Thread: Show us your Shaper

For some reason the Butlers never put a front support under the table....

Originally Posted by .RC.

For some reason the Butlers never put a front support under the table....

Hi RC.
Some of the pics i found did but most didn't have a support.
After doing a .200" DOC on Freddie there is no way i would want to do it without the support, despite how strong and solid she is in the knee and table.

I only thought about 90deg cuts with the power downfeed, but dovetails would certainly be made a lot easier than by hand. Like with any powerfeed it is constant too, unlike trying to accurately turn a handweel a certain amount on the fly, every stroke, no matter how much your arm aches, or what else your thinking of......(although those with smaller shaper may not have to reach as high as i do?)

Changing the position in the T slotted wheel won't reverse the feed - just change it 180 degrees in phase. Any change in feed direction would have to be by turning the ratchet pawl 180 degrees.
Bryan, most (all) shapers should be able to cross feed in both directions. Perhaps yours is gummed up or something - or needs modifying!

Michael

The Butler on ebay is mechanical not hydraulic, someone was kind enough to ask the seller the question for us

Originally Posted by Michael G

Bryan, most (all) shapers should be able to cross feed in both directions. Perhaps yours is gummed up or something - or needs modifying!

Michael

Michael, my cross feed works as normal, in either direction. It's the down feed that's one way.

Well, I've done it - I've cut up my Douglas shaper....
I hope no-one takes offence - but my shaper was made in 1977 and has very little historic importance and is a machine tool that is in use.
Starting around Post #310 in this thread, a discussion about an 'under drive' inside the empty Douglas cabinet started between DaveJ and me about doing this mod to remove the ugly piggy-back drive. I'm also always nervous about the 'chook cage' belt guards when the grandkids are here. They do like watching the shaper as much as I do - from a safe vantage point.
When Dave gets his modification done, I look forward to his solution and the issues he encountered.
Anyhow, my drive is obviously a little different to that of DaveJ's and there was no way I could accommodate either all of the motor or the clutch inside the cabinet.
After a lot of measuring and trial fitting, the mod entailed opening the switchbox hole a little further for access, drilling a 7/8" hole in the right spot near the top of the base, welding in a 7/8" steel ring on the opposite side - to fit a longer custom pivot point for the drive cradle.
The entire drive is fitted upside down with motor hanging below the cradle.
To accommodate the clutch mechanism inside the base, the cradle also needed to be made about 20mm narrower. That only required making a shorter brace stud (3/4"diameter pin with 1/2"W thread at both ends).
The primary drive bearings are located by clamped bushes which were easy to move.
I then cut a curved slot for the drive shaft - needed to facilitate belt loodening for speed changes. I also cut a large curved clearnace hole for the fan end of the motor.
After a lot of installing - unistalling, measuring, reinstalling and uninstalling the whole lot several back-breaking times, all fitted nicely.
Douglas devotees may notice that the secondary belt tension is now set with the threaded rod in tension rather than compression.
Over the next few days I'll make a cover the motor with cooling air louvres and a new cover for the enlaged swtichbox hole - then repaint the whole base. I'll then make a separate hinged solid sheetmetal belt guard for the secondary drive. More photos to come when completed.

Very nifty jhovel, thinking outside the square and fitting it all inside the rectangle.
Will be a ripsnorter when finished.

Cheers.

Thanks Log, but the credit for the concept and advice must go to DaveL. I may not have been game to tackle it without his trials and confidence.
Cheers,
Joe

Hi Joe,
I see you have made a good start on it.
I positioned mine back further and allowed for a tray under the main casting so I could squeeze every bit out of it because the lower the pulley is, the further back everything was able to go. I did this to save space at the front for drawers to go in there.

I can see why yours wouldn't fit, my clutch runs close to the side of the cabinet, but I have a hole for the shaft to come out the other side and to get at the clutch adjustment. The frame sits about 10-15mm off the other side. I had to make up a new brace because the original one was threaded and that got in the way, where the one I made up was threaded to take a bolt instead.

I found with that set up it positioned the pulley so the belt would just clear the chip tray, and like I said in the email the top pulley shaft needs to be extended by 40-50mm.

Look forward to your progress and I might try to get a picture of the holes in my cabinet.

Dave

Well done Joe,
I bet there was a deep breath before you made the first cut!
I think it is a great idea, not only will it look a lot neater but take up less room.

An update:
sorry no photos yet.....
It's back together and working again. A couple of things to complete - fitting proper wiring with switch and worklight, repositioning the clutch lever, completing the new side cover and a little paint to make it look 'nice' again.
Should get it done during the week. Photos coming as I get on with it.
Looks very nice and compact now - I like it.
Joe

a little more update: made the cover for the base today and fitted the switch. Only too one photo though. The cover for the motor is a 2" bit of the bottom of a 10" aluminium cooking pot from the OP shop. I put some louvres in the bottom of it to let the motor breathe. The motor is much smaller but can swing by about 2" during speed changes.
Still a bit of fiddling to go, like fitting the clutch lever, making a nice belt guard and then painting.
Cheers,
Joe

The bottom of a pot? Ingenious Joe! I'll remember that one.
With those vents it looks like it came from the factory like that, or at least it will with some paint.

Hi Joe,
Nice work.
You got a vibro-shear in that shed somewhere?

Stuart