shaper cutters

[Terry Therneau]

I'm ready to get some tooling for a new machine and drowning in the choices.
Prior work: Delta HD shaper + mini-feeder, Unisaw. Now: Felder KF.700S. Hobby usage.
The prior shaper had accumulated multiple cutters, but I found I really used only 3: cope and stick for furniture, drawer lock, and pattern shaping. So I don't intend to jump in with a boatload of new tooling. (I have a good router table and use it for small things like roundovers). For a project that is just starting I will need cope/stick and panel raising.

Questions:

1. The prior machines served me well, the primary reason for a change was more safety (and all the "use a slider" enablers here). Given that, it seems sensible to use MAN tooling. Comments?

2. I've looked a prior threads, and several suggest the Whitehill combi block. Will that accept knives to do the cope and stick? If it does, is that a good route? Order direct from Whitehill?
Alternate suggestions?

3. A power feeder is also on the list. Craiglist/ebay pickings are pretty thin (southern Minn.) and I will have to bite the bullet. A 4 wheel comatic?

Terry T.

[Rod Sheridan]

Nice shaper Terry.

Yes, it’s worth looking for MAN rated tooling, far safer.

I always suggest a Euroblock with steel knives, a 125mm carbide rebate head for rebating, bevelling and pattern copying.

An adjustable groover is also something I recommend, however with the KF if you buy a 30mm shaper spindle you can use 30mm tooling including sharing tooling with your saw such as blades and grooving tooling. Most tooling in the world is metric and Felder often have sales on tooling.

As for the combi Whitehill block, make sure you’re happy with the diameter.

Felder sell guide rings in many sizes, the bearing can be Imperial or Metric, using the same guide rings.

Regards, Rod.

P.S. I have a 3 wheel feeder, if you get a feeder with the tip up bracket, buy the one with the nitrogen cylinder, much easier to tip up.....Regards, Rod

[brent stanley]

I'm ready to get some tooling for a new machine and drowning in the choices.
Prior work: Delta HD shaper + mini-feeder, Unisaw. Now: Felder KF.700S. Hobby usage.
The prior shaper had accumulated multiple cutters, but I found I really used only 3: cope and stick for furniture, drawer lock, and pattern shaping. So I don't intend to jump in with a boatload of new tooling. (I have a good router table and use it for small things like roundovers). For a project that is just starting I will need cope/stick and panel raising.

Questions:

1. The prior machines served me well, the primary reason for a change was more safety (and all the "use a slider" enablers here). Given that, it seems sensible to use MAN tooling. Comments?

2. I've looked a prior threads, and several suggest the Whitehill combi block. Will that accept knives to do the cope and stick? If it does, is that a good route? Order direct from Whitehill?
Alternate suggestions?

3. A power feeder is also on the list. Craiglist/ebay pickings are pretty thin (southern Minn.) and I will have to bite the bullet. A 4 wheel comatic?

Terry T.

Hi Terry, I have a number of videos on my channel where I use the Whitehill combis (there are three of them at two different diameters) and it's an excellent choice for someone in your position who might not justify the expense of seperate heads. There is zero compromise in terms of performance and considerable cost savings. Both size of combi gives you the ability to run cope and stick and in fact most kitchen door profiles you can fit both the cope and stick on one knife for considerable cost savings. You have a decent sized machine and would be well served by the larger block which is more capable overall but also, it looks like they have already made a version for your machine that can be flush mounted allowing you to also use it for tenoning too if you every want to. It's an excellent pattern milling block too when mated with a bearing.

They ship direct from the factory to the US and Canada all the time with no problems. I use these all the time, let me know if you have any questions.

B

[Jared Sankovich]

A 40mm euroblock, a rebate head (or the whitehill combi) a
4-15mm groover and a corrugated head cover a lot of shaper work.

[Bill Dufour]

Where does the unisaw come into this decision?

[brent stanley]

A 40mm euroblock, a rebate head (or the whitehill combi) a
4-15mm groover and a corrugated head cover a lot of shaper work.

Add a template bearing and a panel raiser and I'd bet you're up to 95% of what most folks would use a shaper for. I use taller blocks and tenon heads a lot but that's commercial .

[Terry Therneau]

"Where does the Unisaw come into this decision?"
I took the end of my thumb off on the Unisaw 6 years ago in spite of care (after hitting the off switch, my left hand strayed as I straightened up). If I didn't have fantastic medical coverage the bill would have been devastating. A couple months ago I had a mental lapse and a board caught; no harm done but I thought "this can't be allowed to happen again", so started seriously looking at a change: sawstop or slider. The spouse pointed out that I could afford it. The HD shaper/ tablesaw acted as outfeed tables for each other, both had to go to make enough room for the KF700. As it is the shop is overly tight: 22 x 28 detached 2 car garage with an upstairs, and a post dead center in the lower. The floor slopes to a center drain so machines are leveled and then stay put.

Terry T.

With respect to tooling, I thank you all for the advice. Monday I ordered $500 worth from Whitehill: combi block, 2 sets of knives, top bearing for pattern work. Today the folding feeder bracket from Felder. Still need a feeder. The Delta Versa-feeder's arm was too short for the KF shaper so I sold it, though I hated to. I had put new Western Roller wheels on it which turned it from a paperweight into a very useful tool.