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Well, Finally Found a Used Shaper, Took the Plunge

I need to clean it up first and make sure its all in working order + make sure I can use it ;) I just unloaded it yesterday and today maybe I do a bit of preliminary cleaning.

I forgot to add to my list of things to do with a shaper that it is also handy in making quickly scale markings - i.e. these little lines you have on all sort of measuring collars or rulers. You could do it with tiny end-mill but that seems cumbersome to do.

I think the main thing that "killed" a shaper is its inability to drill holes. This combined with somewhat lower speed as compared to large mills that could more easily utilise carbide made it a less desirable tool for production work.
 
Very cool Tom, and excellent treatise in defence of shapers and their usefulness, couldn't have said it better myself! Looking forward to pictures of yours once you're running. Mine's still torn apart as I slowly pick away at stripping paint, checking for more broken stuff and having fun with Whitworth fasteners - had to order some Whitworth tools from England to avoid rounding off bolts . . .
Very cool that you got a vise with yours as well. I'm trying to find either a vise not costing an arm, leg and testicle, or otherwise a plan for making a shaper vise from stock. Still looking, all in time.
From what I read though, sounds like the Premas were good machines! Nice score!
 
Another killer app is to slot a long shaft end to end, much like a feed rod on a lathe. I can be done on the mill, but with the right setup, it is done in a fraction of the time on a shaper.

In modern high-volume gear shops, gear blanks are mounted on a spindle and a rotary feed arrangement spin the gear stack as a shaper roughs the gear blanks. They are finish machined or hobbed (depending on the type of gear) on a finishing machine. There's a gear shop in Delta the buys every 36" (or larger) shaper that hey can get their hands on. Their indexing system is their own design and is fitted to every machine they commission. They use them 24 hours a day, 5 days a week. It is the fastest way to cut millions of gears from blanks. That shop provides the automotive industry 40 million gears per year (!!)... They have between 6 and 10 shapers running at a time.
 
How about metal bending with a shaper?

Bet it would be somewhat difficult with a milling machine. With a large shaper you can basically use it as a metal forming machine / stamper.
 
Tom Kitta said:
How about metal bending with a shaper?
Click to expand...

Aside from the obvious fire precautions of working with a forge in a wooden shop, the amount of time it takes to heat the metal, the number of operations required, and the setup needed—I watched this and wondered why would anyone in their right mind want to do this when modern hydraulic benders can do the same operation more economically in seconds? Actually, for the piece in the vid, you're right on the cusp of being able to do this manually anyways.

My next thought was: THAT IS SO COOL. I WANT TO DO THAT TOO.
 
CalgaryPT said:
My next thought was: THAT IS SO COOL. I WANT TO DO THAT TOO.
Click to expand...

Notice that the shop has all line shafts - it is setup as a shop was more then 100 years ago. Thus they probably cannot all of a sudden add modern hydraulic bender. They can sell the "authentic" experience of a piece made same way today as it would have been made before WWI.

They show the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_shaft work at 3:16

To me it looks pre-1900 design.
 
IMAG0321.jpg


Cut few chips with it already. Still need to remove more of the blue paint. Previous guy painted all the metal surfaces blue - including all ways and the whole box.

I also had to clean up the clapper box so it now claps.

I found out that with a slow speed (32 probably actually 38) the surface finish is that of a very fine file - non-slip. If I increase the speed to 57 (probably actually 68 as the motor is rated for 50Hz). The surface is smooth but not phenomenal with a 0.003 advance per stroke.

Still have to figure out many things about it. Make a handle to close the belt drive so its not duck tape closure.
 
Shapers can be a versatile machine tool. I used one for bending millions of pieces of stainless wire (3/32" to 3/8") when I made refractory anchors (14" stroke). I have heard of people using them as surface grinders also. They could also be used for punching and forming light materials.
 
Well, it's been a while since posting pictures of this machine, so here goes. After some delays due to company coming and going, 4 different viruses and colds infecting my family in the last 2 months, and just life in general, progress on the shaper work has been slow.

Found during disassembly that this old girl has seen some serious hurt in her lifetime, with lots of parts having been brazed back together. Also found numerous parts that need repair/replacing, and the unit needed paint removal down to the casting over most of it. I've been documenting it on my YouTube channel but understand that not everyone likes YouTube so figured to just share a few pictures of how things have been coming.

