As a mechanical fitter I obtained employment in the late 60’s in an engineering machine shop. My first task was to operate a shaping machine to mark out and rough out a piece of steel which was then to be passed to the milling section for further processing. The machine, though in good nick had not been used for some time, and after a few hundred passes it stopped advancing, on inspection to find the cause I found the key in the shaft to be severely damaged, so before I could accomplish said task I had to manufacture a new key, I did this completely by hand, cut my length of key steel with a powered hacksaw, then filed the key to fit, square and flat on all surfaces, then case hardened it, fitted it to the machine and went on with my project. I really enjoyed working with shaping machines, simple principles but extremely efficient at what they did. That all said, I am now 77 years old and this is the first time I have heard of or seen a manually operated one. Good luck with the restoration.
Thanks Norman, great story. I trained on a shaper in the 80s, also did horizontal and vertical milling, turning, surface grinding. But for me the shaper was the most fascinating machine I got to use.
As a child in the early 60's my brother ran over a rock with the gas powered mower. The magneto key sheared off and the mower quit. My Dad figured it out pretty quick and then machined a key with a hacksaw and file in about 10 minutes. As a child I was impressed but as an adult I now realize how unusual was his proficiency with hand tools. I was fortunate to absorb his talents as did my children. Knowledge is confidence.
I bought a Perfecto manual shaper without knowing what it was for $35 at an estate sale. I used it once in ten years to open up an Atlas compound top casting to accept a QCTP. It took two days because it killed my shoulder. I put it up on EBay and two guys got in a bidding war. $840 later, I was ecstatic. Best score ever.
That is a really cute little machine. Now at last something I am qualified to comment on, as I have trade papers saying I am a machinist and the machine I did my trade test on was a shaper. However the last time I worked on a shaper was in 1980 when I did my trade test. One or two little things will make all the difference. The machine is feeding on the forward stroke so the lines left by the tool will have a kink in them. The pawl where you engage the feed must be engaged 180 degrees from how you are engaging it then the table will feed on the backstroke. However you will have to start your cut on the other side of the work piece. So you stand on the side of the machine that the pull handle is and you start your cut on the side of the work piece closest to you-as is done on a electric driven machine. The next thing to note is the angle of the clapper box. If you imagine the original workpiece surface to be a field and the surface you are creating is a cliff and a beach below it with the beach being the new surface you are creating. If the clapper box was vertical when the ram moved back the tool would rub on the cliff but drag lightly on the beach because of the give in the clapper. Set the clapper at an angle then the tool tends to lift away from both the cliff an beach and drags lightly on both. If you think this through carefully the clapper box as it is set now is correct to feed into the workpiece from the pull handle side. Lastly because the tool drags on the backstroke you can only use tool steel tools as tungsten does not like being dragged lightly backwards.
It is sweet, isn't it? I've had a little Invicta in my workshop for many years and it still gets occasional use. I agree with you on the feed, which should be affected on the backstroke. Yes too on the clapper box angle, which should point ever so slightly in the direction of the feed. However, if the clapper box moves freely and there's a decent bit of oil used in the cutting, there shouldn't be a problem with insert tooling. Admittedly, the majority of times I'm using my shaper it's to make keyways, and usually with a custom-ground carbide steel or HSS tool to give me the required profile, but I've never had an issue with tungsten tipped tools on the occasions I've used them.
We couldn't get my mates shaper to work. Every time we went forward the tool would jump up and ride over the top. Only way to cut was to lock the clapper box tight but then it would knock it's self out of position on the return. We gave up as he has horizontal and vertical mills. BTW same problem using a broaching attachment on the back of a Bridgeport.
@@nickhall5959 I've got a couple shapers as well as a bridgeport and a horizontal mill. I got the shapers working mainly by getting old machine shop books from a century ago and using their choice of cutting edges and angles. They require very sharp tooling and a healthy bite to keep the tool loaded so it won't skip, as well as solid hold-down for the work and usually a stop bolted to the table to keep the work from moving at all. I've got "Machinery's Handbook" from the thirties and forties and its a great reference. I've got a vertical shaper on the back end of my bridgeport and the same applies to it.
I am an old school time served engineer (early sixties) and have used shapers, planers and slots during my apprenticeship years also on several occasions I have cut slots for key ways on my lathe as I do not have one of these wonderful small machines in my own workshop. Well done not just for finding the machine but having a working one as well.
I started in the machinist trade in the early seventies, now I teach others to build and use the old machines to be got cheap as no one knows what they are.
What a superb little tool and how lucky are you to find one in such good condition. If it was me I couldn't wait to take it apart and restore it to new condition. I've seen plenty of shapers in my time but never a hand version. Fantastic!!! Thanks for sharing it.
Thanks David, in the next couple of days I will be doing exactly that 👍 I'm going to get a dial indicator on it to see if the geometry is good then strip it down, give it a clean and get it painted and ready for use.
Congratulations on a most interesting video on the Manual Shaper. I did not know they existed. Some 65 years ago I used a power shaper as a student at Yallourn Technical School (in Victoria Australia) as part of the Machine Shop course.
