Router or shaper

[Jared Sankovich]

But I'd not give up my router table if a shaper fell in my lap...err...onto my shop floor. For my purposes, they are different tools for different situations.

I wouldn't give up handheld routers, but I dumped my router table (still have the 7518 in a jessem mast-r-lift II sitting on a shelf).

I just didn't use it.

[Mike Kees]

I am with Jared on this one. To me this is kind of like comparing a' true 'sliding table saw to a contractors saw with a sliding crosscut box. Yes they both do similar work,but one does so much more,with half the effort.

[Jim Becker]

I am with Jared on this one. To me this is kind of like comparing a' true 'sliding table saw to a contractors saw with a sliding crosscut box. Yes they both do similar work,but one does so much more,with half the effort.

That's true but....it's still not necessarily the best tool for some tasks. It's greatest strengths are also its weakness for some operations. That's why I commented that some folks need both.

[Jared Sankovich]

That's true but....it's still not necessarily the best tool for some tasks. It's greatest strengths are also its weakness for some operations. That's why I commented that some folks need both.

Jim,

Other than setup time and cost of accessories there isn't anything I can think of where the router (in a table) is a better option than a shaper. I would be curious to hear where you feel the benefits are. Not trying to argue just curious about other perspectives I may be missing.

[Jim Becker]

Small work with small cutters that need to turn at high RPM to cut with the optimal chip load comes to mind. Most shapers don't fit well for that. Many have adapters that can provide collet service to physically mount the small cutters, but the RPM doesn't get up there. Shapers were designed for larger tooling and their available speeds are limited to safely support that.

[brent stanley]

I very rarely use my table mounted router these days, but when I have it's been for stopped dados where I don't want the long ramp that is left by larger diameter groovers in the shaper, or stopped grooves in the middle of a larger panel.. If I've used it for anything else in the past 10 years, I can't remember!

[Warren Lake]

a shaper cant do tight radius work, Ive done tons of work with routers that a shaper could not do.



A router with a big bit can allow you to hand climb cut as you control the tool and the material removal. Its not beginner stuff. Ive done bullnose work on large tables that was best to bullnose after all glued up. Climb cutting for any of us with time on routers will be safe hand held but we could not do that in a table.

There are two examples of how a shaper cant touch a router.

[brent stanley]

Yes, small diameter template or bearing guided work...that's a good one.

a shaper cant do tight radius work, Ive done tons of work with routers that a shaper could not do.



A router with a big bit can allow you to hand climb cut as you control the tool and the material removal. Its not beginner stuff. Ive done bullnose work on large tables that was best to bullnose after all glued up. Climb cutting for any of us with time on routers will be safe hand held but we could not do that in a table.

There are two examples of how a shaper cant touch a router.

[Mike Kees]

Hey Jim ,I am not trying to argue about this either. My experience has been that after I started using my shapers that the router table days were over. Router tables are a useful and viable option for a lot of people. I see them as capable of doing most of the same type of work in smaller profiles. When I had nothing but a router table I built a set of cabinet doors on my router table. At that time I was very pleased to be able to accomplish this task. Now when I do the same thing with a shaper in 1/4 of the time I realize what I was missing. With that said ,I am in a whole different place now than I was 15 years ago. That first set of cabinets was in a rental property,now I am building them for clients.

[Jim Becker]

"What you do" is really important in this, Mike. It sounds like your work benefits from and is covered by a shaper. I've only been suggesting that neither a router table nor a shaper can go "all the way 100% of the time"...the actual work being accomplished matters.

[Rick Potter]

I have had a 1 1/2 HP Delta shaper for the last 20 years, along with router tables. I run router bits for raised panels in it most of the time. To answer your question, yes it does fine on raised panels, using either shaper or router bits. As you mentioned, I do them in three passes, mainly to avoid chip out on the edges of red oak. The third pass is a skim cut which also eliminates any burning.

I use a router type fence on the shaper, and much prefer it for the flexibility it offers.

Most of the time I use the router table, but for the larger bits I go to the shaper.

The only thing I have been unhappy about when using the shaper, is when running small roundovers and the like in pine. It is not as clean a cut as the faster turning router table.

My use is entirely hobby and DIY.

There is no such thing as a quiet router.

[Mike Cutler]

What am I missing about the tight radius template work on a shaper??
I absolutely promise that a router collet adapter in a shaper table works very well.
I've never gone less than 1/2" diameter myself, but a Whiteside, 1/2" spiral router, bit with bearings will work just.
Nice thing is that you only need one template side. When you start to run into the grain, reverse the motor, change direction,or climb cut that section. Once out of it, flip the switch, and continue as normal.

[Jim Becker]

Mike, a router collet adapter does work well for being able to run router bits in a shaper. But when you get into the area of how a given piece of tooling is setup for optimal cutting performance, shapers cannot spin small router bits up to the RPM level that they should be running by chip load calculations, etc. That can result in extra burning, etc., because too small of a chip load results in more retained heat than desired. The key words in my second sentence are "optimal cutting performance". They will absolutely work and the result may be acceptable, however. There may also be a noticable difference if the same bit is used in a router table for the same kind of cut on similar material and compared to a piece worked on the shaper with a router bit. It really depends upon the work being, um...worked.

[brent stanley]

What am I missing about the tight radius template work on a shaper??
I absolutely promise that a router collet adapter in a shaper table works very well.
I've never gone less than 1/2" diameter myself, but a Whiteside, 1/2" spiral router, bit with bearings will work just.
Nice thing is that you only need one template side. When you start to run into the grain, reverse the motor, change direction,or climb cut that section. Once out of it, flip the switch, and continue as normal.

It's my experience that in the real world, router bits work better in a shaper than the theory would have you believe, however I also haven't gone smaller than 1/2" in my shaper which runs up to 9000rpm. I expect things would suffer if you tried to do 1/8" cuts at 6000 rpm or keyhole cutters etc.

[Joe Jensen]

Once you use a shaper with a power feeder you will try to use that over a router table every single time. Sure there are cuts you can't do on a shaper so you need a router. I've been a serious hobbiest for over 40 years. I have never owned a proper router table. When I started in the 1970s Router tables we basically a cheap table that held a 1HP router inverted. We bought an old Craftsman 1HP 1/2" spindle shaper and it ran circles around routers of that day and age. I do have a router plate from Woodpecker or some place that holds 2 HP router. I have not used it since I got a Felder saw/shaper that can spin it's router spindle up to 19,000 RPM.

Why I prefer using the shaper and in my not so humble opinion a power feeder is a must;
1) so quiet
2) Power feeder makes cuts nearly perfect
3) larger cutter diameter creates way less chipout. With the larger diameter cutters and the power feeder I rarely have to sand profiles. Just the end grain

Downsides
1) As is always mentioned, cost. You can buy a used shaper and power feeder for about what a premium router table costs but the cutters are way more. I have lots of cove and roundover cutters, All purchased on ebay. I've spend maybe $50-60 for one. A premium router bit the same size is maybe $19.