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Thread: Which shaper would you buy..

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2014
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    Alberta
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    2,162

    Which shaper would you buy..

    Three choices here. All used. 1. MiniMax T40N closest to new very good shape. 2.Delta RS-15, made by Invicta 7.5 h.p. decent used shape,cheap. 3. Ema not sure of the model ,has had bearings in spindle cartridge done,good shape. I am trying to decide on one of these,looking for a larger shaper for building doors and making mouldings as in casings and base boards etc. So those in the know with knowledge of any of these machines feel free to share the good ,bad and ugly. Mike. P.S. I have arrived at this decision because I followed Martin Wasners advise to look for a used industrial machine, after looking "under the hood' so to speak all I can say is thanks,Martin. Mike.

  2. #2
    The rs-15. Never been disappointed with any invicta machine. EMA is not bad either.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
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    Northern Michigan
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    Had a T40, nice little shaper, but not in the same clss as the other two, just can't swing as big of a cutter.

  4. #4
    I would go with the invicta. I have zero experience with ema.

    I'm just trying to spread the gospel. I bought a lot of mediocre quality tools because I didn't know any better. Cheap tools cost too much.

  5. #5
    I really like the RS-15. As with so many things the spindle change info is not good. Liability law favors the vague. Worked in a place that had someone put spindle in wrong and a machine shop guy had to be called to remove it. And ,of course ,when they loosen up while in use that's bad too. In a commercial shop you need to have a meeting about exactly how to change the spindles and make sure to keep a couple of extra 0 rings.

  6. #6
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    I would find out which, if any, have factory support so you can buy a different size arbor.
    Bill D

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
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    Central WI
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    Condition may be the biggest factor. EMA is Polish and the machines I've seen, including shapers, are pretty close to Martin in build. Spindle runout and fence quality are two things I look at. Dave

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Mel Fulks View Post
    I really like the RS-15. As with so many things the spindle change info is not good. Liability law favors the vague. Worked in a place that had someone put spindle in wrong and a machine shop guy had to be called to remove it. And ,of course ,when they loosen up while in use that's bad too. In a commercial shop you need to have a meeting about exactly how to change the spindles and make sure to keep a couple of extra 0 rings.
    Is it similar to the convoluted system that SAC uses where there's two threaded nuts with different pitches so it really slams the taper in hard? But if you do it wrong you might as well throw away the machine and the concrete it sits on?

  9. #9
    The rs-15 has a threaded collar that goes on the spindle just tight enough to engage the o ring enough to let you screw in that assembly without letting either move independently. Tighten by hand first .Then the provided "wrench " is used. It's all got to be clean and have a little oil film. Read their instructions and judge the clarity.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
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    T40N is a nice little shaper. We used to have a pair of them for coping, each kept stacked with two different profiles. With a better fence installed, I would take it over the typical sheet metal based Powermatic/Delta/clones. It is not in the same class as the bigger industrial shapers though.
    JR

  11. #11
    Join Date
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    Quote Originally Posted by David Kumm View Post
    Condition may be the biggest factor. EMA is Polish and the machines I've seen, including shapers, are pretty close to Martin in build. Spindle runout and fence quality are two things I look at. Dave
    Made in Italy, not Poland. "ema" was based in Montréal and were the importer for Macchine Casadei prior to being acquired by SCM.

    I don't think you could go wrong with any of the above-listed choices. The Casadei F114 was a great shaper though.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
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    Western MA
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    I'd go with the delta

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
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    Williamstown,ma
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    I would physically look at them, as Dave says. The Ema, and the Delta.
    Bring a dial indicator, check runout, and go over the internals carefully.
    Evaluate the fences.
    Do they both spin either direction.
    Are Both capable of spinning whatever you expect to run?
    Was the bearing replacement with OEM quality or better?
    It is very probable that the Ema used better machining, and better bearings.
    If everything above is equal, and there are no ergonomic operational issues, I would lean toward the Ema.
    Parts are most likely a moot point, as I doubt the OEM for either still supports.

  14. #14
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    Sorry for the misinfo on the EMA. I thought it was similar to the Gomad, Polamco, Unitronix machines badged from Poland. The EMA in question may be as good but it isn't the machine i was referring to. They also could be had with a tenoning table. For a single shaper that can do it all, a sliding or tenoning table is pretty sweet. I have an older Felder F7 and a larger SCM T130 slider. I prefer the AL extruded slider on the Felder to the cast iron slider on the SCM but the fence on the SCM is way better. Some fences have digital counters. They are very helpful if you need to set up for cope and stick on the same machine. I think the Invicta could also be had with a sliding table. SAC also came with a tenoning table which is even better. Dave

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Ouray Colorado
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    I bought a new EMA F114 in 1980 and ran it hard for 20 some years. They are not a bad machine and it was built a little heavier than a similar SCM I had at the time. The body was 6 or 8mm thick sheet steel. At the time I think it was $5500. A new Martin T21 at that time was 8 or 9K.

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