Thank you! My apprenticeship was in the mid eighties and we still had two shapers in the training school. I always enjoyed using them, always impressive when a blue hot chip pings off the end of a stroke. I don't suppose the new generations of machinists will ever get to see one other than on TH-cam. Cheers 👍
That has to be the cutest shaper I've ever seen. I'm all for Your type of restoring. These guys that use body filler and make new parts, etc. drive me nuts. 👍👍👍👍👍
Looking forward to the restoration. If you’re going to use a wire brush for any part of the work, try to use a solid brass wire brush (very expensive but well worth the investment) so you don’t wear down or round over the parts. Steel wire brushes are very abrasive but the solid brass brushes do the same job without damaging the part. If funds are tight consider smaller sizes.
I bought one about a year ago, and it has become one of my most used tools. It works very well on the small pieces I need to work on for multiblade folders. I used it to make a cross slide for my lathe, cutting the dovetail slides.
Years ago i met an old clock maker in New Zealand who flew all over the world repairing clocks , He had a hand made shaper about a tenth the size of yours used for cutting gears. As and a man that trained in engineering i learnt so much from him.
@@radboogie Gear cutting is something even a small shaper can do pretty well. You can use a dividing head/rotary table for the blank but there are ways to bodge that if you're inventive enough. Grinding the tooth-cutting tool to exactly the right shape can be a bit tricky though, especially for smaller DP/module gears.
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Thanks Richard, what a great little tool this is, I'm familiar with the powered ones but not seen one quite like this before. It's the antithesis of all the cheap imported machines we have today - technically quite simple, but engineered with precision and built to last, looked after it'll still be going in another hundred or more years - looking forward to the refurb !
Takes me back. My first manufacturing job was as a die sinker apprentice in a small drop forging company back in the 1970's. My first day on the job my supervisor showed me how to set up a die blank (about 15"x15"x8") on a full size shaper. I tended the machine while it cut the first side and then flipped the die over and did the second side. I had forgotten all about the shaper until your video.
Another big advantage is that this uses a small piece of tool steel to cut the metal with, rather than an expensive broch like a milling machine. You can grind the cutter to any shape in no time. I've never seen a hand operated one like this, and I am about as old as the machine. Several years ago, there was a company called Lindsay's Publication that mostly reprinted old books where a person could make a simpler old machine for home use, or there were a few modern books that had simple machines for the DIYer. One of those was a shaper that looked like it was powered by a dishwasher motor. Your shaper is a great find.
@@ToniMeadows-k1j That's great. Thanks. I have the foundry book, and the shaper one. I'll let you know about the pattern. I moved from California to Utah recently, and a lot of things are still in boxes. When I get things sorted, I'll let you know. Again Thanks.
What a great little machine. I have never heard of a hand shaper before. I’d love to see what you do with it. I’m a firm believer of “Paint don’t cut metal”. Get it functionally as good as possible and then keep the oil up to it and have fun using it. I have an old Atlas lathe that looks beaten up but actually works great.
I had one of these shapers. It was useful in making small parts that needed a limited travel of the tool. I sold it to get more space in my small flat. There was a rotary table attachment that could cut small helical gears.
That's just survivorship bias. Some cathedrals survive from the 13th century, but we simply don't notice the hundreds built to comparable architectural standards that simply fell over.
Good grief Charlie Brown! I haven't seen a Shaping m/c since the first year of my engineering apprenticeship (many years ago) and that was the full size shaper. It was quite a beast and we used it to make our own V blocks from cast iron. I went into Fitting, therefore didn't do much machining after that. I never knew there was such a thing as a hand shaper. Brilliant video, many thanks from a crusty old Engineer who now 'manages' and drives a desk 😄.
My Elliot 10M shaper would take a 3mm cut on mild steel and produce a better flat surface than a bench top milling machine. With large flat surfaces it could be left to get on with the job. The shaper was cheaper to run in terms of tooling and used by someone who knew how not so slow.
@@haroldpearson6025 Too slow, for better finishes a surface grinds is used instead. A quality surface mill cutter can cut a really nice surface on a mill & do it much faster than a shaper. If your using a flycutter or endmills, yeah a shaper would work better. Probably the best use for a shaper would be to cut internal keyways, since thats not practical on a mill or a lathe. But even that can be done using a press and a keyway broaching set.
Like many other comments, a staple of most engineering shops (powered version that is) where many people did their apprenticeships / training. Need a lot of time and experience to set up correctly and get good results. My machine shop mentor, just about to retire in the early 70's, used to say "You can make anything with a shaper, except money"!
I used shapers when i was doing a tool and die apprenticeship back in the late 1970’s. I used a very large one to resurface the ways of an old Bridgeport mill.
What a nice piece of kit. There’s just something about older machinery. I used to own an old “Bakers” lathe, lovely machine but I couldn’t bring it with me when I moved, just didn’t have the space. I have seen and used more modern, electrically driven shapers but never seen a small hand operated one.
I love manual tools both wood and metalwork. You get such great feedback when you're hands on with the tools and you feel like you can take credit for the end result 👍
My dad had a Cincinnati shaper in his shop. You could really get the chips flying! (we had a plywood enclosure to keep them confined) Evidently, Cincinnati made them up to 1982. Much later than I ever expected.
Nice 👍 It's really impressive when you take a deep cut the the chips come off the end like blue hot bullets. You wouldn't want to be standing in front of it without a chip catcher!
I have actually seen a treadle powered lathe, in a corner gathering dust in my cousin’s shed it was purchased new by our great grandfather about 110 years ago.
