# Gingery Shaper



## horty (Mar 30, 2020)

Hi Guys, thought I should show you my Gingery Shaper.
I'll be using it soon to cut the notches in the new tool bar I plan on making.

Have had it done for about a month, people that see is wonder why the shaper and not a mill, well,
I have $248.77 in it including the motor, a mill might be A LITTLE more that, plus this was more fun to build than the lathe, and that's what I like to do, and its fun to watch running.

If you look at the bottom left front by the off/on emergency switch, there is a little push button switch to toggle the ram as I'm setting it up, other wise it off-on-off-on-off-on, I ran one many years ago and wished that would of had a toggle switch.

Need to build a good vice yet to hold parts so that on the next to do list.

Thanks,
Tim

Couldn't get all the videos to upload, this is the best I can do..


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## Superburban (Mar 30, 2020)

Looks great. I have a 1901 vintage Steptoe 14" shaper, and love to just watch it go. I find just turning the pulley works better then trying to bump the motor. I would also suggest enclosing the main gear, otherwise you will end up with lots of shavings inside. Mine is enclosed, and still had a ton of shavings mixed in with the grease inside the housing.

How are you lubricating the gear and arm? Looks on the dry side to me. But if you have a pressure lube system, it could be right, I know mine, not a master of shapers.


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## horty (Mar 31, 2020)

Hi, didnt realize some videos are sideways, or maybe its just me...
Anyway, I have been putting a drop or 2 of gear lube on that area every few minutes, and your right about the chips getting inside, I have some real heavy duty, black nylon that wont tear, even hard to cut, that I need to put in that front area,
I did start out using the pulley to move the ram during set up but these arthritic hands, spine, knees, elbows takes it toll on me, hard to explain the pain of rheumatoid arthritis unless you have it I guess, some days I need to put alot of alcohol on by body from the inside out, that seems to help for awhile..

Thanks,
Tim


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## Superburban (Mar 31, 2020)

Unfortunatly, I'm no stranger to pain either. Mine is one big grease coated mess when I open the door. I have been thinking of several ways to do a pressurized lube system, but still need to work out the details, too many other priorities in life right now.


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## brino (Mar 31, 2020)

horty said:


> Hi, didnt realize some videos are sideways, or maybe its just me...



Home-built shaper and you've mastered anti-gravity too, Awesome!

But seriously Tim, that looks like a well built and very sturdy machine.
Nice job!

-brino


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## horty (Mar 31, 2020)

Thanks


brino said:


> Home-built shaper and you've mastered anti-gravity too, Awesome!
> 
> But seriously Tim, that looks like a well built and very sturdy machine.
> Nice job!
> ...


Thanks brino, It works pretty good, I need to do a little cleaning up of it here and there but it does what it suppose to do.
It really cut that table level and accurate, its just a fun machine to use.
Do You have one?
I was talking to a old guy a few days ago about shapers, he said he has seen people throw factory made shapers in the river to get rid of them and just a few years ago he hauled 3 atlas shapers to the iron junk yard and where working perfectly a few weeks before that. 
What a waste...
Oh well, I have one I made, but he did say when he finds some more good ones I can have them, so that would be nice to have a few sitting around if they aren't the size of a car.....

BTW: A friend gave me some china made HHS tool bits, have you tried any? they seem soft and dont even feel like steel when grinding them, but they cost me nothing and seem to work well with alum but not to well on steel.

Thanks,
Tim


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## DavidR8 (Mar 31, 2020)

As the newbie in the crowd , what does a shaper do vs a mill?


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## tweinke (Mar 31, 2020)

DavidR8 said:


> As the newbie in the crowd , what does a shaper do vs a mill?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



A shaper basically is cheaper for tooling based on hand ground HSS tooling (price per tool) also is a pretty versatile machine. Internal key ways, flat surfaces, gears, dovetails, all with relative cheap tool bits that can be reground at home. Not the fastest compared to a mill but darn fun to watch. I have heard it said that you can make anything on a shaper except money, but as a hobbyist it doesn't matter much in my opinion.


