Shaper cutter suggestions

[Erik Christensen]

OK so I finally have my new shaper setup, power is run and it is connected to the dust-collection system. So I can turn it on and actually use it! I have never used a shaper before so I need some suggestions on an initial set of cutters to acquire. It is a 5HP model with a power feeder & 1 ¼” spindle and initial use is for cabinet doors & drawers.
So for you shaper gurus –
What cutter shapes do you end up using the most?
What vendors should I consider buying from?
Steel, Tantung or Carbide?
One piece or replaceable cutter system?
Any/all other suggestions appreciated…

[Quinn McCarthy]

I would get the cutters for RF & P doors first. Frued and freeborn make great cutters. The material you are cutting will determine the type of carbide to get.

Quinn

[David DeCristoforo]

You want to look at a good insert door set, one that offers interchangeable profiles. You also need an equivalent for panel raising. These will not be cheap but will provide the most-commonly used door profiles. Spend the few extra bucks to get the matching ball-bearing rub collars for both of these.

Then get a good set of carbide-tipped straight cutters. Best would be two 3/4″, two 1/4″ and two 1/8″. Buy them from the same maker and be sure that they are all the same diameter. These will allow you to make tongue-and-groove joints as well as square-edged Shaker-style doors and will be useful for tons of other operations. Be sure to get the ball-bearing rub collar for these cutters too.

For general shaping needs, look at an insert-molding set with interchangeable profiles. These usually come as basic sets with the most common profiles included and literally hundreds of others as add-ons. These are a great way to get a lot of profiles relatively cheap.

Get a good-quality glue-joint cutter.

From there, buy cutters as you need them. You will never be able to anticipate all your needs when it comes to detail cutters. Basic coves, beads, thumbnail profiles, etc. are always handy. But you don’t want to be buying cutters you will never use.

Oh, and one other thing. I am one who believes a shaper without a power feeder is an incomplete machine.

[Steve Clardy]

I run the one piece Freeborn cutters, then have them resharpened when needed.
I keep doubles of everything, that way I am not down due to a cutter being sent off for sharpening.

[Frank Drew]

Get a good-quality glue-joint cutter.

Oh, and one other thing. I am one who believes a shaper without a power feeder is an incomplete machine.

I rarely used my glue-joint cutter although for certain types of production work I could see how one would be useful, particularly the miter kind.

I think the OP noted that he has a power feed. They're nice, of course, and can be an important safety feature, but maybe not a critical need for a custom shop. Most shops can be considered incomplete in some sense, it just depends on the individual requirements, and budgets.

[Marlin Williams]

I got a lot from eBay and also check out Grizzly as they have a good selection for a good price.

[Richard McComas]

I use Freeborn insert cutters. They are more inexpensive than the "one Piece" but I live so far from a good sharpening shop it's a pain to ship them to the states for sharpening.

I don't know you location but there's a Freeborn dealer (the one I use) in Glendale, AZ. Scott is real easy to work with and will spend all the time it takes to answer all your questions.


Scott's Sharpening Svc

(623) 931-0633

5214 W Luke Ave Ste 7
Glendale, AZ 85301

[Peter Quinn]

Get an Amana 40MM set, also known as a Euro block (in Europe anyway). HSS insert knives, work great in most species, cheap to get going, tons of basic profiles, easy to use. Great value. Look at a corrugated back insert system for larger molding profiles. WKW, schmidt and many others make these. i have a Freud RP2000 set for panels, 5 profiles, carbide inserts, best value going for a great raised panel cutter. Buy cope and stick sets as you need them. Look at Freeborn, Garniga, LRH, Freud.

Stay safe, practice on scrap, did I mention stay safe? Ask questions, because its NOT a big router table and it helps to have an experienced hand steer you clear of the dangers a shaper can present.

[Larry Edgerton]

I use a lock miter in my shop quite often. Others results may vary........

[Chip Lindley]

Hmm....A guy buys a 5hp shaper and has no idea what to use it for??? Amazing!
Why Did you buy it?

MY shapers make raised panel cabinet doors, entrance and interior door parts, t&g panelling, and some moulding profiles.