As Tom mentioned the feed timing is out as it should be feeding the work across on the return stroke not when it is cutting... should be easy to sort by rotating something by 180 degrees...
You're spot on. In the video you can see me twiddling a small knob near the feed handle on the left side of the machine. This sets the feed left to right or right to left. I had it running left to right for the camera which meant the traverse happened during the cut. Ordinarily feeding right to left would have the traverse on the back stroke. Cheers 👍
@@tomarmstrong1000 Thanks. I was lucky enough to use a full sized one in the 80s as an apprentice before the CNC days. I reckon it will come in handy for machining some new gib strips 👍
I am on my second hand shaper. The first was an Adept. It had a 1/16" pitch thread on the vertical axis leadscrew so fitting a micrometer dial was not possible. It also did not have a feed so it had to go. The second was a 'Perfecto' The feed is good. It has micrometer dials. The table is a farce. As suppied the tool finishes some way over the table making a good portion of the table unusable. A previous owner has made a box section to fix between the table and bed. This really helps. The T slots do not accept nuts from clamping sets so some specials had to be made. I have slotted screw heads and cut a rack on the 'Perfecto'. One does not need to use a vice. A low profile clamp (see Harold Hall) will do fine.
Alec Steele did a powered model steam hammer not that long ago and he did say these casting models are both very difficult and require a fair amount of experience to complete. It really makes you appreciate cast machines and the work that goes in to them to get them working well. I just wish I could get a fijished one because I would use it all the time
I like it. Would like to get something like that. Good for when there is no power. Going to watch more for your progress. Function over polish got the sub.
I have one of these in my shop and it's a workout. Mines big enough I actually used it to resurface the head off my lawnmower after I decided to fix it up.
First time I've seen a hand operated shaper. I worked in a machine shop over summer vacations as a kid and would keep an eye on a whole row of big shapers as they did their thing. Later I even learned how to set them up. You don't see them in use much these days, but honestly they can do a fair bit of work with minimal oversight. Sharpening the bits is a bit of an art form though. When done well the chips come off in nice smooth curls and they stay sharp for a fairly long time. I never did learn to sharpen the cutters as well as the older machinists did.
Thanks for sharing your recollections 👍 The big shapers are hypnotic to watch and it's very satisfying to watch blue hot chips ping into the chip tray like bullets at the end of a stroke.
I'In my machinist career, I've worked in many shops where the old timers swore by how great a shaper is, but I never saw it being used. The last time I saw one, it was being used as a place to hang the extension cords.
That is really cool. I have never heard of a hand operated shaper before. I have seen the big shapers, but nothing small like this. I would love to get something like this for my workshop.
@@rainbowboa100 No skill learned is ever useless my friend, just watching and running a shaper has a great cathartic effect, as well as an exercise in producing something useful. There are plenty who will be envious of your skill.
I spent 4 years taking Machine Shop in High School and although we had a power shaper in the shop I never heard of a hand shaper. Be the perfect tool for cleaning up keyways in small pulleys and sprockets or profiling gear teeth after building them up.
1:25 You’re quite right about the kit set. I have a copy of Bradley’s ‘The Amateur’s Workshop’ and he makes reference there to the Cowell kit that ‘can be completed in a 3 1/2 in. lathe’. Cowell kits are mentioned quite often in this book, it seems they also did a range of drill presses at least. Nice wee bit of kit!
@@radboogie Yeah, I’ve got the 1970 reprint of the original 50s one. Interesting read, some good info, but a lot of outdated stuff as well (even by 1970s criteria), i.e a lot of powered stuff based on re-purposed war surplus kit. And a lot of anecdotal ‘humble brags’. My copy is published by Model & Allied Publications so I surmise it was reprinted for the Model Engineering guys.
I wish I could find a little one like this. The place I worked at had a couple big ones in the boneyard and one in the machine shop. It was used rarely but still available when needed. Electric motor and a 4 speed transmission from the 40's drove it. Sadly, they all went to scrap when the place was bought out. I did save a giant old drill press though.
I’m also a home-shop machinist, and this is so cool! On your next video could you post any details about manufacturers that you know of who made these? Awesome!
Congratulations on your acquisition, I have a Rapid Lime hand shaper 14x7" cut, well over a hundred years old now. Your shaper is a copy of it with a few alterations to keep 'copyright' at bay!
Thanks for the info about the Rapid Lime I really appreciate people taking the time to add to the knowledge of these fascinating machines! I had a look at the Rapid Lime and like the fact that the hand lever has three positions giving different stroke lengths and different leverage. I might have to adapt mine to do the same 👍
Back in the mid 1970s I made a pair of car quarter vent window rubber seal dies, left and right hand, for a rubber moulding company, who also made vehicle tyres. The curved parts were made from a turned, stepped ring cut into sections. The straight sections were made from rectangular flat bar on a trusty old shaper, with hand made form tools. The material was mild steel.
Those were very popular in Brazil, not as much as the full sized planners, but they were popular enough to be named after the function they had in workshops here, speeding up hand filling operations, they're known as File-planners, "Plaina Limadora"
Yeah, a grating ruling machine. There was a pair of articles in the Amateur Scientist back in the day that described making one with an interferometer to maintain the line spacing.