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## tweinke (Mar 31, 2020)

Almost forgot, Good looking machine Horty! I was about ready to build a Gingery shaper like yours but with no castings but i ran across a Rhodes 7" shaper from a member here that was fairly close by and bought that instead. It will be a permanent tool in my shop even if i dont use it every day.


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## DavidR8 (Mar 31, 2020)

I have to admit watching that machine run is hypnotic. What an awesome build @horty !


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## tweinke (Mar 31, 2020)

On you tube look up Abom79 and see the shaper video he just posted and some of his older ones


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## brino (Mar 31, 2020)

Hi Tim,



horty said:


> Do You have one?



No I do NOT. I bought the entire Gingery book set years ago before I had any machines...great reading.
My favourite quote (about hand scraping):


> "Call it an art if you want to , but then the guy that runs the road grader is an artist too."


It made me laugh.

I have done a little aluminum casting, but nothing as grand as those Gingery machine castings.
Although I do have a pile of scrap aluminum behind the shed.
Shapers look like very interesting machines, but I really do NOT have the space. My shop is in a ~20x20 attached garage, with the table saw, three bandsaws, two milling machines, two lathes, the power hacksaw, welding bench, drill press, sheet metal shear and brake, hydraulic press, etc. I don't know that I could have one.



horty said:


> A friend gave me some china made HHS tool bits, have you tried any?



Luckily, I have a local used tool store that has a bin of used tool bits. I believe it was $2.50 each or 5 for $10.
There was everything in that bin; HSS form tools, threading tools, boring bits, and many were old Canada and US made M42 cobalt, etc.
Sometimes I even found new, never ground 3" long bits , in 1/4" and 3/8" square profile.
I picked up many that looked useful and also got some more in their $10 "grab boxes" of assorted stuff.
I likely have enough for my lifetime.....but don't tell my wife!
Let me know if you'd like a couple and I can send some along. 
(Send your snail-mail address by PM if interested. No charge!)

That was the only store I went to weekly.....and now I am missing it bad!
It is a small business, so I hope they survive...
No. I hope they thrive, and I promise to do my part by spending money as soon as they open again!

Actually, that store had an old shaper a little over a year ago that needed a bunch of cleanup.
I might have taken it, if I did not already have too much on the go.
I could see doing that in retirement...cleaning up machines for re-sale if the price was right.
I'm not greedy, if I got my cost + a case of beer out of each, I'd be happy!

-brino


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## horty (Mar 31, 2020)

brino said:


> Hi Tim,
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Wow, I cant imagine all those tools in a 20x20 space, Do you walk on the machines to get around.
At least you can repair, build about anything with all those machines..and it takes some smarts to be able to use them correctly, as I know you do...

We use to have several surplus store here also, use to go in there with $10 and come out with a bag full of goodie, some neat wrenches, bags of various tool bits, ect, now they are just like any other store, no more neat stuff, no more surplus,, Times Change I Guess. 

Some time I'll send some pics of my shop, the only thing that I paid to have done was the cement slab, everything else was done by myself, took 2.5 years ( 1 year laid up because of a 20ft fall on my head on that hard concrete,) but it got done, now I look back and wonder  how in the heck did i do all that by my self, this was in 2004, I was around 52 years old.

Its 60x32, with a loft/apartment, wife has house in town but we live here 90% of the time.

Anyway, bed time, and I'll talk to you later on the other channel and thanks alot for the offer,

Thanks,Tim


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## cjtoombs (Apr 1, 2020)

DavidR8 said:


> As the newbie in the crowd , what does a shaper do vs a mill?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



As stated earlier, the shaper uses cheap easily sharpened lathe tools, so from that standpoint, it is great for hobbyists and repair shops in developing countries.  Some things it won't do that a milling machine will:  drill, ream or bore holes, cut pockets or complex islands.  What it will do that a milling machine wont:  internal keyways and splines, including blind splines and keyways (have to have a relief cut at the end for chips).  As for metal removal rate, it depends on the shaper and the mill.  I would put my 24" Cincinnati shaper up against nearly any hobbyist milling machine in terms of metal removal.  On the other hand, it doesn't come anywhere close to a monster VMC with a 50 hp spindle motor.  Also, the larger ones are relatively cheap to buy, if you have the means to move and install them.  Certainly not the first machine you want in a home shop, but for the home shop machinist who has everything else (including space), it's a must have.


