# Hand shaper



## Moper361 (Sep 18, 2017)

Hi All
So my last break I picked up a few items from a garage sale .I mainly purchased the items for the drill bits taps and dies  however there was a small very old but in good condition hand shapper see picture attached .
Would like ideas on what it maybe useful for  and are they difficult to use

I only paid 200 dollars for all items in pictures so not to fussed if not used a lot


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## Bob Korves (Sep 18, 2017)

I never heard of a hand shaper.  It would be fun to check it out and see what it can do...


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## Moper361 (Sep 18, 2017)

Basically a small hand driven shaper


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## Rockytime (Sep 18, 2017)

Great for cutting small key ways.


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## core-oil (Sep 18, 2017)

The shaper you have purchased looks in nice condition, The only thing which seems to be missing is the handle at the top of the tool slide , not a problem to make a replacement , Shapers are very useful  little machine tools, Your machine is an Adept, Made by the firm of Fred W Portass in Sheffield England, They stopped production of thes machines in the mid 1960/s  I have the power version of this machine, driven by a 1/4 horse Power  electric motor for small odd jobs I find it an extremely handy little machine tool


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## core-oil (Sep 18, 2017)

Further to my last posting,  Have you got the handle for moving the ram back and forward ?  Upon taking a further look at your photograph I cannot see it,  If you go into the British site Lathes.Co . U K you will get good info on your machine


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## Superburban (Sep 18, 2017)

With an indexer, it would be great for marking dials.


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## kd4gij (Sep 18, 2017)

here you go.
http://www.lathes.co.uk/adeptshaper/index.html


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## kd4gij (Sep 18, 2017)

here you go.
http://www.lathes.co.uk/adeptshaper/index.html

View attachment 241900


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## Moper361 (Sep 18, 2017)

core-oil said:


> Further to my last posting,  Have you got the handle for moving the ram back and forward ?  Upon taking a further look at your photograph I cannot see it,  If you go into the British site Lathes.Co . U K you will get good info on your machine


Hi there 
Yes all the little wheels etc are in a plastic bag they have just been removed I think so as not to be damaged when moving etc.
There is a drive handle there but it's a home made version price of flat bar .once I get a chance and have tried the unit I will machine a new handle up


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## Billh50 (Sep 18, 2017)

bet that would be great for making a rack


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## Moper361 (Sep 18, 2017)

Billh50 said:


> bet that would be great for making a rack


Yeh Billh50 I'm Guessing you could use it for making a small rack .As pointed out to me in a previous thread it needs a new handle made at some stage but when I get the chance I'll bolt it down and have a play around with it .I'm sure it will keep me amused .I only picked it out to save it from the fate of the scrap man and it quite possibly can be quite a handy tool


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## Ulma Doctor (Sep 18, 2017)

very cool shaper!


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## Charles Spencer (Sep 18, 2017)

There's a town in Australia named Chiang Mai?


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## dlane (Sep 18, 2017)

Nice , I want one


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## Bob Korves (Sep 18, 2017)

Charles Spencer said:


> There's a town in Australia named Chiang Mai?


Thailand.


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## Moper361 (Sep 18, 2017)

Charles Spencer said:


> There's a town in Australia named Chiang Mai?


NO Bob I am Australian but have lived in Chiang Mau Thailand for about 13 years I have my small hobby room set up there for when I'm there and not at work .I o my have Chinese lathe and mill but can manage with it so long as not to greedy on cuts it's ok


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## cjtoombs (Sep 19, 2017)

Martin Model and Pattern made a small shaper casting kit called the Strong Arm shaper that was modeled after the Adept shown above.  The base is different, everything else seems similar, but I don't think anyone has ever compared them side by side.  Yours looks complete except the arm, I expect Gary would sell you an arm casting if you wanted, but purchase price and shipping to Australia would probably be way more than just making one from stock.  Enjoy.

http://www.martinmodel.com/MMPtools.html


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## Bill Gruby (Sep 19, 2017)

Ebay has prints for one. They are out of Australia.

 "Billy G"

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Metal-Shape...558898?hash=item466bef59b2:g:qvoAAOSwpDdVeAIu


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## Moper361 (Sep 20, 2017)

core-oil said:


> The shaper you have purchased looks in nice condition, The only thing which seems to be missing is the handle at the top of the tool slide , not a problem to make a replacement , Shapers are very useful  little machine tools, Your machine is an Adept, Made by the firm of Fred W Portass in Sheffield England, They stopped production of thes machines in the mid 1960/s  I have the power version of this machine, driven by a 1/4 horse Power  electric motor for small odd jobs I find it an extremely handy little machine tool


Do you have any pictures of your small shaper with electric drive I'm interested to see it .see how much difference between units there is .It has crossed my mind if I could power this one some how with small electric motor


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## Billh50 (Sep 20, 2017)

I have some plans for a 6" shaper that I got off the internet. Just no machinery to make the parts for it though. Need more than a drill press with a cross slide.


