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Folks, I just got a Jet shaper. I'm looking for a straight cutting bit, 2" tall with a bearing mountable on the top or bottom. Was looking at the straight cutting bits at MLCS, but wasn't sure They say rabbetting, but I'm assuming I can use the just for pattern making. Any suggestions? I'm going to be using it mostly for body blanks with template.

Straight cutters work well for cutting with the grain but not so good against the grain. As the cutter enters end grain and especially end grain that is off camber it will tend to split the wood like an axe. If you are planning to lay a template on top of a body blank and use the shaper to shape the side beware!!! It can be done but it needs to be done right and with allot of care.
If you are new to using a shaper I would not recommend trying it. Even with allot of experience I would not recommend it.
How much experience do you have with shapers???

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Rich S

"The inconvenience of poor quality will linger long after the thrill of a bargain has been forgotten"

Everything Rich says is true! Be careful with your new shaper! I'd look at Grizzly for a good 2" straight cutter, but MLCS is great too...I just haven't any personal experience with their 2" straight cutter...they both have good prices tho...in fact, it's not worth having their cutters sharpened...just replace them when they're dull...I have a cutter that I used to shape the neck shaft with too before I sold the shaper in our move...if you're interested PM me and I'll make you a deal...but you'd need to make a jig (ala Charlie Hoffman) to use it safely...

Larry

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http://www.presnallguitars.com

I have never used a shaper before. I've been using a router table with a 1.5" spiral cut carbide bit. It works ok, but I thought the shaper table might be a littler sturdier. I cut with the bandsaw so that I barely have any waste to trim off with the flush cutting bits.

This picture is from the Grizzly cat and I wondered if anyone has tried them?
If not, I may be the first because I really want one for my shaper.
You can get the rub bearing for them too.

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Rick Hubka
Chemainus BC Canada

I've done a ton of shaper work. One thing that's nice is to have two of them, one rotating clockwise and one anti-clockwise. Those spiral staggered cutterheads are the way to go. Use the largest diameter cutter you can to minimize scalloping and blowout. I used to grind my own pattern cutters for crown moldings, etc. doing very large work on a 5 hp shaper...

Build safety into your jigs...handles, shields, the whole works. There's nothing quite like parts blowing up on the shaper table to make you very cautious. That said, if you follow good practice (for instance using a starter pin when appropriate...), shapers get the job done quickly.

I became a major large pin router fan, and now we're tooling up a CNC machine...

Chaz has a tutorial using the Shelix cutter. http://luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopi ... 17&t=15991
One thing to be aware of is it is a 4” dia cutter with for a 1 ¼” spindle; I wouldn’t put these on a shaper that only has a ¾” spindle and is less than 3 HP.
Another thing that I suggest is to put a rub collar on top and on the bottom of the cutter and make your jig so it has a pattern to follow above and below the work piece. This will greatly reduce the chances of your jig tilting into the cutter as the jig will only allow the wood that is beyond the template area to be removed. An added benefit is being able to flip the jig so you can always cut in the proper direction eliminating the need for another shaper (reversed rotation).

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Rich S

"The inconvenience of poor quality will linger long after the thrill of a bargain has been forgotten"

Grindell…will your Jet shaper accept router bits?
With many shapers the spindle is replaced with a collet so you can use it as a router table but the bit speed is far less. Most spin at 10,000 to 12,000 RPM at the highest speed whereas most routers spin at 20,000 RPM. The spiral bits will work ok at the lower speeds so you can use them on your shaper but I don’t think its improvement over a good router table and is probably less efficient as they are designed to run at a higher RPM.

It would be helpful to know exactly what shaper you own in order to get the best advice as to how to proceed.

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Rich S

"The inconvenience of poor quality will linger long after the thrill of a bargain has been forgotten"