I have the 5HP Powermatic 27S ... I believe it is 7000 and 10000 rpm
I think the combi head is a definite must for me. Adjustable groovers I assume you are referring to the two piece heads with spacer.. I would be interested in those as well as a panel raiser.
Chris - check public auctions. I've used www.publicsurplus.com, there may be other options in your area. I bought my shaper from a school and won it in an auction. It was a few years old, but was never used. I purchased a powerfeed seperately.
Nick
Hi Nick, most of the adjustable groovers are two-piece, but some are three and yes they use shims and spacers to fine tune the groove width. I have a wobble saw for thinner grooves as they are much cheaper but can still be MAN rated and perform just fine for most work, though I will be getting a three-piece adjustable groover before too long. They are a more refined tool.
Let me know if you have any questions about the combi heads. I have and use both almost every day. Jack Forsberg who is on SMC said to me the other day his Combi head hasn't been off his shaper in ages!
B
I have tons...just not sure what they are yet!
Here's one: If you were starting from scratch with my shaper, I assume you would get the 125mm combi head with 1-1/4" bore. What inserts / knives would you get for that head that are must haves?
Which adjustable groover would you have to have?
I'm just curious what you use the most or what you may have found was useful that may have surprised you...I also want recommendations.
Thanks!
It's tough because the larger head is the most versatile and capable for sure but you'll have to ask around to see if your machine has the heft to run a 125x50mm steel block as I've never seen your machine in person before. The larger one will let you run thicker steel for more complex profiles but also being a larger diameter, some say will produce a better cut though that's not universally accepted.
The smaller one is great and you can run the very commonly available 40mm knives that are readily available from CMT, Dimar etc but also the 55mm knives that Whitehill sells which of course gives you more profile but significantly will often give you room for both cope and stick on one knife. The nice thing about Whitehill is for both options you can get the head with 5 sets of knives for a discount, but Whitehill lets YOU pick the knives instead of telling you what you want like a lot of companies do.
If you mate the combi with a matching bearing you have a great template cutter.
As for which knives to get with it......that's a tough one. I'd suggest a knife with 4 roundover radiuses (radii?), a glue joint cutter, a bull nose, one with a couple different beads and maybe one with t&g for mission doors but it'll depend on what you're going to get up to.
Cheers
Brent
I have yet to find one profile I use more than others (short of specific moulding runs)
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My personal experience has been that its bad to try to anticipate "the best" profiles. You may get some straight, chamfering, round over, coves, that can fit a few different options with height and cutter exposure but its just best to buy cutters as you specifically need them. Inevitably you will buy a knife that you think will be handy and youll have cash tied up in the drawer than never or rarely gets mounted. With shipping nowadays its nothing to have a new profile in the shop in a few days.
Of all the laws Brandolini's may be the most universally true.
Deep thought for the day:
Your bandsaw weighs more when you leave the spring compressed instead of relieving the tension.
I should have been more clear, Byrd makes a 3" OD version with a 4" cut so it is a little larger diameter but not much.
Looking at the Combi head it appeared that you would have to run something on the other side of the cutters just wasn't sure if they had spacers for it or if it did indeed require an actual limiter. Thanks!
Of all the laws Brandolini's may be the most universally true.
Deep thought for the day:
Your bandsaw weighs more when you leave the spring compressed instead of relieving the tension.