Woodworker's Journal Summer-2008, страница 36

Using a Shaper

Router tables are miraculous, but sometimes projects require heavier-duty machinery. A shaper is like a router table on steriods. It is made for handling large cutters and big stock.

By Sandor Nagyszalanczy

There aren't many red-blooded woodworkers around who don't value the benefits of using a router table. Its versatility is legendary. But as miraculous as a router table is, there are times when a project requires heavier-duty machinery. That's when a shaper really shines: it's basically a router table on steroids, made for handling big stock. Shaper cutters come in a wide range of shapes and sizes and allow you to make moldings, create interlocking joinery for door and window frames and form a variety of other millwork profiles.

But if you already own a good router table, why would you want to add a shaper to your home shop? For starters, anything a router table can do, a shaper can do bigger and, often, better. A shaper's beefy induction motor and stout spindle can handle heavy cuts in thick stock that would be difficult or impossible on a router table. Better yet, a shaper's large-diam-

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using a shaper