Woodworker's Journal Summer-2008, страница 39

You can work with a cutter either With the proper fence adjustment above or below the workpiece. Hold- and a straight cutter, you can use downs keep the stock in place. your shaper for a horizontal jointer.

three different cutters mounted on the spindle at one time. The spacing between multiple cutters is adjusted with spacers — metal sleeves that slide over the spindle above and/or below the cutter. Each spindle comes with a set of spacers of various thicknesses. The idea is to remove or install spacers to accommodate the thickness of the cutter(s). Start with at least one spacer at the bottom of the spindle, and add enough spacers above the cutter so that a bit of the spindle's end threads are showing after the lock-nut is installed and tightened.

When multiple cutters are used at one time, spacers or shims may be inserted between cutters to set and fine-tune the distance between them. This is a crucial part of setting up cutters that create interlocking joints as well as cope-and-stick type cuts for cabinet door rails and stiles, as the exact spacing of bits affects the tightness of the resulting joint.

Most shaper tables have a number of concentric, throat insert plates that are added or removed to accommodate cutters of various diameters. When mounting a new cutter, always choose the insert with the smallest hole with enough clearance for the cutter to spin.

Cutting Direction and Spindle Rotation

Most cuts on a shaper are made with the cutter spinning counter-clockwise (as viewed from the top), with the workpiece fed by hand from right to left over the cutter. However, unlike a router that spins bits in only one direction, most shapers have an electric switch that reverses the rotation of the spindle, thus turning the cutter clockwise (since a cutter's knives cut in only one direction, it must be flipped over for clockwise rotation). With most cutters, this allows you to work with the cutter either above or below the workpiece, lending flexibility when tackling a variety of different shaping situations.

Although even a medium size shaper (1J2 HP to 2 HP) has enough power to tackle most cuts in a single pass, it's usually better (and safer) to take two or more passes. This is especially important when using large cutters for raised panel or stile and rail joinery cuts. A rough cut on the first pass removes the bulk of the stock, and then a light finish cut on the second pass leaves a smooth final surface. Before shap-

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summer 2008

39