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I am going to try my hand at making dining room chairs. Grizzly has a 2" tall x 4"diameter cutterhead and 4" diameter rub bearing. I will make templates and a clamping sled to shape the parts. Anyone use cutter head on the shaper this way? My thoughts are that the cutterhead would be like a patterning bit on the router table, but on staroides. I am just not sure this is a good idea.
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I've done it but with feeders so that your hands weren't near the cutter.
Should work but grain direction and tear out also some into play. I would recommend doing very small cuts, so cut the shape with a band saw possibly, and then finish the final 1/16th with the cutter.
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I've seen it done on a woodworking TV show for dining chairs IIRC, but it was for flush trimming a work piece to final size and the cut was less than 1/8th of an inch, maybe even just a 1/16th. The sled used was a serious sled, with substantial clamping capability and firm jig stops to secure the edge of the work piece.
I agree about grain direction and tearout...but these are issues on router tables as well.
If i had a shaper, I'd give it a go. I'd make sure that I was taking light cuts.
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04-30-2021, 09:54 AM
(This post was last modified: 04-30-2021, 10:06 AM by hcbph.)
Have I done it - yes, do I have the same equipment - yes. You need the 2" cutterhead, a 4" bearing collar, a double-T-bushing and 2 t-bushings.
I typically run it on the 3/4" spindle but I could use the 1" if I felt it was worth the time. I had to remove a little of one end off the double-T-bushing so everything fits clean. Note that the cutterhead and typical Bearing Collars have 1 1/4" bores so either way you need spacers (meaning double-T and T-bushings) on a great many shapers. I typically use it with the bearing on the bottom and can ride against the profile on a sled.
Make yourself a good sled that locks the part down solid and the bearing can run against and keeps your hands away from that cutter, it's a beast. Be sure to have good dust collection, it will throw a lot of material otherwise. I've never made a cut deeper than about 1/4" at a time just to be safe. This thing will take hp to spin it, I have an older Grizzly G1026, and IMO you have that 3 hp to spin this combination.
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hcbph , Thanks for the information, I have a Delta 3hp shaper with the 3/4" arbor, about 3 1/8" shaft length to the arbor nut fully threaded. The double "T" bushing adapter looks like the ticket.
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05-02-2021, 06:42 PM
(This post was last modified: 05-02-2021, 07:06 PM by hcbph.)
Here's another tip, be careful handling that cutter. When I got mine I went to lift it out of the box by sticking a finger a thumb into the corners of the box (it's not light weight). It slipped a little and promptly sliced the crap out of my thumb and finger (the carbide cutters are very sharp). I've since learned to pop the top off the storage box, put one hand over it and invert the container to get it out of the box. It works and definitely saves getting blood all over the cutter head (it's red so it's not too obvious against that background immediately) and your work pieces.
That 2" cutter is about as tall a unit you can use with the bearing on your machine. The next taller one with the bearing totals out around 4"+ which is too tall for your machine.
Just to confirm everyone is on the same page, my configuration stacking is from Top to bottom: T-busing, bearing, double-T-busing, cutter head, t-bushing for the bearing on top or reverse for the bearing on the bottom. I only use 1 nut on the spindle but I also use a tab washer so the nut won't come loose no matter which direction the spindle is turning. When I mentioned removing a little off one end of the double-T, it's the end that fits into the bearing. That way the t-bushing on the top of the bearing and the double-t below the bearing won't hit each over and prevent the spindle nut from tightening.
One more tip. I had some very figured wood that would tear out on the jointer and was depressed till I remembered this cutter. Face plane the surfaces flat, attach a straightedge to the top side and use the bearing and cutter to cut the edge perfect and square. Done it several times and it's worked perfect every time.
