Shopsmith Forums

I still haven't gotten the time or money yet to invest in a Shaper Origin, but I was intrigued by the new Plate (universal template) that they are bringing out. I believe several of you own and use Shaper Origins so I'd be curious to know your take on this new accessory. I have never been a fan of the domino tape used for this tool, but with the addition of the Plate and previously the Workstation I find it a more compelling platform today than I did yesterday. Not ready to splurge on this purchase yet, but like I said it seems much more compelling to me with this latest accessory...

https://www.shapertools.com/en-us/plate

The Plate looks to be a more portable version of the workstation that they came out with a few years ago. I have been using the workstation and have found it to be well worth the money. The workstation will support many but not all the use cases that the Plate achieves. The biggest advantage of the Plate is to be able to take the tool to the work which is important if working on a large panel or mortising a full sized door. I made a poor man's version of the Plate out of tempered hardboard to cut the holes for my MFT. I just used the previous cut holes in the MFT to index the hardboard and leap frog to cut the rest of the holes. So it is not hard to make your own but it might not have all the bells and whistles of the Plate. Right now I don't see enough use I would get out of it to justify the $350 expense since I already have the workstation.

Steve,

Thanks. Really appreciate your feedback. I know this system can do A LOT and I am probably not even thinking of all of the uses for it or the Workstation or the new Plate. Still I think one area where it can excel is in hardware mounting, inlays, etc. One future project that I am contemplating is designing and building new double front doors for my house. Kind of inspired by a local YT woodworker who used SOSS style hinges on his front entry door. IF I get around to tackling this project I seriously might consider getting a SO to make my life a little easier for stuff like this. He used some fairly high end hardware on this door so having a SO to do all the hinge mortises would be really nice, but not a necessity. Once I have an SO I am sure I would use it for a lot more, but I am not quite ready for it yet.

I did pre-order the Plate. Ship date of Nov. 4th if I recall right. Might or might not actually ship on that date but there have not been any updates since I placed the order. No pending projects being held up by not having it to use so waiting is fine.

I have I think 5 MDF plates that have similar function, not as cool but they work. At least 3 of them will go away when the new Plate arrives.

The Shaper folks have released some additional youtube videos on the product in the last while so if you have the interest check them out.

When it comes in I can let you know what I think of it if you want.

Ed

reible wrote: ↑Fri Oct 14, 2022 6:01 pm When it comes in I can let you know what I think of it if you want.

Ed

Ed,

Sure...your reviews are always informative and insightful. Once you've had some time with it after it gets in, I am sure myself and others here would enjoy reading your feedback on it. Thanks.

For those who did not see the announcement yesterday..... An updated shaper is now out(gen2). Sounds nice but expensive so I don't see me moving on to it. There is free firmware update coming in Nov. (21st) as well as a paid extension called AutoPass. You can check it all out on their website.

Ed

Here is a Shaper Sessions video on the Gen2 Shaper Origin. It is mostly a hardware upgrade from the video. Changes in the case and bottom plate plus more accurate electronics hardware. It uses the same software as the original Shaper and the upgraded software works on the original Shaper.

https://www.shapertools.com/en-us/sessi ... -of-origin

The AutoPass extension looks to be a game changer if you use Shaper for production but certainly not required for a hobbyist.

Got a shipping notification on the plate on the 14th, 10 days later then the original guess. It arrived today. Still have no particular plans for it and right now it's too cold to even think about working in the shop.

I do have heat in the shop if I want to use it. Have not done so for the last couple of years due to expense. For mental health sake I think I might start working a couple of days a week out there for a while. I have some pens to finish and then a couple of indoor finishing projects that I didn't get to last summer. I'd also like to get to playing with the plate, even it it is just playing at this point.

Working on the next year tool budget and what things I might be able to afford or at least think I might afford. Had to cut back this past years by quite a bit and would rather think despite the large SS raise things are still going to be a bit more meager again then I would like.

Ed