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Thread: Jet small Shaper vs. Router Table

  1. #1
    Join Date
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    Jet small Shaper vs. Router Table

    I'm looking to upgrade my homemade Router Table setup to a more precise and easier to use setup. I'm just a DIY hobbyist, but in pricing out many premium Router tables with lift, motor etc..., the price seems about the same at a small Shaper, like the Jet JWS-22CS .

    Theres a 10% off sale now, so I'm thinking about biting the bullet.

    Any pros or cons to the small Shaper?

    Can I use 1/4 router bits in it?

    I have a small shop, 10x20, so size is very important to me.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
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    The JWS-22CS shows a 1/4 and 1/2 router bit collet. Some will advise against using a router bit in a shaper because the speed is too low. I use router bits all the time without issue. The shaper will be quieter than a router. For me the shaper fence is the key. A food fence is worth it's weight In gold whether it be a router table, shaper, or table saw. The one on Jet looks ok. I went from a home built router table where my fence aggravated me to a 3hp shaper. Cost wise it made sense. I ended up upgrading that shaper for one with a better fence. Some will say the router table is more versatile. Shaper cutter are expensive but there are some from Grizzly that are reasonable. Amana and CMT 40mm insert heads can reduce costs also. A router table is less intimidating in my opinion.

  3. #3
    Join Date
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    I'm a hobbyist and I went with a router table. I opted for a really nice, solid, & super precise Incra Combo #3 which includes the larger 27X43 table, their LS17 System, Wonder Fence, and several accessories.

    RTCOMBO-3-2T.jpg

    Into which I dropped the venerable 3 1/4hp PC7518 router in a Woodpeckers PRL-V2 lift (I actually got the now discontinued Sidewinder option)
    Then I proceeded to enclose the table and divide the enclosure for storage and for dust collection.

    100_1578.jpg


    I tell you what, I have never had the slightest desire for anything new &/or different. Total satisfaction. I believe at the time (2010) I spent around $1000 for everything, naturally it'd be more than that today.
    "I've cut the dang thing three times and it's STILL too darn short"
    Name withheld to protect the guilty

    Stew Hagerty

  4. #4
    When I asked where to find a Euro cutter head for my 3hp shaper Powermatic #26 clone, (Grizzly G1026)I started a 102 post discussion on shapers. One of the things pointed out and agreed upon, was that mine is at the light duty end of the scale for a shapers. So lighter than mine is a waste of money. BTW, I had to remachine my fence.

    The little Jet is like the small Delta. These shapers date from a time when routers were rare and very small.
    Last edited by Ray Selinger; 03-03-2017 at 12:14 PM.

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Dindner View Post
    I'm looking to upgrade my homemade Router Table setup to a more precise and easier to use setup.
    e.
    I opted for the shaper - and kind of over did it. If "easier to use" is a big issue for you and/or if the cost of cutters matters a lot, then I'd suggest an upgraded router and table combination.

    Mine is a 3HP grizzly/craftex/delta that has an industrial motor capable of running under heavy load all day - it is a joy to use and pain to set up for use. Like most it came with collets for 1/2" and even 1/4" bits, but I feel very uncomfortable using them because the shanks just don't stand up to that motor - so I buy 3/4 shanks and they are expensive.

    A small one like your jet would have been the better choice giving the shaper advantages (rock solid in use, quiet, intended for repetitive ops with one fence setting, easier to move around a small space, uses 220V) without the overkill.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
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    New York City
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    Thanks everyone, allot to think about, not as clear cut as I suspected.

  7. #7
    I am going to do both, I think. Shapers are common enough that I am probably going to pick one up inexpensively used Owwm style. I also have a Incra Router lift and an Incra positioning system from the table saw I just got rid of. Building a nice Router table is on my list....

