1 1/2 hp shapers for stiles and rails

[Preston Andreas]

I have a small cabinet shop with one 3hp shaper that I use to make raised panel doors. Anyone that has done that knows what a pain it is. I am considering buying two Delta or Jet 1 1/2 hp shapers for the stiles and rails. I will move the 1/2 hp feeder back an forth from the 3hp machine (for raised panels) to the stile cutting shaper. The Jet has less capacity under the nut and in travel, so I am strongly leaning toward the Delta. I am reticent to consider Grizzly, Woodtek or other cheaper machines. I am afraid of getting one with too much runout and getting less than quality cuts out of about $1,000 I have in this set of cutters. And, I am in a real time bind on this job (~150 doors), so there is nearly an immediate need to get the shapers up and running without any problems. I am open to any suggestions.

My main question is - Will these shapers cut an oak/maple stile or rail in one pass, and are they heavy enough to put my feeder on?

Note: I tried CMT router stile and rail bits in my router tables, but there was way too much chip out in red oak. Far more than my shaper.

Any feedback to help make my decision is appreciated.

Preston

[George]

My older "medium duty" Delta does, and seems fine. I don't use a feeder, of course, but do find the sled and hand feed handy.

It says 1 HP and draws 14 amps. Must be inefficient as hell.

[Mike Hide]

[Mike Hide]

I have a grizzleguts shaper, and have been using it for many years with no problems. As far as run out and the like in the cheaper machines I have not experienced problems in that area .Basically they are all made in the same place probably using the same bearings etc and similar talent on the machine tools. Anyone who thinks a Chinaman cannot do as well as a westerner has to be crazy.

From your post I gather you want to use one machine for stiles and rails, the other for raised panels. I only have the one machine and so I do ALL my stiles and rails ,then I set up to do ALL my raised panel work.

As far as chip out goes I do careful consider the grain on each piece so as to minimize cuts against the grain and even then almost never try and do the full cut in one shot even though the machine might be capable of doing so . I personally find a final cut taking a small amount off gives me a finer finish resulting in less sanding and also gives me a chance to change the cut to take care of imperfections.

One other thing a power feed not only saves fingers but allows a constant feed rate and more even cuts .

I have done several raised panel rooms/ libraries using the above techniques in both white oak and maghogany.

Regarding chip out using router vs shaper cutters . I think it has a lot to do with cutter geometry, operating tip speed, grain direction, depth of cut and material being milled .....mjh

[Mike at American Sycamore]

Preston,

I would recomend that you buy another 3hp Delta shaper and stack your male and female on each other. Just raise and lower your cutters to match the job. This would save floor space and some $$. You could mount another feeder and just swing it out of the way when not needed. If you do decide to go with two 1 1/2hp shapers, yes they will run the rail and style cutters just fine. Buying another 3hp shaper would fit into your operation and has a good re-sale value if you do decide that you no longer need it. Good luck, Mike from American Sycamore