shaper molding head help requested.

[bridger]

I have a delta HD shaper. the HD stands for Heavy Duty, which I guess it is, for a home shop machine. it sports a 1HP repulsion/induction motor, which if my calculations are correct is pullied to spin the spindle at about 9000RPM. I just ordered a power feeder for it, and am considering investing in a cutterhead which accepts replaceable knives. the sort of thing I'm looking at are like:

http://www.grizzly.com/products/3-Mo...h-1-Bore/D1701 (for which I'd need to buy a 1" spindle)

http://www.oellasawandtool.com/produ...4%22-Bore.html


less interesting to me are this type of head:

http://www.cmtutensili.com/show_item...pars=HK~692A~2

which has a larger diameter and shorter cutter length. I have a couple of similar heads from sears. they don't seem particularly safe or useful.


Of the above, the schmidt head looks to be the better quality, steel rather than aluminum as in the grizz unit. one question I don't see an answer to is if the corrugated cutters are exchangeable between the two- if I buy the schmidt head can I use the grizz knives in it?

But I also am seeking more general information. Is this a Bad Idea? are there better, easier, safer, cheaper solutions that I haven't considered? Other manufacturers of similar heads to look at? someone out there with used tooling they'd sell me cheap?

       

[JGrout]

used tooling when it appears is rarely cheap; do not get your hopes up 

You are probably as well off with the griz head mainly because your 1 hp shaper is going to be underpowered for single pass cuts 3" high even with a power feeder. The steel head is heavier and robs power you do not have to spare..

Also you do not need a 1" spindle for the griz head you need bushings from 1" to 3/4" to fill the spindle. I generally have T bushings top and bottom and fillers through the remainder of the bore. 

T bushings

reduction bushings

Are the knife corrugations interchangeable? I believe so, but before I bought from a different source than the head  I would verify with the supplier  that just to be sure 

Joe

[Steve N]

your 1 hp shaper is going to be underpowered for single pass cuts 3" high even with a power feeder.

Gospel




You are looking at a head for a 3HP shaper in any reality. Partial thickness may be hard to do full height. That will be a lot of drag, and on a 1hp machine it won't = longevity. Multi pass you could run it, but for how long?

Even if it's not a griz machine you are looking at, it is a Griz head. Call their customer service, and ask them about that chunk on a 1 hp machine. On their ad it's not shown as an accessory on the 1 1/2, but it is on the 3 Hp machine

[JGrout]

We set one up on a 3 hp Seco shaper and it worked mostly I did not like the power transmission on that unit the belt was too small in section and would just spin out if the cut was too deep 

Using the same head on a 3 hp 2 speed Delta worked better though at 7K RPM. 

I imagine the CMT unit would work OK if you did not get greedy with the depth of cut.

[MKepke]

Just LIL..

..assuming this shaper is for hobby use, I wouldn't bother with a molding head with replaceable HSS knives unless I knew I had upcoming projects with lots of different profiles.  Entry-level dedicated carbide shaper cutters are a few $ more than an individual set of HSS knives, but if you only need one or to profiles right now the dedicated cutters get you more cutting edges, chip-limiting designs and carbide edge-retention.

Full disclosure: I have lots of HSS molding knives for my molder/planer and I use very, very few.

-Mark

[Gentleman Jim]

Delta made a molding head for the HD shaper that uses the same knives as the table saw molding head. You can reprint straight knives to a custom profile. This is a very cost effective alternative.

[RonB1957]

I may be the odd ball here, but I had a 5hp delta for several years. Never used a power feeder. Cabinet doors and such. When it came to mouldings I tried the Griz. corrugated head and didn't like it. I actually preferred the CMT or Amana. Quicker set up, etc. The profiles are plenty and you can still get custom made knives made. I had mine made from M4 steel. Silky smooth cut on cherry end grain. Ultimately after some time I just went with a little shop fox moulder. Williams and Hussey look a like. Much better alternative in the long run. It sits a lot these days, but when I need short runs of moulding, it is nice to have. Oh, and the knives can be custom made as well for not much more than the shaper. Ultimately both the shaper and moulder have their pros and cons.
Best wishes.