  8. #8
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    Router table and shaper work have overlaps but they don't completely cover each other. If you do "real" shaper work you want at least a 1 1/4" spindle, 5hp and a 1hp feeder. A smaller shaper will do all the router overlap but still has issues with some of the smaller bit work a router table shines at mainly due to low speed spindles. Also keep in mind with a quality lift and a Milwaukee or PC 3.25hp router you are at the top of the router table food chain and for similar money NEW you are at the bottom of the shaper food chain that goes up over 100K for a single spindle fully optioned Martin. My point is at that price point shapers are rather rudimentary and the fences are poor and a shaper lives and dies by the fence. While I know a lot will disagree my opinion is if you are doing router work a quality router setup is better than a bottom end shaper for the same work. If you are doing real shaper work get a "real" shaper and feeder. If you want to do both then get both... Finally fine furniture building requires almost zero real shaper work and if that is your core then I think most people would be happier with a top end router table than a low end shaper.
    Of all the laws Brandolini's may be the most universally true.

    Deep thought for the day:

    Your bandsaw weighs more when you leave the spring compressed instead of relieving the tension.

  9. #9
    Join Date
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    Bill

    If you were starting from "ground zero", I would say to go shaper. I would also advise that a 3HP shaper is the minimum you would want, but that's a personal opinion based on some of the stuff I do .
    If you're not doing heavier work, and you already have the routers and a basic table to upgrade, I would say to build/buy a quality CI table, i.e. Bench Dog, raising mechanism and a quality fence.
    I guess I'm saying to take the ~ $1K that Jet will set you back,and invest it in what you already have.
    You'll know when you need a shaper. I promise you that. I can also promise you that frequently on Craigslist, and eBay, there are 3HP shaper for 1/2-2/3 the price of that Jet. And they don't take up much more floor space unless you want to have all of the tables attached.
    "The first thing you need to know, will likely be the last thing you learn." (Unknown)

  10. #10
    Doors, drawers, windows, and architectural profiles for the shaper.
    Everything else for the router table.

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by pat warner View Post
    Doors, drawers, windows, and architectural profiles for the shaper.
    Everything else for the router table.
    This was pretty much my thought...I want to do a good bit of architectural woodworking.

  12. #12
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    I'm not sure what a small shaper is, but I have an old Delta shaper I bought new back in the 1970's. It is a solid machine, much stronger than any router table I've come across.

    It is 3/4" horsepower. It has a real motor on it, a lot of steel and a solid table. The motor is reversible. I bought it for a bank remodel job I had going.

    I've used it to make raised panel walls, 3070 entrance doors, whatever came along. I agree with Pat.

  13. #13
    Shapers or spindle molders are a lot more useful than they are generally given credit for. They are The tool for rebates. Power feeders are universally recommended, as much or more so for safety as finish. If you are hand feeding, that's where the Euro cutters with their limiters come in. A rule of thumb I read somewhere is 1hp for an inch of face profile.


    Here's a lot of reading https://forum.canadianwoodworking.co...r-cutter-where


    I low balled a CL seller, $100, and he accepted. I had to buy $300 in parts, though. And the fence was a classic " They expected that ??? to work ???? "
    Last edited by Ray Selinger; 03-04-2017 at 1:18 PM.

  14. #14
    Join Date
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    Toronto Ontario
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    I would suggest a 3HP shaper minimum, and a 1/2 HP stock feeder.

    I don't own a router/table, however I would be lost without a shaper, they're the most versatile machine in the shop.

    I would recommend a 125mm X 50mm carbide rebate cutter for rebates and pattern copying, a Euroblock HSS insert head for profiles with chip limiters, and an adjustable grooving cutter, those will cover most of the operations you'll be doing.

    Get yourself a good shaper, you'll never regret it, accuracy, precision, safety, quality of cut, low noise, good dust collection and versatility that are unmatched by a router...........Regards, Rod.

  15. #15
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    I wouldn't want to be without both. I use my router table as much as my shapers. The router is quick to setup compared to the shaper. Though I agree with the idea that 3hp is as low as you want to go to get the most value out of a shaper.

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