# My 1971 SB Shaper



## rmack898 (Sep 9, 2014)

I was hesitant to start this thread as I sometimes get side tracked in the middle of a project and it takes forever to get it finished, but here it is anyway.

Three years ago I made a 10 hour round trip to Virginia to buy this shaper and it has sat on the shop floor un used since I brought it home. It was fully functional but looked like crap. I could have just given it a good cleaning and started using it but I have a hard time taking the easy way out. So after reading some of the recent threads about shapers, I decided to move this project to the top of my list of things to do.

I started out by making a fork pocket mount with hockey puck feet for the cabinet. I then painted the cabinet and totally disassembled the shaper. I'm painting this with rattle can from Ace hardware and the color is Ford implement grey, I don't know how well it will hold up but if it doesn't, I'm not going to do it again and I'll just live with it.

Since it was just going to be a quick rattle can paint job I didn't want to go crazy with stripping all the paint from the castings so I gave it a good sanding with a DA. After I wiped it down with denatured alcohol, I gave it a blast with the air hose and half of the paint I just sanded came off so the base casting went in the sand blaster. A little body filler and some more sanding and I got it painted.

With the 3 major castings painted it was time to start re-assembling. I kind if had to wing it when I took the shaper apart and figure it out as I went along, but knowing how it comes apart makes it much easier to go back together. The center casting gets inverted and the cross arm which is the Z axis goes on from the bottom with the lifting screw installed on it. Then the base casting gets bolted to the center casting. It's held on with four 3/8" bolts and is located with 2 dowel pins. When you bolt the 2 castings together you have to make sure that the lifting screw does not bind as it passed through the base casting. 

Once those 2 pieces are assembled, the lifting crank, shaft,, worm, and pinion gear are installed. South Bend used taper pins to hold everything together, the pinion gear gets pinned first and then the worm gear goes on and gets pinned. The crank handle for the lifting screw is the last thing to go on and instead of a regular keyway, the handle and shaft were drilled to accept a very small dowel pin that my big hands could not seem to get installed. After failing to get it in the hole with the smallest needle nose pliers I have, a pair of tweezers got it done.

That's all I have for now until I get some more parts cleaned and painted.

- - - Updated - - -

Here's some more pics that I forgot.


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## aametalmaster (Sep 9, 2014)

Nice find. So how did you figure out it was a '71. Just wondering...Bob


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## rmack898 (Sep 9, 2014)

Digits 3 & 4 in the serial # on the shapers is the production year.


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## Mister Ed (Sep 9, 2014)

Looks nice Mac! That '71 date got me thinking, anyone know when the last production year was?


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## RandyM (Sep 10, 2014)

rmack898 said:


> I was hesitant to start this thread as I sometimes get side tracked in the middle of a project and it takes forever to get it finished,



Hey Mack, you get it started and we'll keep ya focused. Thanks for posting.


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## aametalmaster (Sep 10, 2014)

Mister Ed said:


> Looks nice Mac! That '71 date got me thinking, anyone know when the last production year was?



I saw same shaper prices in the early 80's and they were $2403.00. WOW. I did try to buy the rights and the prints from the New SBL-Grizzly and they weren't for sale. Now if i can only find a sn on mine...Bob


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## rmack898 (Sep 13, 2014)

The day job had me working overtime all week and today so I have had little time to work on the shaper and what little time I had, I was too tired to work on it.

All I got done was to install the cross arm (X axis), adjust the gibs on it, and make new way wipers for it.

I might be able to squeeze a little time on it tomorrow but I have a bunch of domestic chores that have been overlooked all week. I have to go out on the road for the next 2 weeks so it will be a while before I get back to work on the shaper.


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## CoopVA (Sep 13, 2014)

Looking good Mac!  Were in Virginia did you get it?


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## rmack898 (Sep 14, 2014)

It's been a few years Coop and I don't remember exactly but I think it was about 45 minutes south of Richmond.


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## rmack898 (Dec 21, 2014)

OK, so I finally got enough time in the shop to finish this shaper. As I mentioned in the beginning of this thread I used rattle can paint on this machine and I am not really happy with the results. There is no substitute for good quality, oil based industrial, enamel, and I will never use rattle can on a machine again.

I got the shaper all put back together but the wiring was in sad shape. Steve Wells has some good info on his site and had the original wiring schematic posted so I re-wired the machine as it was done at the factory.
I plugged it in and hit the switch and it runs great and is very quiet.

I don't have the original tool holder for the shaper and am missing the tool holder ring. I used an old lantern post tool holder from a lathe, ground a 1/4" HSS cutter, and started cutting some stock. I have always wanted a shaper and have never run one, so I will have to learn about speeds and feeds, and experiment with different tool grinds. I'm quite happy with this machine and glad that I got it running finally.

Country Guy raised a question last week about using insert tooling in a shaper so I thought I would give it a try. I used the cheap, triangular, 1/4" shank tool from HF and was very much surprised at how well it worked with an interrupted cut. With a very fine feed I got an amazingly good surface finish and the tool held up well. For $20 for a set of 5, this is one of those HF gems that is worth buying.


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## bisley45 (Dec 21, 2014)

Looks great from here nicely done. could you post a picture of where the ser# is located I have been told to look in several places on my shaper but just am not seeing one. 



Thanks Brian


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## aametalmaster (Dec 21, 2014)

bisley45 said:


> Looks great from here nicely done. could you post a picture of where the ser# is located I have been told to look in several places on my shaper but just am not seeing one.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks Brian



Some shapers didn't have sn's esp the older non oil pump models like mine. I use brazed carbide tooling in mine for bigger parts. Thats funny because the same carbide in milling machines meant the demise of the shaper. Saw an old 1950 movie from a shop right outside my town and there was 1 mill and 10 shapers in it..Bob


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## aametalmaster (Dec 21, 2014)

I made a thick ring to take up the slop and don't use a tool holder bit use a 3.8" shank brazed carbide bit and the thick ring. Works great for 99% of my work. The tee nut pictured is for Nelsons 10L that i made him. Need to make some more of them. Also made this long tool for keyway slots but i didn't put the hole in it yet for the toolbit..Bob


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