high speed shaper cutters available?

[toolmiser]

I was talking to someone a couple weeks ago, he had been rehabbing a Craftsman shaper with 1/2" spindle.  He had only invested $25.00 in it but had no cutters.  I told him to pick up some high speed steel ones as they were not expensive and he could decide if he wanted to get much into the shaper.  I looked around out of curiosity and there are not many out there, place I found was called "Corob Cutters" but they are all at least $20.00 apiece.

I must really be getting old.  I thought you could find them, and would pay maybe less than $10.00.  Am I missing something?  He did pick up a used variety of ebay.

Woodworking has gotten expensive.

[6270_Productions]

No, you are just a little behind the times.

You can't get a Soda-Pop for a nickle anymore.

A gallon of gas is a touch over fifty cents.

Hamburgers are more than 25 cents (but they do come with special sauce).

[lift mechanic]

The biggest draw back is the price of the cutters. Some shapers come with a spindle to use router bits. The speed is a little slow for router bits, but they do work.

[TDKPE]

Does it look like this one?  

   

   

Corob is the only source I’m aware of for steel cutters, other than on the used market.  That shaper in the pics came with a box of cutters, and I’ve been able to sharpen them myself.  But $20 isn’t much money for a cutter of any strips, if you ask me.  

[toolmiser]

His is newer, it has the open web design which I told him wasn't very desirable.

Obviously I haven't bought any for a quite a few years. I thought the high speed steel was reasonable, and easy to sharpen, and with the 3 "wings" they would hold up fairly well. I don't think home owner use will dull them real quick.

Most of mine are high speed steel and I am still going to use and enjoy their economy.

[Bob Vaughan]

His is newer, it has the open web design which I told him wasn't very desirable.

I'll take a little exception to that.  That open web gives a lot more table surface than other 1/2" size shapers but the big feature of those open webs is that one can clamp all sorts of featherboards to the setups.  I started out with one of those years back.  I later 'upgraded' to a Delta/Rockwell with a 1/2" spindle.  A smaller table for sure but a somewhat better built machine.  I always missed being able to clamp down the hold downs and featherboards so easily.  With the Rockwell/Delta the featherboards had to be awkwardly long.

In the 1974 I built this corner cupboard out of shelving pine using that model Sears shaper for much of the joinery.   The door took longer than the cabinet.  Back then making the back out of shelving pine was cheaper than buying a sheet of 1/4" birch plywood.  To this day I still miss the setup speed and convenience of that little shaper.

   

   

[BpB123]

I'll take a little exception to that.  That open web gives a lot more table surface than other 1/2" size shapers but the big feature of those open webs is that one can clamp all sorts of featherboards to the setups.  I started out with one of those years back.  I later 'upgraded' to a Delta/Rockwell with a 1/2" spindle.  A smaller table for sure but a somewhat better built machine.  I always missed being able to clamp down the hold downs and featherboards so easily.  With the Rockwell/Delta the featherboards had to be awkwardly long.

In the 1974 I built this corner cupboard out of shelving pine using that model Sears shaper for much of the joinery.   The door took longer than the cabinet.  Back then making the back out of shelving pine was cheaper than buying a sheet of 1/4" birch plywood.  To this day I still miss the setup speed and convenience of that little shaper.

Nice Cabinet!!!

[handi]

I was talking to someone a couple weeks ago, he had been rehabbing a Craftsman shaper with 1/2" spindle.  He had only invested $25.00 in it but had no cutters.  I told him to pick up some high speed steel ones as they were not expensive and he could decide if he wanted to get much into the shaper.  I looked around out of curiosity and there are not many out there, place I found was called "Corob Cutters" but they are all at least $20.00 apiece.

I must really be getting old.  I thought you could find them, and would pay maybe less than $10.00.  Am I missing something?  He did pick up a used variety of ebay.

Woodworking has gotten expensive.

Have you seen steel prices? 

I work with Corob Cutters, did their new website and all the videos. Their shaper Cutters are excellent, and made right in New Hampshire in their own plant. They even have an arbor for using the Cutters in the router table.

High speed steel is actually vastly better at cutting than carbide, provides a much smoother, cleaner cut. Carbide can last longer, but simply cannot match HSS for cut quality.

[Bob Vaughan]

High speed steel is actually vastly better at cutting than carbide, provides a much smoother, cleaner cut. Carbide can last longer, but simply cannot match HSS for cut quality.

Well said.
Sharp HSS is also much easier on the motor.  Carbide lasts longer at that certain degree of dullness it has when new.

[hcbph]

If you're set on steel cutters, maybe check places like Ebay for used ones.  I have several older 1/2" Delta steel cutters from when I had my old Craftsman shaper (it only had 1/2" spindle).  I also bought several 1/2" bore Grizzly carbide ones, more costly but definitely available.  I also used some 3/4" to 1/2" T-bushings so I could use 3/4" bore cutters on the shaper.  The 3/4" bore cutters outnumber 1/2" by a wide margin.
Good luck.