I picked up a kit recently. It goes by "Strong Arm Shaper". It's been super fun so far. I only have the head done. Don't know why, but I started with the clapper. I completed a similar die filer kit a while ago. Also an interesting build and a lot of fun. And useful. I didn't expect it to be used as much as it has been. If you are into metalworking and have some equipment already, you can build more tools.
That’s soooo cute. A baby 👶 shaper. 😂 I have many hours on a 48” shaper building heading dies. BTW you don’t need to hold down the clapper. You’re back dragging the tool, possibly breaking off the cutting edge. Plus, high-speed makes a better tool with a chip breaker ground into it.
48" stroke, that's a mighty shaper! The clapper on mine is partially seized so I put my finger on it just to be able to demonstrate it, will be restoring it in an upcoming video 👍
✅ Checkout the restoration progress so far here - th-cam.com/video/C-Etfd5No60/w-d-xo.html
As a mechanical fitter I obtained employment in the late 60’s in an engineering machine shop. My first task was to operate a shaping machine to mark out and rough out a piece of steel which was then to be passed to the milling section for further processing. The machine, though in good nick had not been used for some time, and after a few hundred passes it stopped advancing, on inspection to find the cause I found the key in the shaft to be severely damaged, so before I could accomplish said task I had to manufacture a new key, I did this completely by hand, cut my length of key steel with a powered hacksaw, then filed the key to fit, square and flat on all surfaces, then case hardened it, fitted it to the machine and went on with my project. I really enjoyed working with shaping machines, simple principles but extremely efficient at what they did. That all said, I am now 77 years old and this is the first time I have heard of or seen a manually operated one. Good luck with the restoration.
Thanks Norman, great story. I trained on a shaper in the 80s, also did horizontal and vertical milling, turning, surface grinding. But for me the shaper was the most fascinating machine I got to use.
As a child in the early 60's my brother ran over a rock with the gas powered mower. The magneto key sheared off and the mower quit. My Dad figured it out pretty quick and then machined a key with a hacksaw and file in about 10 minutes. As a child I was impressed but as an adult I now realize how unusual was his proficiency with hand tools. I was fortunate to absorb his talents as did my children. Knowledge is confidence.
I too have never heard of a manually powered shaper. That looks MOST interesting. I WANT one!
Great story. Thanks for sharing it. Luke and your father did a great job. Keep your stories alive..@@danahansen4708
@@normansidey5258 Well Norman, I’m 74, living in Adelaide and still working in the same business I established 45 years ago!
I recognized it as a shaper, but didn’t know hand shapers existed. I want one!
Better to buy a little Atlas shaper. The manual ones are too slow to accomplish anything.
I have one thats not had much use from me available. A great tool to have
@@bloominfast how much would something like that run, if my wife didn’t notice it?
😲 i had no idea manual shapers existed let alone one this small. it's adorable!!! cant wait to see more of this lil guy.
A good file substitute
That was, in fact, the coolest hand tool I’d never heard of 😍
Awesome 😄
I bought a Perfecto manual shaper without knowing what it was for $35 at an estate sale. I used it once in ten years to open up an Atlas compound top casting to accept a QCTP. It took two days because it killed my shoulder. I put it up on EBay and two guys got in a bidding war. $840 later, I was ecstatic. Best score ever.
And people say the only thing a shaper can't make is money 😂 Great story 👍
@@radboogie 🤣🤣
Nice Bet ya you can feel each cut
That is a really cute little machine. Now at last something I am qualified to comment on, as I have trade papers saying I am a machinist and the machine I did my trade test on was a shaper. However the last time I worked on a shaper was in 1980 when I did my trade test.
One or two little things will make all the difference. The machine is feeding on the forward stroke so the lines left by the tool will have a kink in them. The pawl where you engage the feed must be engaged 180 degrees from how you are engaging it then the table will feed on the backstroke. However you will have to start your cut on the other side of the work piece. So you stand on the side of the machine that the pull handle is and you start your cut on the side of the work piece closest to you-as is done on a electric driven machine.
The next thing to note is the angle of the clapper box. If you imagine the original workpiece surface to be a field and the surface you are creating is a cliff and a beach below it with the beach being the new surface you are creating. If the clapper box was vertical when the ram moved back the tool would rub on the cliff but drag lightly on the beach because of the give in the clapper. Set the clapper at an angle then the tool tends to lift away from both the cliff an beach and drags lightly on both.
If you think this through carefully the clapper box as it is set now is correct to feed into the workpiece from the pull handle side.
Lastly because the tool drags on the backstroke you can only use tool steel tools as tungsten does not like being dragged lightly backwards.
It is sweet, isn't it? I've had a little Invicta in my workshop for many years and it still gets occasional use. I agree with you on the feed, which should be affected on the backstroke. Yes too on the clapper box angle, which should point ever so slightly in the direction of the feed. However, if the clapper box moves freely and there's a decent bit of oil used in the cutting, there shouldn't be a problem with insert tooling. Admittedly, the majority of times I'm using my shaper it's to make keyways, and usually with a custom-ground carbide steel or HSS tool to give me the required profile, but I've never had an issue with tungsten tipped tools on the occasions I've used them.
Not too many "machinists still know the old standby shaper. I built a hand shaper twenty years ago to make tooling for the big machines in my shop.
We couldn't get my mates shaper to work. Every time we went forward the tool would jump up and ride over the top. Only way to cut was to lock the clapper box tight but then it would knock it's self out of position on the return. We gave up as he has horizontal and vertical mills. BTW same problem using a broaching attachment on the back of a Bridgeport.