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## horty (Apr 1, 2020)

DavidR8 said:


> I have to admit watching that machine run is hypnotic. What an awesome build @horty !


Thanks Alot, Id like to use it more but have some problems with the gingery lathe now, i wasn't here, farmer neighbor was bringing in piece of eqt. in shop and hit lathe pretty hard and bust some casting and things on it. Really pretty sick, sad and mad, so need to take some time to get over this today and figure what to start fixing first, and all the alignments and stuff that comes afterwards....
I did make some extra casting when building it so will see what I can use..
tim


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## brino (Apr 1, 2020)

horty said:


> farmer neighbor was bringing in piece of eqt. in shop and hit lathe pretty hard and bust some casting and things on it



Oh no! 
Sorry to hear that Tim.



horty said:


> take some time to get over this today and figure what to start fixing first



I bet it won't be his equipment!

-brino


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## DavidR8 (Apr 1, 2020)

brino said:


> Oh no!
> Sorry to hear that Tim.
> 
> 
> ...


Ok only laughing at the second bit. The first bit totally sucks!


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## graham-xrf (Apr 1, 2020)

The thing about watching shapers is.. they are so darn forceful uncompromising!
Graceful, but unstoppable.


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## horty (Apr 4, 2020)

Hi Guys, I think the last thing I remember is I got a phone call from the Jack A.. that farms my land and he said he was bring that 40' boom off one side of his sprayer to my shop, I said I would be there in 20 min..

Got to the shop and seen a lot of tractor tracks, but no sprayer boom, thought maybe he took it back home, wasn't sure..certainly he wouldn't put it in the shop by him self, Its tricky to do because of the shape and size of it, Its hard to keep it from tipping with out bracing from the floor.

To my heart attack surprise it was in my shop on the floor, and on my gingery lathe, and pedestal grinder, and old tool box, and bag of floor dry,
and my stinky old beer cans that were in the garbage cans that were strewn all over the floor... 

Well, cross slid was broken off lathe, the part the handle fits in and sticks out, multiple handles, lead screw was bent, tail stock has a big gouge in it, 
Chuck has big scratch in it, had to hit hard to do all this damage.

So I cast new parts and repair most everything, just doesn't feel like the same machine now, still need to do some scraping to get it right.

Used it this morning and sounds like there is a Thump in the front head bearing, 

Oh'  his spray boom, it is laying out in the mud and snow, under about a foot water, been getting a call 3-4 times a day but Tims not home and he doesn't fix spray booms any more,,, since I was told that I'm retired and have a lot of time to repair my junk.

Thanks,
Tim


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## graham-xrf (Apr 4, 2020)

Some nerve!
He drags his agricultural type kit into the very spot you like enough take your beer to, trashes your machine to the extent that it "just doesn't feel the same anymore", and he STILL wants your attentions to fix his kit.

I take that by now, you have given him your considered professional estimate on just how much of the 40' can be shoved up you-know-where!


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## brino (Apr 4, 2020)

@horty,



horty said:


> I got a phone call from the Jack A.. that farms my land and he said he was bring that 40' boom off one side of his sprayer to my shop,
> I said I would be there in 20 min..
> Got to the shop and seen a lot of tractor tracks, but no sprayer boom,
> 
> ...



Brutal.
I bet JA will have some shop privledges revoked!

It is unfathomable how someone would try to take such advantage of someone else, especially when they are being helped.

I understand that accidents happen, but JA has gotta make amends.
Perhaps that's what the phone calls are about...or is it me being naive..... I'm NOT general known for optimism....



horty said:


> just doesn't feel like the same machine now, still need to do some scraping to get it right.



