Spring 2024 meetup in Calgary - tentative date Saturday, April 20/2024.
Other regions are also discussing meet ups. If you want one in your area get going on organizing it! discussion
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Spring meet up in Ontario, April 6/2024. NEW LOCATION See Post #31 DiscussionNEW LOCATION
Don't see any reason for this not to work. In order to provide a means of tensioning the multi-step pulleys I'll mount the shaper on a 1/2" thick slotted plate with relief to slide it back and forth.
Off to the H/W store tomorrow
@Johnwa that's quite the Bubba arrangement on the motor mounting bracket Welded? The hose clamps are interesting..... What's the story behind that?
Well..... I think we are ready to stage her in the shop now.
Had her in there once already and had to pull her out again. Was making way too much noise.
Ended up that motor only likes to be in one particular orientation otherwise it shakes and growls and chatters like crazy. Worn out from being a furnace motor for god knows how long I would imagine.
Rather than mess with a slotted mounting plate to allow belt tensioning, I milled up some simple L clamps.
Added a back brace in case I have to use some leverage to belt tension.
The counter shaft mounting block was challenging. First attempt I used a piece of 2X4 screwed to the table. That arrangement was showing signs of lifting so in my infinite wisdom I decided to add a few more screws for good measure. Well.... the block split and we were back to square one No loss really the 2X4 was actually too short to allow the inboard belt to be mounted on the large sheave. After much head scratching as to what to use as mounting block I spotted a piece of heavy wall 4" square tubing that @kevin.decelles had given me a few years back. Threw it in the bandsaw and cut her in half, perfect. Used bolts to mount it this time not wood screws
Stage her in the shop next and start looking at making some chips.
Had to replace the table I had originally mounted it on with a proper tool stand. That table was just too wobbly LOL.
Mounted my spare 3/4 HP motor this time.
Mounted the countershaft assembly using proper pillow block bears this time. Things are running much more smoothly now.
Just playing with some aluminum for now. That's a 1/8" deep step I'm carving out, so not bad, but a couple of things are happening. The step is getting progressively shallower. Looks like the tool is climbing as it enters the cut and I can't seem to get a HSS tool to work. HSS chatters rather badly for some reason. Probably tool geometry.
Lots of stuff to play with on this shaper. Both length of stroke and stroke start position are adjustable. Getting the best results by having the forward stroke start about 1/2" from the work piece and the stroke length minimal. If you expand on that things get quite violent when the tool contacts the work piece. Less than that and the clapper doesn't have time to reset. I think the clapper actually needs to be heavier. Maybe made of CI rather than aluminium.
IIRC the work table wasn’t exactly square and I don’t think I finished planing the top of it. Some of the videos I’ve seen had a largish bearing hanging on the tool holder to give the clapper some extra weight.
There is also quite a bit of flex so the table does tend to bend down a bit. The heavier the cut the worse it is. Many shapers have a vertical post attached to the table to support the outer end
IIRC the work table wasn’t exactly square and I don’t think I finished planing the top of it. Some of the videos I’ve seen had a largish bearing hanging on the tool holder to give the clapper some extra weight.
There is also quite a bit of flex so the table does tend to bend down a bit. The heavier the cut the worse it is. Many shapers have a vertical post attached to the table to support the outer end
Ok, thanks, I'll put a DI on it and see where the table is at. It does flex alright. Been trying to figure out how an outer table support could be added.
Ya, I did. What's puzzling is that the cemented carbide insert tool that works has essentially nothing in terms of classic tool geometry yet the HSS tools that do chatter like crazy.
I'll post a pic later of the southbend table support. Great to see the chips. I know when I fired up the big shaper two weeks ago the chatter was crazy. I added a wee bit of cutting oil and it simmered right down.
That's one option, the other is to scrape it flat....... but its a shaper! I'd take a skim cut. The beauty here is that you can always make a new table! Parts are infinite as it was hand made.