My “new” Atlas 7b Shaper

wachuko said:
I have no need for one... but I want one just for how cool they look... Too bad the amount folks want for those is ridiculous... or I should say, outside of what I am willing to pay...

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I felt that way about my 7b. My curiosity got peeked when two came up in the local CL. I barely knew what a mill and lathe were and had no clue what a shaper was. What I came to realize was they were both stripped. No belt covers, ratchet box, vise, side cover or tool holder. Looking on eBay I realized that’s where the parts probably went. i have no idea what OP paid for the shaper but vises run $250+, belt covers same and the good tool holder if you can find them are close to that. That’s about the time prices on these small shapers exploded and they got stupid expensive. I never figured i find one for a decent price that wasn’t a total wreck. But I’d done my research so I knew what I was looking at and one day in an estate sale 3/4 buried boxes of tools there it was complete except for a motor belt cover. And at an steal of a price.

So if you really want one wachuko do your research as there are weaknesses in those machines and be patient. It might take years but it will show up.
 
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Technical Ted said:
It looks like the belt between the motor and the jackshaft is way too loose...
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This is how the clutch works on the 7b. I found mine worked better with the belt cover as the cover kinda hugs the outside when the clutch is engaged and keeps the machine from creeping.
 
As far as getting running, IMHO the correct tool holder(that looks like a lathe tool holder and a shaper holder has no back rake) and a side cover along with a cover over the old switch hole are necessary. Especially the two covers as ingesting grit into the innards where the bull gear is is a huge no no, They are just greased so attract dirt and grime and impossible to clean without disassembly. And that is a huge project along with possibly catastrophic to the bull gear and pinion. The 7b is I think what they call a loss system as if it’s not dripping oil or grease it’s not good. I’d suggest finding the manual and knowing where all the lube points are before you go running it for any extended periods.

The OEM vise while useful, like with the belt covers, can be worked around. A good clamp kit and toe clamps can do wonders. A regular mill vise sux on the 7b because it severely cuts into your Z height which is pretty limited. I pretty much ditched the rotating base on my OEM vise because it ate up Z.
 
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I have a "7-B" that sits for months at a time covered with "stuff". But there are jobs where nothing will do but using a shaper. When it is running, it is quiet and doesn't require a lot of attention. And as noted above, relaxing. . . Add in that a simple HSS tool blank is the only tooling required, the savings are enormous. Think of a shaper as the "great grand daddy" of a milling machine. Anything that can be done on a milling machine can be done on a shaper. Just don't get in a hurry. As the saying goes, "you can make anything but money. . ." I actually bought my shaper before I bought a real lathe. The 3X6 doesn't count. . .

Early on in my ownership of the machine(>20 yrs) I tried using carbide insert tooling from a (cheap) kit. The 3/8 tools fit the lantern tool post quite well. A tool holder would be nice, but I haven't found one at a price I was willing to pay. HSS tool blanks do quite well, carbide doesn't like the interrupted cuts. It works, but. . .

Scrap iron in this area is a political issue. Just keeping a good machine out of the scrap pile means a lot. Even if it is only used to demonstrate what a shaper does.

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Tool holders, of all sorts, sizes and designs, can be easily made. I made modified versions of these and they work very well.

Note that I also made a solid tool holder block that I can swap out with the clapper when using some of the tool holders. Works better than locking the clapper in place; more rigid and flexible because you can make custom designs for holding various tools and holders.

Ted
Shaper Tool Holder.jpg

Shaper Internal Bar.jpg
 
On the speed change due to belt size problem, I looked at the assembly drawings and they don't look promising. I would suggest seeing how the next size smaller cross-section belt looks in the pulley grooves.
 
benmychree said:
As others have observed, "you can make anything but money with a shaper". And the smaller it is the more true it is.
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If you have vision and/or talent you can make good money with just about anything, including a 7b.

Defender,
You have a nice looking machine and you'll regret selling it! Not sure what you have in it but it's well worth finishing. I also see you are missing the stroke length pointer on the ram that is nice to have. I agree with slllloooowing it down. Your table feed is not advancing in the video either and it's adjusted to the maximum feed advance. Does it "click" when manually traversing the knee left or right?
 
I might have the cover you’re missing. If you can find out the casting number I’ll check.
 
oppomojos said:
If you have vision and/or talent you can make good money with just about anything, including a 7b.

Defender,
You have a nice looking machine and you'll regret selling it! Not sure what you have in it but it's well worth finishing. I also see you are missing the stroke length pointer on the ram that is nice to have. I agree with slllloooowing it down. Your table feed is not advancing in the video either and it's adjusted to the maximum feed advance. Does it "click" when manually traversing the knee left or right?
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Ironically I posted my shaper on Facebook marketplace the day before you posted this message. $650 and so far no takers. Maybe too high??

It was a tough decision but I’m limited on room in my shop and couldn’t think of any uses for my type of work. However, if it doesn’t sell soon I’m going to keep it and put it in storage for a future restoration project.

Right now I have my eye on a large vintage band saw that will take the spot of the shaper.
 
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