Router Tables vs. Shapers

[Eric.]

Can we go through it again?

[bywc]

They will do the exact same job the only difference is it is dedicated to that job and that job only you cant just pop the shaper motor out and use it free hand in other words.

[Eric.]

They will do the exact same job the only difference is it is dedicated to that job and that job only you cant just pop the shaper motor out and use it free hand in other words.

 Why don't more people have shapers then?

[bywc]

For me I just can't justify the cost of an additional tool that I can achieve the same outcome with a tool I already own just by mounting it upside down on a home made table. i got the combo base router fixed/plunged mounted the fixed to the table and just pop the motor in it when I do need to use it table mounted but the rest of the time it stays in my plunge base.

I mean there are some things a shaper can do like router bits 3-1/2" diameter is about the biggest I would want to use that I would feel safe using but you can run a 5" diameter cutter on a shaper and it is made more for production type runs where your doing tons of molding or door frames etc which I would think a router wouldn't last to long in an industrial environment which as a hobbyist isn't something I plan on doing so I just dont need one basically.

Speaking of bits you can run into lowes or another store any time and find a good assortment of router bits. I have never seen shaper cutters at any of the local stores near me closest one would be at least a 2 hour one way drive and when im in the middle of a project and realize I need something I dont want to have to go online order something and wait 2 weeks for them to ship it which is one of the advantages of a router IMO.

[Beechwood Chip]

Can a shaper take 1/4" shank bits?

[Onboard]

What! No guide pin?!

Here are a couple of articles on router tables versus shapers. They are older articles but the basics are the same. There’s much more on the internet, but these articles should help in your decision making.

Article #1; Article #2

[areynoldsre]

I have a router table mostly for "historical reasons." When I started wood working I bought a good handheld router because I needed to round over some edges on a bookcase. A couple of years later I wanted to cut a rabbit in some narrow stock and found a router table was the safest way to do that so I built a simple plywood cabinet, bought a plate to mount the router to, some t-track, a few knobs and for about $75 I had a simple but usable router table. Then a year later I got tired of removing my router from the table to use it hand held so I bought a second router. I haven't bought a router lift - I use a Bosch 1617EVS and it has a built in way to lift and do fine adjustment from the top of the table.

I am not sure I'd consider a shaper as the same price as my router table. A shaper is near $700 plus the cost of cutters (which aren't cheap or available at my local hardware store). My two routers cost about $200 each and I've got maybe $200 invested in bits and accessories so for the price of a shaper I've got a router table, a hand held router, bits for my most common tasks. Since this is largely a hobby for me I rarely buy a tool over about $200 and even then only when I really don't have a tool to get a job done.

[Eric.]

What! No guide pin?!

Here are a couple of articles on router tables versus shapers. They are older articles but the basics are the same. There’s much more on the internet, but these articles should help in your decision making.

Article #1; Article #2

Apparently the biggest and most important difference is cutter speed, and router bits will produce inferior cuts at the lower speeds offered on the shapers. Which probably means I'm gonna pass.  Shaper cutters are too pricey.
 

[Eric.]

I am not sure I'd consider a shaper as the same price as my router table. A shaper is near $700 plus the cost of cutters (which aren't cheap or available at my local hardware store). My two routers cost about $200 each and I've got maybe $200 invested in bits and accessories so for the price of a shaper I've got a router table, a hand held router, bits for my most common tasks. Since this is largely a hobby for me I rarely buy a tool over about $200 and even then only when I really don't have a tool to get a job done.

So I guess router tables are for routing and shapers are for shaping...just like everything else, each tool has a job that it's made specifically for and does better than others.

[Jerry_in_SD]

Keep in mind that shaper's cutting bits run on a fixed shank whereas router bits have an integral shank. I would think unless you are doing production panel raising or something, a router and table would be more flexible. Not sure you can buy a full range of shaper cutters, for example, not sure you could buy a 1/4" round over bit for a shaper.

[Eric.]

