Shopsmith Forums

On the heels of my Molding Head Question I also want to be sure that regardless of what name brand of any shaper cutter, as long as its a half inch spindle it will fit the SS Shaper Arbor correctly? So I can use a craftsman/delta shaper cutter on the SS as long as it's a half inch?

That is generally correct in my experience, but way back I switched to a stand-alone shaper, which like most is under-table and reversible. There are or were a small number of cutters that are really intended for reverse that might take some imagination to use on a M5/MV, not any of the SS brand of course. The cutters I recall (IIRC) 'liking' reverse are some mirror image cutters and some dual profile cutters, so if you are getting any of those just think them through. The mirror image cutters I recall were Delta and available both ways.

In the current market for home workshop folks I think there is much more emphasis on the router and much less emphasis on the shaper. If I was starting fresh down that path today I think I would try to follow that trend. And really wish that the mothership would bring back at least the Mark Mounted OAR so I could leverage the 520 table system. Still true if I had a nice stand alone router table, which I'm working on. Two cents worth.

- David

Thanks DLB...

In the picture below are two Shaper Cutters. With the top going toward the Headstock the one on the left runs "forward" whereas the one on the right runs "reverse" and would require a reversing headstock like the Mark 7 or VII. These are both SS Shaper Cutters just one upside down from the other. It is simply the Shaper Cutter's orientation to the headstock that needs a clockwise or counter-clockwise rotation (reverse or forward).

Thanks for the precious information!!