Limiter shaper tooling (MAN) discussion

[Jeff Duncan]

Hmmmm, lots of good advice for sure, however..... everyones jumping on the feeder bandwagon and I don't think I saw anyone ask what your actually going to be shaping? I do a fair amount of different work and definitely give my feeders a workout, but there's plenty of work that they don't get used for as well. In fact my biggest shaper does not have a feeder mounted as it's reserved for hand fed work only. Now first understand that hand fed often means I'm pushing a jig through that the work is attached to. I do a decent amount of curved work that a feeder doesn't always work well for. So I end up having to build jigs to mount the work on and push through for some of it. I also do a lot of pattern "routing" freehand as, well, thats how you do pattern work Anyway all this to say there is a fair amount of work that gets done sans feeder.

On the other hand.... if your doing straight stock, ie. moldings, door parts, edge profiles, then yeah, a feeder is your friend. Besides the safety factor it's about speed and quality of work. It's very difficult to move stock fast enough continuously by hand for these operations.

good luck,
JeffD

[Van Huskey]

I made one like the one shown in this video and just batch produced a bunch of fence opening filler pieces, so it's pretty quick.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4Kqxl1P3EY

B

OK thats genius! Thanks a lot. If anyone wants to go straight to the breakthough section it starts at about 6:55

[brent stanley]

OK thats genius! Thanks a lot. If anyone wants to go straight to the breakthough section it starts at about 6:55

Cool huh? It's easiest if your fence is one piece and runs in slots, but you can make other styles work.

[William Hodge]

Hook up the feeder, and get it working without the cutter running.

Feeding stock by hand allows variaable fence pressure to avoid stock diving into the throat opening on infeed, and sniping on outfeed. To accomplish the same effect with a feeder, I screw a piece if 1/8" x 1" aluminum stock to the wooden fence, over the cutter. the wood bears on the aluminum, and doesn't fall into the cutter. This allows me to run 6" long sash parts over a 4" (5" cutting circle) molder head on a shaper, using a mini feeder. The aluminum doesn't work if you are cutting the entire face of the work piece. The good thing about aluminum stock is that it can be cut by shaper cutters, and is replaceable.

[Mike Cutler]

we were brought up on hand feeling and I enjoy it. nice sharp cutters and its as enjoyable as using a hand plane at its best. You have better feedback than a feeder because you feel the cutter cutting and you choose the speed unless you have a feeder where you can dial in any speed you want. It offers several advantages for sure. Unless your set up is right on some cuts its not going to do a far better job than by hand. Ive seen stuff off feeders that didnt match what I can do with old cutters and hand fed.

I'm glad I'm not the only one like this.
There was a shaper in wood shop from the 7th grade, to the 12th grade, and I don't ever remember seeing a power feeder, even though it was a zillion years ago. I'd like to have one, no argument there, but I don't "need" one.

Mark
If you're new to the shaper, here is probably the best tutorial on the internet. Nothing fancy, just basic operation for a home shop guy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4n6yTHMBX54

[brent stanley]

I'm glad I'm not the only one like this.
There was a shaper in wood shop from the 7th grade, to the 12th grade, and I don't ever remember seeing a power feeder, even though it was a zillion years ago. I'd like to have one, no argument there, but I don't "need" one.

Mark


If you're new to the shaper, here is probably the best tutorial on the internet. Nothing fancy, just basic operation for a home shop guy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4n6yTHMBX54

Good one Mark, that's a great series. This one combined with the Warwickshire one gives you great ideas for breakthrough fences. I do hand feed when set up like this. An infinitely adjustable power feeder let's you fine tune it very nicely.

The Whitehill block he refers to in there doesn't meet modern standards and isn't sold anymore.

[mark mcfarlane]

Thanks everyone for the input. I'll order a DC40 and smart stand tomorrow along with some MAN tooling. Today I have to paint a wall of new cabinets. The doors can be built later but I need to get the cabinets in service ASAP.

[mark mcfarlane]

...

If you're in Toronto on September 22 I can reserve a spot for you in the seminar......Rod.

Thanks Rod for the kind offer, but I can't make it. Too many vacations already this year . It does sound like a good idea though.

[Warren Lake]

Mike

we didnt have a feeder and likely not ideal for what we did at the time. I remember standing over a shaper that sounded like a 747 at the airport shaping an oval mirror frame. The jig had only two handles one on each end. We put free knives into a ball bearing head on set up, knives were serrated heads were Winconsin. Wish I remembered what RPM they ran it at at the time, 3,500 RPM the number ive been told is max. It was pretty unnerving. big old cabinetmaker real deal standing over you as you tried to not let him see your arms shaking I always thought that jig was made wrong it should have been a matching shape so you could do hand over hand. The way it was with a handle at each end was really awkward as you changed hands. Knives were thrown once while I as there. Then years later one maniac did it at least a few times while i was there.

I think of the old guy he said they had two shaper operators (400 plus employees that shop) and the two guys worked in a room by themselves doing big church windows with huge cutters. Said they were laid out on the floor as at times they were so large.

[brent stanley]

Completely unguarded and I think the knives project too much (but that's hard to tell for sure) and some sketchy methods.....but at least he's using limiter tooling!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yea9VsRd8hU&t=12s

B

[Rod Sheridan]

Thanks Rod for the kind offer, but I can't make it. Too many vacations already this year . It does sound like a good idea though.

yeah, it's a fair hike from your house.

Probably cooler though.............Regards, Rod.

P.S. If you don't have this book, it's well worth purchasing. It's the only modern book I've found on shapers.
https://www.amazon.ca/Spindle-Moulde...rb_top?ie=UTF8

[Jared Sankovich]

Thanks everyone for the input. I'll order a DC40 and smart stand tomorrow along with some MAN tooling. Today I have to paint a wall of new cabinets. The doors can be built later but I need to get the cabinets in service ASAP.

If I buy a new feeder it will be the dc40

[Rod Sheridan]

At least he has nice lead-in ramps on the jigs..................Rod.

[brent stanley]

At least he has nice lead-in ramps on the jigs..................Rod.

He did, but they weren't well designed because if you notice on some of them, he was actually milling part of the lead in ramps when he started. Much less helpful this way.....

[William Hodge]

Completely unguarded and I think the knives project too much (but that's hard to tell for sure) and some sketchy methods.....but at least he's using limiter tooling!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yea9VsRd8hU&t=12s

B

The worst part about the video is that the operator could have been climb cutting with a stock feeder.Just tilt the feeder so one wheel his the work, and set the angle of that wheel to press against a (preferably metal, not plywood) rub bearing. Those jigs would work fine with a feeder. The tight inside "U" shaped molding was particularly prone to turning into a merry-go-round if the work bounced.