Absolutely MARVELOUS photos of shaper restoration!!

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Incredible work!

Reply to
Gunner Asch
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Yes, he did a fine job. What was the red colored compound he was smearing over the castings and then sanding down?

Garrett Fulton

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Incredible work!

Reply to
Garrett

It looks like lacquer-based scratch-filling putty, used in auto body painting prep.

If so, he has skin like a rhino.

Ed Huntress

Reply to
Ed Huntress

Probably Bondo.

Reply to
Gunner Asch

He did a good job restoring a pretty useless machine.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus5857

Useless? Blink blink....oh..thats right..you sell the stuff..you dont actually know how to use em.

If you find a shaper between 24"-36" in your travels...let me know. Ive got a buyer for one with a universal table. And he knows how to use it...ie...make money operating it.

Gunner

Reply to
Gunner Asch

OK, how do they make money with a shaper?

Reply to
Ignoramus5857

I used to have an 8" Shape Rite shaper. It is handy to be able to machine some things by grinding a tool bit instead of having to order a special end mill, if they even make what you need.

I machined some dovetails to make a slide for a lathe milling attachment. The slide works pretty well especially being that I used it as machined, no grinding or scraping. The shaper cutting in the direction of travel I believe contributed to the slide working well. I sold the shaper when I needed money. I figured I'd let it go because I have room for a bigger shaper if I need one again, seems the big ones sell for less then the small ones except if sold for scrap.

RogerN

Reply to
RogerN

Ignoramus5857 fired this volley in news:XNWdnWLVCpJWuQ3MnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

Ig, Shapers produce edge profiles or grooves using both custom-ground tools and successions of 'standard' profiles (and sometimes, rarely, gangs of them). "Simple" tooling is flat, easily profiled on normal grinding equipment, and cheap to make. They are FAR less expensive shape-for- shape than custom-ground milling cutters would be.

Because the shapes cut are simple and linear, it makes more sense to tie up a shaper using very simple tooling, than to tie up a mill using custom-made cutters. The mill is best reserved for more complex work.

If a file would do the job to spec in the same time, why would you use a CNC mill (in a shop that needs it for more difficult tasks)?

LLoyd

Reply to
Lloyd E. Sponenburgh

but Iggy's point remains, Lloyd. I've been in hundreds of shops -- no exaggeration -- and I've seen exactly two that were using shapers for real commercial work. Both were being used for making mold bases. Shapers, like planers, have a small supposed advantage in that they impose less stress on a part by machining.

I say "supposed" because machine tool builders have actually measured it, and it appears to be mostly an old wive's tale.

Other than that, where are they using them for commercial machining? They're great hobby machines for the reasons you describe. But that doesn't translate to commercial viability.

Reply to
Ed Huntress

True, but a restoration to that level is a labor of love; I doubt it was done for economic or even practical reasons.

Reply to
ATP

Ed Huntress fired this volley in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

They don't make much sense in a 'general machine shop' unless the shop has high production on a few parts. They're still used effectively in medium-run production shops. One of their nice features is that they're "set and forget" devices. Sort of like a programmable surface grinder, they just go 'til they're done, then stop.

They don't fill the niche they used to, because of the advent of so many CNC-controlled cutting methods available now, but they still have a place in factories.

I disagree with the (next) poster as to their usefulness for the hobby shop. It's a few square feet and several hundreds of pounds of wasted weight and floor space for a hobby shop. 3D CAD/CAM takes over for one- offs.

Lloyd

Reply to
Lloyd E. Sponenburgh

"Lloyd E. Sponenburgh" fired this volley in news:XnsA1BEDD86AE92Alloydspmindspringcom@216.168.3.70:

wait... that was you. I still disagree with their use in a hobby shop, if that shop has CNC.

Lloyd

Reply to
Lloyd E. Sponenburgh

So, say, you could use one to make a checkering pattern?

Reply to
Ignoramus5857

And the restorer did an awesome job.

Ed made my point much better than I could ever say it. I think that shapers are so obsolete that most have been thrown out lng ago. I never even see them in old, grungy Chicago machine shops.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus5857

They cut parts with it. Generally one of a kind parts that would normally involve a 5 axis CNC and very expensive tooling.

What.. you didnt know this?

Hell..Ive got one guy who cuts more parts on a shaper in a day than he does with a Haas machining center.

Odd parts...but the shaper works very nicely for them.

He clamps 100 of them in a frame and turns on the shaper. Then goes to have something to eat while its running. He claims when he ran em on the CNC it took 1.5 hours longer to run 100 parts than it does on the shaper. And he gets better finish.

Gunner

Reply to
Gunner Asch

True enough. It was lovingly and beautifully done.

Reply to
Gunner Asch

Yet out here in California..in the aerospace shops..I occasionally will run across one. Funny that eh wot?

Gunner

Reply to
Gunner Asch

A shaper would make a checkering pattern very very easily. A bit harder with a file..and pretty tough with a CNC mill

Reply to
Gunner Asch

I know of one specific place that uses shapers not mills - they have several, with long travels (30 feet) - the cutter travels on a bridge like affair - they make press brake dies with them - they have bins of blue curly swarf from the tool steel die material - very impressive machines

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