@@nickhall5959 I've got a couple shapers as well as a bridgeport and a horizontal mill. I got the shapers working mainly by getting old machine shop books from a century ago and using their choice of cutting edges and angles. They require very sharp tooling and a healthy bite to keep the tool loaded so it won't skip, as well as solid hold-down for the work and usually a stop bolted to the table to keep the work from moving at all. I've got "Machinery's Handbook" from the thirties and forties and its a great reference. I've got a vertical shaper on the back end of my bridgeport and the same applies to it.
After 50 years of metal working finally a new experience, nice !
45 years in engineering! and this is the first one I’ve ever seen!! Back in my apprentice days I worked many a large mechanical one!
I think this one is mechanical.
Amazing handtool. I worked in the past with motorized shapers, but had no idea that small manual shapers even existed. Brilliant!
A shaper was the first machine tool I ever worked on back in 1966 when I was 14, its such a versatile machine and easy to setup.
A tool that I didn’t know existed, and now I must own! that thing is so cool. I look forward to seeing you use it more. Thanks for sharing.
i never knew these came in this format. really gets you up close and personal. cannot wait for the 'restore'.
I have used powered shaping machines that are 3-phase powered. I had absolutely no idea hand shapers even existed. You learn something every day.
I am an old school time served engineer (early sixties) and have used shapers, planers and slots during my apprenticeship years also on several occasions I have cut slots for key ways on my lathe as I do not have one of these wonderful small machines in my own workshop. Well done not just for finding the machine but having a working one as well.
I started in the machinist trade in the early seventies, now I teach others to build and use the old machines to be got cheap as no one knows what they are.
What a superb little tool and how lucky are you to find one in such good condition. If it was me I couldn't wait to take it apart and restore it to new condition. I've seen plenty of shapers in my time but never a hand version. Fantastic!!! Thanks for sharing it.
Thanks David, in the next couple of days I will be doing exactly that 👍 I'm going to get a dial indicator on it to see if the geometry is good then strip it down, give it a clean and get it painted and ready for use.
@@radboogie I bet you cant wait to scaper everything!!
@@davidjennings9253 lol, trying to resist 😂
Congratulations on a most interesting video on the Manual Shaper. I did not know they existed. Some 65 years ago I used a power shaper as a student at Yallourn Technical School (in Victoria Australia) as part of the Machine Shop course.
Thank you! My apprenticeship was in the mid eighties and we still had two shapers in the training school. I always enjoyed using them, always impressive when a blue hot chip pings off the end of a stroke. I don't suppose the new generations of machinists will ever get to see one other than on TH-cam. Cheers 👍
That has to be the cutest shaper I've ever seen.
I'm all for Your type of restoring.
These guys that use body filler and make new parts, etc. drive me nuts.
👍👍👍👍👍
Looking forward to the restoration. If you’re going to use a wire brush for any part of the work, try to use a solid brass wire brush (very expensive but well worth the investment) so you don’t wear down or round over the parts. Steel wire brushes are very abrasive but the solid brass brushes do the same job without damaging the part. If funds are tight consider smaller sizes.
Thanks for the tip mate 👍
I bought one about a year ago, and it has become one of my most used tools. It works very well on the small pieces I need to work on for multiblade folders. I used it to make a cross slide for my lathe, cutting the dovetail slides.
Nice one! One of the jobs I have lined up for the future is to clean up the dovetails on my mini lathe and cut new gib strips 👍
Years ago i met an old clock maker in New Zealand who flew all over the world repairing clocks , He had a hand made shaper about a tenth the size of yours used for cutting gears. As and a man that trained in engineering i learnt so much from him.
That sounds amazing. Clock making tools are incredible 👍
@@radboogie Gear cutting is something even a small shaper can do pretty well. You can use a dividing head/rotary table for the blank but there are ways to bodge that if you're inventive enough. Grinding the tooth-cutting tool to exactly the right shape can be a bit tricky though, especially for smaller DP/module gears.
Thanks Richard, what a great little tool this is, I'm familiar with the powered ones but not seen one quite like this before. It's the antithesis of all the cheap imported machines we have today - technically quite simple, but engineered with precision and built to last, looked after it'll still be going in another hundred or more years - looking forward to the refurb !
Very true, the quality of this is night and day compared with the Chinese mini lathe!
Takes me back. My first manufacturing job was as a die sinker apprentice in a small drop forging company back in the 1970's. My first day on the job my supervisor showed me how to set up a die blank (about 15"x15"x8") on a full size shaper. I tended the machine while it cut the first side and then flipped the die over and did the second side. I had forgotten all about the shaper until your video.
WHAT? I had always heard of these, but never looked them up. I had NO idea they worked this way! A manual metal shaper? Crazy... wonderful.
A hand operated shaper. I've never seen one, and I've been around machine shops and antique tools my entire life. Great find!!
I used a full sized one in the 80s, only recently learned of these too. Just had to get one 👍
Looking forward to this little shaper getting cleaned up and serviced. Brilliant tool design for hobby use.
Hopefully will get some work done on it tomorrow. It's the perfect compliment to the mini lathe, I've already got a few jobs lined up for it 👍
Martin Model in Oregon sells a casting kit for a shaper like this.
