z-man wrote:Hey there. Anyone have any ideas what me and my son are doing wrong when it comes to successfully using our SS shaper to use the rail and stile cutters? Our problem is that when we shape the end grain the result is always out of square. We've worked and worked again to try to get the miter guage square to the shaper fence and all of that square to the table, but we keep ending up with scrap wood.
In all cases, the cutter is cutting deeper at the beginning edge of the work piece than at the end. It's like the work piece is gradually moving away from the fence.
Any ideas?
Many thanks.
PS I've had my SS for 25 years but this is my first post. Glad I found this forum.
To end grain cut on a shaper, router table or moulder you usually need backup wood to prevent tear out. That is first and foremost. By the way this is usually called the coping cut.
To accomplish that you need to have you work piece securely attached to the backup piece.
To do this on the SS shaper you can't use mitre gauge and the overhead feather board as others have proved here already.
If you insist on using the mitre gauge which isn't needed for this operation here is what you will have to do.
First place you backup board against the mitre gauge fence then your work piece and if it were me a I would place another piece of scrap in front of the work piece but that is entirely up to you. Then you need to clamp the two or three pieces securely to the mitre gauge fence using a clamp with a throat opening large enough to span both boards (or three if you use front backup board)
Then feed the work in at a very very slow pace. If the wood is securely clamped there will be not movement up or down/forward or backward/away from or toward the cutter.
What I would do is not use the mitre gauge which I don't like because of the closeness of the metal to cutter in shaper operations is a sled. The sled would either simply ride against the shaper fence or in the mitre slot. The work piece would ride on the sled not in front or behind. The sled would be constructed that it has a fence that perfectly perpendicular to the shaper fence. Against that fence would be a piece of back up wood, then my work piece and again a front back up board. All three would be held to the sled with lever clamps.
A good picture of this can be seen at
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/1061
You then adjust the shaper cutter to cut the wood and not the sled. I personally change the backup wood on each cut. I can get four cuts from each back up board before I have to cut new edges on them. Some people believe as long as the profile matches the cutter that is sufficient and keep using the same backup over and over. I find after a few cuts the edges get fuzzy and require more sanding so I just change the backup board.
That is how I would do it.
I tried this method but used the safety grip hold down as well. It was DISASTER! Even though I was holding the safety grip for dear life, the workpiece JUMPED FORWARD (yes, forward) and I turned white. After I shut everything down, the workpiece had a huge gouge where it had dug into the cutter. I don't think I will try this again.