One thing about being made in the UK is that it's using all Whitworth and British Association fasteners, so had to buy some tools to be able to work on it . . . oh darn! :p

IMG_20190502_191135841.jpgIMG_20190521_202902908.jpg
Base, ram and various parts after stripping paint and rust
IMG_20190522_222734889.jpgIMG_20190522_165228770.jpg
Feet made from 5/8" ready rod and hockey pucks, and the resulting disaster on the lathe
IMG_20190531_000435911.jpg
The internal gear train disassembled
IMG_20190616_224745424.jpg
Having to machine the lever arm internal slides to parallel again
IMG_20190621_225807929.jpg
Various hardware needing remaking for the lever arm drive
IMG_20190702_230030711.jpg
Reassembling the cross slide/elevation assembly
IMG_20190703_003052848.jpgIMG_20190703_003111504.jpg
Where it's at now as far as reassembly, in a shiny "Candy Apple Gray"

Still lots to go for repair/remaking parts, but it is starting to come together. Still need some various fasteners, making a motor pulley, mount the motor, repair the table feed mechanism parts, and wire it up to modern safety standards. Looking forward to making chips with it but don't want to just slap it together. I'm hoping when it's done it will outlast me and my son can still use it when he's old.

Will update again when it's up and running!
 
Nice progress. I always enjoy seeing older machines come back to their former glory with TLC. The UK threads must have been extra 'fun'.
 
The Whitworth and BA thread pitches are a pain...where did you get your tooling? I've got a Boxford lathe that needed a few fasteners
 
Really enjoying your Youtube videos--keep up the good work! You are right about the injuries your shaper has suffered in the past. At times, it looks like some of the parts are more braze than original material!

Hope you get to make chips with it soon.

Craig
 
Not just the British make fun threads - did you ever heard about 1/2-12? Not 1/2-13, BUT 1/2-12? That is the standard thread in B-P clones made in Taiwan. They call it... M1/2 thread ... It is for all of their handles (table locks). Had to make in on the lathe.
 
Thanks Peter, it's been fun, and at times frustrating when I mess something up and have to redo it, but I want to do the best job on it I can at this point in what I have for tools and skills. I'm no Keith Rucker, let me tell you . . .

Crankit, I got my wrenches, sockets, and Whitworth tap/die set from an Amazon store called AB Tools, in the UK. The British Association tap/die set came from somewhere in India off eBay, and took over two weeks after the ETA to get here, but they did arrive. At least now if I ever have to work on an old British car I've got the tools for it, lol.

And thanks Craig, glad you like the videos - it's always a challenge to balance the action parts with descriptions and contexts of parts and processes. And yes, I was astounded to see how much bronze was melted on to cast iron parts in this thing . . . must have been one horrendous crash . . . I want to use it but also want it complete before I do, for both safety and functional reasons.

Tom, I hear you about the 1/2-12 thread - that is the thread on the ends of the quill handles on my Craftex mill-drill. The knobs were missing from factory and they didn't want to help me, so I have to make knobs for it. It's on the list, but just haven't gotten to it, lol. Once the shaper is done I can pick up on the ball turners my buddy Eldon and I are collaborating on, and those will be the first ones turned. Just need more shop time . . .
Oh, and have you ever played with British Association threads? Some of the small parts on the shaper use those. Had to get a BA tap/die set too.
 
Everett said:
1/2-12 thread - that is the thread on the ends of the quill handles on my Craftex mill-drill. The knobs were missing from factory and they didn't want to help me, so I have to make knobs for it. It's on the list, but just haven't gotten to it,
Click to expand...

I have a 1/2-12 tapered tap amongst a bunch of "NS" taps (auction box lot). If you want to borrow it, just PM me your address and I'll drop it in the mail. Somehow, I don't expect to need it in the immediate future!

Craig
Several other oddballs as well like 1/2-27, 5/8-24 and 5/8-27. #6-48, #8-40, ... Plus some BA and BSF.
 
Tom Kitta said:
Not just the British make fun threads - did you ever heard about 1/2-12? Not 1/2-13, BUT 1/2-12? That is the standard thread in B-P clones made in Taiwan. They call it... M1/2 thread ... It is for all of their handles (table locks). Had to make in on the lathe.
Click to expand...
I believe the draw bar that came with my mill-drill is 1/2-12...none of the taper adapter's I have purchased since are usable with it.
 
trlvn said:
I have a 1/2-12 tapered tap amongst a bunch of "NS" taps (auction box lot). If you want to borrow it, just PM me your address and I'll drop it in the mail. Somehow, I don't expect to need it in the immediate future!

Craig
Several other oddballs as well like 1/2-27, 5/8-24 and 5/8-27. #6-48, #8-40, ... Plus some BA and BSF.
Click to expand...

sound like they came from a gunsmith shop, most of those are used extensively in that part of the trade.
 
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