Router table or shaper?

[wallace chapman]

Hey guys, quick question.

I'm finally in need of upgrading from a table saw extension router table to a dedicated router table with router lift such as this one from Rockler.




This table seems very expensive and nearing the price of a entry level shaper. I'm torn between saving many hundreds of dollars now or bite the bullet and get a shaper. I'm looking at the shop Fox 2 HP G4792



or the Grizzly G1035 1 1/2 HP shaper (several hundreds less). Both of these shapers are sold by Grizzly and I really like their products and customer service.

I need to make raised panel doors for a very large project soon and wondering what is the best way to go. I have several routers and like the ability to be flexible with them as well as using the standard router bits. I have seen the adapters to fit router bits on the shaper (extra) but wondering do the shapers spin fast enough to use the smaller router bits correctly.

Wallace

[pat warner]

No contest.

[Kevin Post]

I went through the same process a few years ago. My intent was to get rid of the router table once I had the shaper tooled up and running. I still have both.

I found the cost of shaper tooling higher than the cost of router bits. Putting router bits in the shaper doesn't work very well because, as you've pointed out, the shaper spindle spins more slowly than a router. Top speed on my shaper is 10,000 RPM while my router will go up to 30,000 RPM. Many router bits don't perform well at slower speeds. I still use the router table for cope and stick profiles for doors simply because the cost of the router bits was less than shaper cutters. If I did production work, I'd probably buy one of those big, pricey cutter heads that allows me to swap profiles with inserts. I'm not a production shop so it doesn't make sense.

The shaper is great for raising panels and making moldings because of the power to spin big cutters. It also handles pattern cutting 'better' than the router table. The work surface on the shaper is larger and a large straight shaper cutter with a bearing allows me to cut parts more quickly and aggressively than using my router with a smaller pattern cutting bit. There is a disadvantage, however. If the parts are small or have curves tighter than the diameter of my shaper cutter, I have to use a router table.

I also purchased a feeder for my shaper to make mouldings which a router could not handle. Shortly after that purchase, I acquired a used Williams and Hussey moulder at a bargain price. Now, edge profiles (like tongue and groove flooring) are done on the shaper. I did buy one shaper cutter that makes a 3" cove but other than that face profiles like crown moulding are done on my W&H. (A big cutter spinning on the shaper will put the fear of God in you as well.)

Having the bigger machine is cool, but in my experience, my router table gets more use than my shaper. Even though the initial cost of the router table and shaper is close, be aware of the additional 'hidden' expense of some shaper cutters over the cost of router bits. Over time, I've found 'cheaper' shaper cutters at Woodline, Grizzly or on eBay but for my hobbyist needs, the Freud, CMT, Freeborn brands are beyond my means. However, the router bits for smaller profiles can always be found for less.

Of course, everyone's situation is different but I would give up the shaper before my router table. The shaper is great for long runs and big stuff but it isn't nearly as versatile as the router. My router table is a home-built with a Incrajig fence. You might consider buying the shaper and building your own router table.

-Kevin

[Steve Clardy]

I use a shaper for door panels. Router tables for everything else.

[Brad Olson]

By the time you equip a nice router table you are at or above the cost of a decent shaper.

My vote is for the shaper.

Keith July on this forum uses router bits in a shaper and IMHO and his opinion, cuts with the shaper (router bit in it) are far superior to that of a router table.

There is just that much more power and stability in a shaper that it improves the cut irregardless of the fact that the bit is running at a slower speed.

Also the big kicker is that shaper cutters can run in both directions. When you think about what this means, this is a huge convienience.

I priced it out as follows...

Grizzly 3 hp shaper: About $1050
Shop Fox 2 hp shaper: About $600

"3 hp" router: $200-300
Router lift: $100-200
"Norms" Router table: $300

Total: $600-800

[Charlie Plesums]

I have used that Rockler router table at another person's shop - it was darned impressive.

For my own use, I have a 5 hp shaper that I use as my only "router table" because of limited shop space. It is wonderfully heavy duty - the shaper fence/hood alone weighs close to 100 pounds. There is no comparison with a high power heavy duty shaper and a table-mounted router. I'm not sure the same advantage comes from the very low end shapers.

As noted, 10,000 rpm is high speed for a shaper. The higher RPMs (25,000 is common in a router) are much nicer with the smaller router bits, but don't count on as much "mileage" from the smaller router bits. I hve gone through countless roundover router bits, so invested in a 1/4 inch roundover cutter for my shaper ($25), and the separate rub collar ($10?) since guide bearings are not "standard" with a shaper. The shaper cutter has shown no sign of wear. My cheap $100 raised panel door router bit set was showing signs of wear after a few doors, but my shaper rail/stile/raised panel set (around $200 from the same vendor) is still going very strong. The shaper cutters are more expensive, but you get more cutter (longer wear), and with the larger size, the lower rpm gives comparable (or faster) cutter speed through the wood.

The best shaper will never replace a router for many things... but in my case, it had to replace the router table.

Charlie

[wallace chapman]

I am Leaning toward the shaper for the power and durability of the cutters.

Brad, where did you price out the 2 hp shop fox shaper for $600? I have seen this for between $800-$900.

If I could find it around that price then it definately is not a question.



Wallace

[Gary Sutherland]

Wallace:

I don't know if this is the lowest price you'll find, but Utter Guys has it for $669.00.

I have a couple of ShopFox machines and have found that my local dealer will match other dealers pricing.

Have fun!

gary

[Larry Copas]

Contrary to popular opinion shaper tooling is far cheaper than router bits if you factor in the run time. Want a custom profile? Buy shaper steel from Charles Schmidt and grind your own to fit in a insert head. Template cutting no problem...you can run downhill all the time on that wild and crazy grain because the shaper is reversible. No ear plugs required.

Downside...learning curve is steep. You really need a stock feeder for a lot of operations to be safe and that is gonna add quite a few bucks.

I’m running a 3 HP Delta shaper, Norms router table...which ain’t nothing special, and another really basic router table. So...how much money ya got and how fast ya wanta go?