Small Shapers

Shapers generally don't find a lot of use in modern production shops, but certainly in smaller, specialty shops, or home shops they can do a remarkable job of making parts in what might be considered unconventional ways. I have a 24" that doesn't get much use these days, but has paid for itself many times over with internal spline work in addition to internal keyways that are impractical to broach. I wouldn't take for mine, except to trade up. The use of easy to grind tooling is a great advantage to them. And virtually any "special tooling" can be shop made with conventional tools and machines. Quite handy, overall. That's one reason most Navy vessels carried them.
 
I know I wrote this somewhere before short time memory set in, but I suppose its the kind of work
you do. With imagination like, I put a die grinder fixed on the (locked) clapper so with a shapers three
axis its now a milling machine what for? I do a lot for landscapers 'busted stuff' for example a lot of
Craftsman tractor mower decks use blades with a starr only from Sears. So I can go to local hardware
get blades and mill this starr on my shaper. No 2 since getting a qchange for my lathe, all were donated
to the shaper. I think last winter I posted about making a (havent named it yet) something for splines
internal/external and gears. The frame is done and painted Atlas grey it has a three jaw chuck from
my SB (which I dont use) an adjustable dead center (under the clapper) I used it and works fine. Now
I got to figure some kind of protractor to index the thing. I know they were an acc. but never seen a
real one I know someone makes them big bucks. As far as the die grinder with collets shaper is a
precision drill (rotory vise). No 3 Hss tool blanks a dime a dozen vs end mills. Every one thinks
shapers make thing flat or just for keyways not so, I can make square round- round square.
I will get a pic today to show what im talkin about. This is not hard to make if you have a lathe
to thread the chuck, chop saw welder and from the Atlas manual I made this a little larger than their
dimentions. samuel
 
NITROTRIP said:
Most seem to think shapers are for removeing a lot of stock. Then over to a milling machine for the finish cuts.
My 7" South bend is very rigid. I have a hard time takeing another .001 cut with the ram moveing. Hard to
split a feed dial line with the dial in motion. With the jog button I can with a sharp tool do one cut moveing
the ram down feed .0005 Very handy when fitting 2 mateing parts togather. And the shaper will do it without
crossing mill cutter marks. A 1911 slide to frame fit but 10 times tighter and more true. Cutting a perfict razor
sharp trigger sear. All depends on what level you are working to.
Rick
Click to expand...

Rick, that is very interesting. I've never heard of a gunsmith using a shaper before.
I'd love to see more details, and photos of your 1911 setups.

Rex
 
Sandro said:
The biggest advantage to a shaper is the tooling. The same tools you use on your lathe can be used on a shaper, no need to buy more expensive endmills like you need for a milling machine. Single point tools are easily sharpened, all you need is an inexpensive bench grinder. Endmills require more expensive and complicated cutter grinders to do the job properly. With the shaper odd shapes like dovetails or T-slots can be easily cut with simple homemade tooling, a milling machine requires more expensive and dedicated tooling to do the same thing.

Though shapers are slower than milling machines, they can save you a small fortune in tooling.

Sandro Di Filippo
Click to expand...

Sure, but what application requires a single stroke?
 
GK1918 said:
I think last winter I posted about making a (havent named it yet) something for splines
internal/external and gears. The frame is done and painted Atlas grey it has a three jaw chuck from
my SB (which I dont use) an adjustable dead center (under the clapper)
Click to expand...

Love to see pics of that.
 
AR1911 said:
Rick, that is very interesting. I've never heard of a gunsmith using a shaper before.
I'd love to see more details, and photos of your 1911 setups.

Rex
Click to expand...

I used the slide to frame fit as an example that first came to mind. I mostly work on old guns that don't always
have parts you can just order. I am not a parts changer gunsmith for hire. I buy guns that have been all screwed
up from people and gunshops. The ones that have been worked on by someone that has a file and a stone and
are the new trigger job expert. They round the sears. The one stroke ability on my shaper is able to cut a perfict
new sear. You insert a pin thru the hammer pivot and rest it on the top of your vise jaws and then clamp the trigger.
Now you use your 1 stroke jog button and with a magnifing glass, true the sear notch (1 stroke at a time). Then
do the same with the mateing sear. I have yet to not get a perfict new mate of the 2 parts.
A shaper will cut weld built up areas back to the original surface of badly worn parts, the last 2 or 3 cuts (1 stroke
at a time) so you don't overshoot your size you want. End mills don't like to cut welds, a shaper don't care.
A lot of older gun parts were made with shapers, why not use one to do major repairs? When Remington closed the
New Haven Marlin plant there was a picture in a magazine of the old machinery that was going to be replaced
with CNC. There were wbout 20 machines in the picture, 1/2 were shapers with fixtures on them.

Rick
 
I would like to see pictures of any fixtures you have made for the shaper. Very interesting!

David
 
Re: AR1911 and David

I managed 5 photos before my batt. goes, anyways I have done everything under the sun to extract
these pic from the cam > to save to my pc. No luck. It used to be get picture-save to> (my Photos)
and its done. I do this again and again then a little pop up says its already saved do you want to
replace it. I cant find out where its saved certainly not where I put it. Then there is now a folder
says system 32? whats that & where did that come from. Last time it was so easy. I have the
screen with all pictures I click a pic but I can not put it in my folder or album.?????????? I dont know
what export (ship out)means or import (bring in) means. Ill try some more. anyways Yesterday
I started on a brass degree wheel Im thinking of my scriber in tool post to scratch in tick marks
should work. sam
 
Don't be messing around too much in your System 32 folder. Lot's of important stuff in there.

Try a search for *.* with a date restriction to when you think the pictures may have been transferred while you weren't looking. You'll get a lot of unrelated hits, but should show a batch of pictures.
 
I happened across an Atlas 7" shaper. Really Love it. I try to use it as often as possible. It is a real joy. Fred
 
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