Simple shaper queries.

I have just finished fettling my Royal shaper. This has a vertical power feed as well as the normal horizontal one. I have had a very large floor standing machine in the past, but only ever used it to plane flat surfaces.

I have several queries. The first of which is, does there exist a decent book on the more advanced uses of shapers. I have both of the Bradley books, but they both fight shy of doing the interesting stuff, like dovetails etc.

The second is how do you cut a precision slot in a piece of metal? I would not trust myself on auto feed, so I would hand feed the width of the slot. But unlike a lathe, there are no dials to indicate how far you have gone! Now am I being stupid, as usual and am missing something blindingly obvious?

The third thing is, if you leave the device on auto feed, presumably there would be a loud bang as the table (box!) got to the end of its traverse? Never even thought of that when I was using the big beast of a shaper. As this particular shaper was sold into schools and tech colleges, maybe the manufacturers installed a device to prevent this (like running off the cross feed nut)?

About the only thing that needs attending to now is an irritating 1/4 turn of slack in the tool up / down lead screw. It doesn't really matter, but it just irritates me.

Andrew

325 pages of shaper information - http://www.neme-s.org/Shaper%20Books/Shaper%20Work/

There are specific shaper manuals as well.

Hallo Andrew,

I would recommend you download Delmar's "Unit Course in Shaper work" - either the 1944 (which is a large single PDF lump) or the 1950 version (which is in PDF 'chapters' ). It is my shaper bible and has far more useful information than the Bradley book.

'Slotting' can be done with a tool made to width - or more frequently by a narrower tool that you move sideways to achieve the width. Generally, the depth of that slot is simply measured, either with a depth gauge or by a Vernier on the end of the work. I often shape down to scribed lines where I've made a punch-mark - trying to just cut the mark in half but sometimes the burr hides it. If you need to make multiple slots, it can be convenient to use a transfer gauge to set the final cut on each slot.

Yes, on most powered shapers, damage will be caused if the table is auto-fed beyond its normal travel.

Both my shapers have some backlash on both the traverse and vertical feeds. Depending on what operation you are undertaking, it is sometimes essential to lock the gib - this is particularly true for the vertical feed. I haven't got around to fitting gib-locks yet, simply resorting to tightening one of the screws - not good practice but I'm far from perfect I'm afraid...

Hope this helps and good luck with your shaping!

Regards,

IanT

Edited By IanT on 23/08/2017 17:44:44

Sorry Andrew,

Just looked at your post again - and you asked about slot width (not depth). Well you (should) have dials on both the traverse and vertical feeds. It is the same as a lathe from this point of view - set the initial cut, having first wound out the back-lash, zero the traverse dial and take a cut. By definition "slotting" involves a vertical cut, so cut to depth, then use the dial to move the tool over to take another plunge. You need to know the width of the tool tip - slot width will be tool width + any side movement. You use a slotting tool for this - very similar to a lathes parting tool. Automatic feed is not involved, unless you have it on the vertical slide.

However, if by 'slotting' - you actually mean cutting a wide channel in the work, this is normally roughed out by successive horizontal cuts (on auto if possible) followed by vertical finishing cuts.

Sometimes it's worth using both slotting and surfacing cuts - cutting two 'edges' with your slotting tool to width - then removing the in-between material with a roughing tool on auto...

I digress....but I hope this helps.

Regards,

IanT

Andrew,

South Bend produced a little book on the shaper and combined it with the drill press. It is in their 'How to run' series

The shaper section will I think answer most of your queries.I'm pretty sure Tee publishing sell them

ISBN 1-55918-213-X

Regards

Brian

The most comprehensive publication I can think of off the top of my head is Shaperwork, 1944, New York state education dept, about 300 pages, made for the war effort

I think I got it from Nemes

Edited By Ady1 on 24/08/2017 00:59:11

South bend stuff can be good too, they did tons in the 1930s 40s, (mostly lathes)

ITC did a nice book too, shaper, slotter and boring mill work

The "Shaperwork" from NYSED mentioned by Ady1 - is the same publication I referred to as Delmar's 'Unit course in Shaper Work' Andrew - just to avoid any confusion.

It's available for free download at NEMES.

Regards,

IanT

Some shapers have calibrated feed dials, while some do not. I guess it probably depended on the price of the machine back when it was new. However, just to add to the fun, some of them have rather strange feedscrews. My AMMCO machine came with a 13 tpi downfeed. (Half inch Sellars thread.) Someone had added a feed dial to it, but the dial had 62.5 calibrations on it, which might have been more useful had the screw been 16 tpi. I reduced the confusion by changing the feedscrew to a 10 tpi one salvaged from a scrapped lathe, but I still haven't got around to providing it with a dial.

John

The American Delmar book is by far the most comprehensive out there regarding shapers. In fact it was a machine shop student's course work book for that period of time.

Some shapers did not have graduated collars or dials because they were intended basically as a roughing machine, usually cutting to lines on pre-marked out blocks of steel with the final result checked with a ruler. They were often used for rough machining castings etc, which then went on to milling machines for more complex and precision machining. Or the rough casting was put in the shaper and the base machine flat so it could then be sat firmly on a milling machine table and fully machined.

Of course there is much more that can be done with them, and a skilled operator could do some reasonalby precise work with them. Making a set of graduated collars might be the first step. As a stop gap, measure with a dial indicator what one complete turn of the handle moves the slide and work out from that what each one half, one quater, one eighth of a turn gives you.

Precision slots might be best done the way you do them in a slotting machine: grind up a tool bit to the exact width of the slot you want and cut it in one setting. Depth is usually not so critical, as the top, non-driving, surface of the key can be filed to final fit if need be.

Edited By Hopper on 26/08/2017 07:35:42

Edited By Hopper on 26/08/2017 07:37:00