Scary Shaper

[Jared Sankovich]

I dont think anyone will be scared off a shaper any more than they would be scared off a table saw. A healthy dose of respect is never a bad thing. As the OP stated, most sane minded people who even get a small 3/4" spindle shaper are a bit taken back when they see a cutter whip up for the first time. I know I was. Then you get to 7" and larger cutters and you tend to stand there for a second as you ponder your sanity. There is a reason why its often one of the later tools added to small shops and a huge part of that is the expense of the machine, tooling, and feeder, but the other part is a healthy dose of fear.

This.

I bought a shaper before I ever ran one, and I remember the wow factor from a "small" freud passage door set thay came with it the first time I fired it up.

Multiple larger shapers later i wouldn't be without one or two. I wonder to myself sometimes how people manage to run small Comercial one man sized cabinet shops without shapers and just router tables

[Leo Graywacz]

I have three 3HP Delta shapers. Keep a door setup on them. Cope, Stick and Panel cutter. I'd like a 4th in case I need to do some other shaper work. That way I don't have to break anything down. If I do break a setup it's almost always the panel cutter since it's the easiest to set back up.

My cope and stick setups are destructive so they joint the edge and remove a full 1/16" to clean up the sawed edge. So the fences have to be spot on for it not to put a curve on the pc or snipe on the ends.

[Jared Sankovich]

I have three 3HP Delta shapers. Keep a door setup on them. Cope, Stick and Panel cutter. I'd like a 4th in case I need to do some other shaper work. That way I don't have to break anything down. If I do break a setup it's almost always the panel cutter since it's the easiest to set back up.

My cope and stick setups are destructive so they joint the edge and remove a full 1/16" to clean up the sawed edge. So the fences have to be spot on for it not to put a curve on the pc or snipe on the ends.

Any reason you aren't running the sticking against a outboard fence. It really simplifies setup of a full profile cut

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Wow, some scary incidents brought up in this thread!
I think were doing the OP, and others that might read this thread, a disservice by unconsciously steering them away from what can arguably be one of the most versatile and useful machines in a small home shop.
Of course you can get hurt on a shaper,as you can on other machines,but there are safe and effective ways to operate the machine that put your hands nowhere near the cutter head. If you're hands are within an unprotected hand's span from that cutter head, you need to stop and think about what you're getting ready to do, because there is another way to do it.
Push sticks are effective, but only when used in concert with other devices, such as vertical and horizontal guide boards. If a person is doing something that puts them at risk of a "kickback" on a shaper, something is definitely wrong with your body position and method.
Any machine can be unsafe when used improperly. Used properly, the shaper, or spindle moulder, is no more, or less, safe than any other machine in the shop.

I re-read my post and I should have mentioned that a shaper is an awesome tool to have in the shop, and for a small shop or hobbyist it would be a game changer. For a professional shop get two or three! Just give it the respect it deserves.

[lowell holmes]

This is not a push stick.

https://www.google.com/search?q=diy+...hrome&ie=UTF-8

[J.R. Rutter]

This is not a push stick.

https://www.google.com/search?q=diy+...hrome&ie=UTF-8

LOL, you ARE a bot...

[Mark Bolton]

LOL, you ARE a bot...

HAH.. with 6500 posts you may be right...

[Cary Falk]

Out of all my stationary power tools, I still pucker a little when I turn on my 5hp shaper.

[rudy de haas]

I couldn't agree more with the O.P. I had no shaper experience when I bought mine -claimed to be a 3HP but looked and felt like a 5+. Treated sensibly they're not that dangerous, but a panel cutter spinning around at 9000 RPM can be more than a bit intimidating - it looked capable of throwing a piece of heavy jatoba through the shop wall, across the street, and through my neighbor's house. Never did, but...

[Mark Bolton]

I couldn't agree more with the O.P. I had no shaper experience when I bought mine -claimed to be a 3HP but looked and felt like a 5+. Treated sensibly they're not that dangerous, but a panel cutter spinning around at 9000 RPM can be more than a bit intimidating - it looked capable of throwing a piece of heavy jatoba through the shop wall, across the street, and through my neighbor's house. Never did, but...

9K Rpm? Zoikes. What cutter is that? I need it.

[Mel Fulks]

I don't understand Mark,or Rudy. Plenty are used at 10,000,or more. What am I missing?

[brent stanley]

9K Rpm? Zoikes. What cutter is that? I need it.

Probably small diameter, brazed stuff. Grizzly, 3/4" bore brazed stuff is 11000 etc.

[Mark Bolton]

I have some 10k rpm panel raisers . Are you saying that in the context of this thread a 10k rpm panel raiser is normal? If that's the case I'm missing something. A lot of small spindle machines wont even hit 10k and at least in my experience to hit 10k inset or Brazed on a panel raiser your talking money. I'm not talking about the time we worked in a shop enjoying someone else's checkbook. I'm talking about your own machine, your own tooling, and your (and your wife and childrens) checkbook lol.

[Leo Graywacz]

Pretty much all I use is brazed tooling for shapers. And I have several panel cutters and used them at 7 and 10K

[Mark Bolton]

That was kinda my point. 7k and 10k are a super wide spread for large diameter anything. Most of my larger brazed is rated closer to 7k and some higher dollar large diameter aluminum insert panel raisers are 10k. 3k rpm spread in that range on a shaper to me is the difference between Ford mustang and Ferrari pricing.