Corbett XL Shaper

Hi All , I have just come into possession of a Corbetts XL Shaping machine and am wondering whether to try and use it or just move it on. I know zero about these and would love any input as to usefullness and methods of use etc.

Came with a lot of engineering stuff from a clearance, some nice bits, lots of Stuart castings and parts which I have a funny feeling I will be glad of as I muddle my way through my 10V build!

Regards,

martin

Martin,

To my eyes: It looks pretty useful.

MichaelG.

Yep, I;d agree with Michael on that, I've had an 8" Boxford shaper for a couple of years now and it gets a reasonable amount of use. I recently demonstrated it at the MEX cutting internal gears in conjunction with a dividing head. Great for machining internal keyways, dovetails, planing flat surfaces (I often rough out on the mill and then finish the surface with a planing cutter on the shaper) and much more. Tooling is simple and cheap.

If you have the space and it is in good nic I would say its a keeper.

Martin,

KEEP IT!

I'm with CoalBurner, I don't use my Boxford very often either, but when I do I don't regret the space it takes up.

Flat surfaces are just that, and without any machining marks whatsoever.

Next thing to make on it will be a few Dickson QC S/T2 tool holders, but need to source the material first.

Recovering from baby sitting yesterday.

Geoff - Getting too long in the teeth to cope with all that energy she has.

Im with all the above, keep it.

My Boxford shaper is the the first thing i use for a nice flat finish. Would never sell it

It looks like an acorn knock-off. There's no foot support under the box at the far end so do a mod for that to stiffen it up

They are great for flat surfaces, can remove huge amounts of metal with simple lathe type tools, do internal stuff and dovetail slides (tapered or straight)

Great for holding big odd shaped lumpy bits of metal which need a flat datum surface

Definitely a keeper

Edited By Ady1 on 22/02/2015 11:59:05

The work envelope looks similar to an Atlas 7" (Acorntools) Ady but from the photo it's a smaller machine I think.

Very nice Martin - use it and try it out for a while. I suspect you will get to like it, as Shapers are lovely machines to own and use.

Regards,

IanT

Something I forgot to mention was if you fabricate bits by welding them together

While the welding job may be fine, as an amateur you tend to end up with horrible ugly lumpy bits of weld which can be ground off... but you can also put them onto the shaper... and all that ugly amateur stuff is turned into a nice smooth surface ready for fitting or re-welding into a project

Thanks all for that useful info.

It is way at the back of the list of things for me to do at the moment but I think I will keepit as I have just found a castored cabinetit will sit on and I just about have the space. Will post again when I have it up and running.

Regards, Martin

Hmmm...a castored cabinet may not be ideal for a shaper! Do the castors have good brakes to lock them? You will find they are a useful machine, giving a much nicer finish on flat surfaces than a mill can, with much cheaper tooling. A few bits of tool steel will do all you want.

John

Martin.

If you have a look in my photo folder "Twizseven's Bits & Bobs" you will see photographs of my Corbetts XL shaper which I obtained late last year and then refurbished it. It is a nice little machine. I have mine on a large Machine Mart tool chest on roller wheels. It has a lot of weight in it (Lathe chucks etc) to keep it stable and the wheels lock ok. The rear motor mount on mine had been well and truly b......d about with and it made the shaper around 7 inches longer than it should have been. I made a new sliding mount and fitted a new motor. It now looks very good and runs well, I have not tried to use it in anger yet. It is mesmerising to watch running.

I'd say clean it up and keep it.

Regards,

Colin

Hello Martin, any chance of some pictures of your shaper ?

Richard.

Richard, will try to get some pics up later today.

Martin

Here are some pics of the shaper as received:

I would sell it! Shapers have a very limited use which is why you don't see then around much, sell it and put the money towards a mill.

Clive

I would buy it. !!!!!!!!!

Richard.

Hi Martin,

It is interesting to compare your Corbetts XL with mine. There are several differences.

1. Your access hatch appears to be hinged whereas mine is held on by two thumbscrews, one on each side of the hatch.

2. There look to be oilers fitted to the two drive shafts, I just have champhered holes.

3. There is some form of micrometer fitted to the left of the top slide. Is this a later fitment by a previous owner.

4. The adjustment mechanism for the belt tension looks to be a later mod. The original was by a threaded and knurled sleeve fitted over the long thread on the back motor mounting plate.

I was able to locate new drive belt for the motor side but as yet not managed to get replacement for the smaller belt.

If you need any info re dismantling I can try to help.

Have fun with it.

Colin

Hi Martin,

Your lucky you had a vice with yours.  I'm still looking for something suitable.

Colin

Edited By Colin Heseltine on 26/02/2015 19:57:03

You can make your own vice on a shaper, a good solid steel one with 90 degree sides and proper flatness

1. acquire a block of solid steel from a scrapyard

2. drill a couple of holes in it to bolt it down

3. carve out a solid steel vice on the shaper which will last you a lifetime

I did a "quickie" steel vice a couple of years ago from a large round billet, and put a bit of 12mm rod into it as the fixing screw. It's been great, is more compact because it's made of solid steel and it holds work more tightly than can ever be moved by a busy shaper

Edited By Ady1 on 26/02/2015 20:37:35

All very well saying sell it, but if they are not useful then there will be no demand for them....

Actually for an amateur they are quite a useful machine to have. They do not compare directly to a vertical mill...the more appropriate comparison is to a horizontal mill. Now, I have an 18 inch Alba which cost me $350NZ complete with vice. It can plane a flat surface up to 18 inches each way, with a surface finish which a professional machinist thought must have been surface ground. Supposing I had a horizontal mill capable of milling a surface that large, what would it cost me for the milling cutters to put on the arbour to do that width? I think the answer would be a lot more than $350!!! But I can do the job with one piece of 3/8 tool steel. OK, it takes time, which is why the professionals don't bother with shapers anymore. But time is not such an issue for me or most other amateurs, and anyway with a bit of care I can have the job running on the shaper while I do something else on the lathe.

They are also more versatile than they are usually given credit for. Dovetails are the obvious extra, and with a left and right hand narrow angle tool you can make inside and outside dovetails to any angle you like. (I have encountered them in both 55 and 60 degree angles, and no doubt there are others.) With a mill, you end up buying fragile dovetail cutters that you may only need for one or two jobs.

But there are more things you can do. Back when I used to write for Model Engineer, I did a couple of articles relating to shapers...one was shaping between centres, where you mount a pair of centres parallel to the axis of the ram, (on the table) and can then produce complex shapes that combine sections of arc with flat portions. I used this to make a section which I then sliced up to make eccentric straps for a Leak compound engine. You can also do curves in another way which I described. This lets you do large radii, eg from some minimum, probably about 5 inches with my lashup, to infinity, eg flat. I used this to do the expansion links. OK, a mill with a rotary table is good for this, but a lashup of steel bar and plate on a shaper makes an interesting alternative. If you do have a rotary table, as I do now, you can do other interesting work like put slots or flats on a job at arbitrary angles.

If space is a consideration you must choose your machines with care, in which case a lathe would be the first choice and a vertical mill/drill probably the second. But if you have the room to accommodate it, a shaper is quite an interesting thing to have. Having more space than most, I had four here for a while, in four sizes. The 14 inch Alba has now gone to a home where it will be appreciated, and where the flat belt drive with fast and loose pullies will be an asset rather than a disadvantage.

Another consideration of course is the type of work you do. If you are building stationary engines, the ability to plane the flat surfaces just as they would have been done on the full size engine is an advantage. None of those horrible curved marks that a vertical mill will leave!

John