter to the bearing. Most all of these suppliers will have bearings available like the rub collar above.

Note if your template has inside corners, the cutter you select must have a radius be less than the radius of the inside corner. If your template is straight cuts or just has outside corners than the cutter's diameter will not be important other than matching the proper shaper/cutter speed and not over powering your 3/4" spindle (check with General on max. cutter diameter & height for your machine).

Hope this helps, jim