Keep in mind that shaper's cutting bits run on a fixed shank whereas router bits have an integral shank. I would think unless you are doing production panel raising or something, a router and table would be more flexible. Not sure you can buy a full range of shaper cutters, for example, not sure you could buy a 1/4" round over bit for a shaper.

You can buy an adapter for the shaper and run all your router bits with it. The problem is the RPMs are too slow for small router bits.

[Darnell Hagen]

I use a shaper all the time, I have a 60's HD Delta. The shaper is the more powerful machine, often cutting a profile in one pass with less chatter than a router. They can be reversible, so that you can cut with the just top of the cutter, after you flip it over. Some also have a tilting spindle.

I have a spindle for my shaper that comes with a router collet. I use 1/2" shank bits, if I had any 1/4" shank bits I could use them (cautiously) with a bushing. Shapers run slower RPMs, their cutters have three wings, so when using a 2 wing router bit the feed rate needs to be slowed to get the same number of cuts per inch. The trade off is that a much larger bite can be taken.

Cutters are far more expensive up front, but cheaper over the long run. A shaper cutter will outlast several router bits.

The heavy cast iron, the powerful motor, the upfront controls, and the split fence make a shaper the "ultimate" router table. In ten years of furniture making I have never needed or wanted a router table.

[Beechwood Chip]

How about using a pattern bit as Marc demonstrates here? Is this possible with a shaper? In other words, can you move the shaper fence back away from the bit, and can you install a guide pin?

[Darnell Hagen]

Pattern routing with a shaper is ideal, make your cuts with the grain, flip the cutter over, put it in reverse, and finish.

[Tobbe Arnesson]

apparently the router bits need higher RPMs to cut the way they're supposed to.

It all comes down to peripheral speed of the cutting edge.

One small 1/4" router bit going 30 000 RPM only has a peripheral speed of about ten meters per second (sorry about the metrics all of a sudden, too lazy to convert).

A shaper head of 5" would only need 1 500 RPM to achieve the same peripheral speed, but in fact the shapers have a lot more RPM. This means that you can feed the material that much faster and still get the same finish as the router produces.

Working fast is not as important for the hobbyist and you still want a hand held router for routing large items or doing work on the surface of a piece, hence the table mounted router is a cheaper way.

[joestyles]

I am a recent convert for the shaper have had one for about 5 yrs collecting dust in a corner of the shop. I do production runs and use 1/2" router bits as well as the cutters that came with the beast. If I had to run a rabbet in some hard stock I would use the dado on the TS first choice then the router table second choice now I use the shaper for things like that it is a better machine in some ways than either of the others for that. The sound of a router going full tilt and the whine of it entering the wood on the first pass (there will be a second and or third to finish the cut) Tells me there is a lot of forces involved in this operation the same cut in the same material on the shaper is much quieter and I bet I could run with the material to feed it through and not really bog things down on a 3/4" x 3/4" rabbet in fir. On ply it works well too. The cutters are definitely more expensive but they run cooler and will last much longer I have a fellow who will even sharpen them if I want for reasonable rates. I really regret not dusting the thing off sooner but am very glad I finally did so.

Until recently i would have said router and table no questions asked now I am not so sure about that choice. I still use my router table and the bench mounted table as well but they are now set up as dedicated stations for particular cuts. The big difference for me so far is time. The set up time for my router table is very bothersome where the time for the same set up in the shaper is far simpler and faster by far. Someone gave me a link on here for the uses of the tool and I have not looked back.

[Beechwood Chip]

Working fast is not as important for the hobbyist and you still want a hand held router for routing large items or doing work on the surface of a piece, hence the table mounted router is a cheaper way.

But many people end up with a dcedicated router in their table and another (or several others) for hand held use. The up front cost of the router is less, but if all my tools and tables were destroyed in a fire and I was using the insurance money to start over, I might get a shaper and a router instead of replacing both routers, lift, and router table.

[Eric.]

Wish I hadn't opened this can of worms. Everything I read says that small router bits don't cut well at the slower speeds on the shapers, regardless of your feed rate.

[bywc]

I wouldn't use a chain saw to make a toothpick and I wouldn't use a shaper for small bits either