Tilt Direction on Shaper - MM vs. Hammer

[Mark Hubler]

Has anyone had a problem with the direction the shaper tilts, or was the tilt direction a factor in choosing which machine to buy? The DVD from Hammer makes a big deal that their's tilts back, while other (MM) tilt forward. Does anyone really use the tilt option that often? I am just trying to separate hype from fact.

Thanks

[lou sansone]

I would like to know this as well. there are a few shapers that tilt both ways as well.
lou

[Brian Buckley]

Mark,
I have the MM 410 Elite with the front tilting shaper. I have never used the tilt so I don't know if one is better than the other. You might PM Sam Blasco who is a member here and also works for MM. He is a straight shooter and knows his stuff.

Brian

[Joe Dusel (Vista, CA)]

What I would like to know is how many people who have tilting spindle shapers actually use the feature. I have a Felder and I have never once in 6 years tilted mine. If I were to tilt it I think that I prefer the rear tilt since I do like using the powerfeed.

Joe

[Charlie Plesums]

I also have the MM410 elite. I never expected to use the tilt, but it has saved my ... a number of times.

For example, a customer just couldn't be satisfied with any of the crown mouldings I offered for a large entertainment center. Finally I put a panel raiser on the shaper, tilted about 30 degrees, and got an ogee that I stacked over a cove moulding. The customer was thrilled.

Another time I needed a 60 degree cut on the back of a moulding... couldn't see a way to cut it on the saw (like I did the 30 degree cut on the other side), so I cut it with a tilted cutter in the shaper.

I also use the reversing feature... with the cutter "upside down", feeding from left to right (backwards), etc... to use the preferred reference edge on the work piece. I would have to think through it, but I suspect that the reverse rotation would solve any problem that required the opposite tilt.

[lou sansone]

my interest in the tilt feature and maybe mark's is the ability to do custom molding profiles with stock shaper / router tooling. Since most everything I do is reproductions of 18th century pieces, most of the off the shelf tooling is not quite right. I have played around with the profiles and can see that if I could tilt the tool another more closely related pattern could be realized from the same tool. Any other thoughts as why folks are interested in a tilting shaper ?

[Steve Rowe]

I have a Felder and have used the tilt feature with a rebate cutter to bevel pieces. The advantage I see to the rear tilting shaper are that the spindle tilts away from the user and hence would minimize the possiblity of contact with the user when hand feeding and if used with a power feeder does not interfere with the feeder. Having used a power feeder to bevel fairly narrow pieces (1" wide) this particular setup would have been impossible with a forward tilting shaper.

In a way, this is probably similar to the argument for a left tilt versus a right tilt saw. Which one is really the "proper" one - who knows? Opinions are just like belly buttons, we all have one and some are "outies" and some are "innies". It doesn't make one more correct than the other, just different.

Steve