What Am I Making...

[dusty]

when I am using the Shaper Arbor 555117 and either Cutter 555078 or 555079.

I have had these parts for many years and have never used them. Why, because I have been afraid to do so. Very early in my Shopsmith experience, I made an unscheduled visit to the emergency room. This was shortly after setting up for my first (and only) shaper task.

To this very day, I have not been able to bring myself to utilize the shaper. I have decided that has been foolish and I am about to do some shaping.

I find, given my paranoia, that this has been foolish. I need to do some cabinet doors that I feel should encorporate cope and stick.

I believe the cutters referenced in this post are designed to do that but I am not certain. I have read all of the documentation that I have but still do not feel comfortable that I am using the right tools for the task.

Any feedback provided will be greatly appreciated.

Nick, a Sawdust Session might help.

[fjimp]

Dusty,

You ask good questions. Oddly enough I too am considering what tools and methods to use for making cabinet doors. Last evening I read an article that suggested my 2 1/2 horse porter cable router is not sufficent to use for panel raising router bits. I want to make some raised panel doors but wish to do so without a trip to the Emergency Room or worse. I also would appreciate the wisdom of those with experience.

I did value Nicks rather timely reminders during this mornings session re standing in the right place and not rushing your work. Safety and the right tools make everything run better.

I hope your thread spurs discussion on the best tools and procedures. fjimp

[eldyfig]

Dusty,

If you can, could you describe what happened with the shaper to cause that trip to the ER? I have shapers, but haven't used them yet. Would like to learn from other's mistakes rather than mine. Unfortunately, yours.

Tony

[Ed in Tampa]

Dusty and Fjimp

I have made a few cabinet doors in my time, I use my router set in a router table to make the rails and stiles. However I see no reason it can't be done on the SS in shaper mode. The method would be no different than doing it on a router table.
Use the fence, adjust the height and have at it. Be sure to make your end grain cuts first and make sure you use a backer board.

As for raised panel doors, while I wouldn't attempt to make a couple hundred with a 2 1/4, I can assure you it will cut them. Again don't try to hog out all the wood at one time. Make two or three cuts and then a final cut just taking a wisker off. What you really want is to almost burnish the wood with the last cut. Again take the horse power ratings on Routers with a real grain of salt. Your talking a difference of a few amps between a "2 1/4" and the "3' horse units and anyone can tell you the most real horse power you can get drawing 15 amps (UL's upper limit) is about 1 1/2 -2 hourse power.

You can also cut raised panels with a jig on the SS set up as a saw. In fact since the table tilts and if you use a high enough fence you can do a really nice job doing it that way.

The hardest part of the whole process is dailing in the height adjustment on the rails and stiles. However if you decide to buy router bits check out Infinity they give you setup blocks/gauges with each set router bits.
Ed

[a1gutterman]

..........I believe the cutters referenced in this post are designed to do that but I am not certain. I have read all of the documentation that I have but still do not feel comfortable that I am using the right tools for the task.

Any feedback provided will be greatly appreciated.

Nick, a Sawdust Session might help.

Hi Dusty,
Those are definitely the right bits to do the job with the shaper. If you have those and do not have the equivalent router bits, there is no reason not to use them. I do not have the shaper bits, but I do have the router bits, so that is what I use. I can not tell you if one is better then the other, as I do not have the SS shaper.

I have used a stand alone shaper that used bits that were either router bits or just like router bits (except maybe they had larger diameter shafts? I can not remember). We used hold downs with rollers on them to hold the work piece down as we pushed the piece through with a push stick.

Good luck with your project. Use feather boards and a push stick and not your fingers.

[Greenvilleguy]

Years ago, before the popularity of router tables (yes, I'm that old), I used the SS shaper for a number of shaping task including the cope and stick cuts you mentioned.

The SS shaper without the speed increaser has two inherit problems:
1. It's slow. The speed increaser attachment was created to correct this. None the less, it is possible to make decent cuts in woods like popular and pine without the speed increaser.
2. Without the speed increaser, the bit is above the work. If for any reason the work isn't kept perfectly flat on the table, it "bounces" up into the bit and ruins the cut. On a normal shaper, the work bounces away from the bit and no harm is done -- you just run it through again.

I haven't used the speed increaser, but suppect if solves both of these problems. However, the router table works quite well too.

As far as raised panels, I used to do them on the table saw. Now, I'm lucky enough to have a 3 hp router in my table and use panel raising bits.

[charlese]

These are the right bits for your cope and stick cuts, Dusty. I would recommend you make a few samples of your joinery before moving on to the project. Yeah, it'll use up some wood, but the practice will be good for your mind set.

Remember, Feed the wood against the rotation of the cutter and to take small cuts - not removing all wood in one pass. Also, remember to back up your rail end cuts with a healthy back up block. It may also help, on the rails, to make the end cuts before milling the inside edge.

My best wishes are with you on this project.

[dusty]

fjimp

I split open the middle finger on my left hand back to the second knuckle. When I showed up at the ER, my luck turned to my favor. The doctor on call that day was an orthopeudic specialist. He completely rebuilt the finger and except for some inflexibility in the first knucle and a bit of numbness in that finger, I am back to normal. Still have all ten digits though one is a bit deformed. My insurance even paid.

What did I do to bring this on? To this day, I am not really sure. I did not get hit by the blade (cutter). I got hit by the work when it was kicked back at me. Guess I tried to catch it with my left hand. Didn't work.

I was feeding the stock from left to right (I think). I had only one finger board in place. I now know that there should have been two. I may have been trying to feed too fast. I was attempting to do a cove in yellow pine. I may have been trying to cut in one pass what should have been done in two or three passes.

The incident really did a thing on my head. I have not been able to go back to the shaper since then. I have recently decided that it is time to get back on that bronco.

I am doing doors for the cabinets in my shop and I want to do something other than lap joints. I have the shaper and the cutters so I am going to give it a go. I think.

Lesson learned. These machines can bite and will if you don't use them properly.

I use a router all the time and don't have a problem doing so. The word shaper just gets to me.

[a1gutterman]

If you are doing lap joints for your previous doors, another "trick" that you may not be using is to make your styles a little on the long side. After you glue the door together, with a little of the extra-long style sticking proud of the rails, you can sand the end flush to the rails. This makes for a perfectly flat door bottom (and top).

[Randy]

Dusty,

Last evening I read an article that suggested my 2 1/2 horse porter cable router is not sufficent to use for panel raising router bits. I want to make some raised panel doors but wish to do so without a trip to the Emergency Room or worse. I also would appreciate the wisdom of those with experience.

I have made over 20 front now with the big 3" cutter mounted in on the Mark V. I like the maximum speed of the Mark V for this size of cutter. I also used the fence (c/w feather boards) and the miter gauge.

Lots of control, lots of safety and plenty of speed for this cutter. I would not use my hand held for a job like this. I have made raised panels on the table saw but I prefer the finish of the router bit.