Another big advantage is that this uses a small piece of tool steel to cut the metal with, rather than an expensive broch like a milling machine. You can grind the cutter to any shape in no time. I've never seen a hand operated one like this, and I am about as old as the machine. Several years ago, there was a company called Lindsay's Publication that mostly reprinted old books where a person could make a simpler old machine for home use, or there were a few modern books that had simple machines for the DIYer. One of those was a shaper that looked like it was powered by a dishwasher motor. Your shaper is a great find.
I built the metal foundry & shaper from the book living in NC still have pattern built in shop if interested txt me
@@ToniMeadows-k1j That's great. Thanks. I have the foundry book, and the shaper one. I'll let you know about the pattern. I moved from California to Utah recently, and a lot of things are still in boxes. When I get things sorted, I'll let you know. Again Thanks.
You lucky dog! I have a WWII 7” shaper but a hand shaper would be fantastic to have.
Love looking back where we (machining/machinists) came from. Profit is not the point. There’s quite a bit of cool engineering in the design.
Absolutely, no need to rush things in the home shop. Just take a bit of time and enjoy some of our engineering heritage 👍
What a great little machine. I have never heard of a hand shaper before.
I’d love to see what you do with it. I’m a firm believer of “Paint don’t cut metal”. Get it functionally as good as possible and then keep the oil up to it and have fun using it. I have an old Atlas lathe that looks beaten up but actually works great.
“Paint don’t cut metal” - what a great phrase! I totally agree 👍
Fascinating! And it fits so nicely into a smaller workshop.
I had one of these shapers. It was useful in making small parts that needed a limited travel of the tool. I sold it to get more space in my small flat. There was a rotary table attachment that could cut small helical gears.
A rotary table would be a very useful addition 👍
Sweet 🤩 Love the old machines like this one, made in a time when tools would last forever.
That's just survivorship bias. Some cathedrals survive from the 13th century, but we simply don't notice the hundreds built to comparable architectural standards that simply fell over.
Good grief Charlie Brown! I haven't seen a Shaping m/c since the first year of my engineering apprenticeship (many years ago) and that was the full size shaper. It was quite a beast and we used it to make our own V blocks from cast iron. I went into Fitting, therefore didn't do much machining after that. I never knew there was such a thing as a hand shaper. Brilliant video, many thanks from a crusty old Engineer who now 'manages' and drives a desk 😄.
Nice one - thanks for sharing your story, always love to hear peoples recollections! 👍
That's so cool! I've only ever seen massive motorised ones, and this is so dinky and adorable!
It's like a perfect miniature of the big machines 👍
Ridiculously cool machine! Very envious, can't wait to see this project and how you use it!
Looking forward to the next stage mate 👍
GREAT FIND. THE FACTORY I WORKED AT IN THE 70s HAD A SHAPER. BIG ONE AND WORKED GREAT. AWESOME!!
So this worked very similar to an Old school Manual Drill press as far as the feed goes. Glad you shared this.
My family has been in the machining business for 100 years, in Chicago and FLA. I have never seen a drill press even remotely like you're describing.🙂
@@filster1934 Kinda like this one. th-cam.com/video/D3WNkJD0NBc/w-d-xo.html
LOL! "Shaper: A tool you can make anything with, except a profit" -This Old Tony
Haha, nailed it 😂
Especially true when using a hand operated shaper🤣
This old Tony is brilliant!
My Elliot 10M shaper would take a 3mm cut on mild steel and produce a better flat surface than a bench top milling machine. With large flat surfaces it could be left to get on with the job. The shaper was cheaper to run in terms of tooling and used by someone who knew how not so slow.
@@haroldpearson6025 Too slow, for better finishes a surface grinds is used instead.
A quality surface mill cutter can cut a really nice surface on a mill & do it much faster than a shaper. If your using a flycutter or endmills, yeah a shaper would work better.
Probably the best use for a shaper would be to cut internal keyways, since thats not practical on a mill or a lathe. But even that can be done using a press and a keyway broaching set.
Thanks for showing us your new toy. I love it!
Like many other comments, a staple of most engineering shops (powered version that is) where many people did their apprenticeships / training. Need a lot of time and experience to set up correctly and get good results. My machine shop mentor, just about to retire in the early 70's, used to say "You can make anything with a shaper, except money"!
I used shapers when i was doing a tool and die apprenticeship back in the late 1970’s. I used a very large one to resurface the ways of an old Bridgeport mill.
Wow first time seeing one of these, only ever heard of them. Thanks for sharing Richard. Really appreciate being shown this little gem.
Glad you enjoyed it Mariet 👍
I look forward to your expert teaching. . . OORAH!!!
I've only seen 2 shapers and only one worked, but it worked like a horse ! Love the video !
Kind Thanks for showing this Lovely well made and designed machine! DaveyJO in Pennsylvania
Got one when I’m stressed I go once over. Also a powered one similar size,great fun to use.
Fitter machinist by trade, never seen an hand shaper before, wow. Thanks for showing.
Nice one, glad you found it interesting 👍
Very cool. I have never seen one but would live to have one. Thanks for posting.
I just love this machine. Would love to have one. Beautiful engineering. ❤
Thanks for sharing.
What a nice piece of kit. There’s just something about older machinery. I used to own an old “Bakers” lathe, lovely machine but I couldn’t bring it with me when I moved, just didn’t have the space. I have seen and used more modern, electrically driven shapers but never seen a small hand operated one.
