FILENAMES:

shaper00.jpg
shaper01.jpg
shaper02.jpg
shaper03.jpg
shaper04.jpg
shaper05.jpg
shaper06.jpg
shaper07.jpg
shaper08.jpg
shaper09.jpg
shaper10.jpg
shaper11.jpg

DESCRIPTION:

These are photos of shaper tool bits and usage. Posted by Bucky 
Goldstein <bg@netcare.lucent.com>. Bucky provided the following 
description:

=================================================================

These are pictures not of a shaper, but of a couple of shaper
tools, their setup on the machine, the kind of cut they take, and
the kind of chip they produce.  The tools are a general-purpose
left-cutting bit, and a smaller finishing bit.  

There's been some misunderstanding of the kind of finishing
cutter I've been messing with lately.  People are thinking of a
straight-edged bit with the edge perpendicular to the direction
of travel.  I'm using a bit with a curved edge oriented 25
degrees from the stroke.  These pictures will make all clear.  

TEXT

	shaper00.jpg: This is the general purpose / roughing cutter.
	It's a 3/8" x 3/4" high speed steel bit, 4" long.  It's
	ground to about the same shape as a knife tool for the lathe.
	Clearance and rake angles are about 8 degrees everywhere.
	Great tool, can take heavy cuts without chattering even on a
	lightweight shaper.  

	shaper01.jpg: This is a finishing bit, pretty much as
	described in Moltrecht V. II, p. 14.  This is the cutter
	shown at C in the drawing on that page.  If you look it up,
	note that the end-on drawing in the figure is wrong: it shows
	the angle going backwards.  In this photograph, the side of
	the cutter that's on top is actually the front.  The edge is
	curved, and gets pushed through the work at an angle.  The
	angle that's ground in is about 25 degrees, as specified by
	Moltrecht.  
	shaper02.jpg: This is another view of the finishing cutter.  

	shaper03.jpg: This is the large tool mounted on the shaper,
	ready to take a cut.  The slight angle at which it's mounted
	allows a somewhat deeper cut, just as it would on the lathe.  

	shaper04.jpg: These are chips made by the large tool.  Depth
        of cut was small, about .025".  The chips come off hard,
	sharp, hot and brittle.  The work is O-1 tool steel.  

	shaper05.jpg: Here's the finishing cutter ready to go.  This
	shot gives a better view of the curved edge and the angle at
	which it meets the work.  The cutter is mounted vertically,
	with little or no angle.  We are standing in front of the
	shaper, a little to the left, looking at the left hand side
	of the bit, which will feed from right to left.  

	shaper06.jpg: This is the same setup, but now we've moved to
	the right.  You can see the curved edge and hte angle at
	which it shears through the work.  (This photo makes it look
	as if I don't have enough front clearance on the blade.
	Turns out that that was the case.  After a regrind, things
	went much better.  It's a little hard to judge the angles
	when the cutting face is 25 degrees away from usual.)  

	shaper07.jpg: Same setup again, looking directly from the
	front.  Notice that only a small part of the edge actually
	touches the work.  This cutter is for light work: Moltrecht
	recommends .001" to .003" depth of cut.  

	shaper08.jpg: Chips from the finishing cutter, about .004"
	depth of cut and .004" feed per stroke.  

	shaper09.jpg: More chips from the finishing bit, this time
	with about .002" depth of cut and .002" feed per stroke.
	These things are fine: a pile of them looks like Brillo.
	(Careful: sharp.)  

	shaper10.jpg: Chips, same depth of cut, .006" feed per
	stroke.  

	shaper11.jpg: This is a chip coming off the work.  I think
	that this picture gives the best idea of how the finishing
	bit cuts.  It's not at all hard to take .001" off the work
	with this bit.