I recently acquired one of these gems as well...Have not used a shaper in a coons age but the principle is wickedly simple.
I am going to set it up to do internal a 4 mm key way I have these hubs for tools I make and the bore ranges from .467 to .900
The key ways are cut on a 5* taper so there is that. It is between 1.375 to 1.500 length of cut.
My quandary is trying to make a tool holder that will hold my cutter that will have the strength to make these cuts in the smallest of the bores and yet be able to do this efficiently.
I currently use a broach and an arbor press but I am growing tired of this process as this job should run for about 10-15 more years for me, then I can pass the torch to the next individual to make the tools
So any thoughts or experiences on making a tool that will work?
4 mm square key way.
I have thought about just welding it to a bar or square stock but on the smaller bores there just will not be much room for chips.
The smallest of the bores is not the most popular so I may just broach those and use the machine for the higher volume parts.
The machine came with a tool already and it was for what you ask?, a .150 wide key way AND it is long enough to do the job, but with relief already ground it is not wide enough to get the key cut without moving it over to going to depth a second time. Dang so close...lol
Goal is to load part, start machine, adjusting the tool head while running to get the proper depth of cut.
With so little experience using the machine and the types of tooling that can be used it is kind of like writers block. I guess I have to go back to the beginning and look at it this way..
Highly unlikely I will or could break this machine being that I am machining aluminum, so I will just copy what is on it, but a tad bigger to allow me to cut the 4 mm key and if it does not hold I will have succeeded in proving one tool that won't work and try something else..