Cute Little Shaper in MN With Option to Ship for 150

cjtoombs

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This is a neat looking little shaper, maker and vintage unknown. I've never seen one like this one, with the right angle drive. Looks to be a 6 or 7" shaper, must be pretty small if they can afford to ship it for 150. Might be of interest to someone who's been wanting one of these but lives in an area where they're hard to find.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/192902824493?ul_noapp=true
 
For posterity and for comparison, I will post pictures of the shaper in question. Based on a comparison with the Rhodes shaper linked above, this is not a Rhodes. The main casting and table are different, the drive is a unique worm gear right angle type I've never seen before, not a standard geared drive. The ram has dovetail ways, not flat ways. The vertical table feed is on the opposite side of the machine and the ratchet feed mechanism is different. Again, I've been studying, buying and using shapers for about 10 years now, and this is one I've never seen. Back in the day there were a lot of different companies making shapers. Also, back when there was an iron foundry in every town big enough to have a theater an enterprising tinkerer with access to machines to build it could have designed and built a shaper like this, which would lead to some one of a kind items. I would like to know its providence, but that's not likely to happen.

s-l1600 (1).jpgs-l1600 (2).jpgs-l1600 (3).jpgs-l1600 (4).jpgs-l1600 (5).jpgs-l1600 (6).jpg
 
I would love to have a shaper in my shop. thinking of bidding being its only a couple hours drive. The pitfalls of no info on this one scares me a bit though.
 
Could it be a home built? Gingery has plans for a shaper, there is some similarity and someone really talented could have spiffed it up.

 
It's an odd duck, that's for sure.

The " no info" part isn't necessarily all bad -- I have very little information on my Peerless shaper either but that doesn't affect its usefulness. A few things on this one though that might not be that great are a really short dovetail surface for the tool slide, only one side of the slide ways for the ram seems to be adjustable or moveable, and the table looks it only has one centre T-slot so fitting attachments or different vise orientations could be challenging. No foot or leg underneath the table either. But it would probably be a lot of fun to fool with if the price was right.

-frank
 
It's an odd duck, that's for sure.

The " no info" part isn't necessarily all bad -- I have very little information on my Peerless shaper either but that doesn't affect its usefulness. A few things on this one though that might not be that great are a really short dovetail surface for the tool slide, only one side of the slide ways for the ram seems to be adjustable or moveable, and the table looks it only has one centre T-slot so fitting attachments or different vise orientations could be challenging. No foot or leg underneath the table either. But it would probably be a lot of fun to fool with if the price was right.

-frank

The short dovetail on the tool slide is normal for a shaper this size, and about proportionate to a larger shaper. The adjustment on only one side of the ram dovetail is also normal, you only need an adjustment on one side. Lack of a table support and what looks to be just a slot, not a t slot in the table is a bit limiting, but one could make a fixture plate for it with tapped holes or t slots if that became an issue. Most (but not all) of the work I've done on my shapers has been with the vise.
 
Oh Boy am I gald I don't have any more room in my shop, and have no need for a shaper, that is a beauty. For the price shiipped it would be most welcome.
 
I am watching it intently...…….. I was planning on building the Gingery one using aluminum plate instead of castings or the steel version by Marsh Collins that was published in Home Shop Machinist. I have the Gingery book and a copy of the Collins article, but wonder about the real life use of both machines.
 
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