Re: Good first shaper bit
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýThis is the kind of spiral cutter Lucky is talking about. ? This particular one is a Rangate product and comes with a rub bearing for template work and has nickers top and bottom. ?I have a similar version made by Leitz. ?Terrific cutter.?I often get asked ¡°I¡¯m new to shapers and want to get cutters for it, what should I buy?¡±. ? In my own experience, that¡¯s putting the cart before the horse, and if you aren¡¯t careful you¡¯ll spend a lot of money on tooling that¡¯s rarely or never used. ? I learned this the hard way. ? The best strategy for shaper tooling is to let the projects you commit to making drive the acquisition of the shaper tooling. ?? For instance, if you think you¡¯ll be doing a lot of tenon cutting for joinery, a pair of deep cutting rebate cutters might seem ideal - stack one cutter above the other with a spacer in between and presto, you have a variable thickness tenoner. ? Then a year later you realize all your tenon work is done with a Festool domino router. ? I¡¯ve seen this specific scenario many times. ? To be sure, some cutters are more general use than others, and a spiral rebate cutter like Lucky mentioned facilitates template/pattern work, edge rebates, and can even be useful as dimensioning timber. ? Lots of people will say to get a variable thickness grooving cutter. ?The utility of a groover is entirely dependent on the projects you undertake. ? I have two variable width groomers in my shaper tool inventory, and they are the least used cutters in my collection because of the type of work I do. ?? Then there are the bargain hunters who lunge after cutters because they are on sale, or offered at a whopping discount to new. ?I¡¯ve been guilty of this myself. ?So you buy that super screaming deal of a panel raising cutter, then once you use it you discover it doesn¡¯t have the profile shape you want, or is too large to go down into the shaper cavity below the cast iron top like you thought. ? Research what fits your machine, and buy what you know you need and will meet all the needs of your project and fit the machine. Rangate¡¯s Cutter Share program is a terrific way to test out shaper tooling. ? You can rent most of their standard cutters for a few months for a project, then if you decide you need to own it, you can buy that set at a discount.? My very strong encouragement is to let your projects drive your cutter purchases, and resist the temptation to buy a bunch of tooling on a prospective basis. ? David Best - Sent from my iPad On Feb 11, 2020, at 6:01 PM, imranindiana via Groups.Io <imranindiana@...> wrote:
|
David P. Best