I love manual tools both wood and metalwork. You get such great feedback when you're hands on with the tools and you feel like you can take credit for the end result 👍
My dad had a Cincinnati shaper in his shop. You could really get the chips flying! (we had a plywood enclosure to keep them confined) Evidently, Cincinnati made them up to 1982. Much later than I ever expected.
Nice 👍 It's really impressive when you take a deep cut the the chips come off the end like blue hot bullets. You wouldn't want to be standing in front of it without a chip catcher!
I myself would like to see your progress in cleaning up this machining tool!! Too bad that these aren't still made today!
I have actually seen a treadle powered lathe, in a corner gathering dust in my cousin’s shed it was purchased new by our great grandfather about 110 years ago.
Cool to show off an older yet perfectly functional tool. I appreciate the RDR2 t-shirt as well.
Glad you recognised the shirt 👍
Very cool and useful tool. Congratulations!
Wow, never knew they was such a thing, I'd love one. Have a old zyto 1954 lathe that I returned. But I would love one of these. Subscribed too
Thanks, I've never heard of Zyto - thanks for the info, will go and check them out 👍
I have wanted one of these forever. Pipe dream would be to make one to match with my PM Tooling, or go full vintage.
You lucky man! Cowell's are still around and make good tools and accessories which are not too pricey.
I didn't know that, I will have to check them out - thanks 👍
I as a maker myself I never really enjoyed hand woodworking but I can clearly see myself hand metalworking!
It's a very satisfying process and good exercise 👍
That's an awersome little shaper.
As Tom mentioned the feed timing is out as it should be feeding the work across on the return stroke not when it is cutting... should be easy to sort by rotating something by 180 degrees...
You're spot on. In the video you can see me twiddling a small knob near the feed handle on the left side of the machine. This sets the feed left to right or right to left. I had it running left to right for the camera which meant the traverse happened during the cut. Ordinarily feeding right to left would have the traverse on the back stroke. Cheers 👍
Never knew they existed, never knew I wanted one! Quite easy to make an attachment for an electric motor to make it a very useful tool.
Nice. Used a power one years ago. Was aware of these little hand operated ones but have never seen one. Bet it becomes a really useful piece of kit
@@tomarmstrong1000 Thanks. I was lucky enough to use a full sized one in the 80s as an apprentice before the CNC days. I reckon it will come in handy for machining some new gib strips 👍
I am on my second hand shaper.
The first was an Adept. It had a 1/16" pitch thread on the vertical axis leadscrew so fitting a micrometer dial was not possible. It also did not have a feed so it had to go.
The second was a 'Perfecto'
The feed is good. It has micrometer dials. The table is a farce. As suppied the tool finishes some way over the table making a good portion of the table unusable. A previous owner has made a box section to fix between the table and bed. This really helps. The T slots do not accept nuts from clamping sets so some specials had to be made.
I have slotted screw heads and cut a rack on the 'Perfecto'.
One does not need to use a vice. A low profile clamp (see Harold Hall) will do fine.
Thanks for sharing your experiences, always good to hear first hand about other tools that are out there!
No, never heard of this. What a fascinating machine! Very well done video!
Glad you enjoyed it!
If I could find one I'd buy it in a heartbeat! It's BEAUTIFUL and it would FIT in my shop!!!
Wakodahatchee Chris
Alec Steele did a powered model steam hammer not that long ago and he did say these casting models are both very difficult and require a fair amount of experience to complete. It really makes you appreciate cast machines and the work that goes in to them to get them working well. I just wish I could get a fijished one because I would use it all the time
Yes, it takes real skill to finish one of these off from the castings, the chap that put this one together was a true craftsman 👍
I like it. Would like to get something like that. Good for when there is no power.
Going to watch more for your progress. Function over polish got the sub.
Cheers Darrel 👍
I would LOVE to find one of these!
I have one of these in my shop and it's a workout. Mines big enough I actually used it to resurface the head off my lawnmower after I decided to fix it up.
That's an excellent use for a shaper!
First time I've seen a hand operated shaper. I worked in a machine shop over summer vacations as a kid and would keep an eye on a whole row of big shapers as they did their thing. Later I even learned how to set them up. You don't see them in use much these days, but honestly they can do a fair bit of work with minimal oversight. Sharpening the bits is a bit of an art form though. When done well the chips come off in nice smooth curls and they stay sharp for a fairly long time. I never did learn to sharpen the cutters as well as the older machinists did.
Thanks for sharing your recollections 👍 The big shapers are hypnotic to watch and it's very satisfying to watch blue hot chips ping into the chip tray like bullets at the end of a stroke.
I'In my machinist career, I've worked in many shops where the old timers swore by how great a shaper is, but I never saw it being used. The last time I saw one, it was being used as a place to hang the extension cords.
Ah, a sad end for a fine machine.
That is really cool. I have never heard of a hand operated shaper before. I have seen the big shapers, but nothing small like this. I would love to get something like this for my workshop.
I only recently found out about them, a great tool if one doesn't have the space or funds for a mill 👍
i ran a shaper once in machine tech class. an almost useless skill , but lotsa fun! this thing is a beauty!