[Rod Sheridan]

Hmm....A guy buys a 5hp shaper and has no idea what to use it for??? Amazing!
Why Did you buy it?

MY shapers make raised panel cabinet doors, entrance and interior door parts, t&g panelling, and some moulding profiles.

Chip, his shaper may make all those components and more someday, particularily if he receives good advice.

I have a good friend who purchased a shop full of General machinery, spent almost $30,000 and then started woodworking. He's now quite good, his engineering background lead to his approach of buying a shop of good equipment once, and then learning how to use it.

Everyone is different............Rod.

[Paul B. Cresti]

I buy just about all of my stuff from CG Schmidt. I have their insert cabinet door set, insert panel raiser and insert corrugated profile head and some non insert heads. I do own some Freeborn stuff as well.

I would most definately suggest sticking with insert heads. Yes they are expensive up front but adding other profiles later on are very cost effective. With my corrugated knife head I have had Schmidt make me up custom profiles before right off of my Autocad drawings.

[Rod Sheridan]

OK so I finally have my new shaper setup, power is run and it is connected to the dust-collection system. So I can turn it on and actually use it! I have never used a shaper before so I need some suggestions on an initial set of cutters to acquire. It is a 5HP model with a power feeder & 1 ¼” spindle and initial use is for cabinet doors & drawers.
So for you shaper gurus –
What cutter shapes do you end up using the most?
What vendors should I consider buying from?
Steel, Tantung or Carbide?
One piece or replaceable cutter system?
Any/all other suggestions appreciated…

Hi Eric, I use a 40mm insert head for many solid wood applications. The knives are inexpensive and HSS produces a nice surface finish.

The style of furniture I make doesn't use raised panels, however I have an FS Tools panel raising cutter with insert knives (Carbide), courtesy of a friend who made a pine china cabinet at my house.

I also have some carbide grooving cutters, one sized for biscuits (metric) and some 1/4" cutters with spacers for producing tenons and grooves as well as an 8mm slotting cutter with scoring spurs for rail/stile construction.

I also have a 50mm rebate head with bearing for template work, a lock mitre cutter and a glue joint cutter.

The shaper is a very versatile machine, I gave up on making tenons, rebates and many grooving operations on the table saw, once I acquired a shaper. The shaper has the proper guards for those operations, as well as a stock feeder.

Your power feeder will help produce superior results and improve your operating safety by keeping your fingers away from the cutter.

I've never tried it, however I am confident that a shaper can reduce wood or flesh to mulch, so safety is a prime consideration with all operations.

There are a few good books out there on shapers, you may also want to research feed rates and cutter types for MAN (manual) and MEC (mechanised) feeding.

Regards, Rod.

[Jeff Duncan]

I gotta lean toward Chip's advice here. If you bought a shaper presumably you have a use for it? Well that's where to start when looking for cutters.
If you bought it without having a use/need for it....well that's a different story altogether.
Anyway if your making doors, pick out a door profile and order it. If your making raised panels do likewise. Personally I've never understood the need to amass a collection of cutters in case one might need them someday. When I need a cutter for a job, I pick up the phone and order it.
If you plan on doing many hundreds of doors you may want to look into insert tooling. Myself not so much. I instead use the multi piece sets from Freeborn as they have flexibility for a reasonable cost.
As for cutter material well again what are you going to use it for??? If your making 1000 doors a day in oak and maple the answer will be different than if your making 10 doors out of pine. Very broadly and generally speaking carbide cutters give a good cut with a very long life. Steel cutters give a better cut with a somewhat shorter life. I do a fair amount of interior doors using a custom profile in a corrugated head with M2 knife steel. The M2 is better for oak and maple which I use predominantly.
Basically unless you just have disposable income burning a hole in your pocket, I'd figure out what you need and buy it. Just b/c someone else finds a certain cutter necessary doesn't mean you will. For instance I have 2 glue joint cutters that came with a shaper I bought. I've never used them, and it's entirely possible that I never will.
good luck,
JeffD

[Bryan Cowing]

You need a hold down device and get a power feeder. I picked up a Shop Fox universal jig for 1/2 price, beats my shop made one I used for years. I had my shaper only a week and decided my fingers were worth more than the cost of a feeder.