Fabricating mounts for shaper hold-down spring bars

[Patrick Perry]

I bought a pair of used shaper hold-down spring flats along with brackets that hold them to the steel bar (these 3 parts pictured), but I will need to fabricate a way to mount them to my independently adjustable fences and/or the shaper table.

I have a few different ideas, some using all wood, some metal, but wanted to ask for other ideas. I do not weld but have a guy I pay occassionally to build stuff for me. One of my ideas is to find a pipe stub that they fit inside, drill a hole in the pipe side, and have him weld a nut on the outside so I can insert a tightening bolt. Then I could screw on a "T" to the pipe stub and stub it down to a pipe flange screwed to a board. The board could then be clamped to the back of the shaper table. Actually, if I did it that way, I wouldn't even need the horizontal pipe, I could do it with a pipe "T", and a vertical stub down to a pipe flange. The "T" would have a hole in the top with a nut tacked over it so I could tighten the rod with a bolt. The flange at the table could screw to a board clamped to the table. I could also put a 90 degree elbow between the "T" and flange and screw it to the back of the fence. The mating parts would be ideally tacked with a weld so they didn't spin out of alignment.

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[Warren Lake]

what do you want to do, they came with two machines ive had a long time and never tried them if I do use pressure its from a simplie offcut feather board, the feather board can give you kick back protection as well if you want that those cant.

[Patrick Perry]

I'm going to be making 3 wooden windows for my historic building, and was thinking about using them for the top hold-downs when I run my stiles and rails. I bought one of those magnetic featherboards that I planned to use on the sides (on the infeed side if this is correct). My thought is that the featherboards and spring hold-downs serve similar but perhaps not the same exact purpose, because the springs are very springy and the featherboard not so much.

[Warren Lake]

feather board if you make one will be what you want, how you make it, stiff springy whatever. I watched a british guy on a shaper use those things and to me they were in the way but id have little value in my statment as I havent used them just and might even like them, what I saw and ive seen it in other videos looked uncomfortable to feed the material if you are at the point of using a push stick. I dont often feel kick back on a shaper maybe if hand feeding older stuff a bit too fast but the machine tells you right away by feel and sound. agree that pressure down and from the side helps keep things the most consistent. If you have time be interested in seeing the windows as they progress.

[Patrick Perry]

Thanks. I haven't bought my sash cutters yet. I will probably buy the Freeborn set at around $380. I plan to simply butt and dowel my rails and stiles, and mortise my muntins. That's the plan. I've considered building them out of douglas fir 2x10's that I will rip down to width. I will preserve the wood with a BoraCare mixture, then paint them (oil?). Also there are no window weights. The upper window has an eyebrow radius at the head and is fixed in place with lower stops. The lower window will slide up and be fixed open with a couple of pegs or stick. I plan to use traditional putty glazing on the exterior side. I am building a sled for coping (similar to the ones in the $150 price range) with 4 PowerTec (same as Destaco) swing clamps, an aluminum miter channel piece, and phenolic handles. Not sure what material I will make the base from, probably get a type of plastic from a local supply shop (the room I'm building in is subject to humidity swings so ply may not be the best sled).

[Patrick Perry]

Oh, the diameter of the steel rods that hold those spring flats is 18.00 mm. From looking at pipe thread charts, I think this would snugly fit inside a 1/2" galvanized pipe stub, but I haven't tried it yet. Then I thought about a 1/2" pipe cross with IPS threads (straight threads) that maybe could accept a bolt(? - probably not).