Tim I get the impression that if anyone can clean up this mess properly it is you!

I hope it all gets straighened out to your benefit!

-brino


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## graham-xrf (Apr 4, 2020)

Answer the phone. Maybe he wants to make amends!


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## horty (Apr 4, 2020)

Hi, well, I answered the phone and it was what I thought it would be, "Are You Done Straightening That Spray Boom Yet" 
I don't find much good is these spoiled rich kid farmers around this area, and this an good example of how they are, its all about them and no consideration about anyone other that there bloodline which runs into about 9 big family farmers in the area, all surrounding me... If your not in the bloodline you are nothing to them.

I always help and do what I can to and make a little extra cash here and there as most of them have no mechanical knowledge.

If I make a big deal out of this I will have no one renting my land. so this problem needs to be addressed in a special way...

I'll do my straightening job, and when I total my hours I'll add the time I was sitting, drinking beer and coffee, that could add to hundreds.. and then just add that to the bill. I was born at night but not last night, and there is more than 1 way to skin a cat, I would never skin a cat or even why do it, but there must be more than 1 way I'm sure... I think this is it....

So, that's enough, getting upset stomach thinking about it.. Time for desert!!

It will all work out in the end, it always has.

Thanks,
Tim


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## Superburban (Apr 4, 2020)

I would have a seperate entry on the bill, for lathe repair. How could he do something like that, and not know? I cannot imagine how bad I would feel if I did something like that to someone else's equipment.


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## DavidR8 (Apr 4, 2020)

I couldn’t not tell him the damage he caused. That’s just a jerk move on his part. 

I’m confident that you have an advanced degree in diplomacy though and will ensure you are made whole and he won’t know what hit him. 


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## horty (Apr 5, 2020)

Superburban said:


> I would have a seperate entry on the bill, for lathe repair. How could he do something like that, and not know? I cannot imagine how bad I would feel if I did something like that to someone else's equipment.


He does know, thats the way he is, last year I seen some of my property line posts knocked down, I knew who did it, I waited 2 months and never heard anything about it, I called him and asked if he knew who did it, he said he did and its not a big deal just put them back up, I told him to do it, they are still not fixed... all this is funny to them, I have know them all my life and went to school with most of them.. Oh Well. .. I could write a 1000 page book on how stupid they are even the parents,,, ALL WEIRD.

Tim


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## horty (Apr 5, 2020)

DavidR8 said:


> I couldn’t not tell him the damage he caused. That’s just a jerk move on his part.
> 
> I’m confident that you have an advanced degree in diplomacy though and will ensure you are made whole and he won’t know what hit him.
> 
> ...


I have a plan, I always have a plan... 
Tim


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## vtcnc (May 22, 2020)

opcorn: waiting for the sequel Tim. 

Did you make some dowels out of those fence posts after sharpening the nozzles on the spray boom?


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## horty (May 22, 2020)

Hey vtcnc, you messed with my head a little there but then I got it? Hows everyone doing?
Been busy trying to rebuild my lathe, putting air conditioner in the shop, doing some plant propagation of some trees and shrubs I need more of, getting ready for the garden, working on building a sandblast cabinet, need to do something with those gutters on the pole barn, sliding snow off the roof keeps bending them, thinking of hinging them to drop down in the winter and swing them up and lock them in the summer..Might work...
Sick of fixing them every year, cuts into my beer time..
Been staking out some drainage areas on my farm land that should of been done by my loving farmer man, hasn't been done for 5 years and according to the contract should be evaluated and done if needed every year,,, ,so I come up with a plan...not sure if it will satisfy my busted lathe and smart A-- remarks from loving farmer, but will see..and will let you know the story, or sequel of this situation. Oh, just about forgot, need to collect $100 from another farmer that crushed my mail box and broke the pole off at the ground last fall, he seems to have trouble coming up with the money..
Hope your all doing good,
Have a nice day or evening,
Tim


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