There is something really old skool about shapers, obsolete by many standards but wonderful tools to use 👍
@@rainbowboa100 No skill learned is ever useless my friend, just watching and running a shaper has a great cathartic effect, as well as an exercise in producing something useful. There are plenty who will be envious of your skill.
I spent 4 years taking Machine Shop in High School and although we had a power shaper in the shop I never heard of a hand shaper. Be the perfect tool for cleaning up keyways in small pulleys and sprockets or profiling gear teeth after building them up.
Dead handy for certain jobs 👍
Looks like a great functional exercise machine, I’ve seen some Swiss German ones in the past
1:25
You’re quite right about the kit set. I have a copy of Bradley’s ‘The Amateur’s Workshop’ and he makes reference there to the Cowell kit that ‘can be completed in a 3 1/2 in. lathe’.
Cowell kits are mentioned quite often in this book, it seems they also did a range of drill presses at least.
Nice wee bit of kit!
Nice one, I'll have to keep an eye out for a copy 👍
@@radboogie
Yeah, I’ve got the 1970 reprint of the original 50s one. Interesting read, some good info, but a lot of outdated stuff as well (even by 1970s criteria), i.e a lot of powered stuff based on re-purposed war surplus kit. And a lot of anecdotal ‘humble brags’. My copy is published by Model & Allied Publications so I surmise it was reprinted for the Model Engineering guys.
@@RB-qq1ky I just found a copy on eBay, it'll be here for the weekend 👍
@@radboogie
Just checking in to see what you think of the book?
I wish I could find a little one like this. The place I worked at had a couple big ones in the boneyard and one in the machine shop. It was used rarely but still available when needed. Electric motor and a 4 speed transmission from the 40's drove it. Sadly, they all went to scrap when the place was bought out. I did save a giant old drill press though.
Nice! They sometimes come up on facebook marketplace or eBay.
They are around, you just have to keep looking. Good luck.
Thanks for showing us this. Time to build my own and toss a motor at it with the power stroke mechanism implemented, like in a motorized one~
That would be a cool project!
I’m also a home-shop machinist, and this is so cool! On your next video could you post any details about manufacturers that you know of who made these? Awesome!
Sure thing, I'm hoping to get permission to share a few photos from someone for the next part👍
Congratulations on your acquisition, I have a Rapid Lime hand shaper 14x7" cut, well over a hundred years old now. Your shaper is a copy of it with a few alterations to keep 'copyright' at bay!
Thanks for the info about the Rapid Lime I really appreciate people taking the time to add to the knowledge of these fascinating machines! I had a look at the Rapid Lime and like the fact that the hand lever has three positions giving different stroke lengths and different leverage. I might have to adapt mine to do the same 👍
Back in the mid 1970s I made a pair of car quarter vent window rubber seal dies, left and right hand, for a rubber moulding company, who also made vehicle tyres. The curved parts were made from a turned, stepped ring cut into sections. The straight sections were made from rectangular flat bar on a trusty old shaper, with hand made form tools. The material was mild steel.
Cheers Mike, proper engineering 👍
@@radboogie Takes one to know one, cheers.
We had these in Romania, but much much bigger than what you are showing here.
Used to use a full sized one of these in my first job , we called it a nibbler
I want that shaper, and I want thay shirt lol. Looking forward to the restoration videos
That is a cool piece of gear! I don't think I've seen that one before. Looks useful!
Definitely a great compliment to my mini lathe 👍
Those were very popular in Brazil, not as much as the full sized planners, but they were popular enough to be named after the function they had in workshops here, speeding up hand filling operations, they're known as File-planners, "Plaina Limadora"
Great information - thanks for sharing 👍
Which came first, these little guys or the multi-ton monsters I knew about. Yep...this is an antique I need to find.
First ever machine they always started a trainee on was a shaper , luckily my teacher didn’t know about this as they loved us doing anything manually
Holy shit, a hand-powered shaper! Thats awesome!
Oh, that reminds me of the tools used to cut reflective Rowland gratings into surfaces
Yeah, a grating ruling machine. There was a pair of articles in the Amateur Scientist back in the day that described making one with an interferometer to maintain the line spacing.
That is a very nice piece of machinery. I would not paint it, but the choice is yours.
That's amazing and I have a very powerful need.
I picked up a kit recently. It goes by "Strong Arm Shaper". It's been super fun so far. I only have the head done. Don't know why, but I started with the clapper.
I completed a similar die filer kit a while ago. Also an interesting build and a lot of fun. And useful. I didn't expect it to be used as much as it has been.
If you are into metalworking and have some equipment already, you can build more tools.
I just looked them up - that's a lovely looking machine when built 👍 So great to see that these are still being made!
That was a very cool tool. Thank you for sharing.
That’s soooo cute. A baby 👶 shaper. 😂 I have many hours on a 48” shaper building heading dies. BTW you don’t need to hold down the clapper. You’re back dragging the tool, possibly breaking off the cutting edge. Plus, high-speed makes a better tool with a chip breaker ground into it.
48" stroke, that's a mighty shaper! The clapper on mine is partially seized so I put my finger on it just to be able to demonstrate it, will be restoring it in an upcoming video 👍
I worked on one in 1969 at Fodens Ltd. It was about 10ft long. Beautiful sound when it was running. Like a grandfather clock. Sadly missed
Nice, something therapeutic about watching a power shaper. Like the mechanism of a steam locomotive 👍
Coolest hand tool I've ever seen!