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## core-oil (Sep 20, 2017)

Moper361 said:


> Do you have any pictures of your small shaper with electric drive I'm interested to see it .see how much difference between units there is .It has crossed my mind if I could power this one some how with small electric motor


MO there is a back number of The Model Engineer had an article on a power unit for your little shaper, Whether plans were available I do not know, But I will see what I can find out, My Adept came as a power model, I have never regretted the day my Dad bought me it,  Now personally speaking I would keep it as a hand powered machine, My small planing machine is hand powered, and I can get finishes on Iron (cast), Steel, Brass , and Aluminium which can by using a broad faced tool , turn out work like a mirror, When taking cuts on one of these little machines, fairly light cuts, & patience is the name of the game, + a fine feed, by hand.  If the bug bites you might wish to graduate to a power driven shaper,  But keep the little hand shaper, you can plane up to a line without having a smash as you would on a power machine, Also for engraving lines brilliant.


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## Moper361 (Sep 21, 2017)

Yeh c


core-oil said:


> MO there is a back number of The Model Engineer had an article on a power unit for your little shaper, Whether plans were available I do not know, But I will see what I can find out, My Adept came as a power model, I have never regretted the day my Dad bought me it,  Now personally speaking I would keep it as a hand powered machine, My small planing machine is hand powered, and I can get finishes on Iron (cast), Steel, Brass , and Aluminium which can by using a broad faced tool , turn out work like a mirror, When taking cuts on one of these little machines, fairly light cuts, & patience is the name of the game, + a fine feed, by hand.  If the bug bites you might wish to graduate to a power driven shaper,  But keep the little hand shaper, you can plane up to a line without having a smash as you would on a power machine, Also for engraving lines brilliant.



Yeh I can defiantly see you point of view with keeping it hand driven I think your right it would be better to leave it and just use as is .also keeps the tool as factory rather than modifying it


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## core-oil (Sep 21, 2017)

Yes you  are 100% correct Moper,  These little shapers are getting to be very collectable, The last of their species was constructed in the mid 1960 period. I think mine is iconic, to see its saddle creeping along its bed is pretty hypnotic,  Try at some stage to get yourself a power driven pillar shaper, like the little South Bend or any of its generic buddy's,  For metal removal there will be no contest, But what the heck , we are home shop machinists,  Frequently in the past (Not so often now!) I had some smart  a**e types come into my shop and would scorn my little machines,  What is it they say that a kind word turns away wrath?  Well they are not coming around now, !   Billh50, and your goodself both concur that a travelling head shaper is excellent for manufacturing a rack, Quite near where i live about 30 years ago one of the big jobbing engineering firms locally had a great long bed shaper 30 foot bed , two heads , both capable of planing about three foot stroke (From memory)  Well this behemoth  had four tables, It was built by  The Butler Machine Tool  Co of Halifax England    And could it hog the metal off , you bet ,  One of the tasks allotted to it was cutting teeth in a 14" broad long rack,  The rack was cast steel What it was for I will never know,  Length Cannot remember,   The interesting point I wish to make about the machine was  after the machine man roughed out his tooth forms to a sheet steel template , He set in motion a pitching facility on the machine , & using carefully formed tools made by the toolsmith, he accuratelt formed his rack

Even with my little machine I have on one instance  cut a dovetail in a gear , fitted a steel section  & using a sheet tin template cut new teeth, , This was for a friend who had an unusual make of motor car was going on holiday & found he had burst his starter ring, I tapped it off the flywheel  set it up in the little adept & carried out the repair Only temporary, It lasted five years!  For once my one tiny brain cell, Lonely little thing , Felt good about itself   Especially when i observed the same system five years later on the huge shaper.


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## core-oil (Sep 21, 2017)

Moper,

You may be wondering How I held a starter ringg about 15" dia on the little Adept,  This is where a travelling head shaper scores -- Visualise the table with its vice mounted on it  The jaws of the vice parallel with the front face of the machine bed,  The ring was clamped in the vice with the ring encircling the table, something impossible to do on a pillar shaper, where the table moves , another thing I have done is machine long items, by clamping them to the front apron face the table is clamped to, the tool feed depth  being set from the tool slide


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