Adam, three things come to mind from my past with one of these machines. First I would suggest you change your cutting edge approach angle as it relates to the work. You have an angle on your toolbit like it was a lathe tool. If you grind it more like a planer tool leaving that tapered rake out of it. Make your bit square with only about 2 degrees clearance under the cutting edge. Put 3-4 under the tip and about 8 on the top. Maintain a square profile without that raked taper.. That will keep the impact on start of cut more linear with the ram and avoid the desire to shift the clapper box to the side. Second... back the day we mounted a glass reservoir drip oiler on the ram and plumbed a soft copper tube over the cutting bit shank right where you keep dripping oil. Set it so it drips about once every 10 seconds or so... We used to use heavy black thread cutting oil in it like you would use for threading gas pipe. The oil is important when hogging to prevent chip weld on the cutting edge. On big projects we would take a gob of moly grease and mix it in the cutting oil. Third. Since you don't have a tool lift actuator on the clapper box the tool pivot pin takes a bit of a beating. You'll want to take a look and do what you can to eliminate any play from the clapper and pin. The more rigid you can get that fit the better your surface finish will be. hope that helps. ~Bill
If someone forced me to give an answer, I seriously couldn't honestly tell them why watching close-ups of one machine scraping off steel pieces from a bigger block so fascinating, in fact it's more than that, it's kind of peaceful watching it. Keep up your good work on any of your machining projects you've got going, these shaper videos are very interesting. And I enjoy how these machines work from the inside, I spent my entire life repairing similar kinds of equipment.
The one thing you didn't mention about what and why you are doing the tweaking on the shaper cutters and going through the shaper itself is not only your thirst to learn as much as you can about the shaper and the tooling used but it is also your passion to share and teach what you have learned and continue to learn. That my friend is magical in itself. When you can inspire and bring a smile to an old woodworker like me, that is special. I do understand sharpening and grinding the angles to get the best cut. It is magic when you hit the sweet spot.
“Hope you’re not getting bored with the shaper” Adam, I think as long as you’re making chip and showing us the shop life I’m happy. You know, just listening to the pass at 800, with the 20 degree, it sounds smoother than in the previous video cuts. I’m enjoying the vids, keep on doing you sir!
Anyone who doesn’t like being able to do anything but plug and play will never enjoy the joy of breaking down old iron and fixing it to the build quality it once was. Old iron is the best iron. Thank you for that content, and please, continue making old iron videos
Hey brother. I'm a machinist at a medical shop. Over the past 10 years I've worked in the oilfield and defense industry. I just wanted to drop a line and tell you how much love your channel. I always learn something from every video. Thank you so much for the great content. Keep up the. Good work. -jimmy
I don't know who these people are that don't like to see someone buy an old tool, repair it, and teach themselves to use it properly, but I sure don't want them next to me in the shop. You keep going Abom; we love it.
Your explanation of the Shaper project is exactly what I enjoy about your videos. You and Me, Yes this what good machine work was meant to be, Keep on Keeping on. Never Tired of anything you put on RU-vid.
Don't worry about any snide comments Adam, you're videos are awesome ,a man doing what he loves and sharing it with others , absolutely fantastic. Haters going to hate , shaper's going to shape!
Wasting material!?! That's like saying you're wasting gas when you're learning how to drive. Or you're wasting gas/electric when you're learning how to cook/bake. You're learning/practicing how to use the shaper. What a crazy thing to say. If you were wasting the material, not dialing in your technique/feeds/speeds, and not recycling the chips, maybe they could say something about it... But they've got no right to tell you that you can't practice/learn. You're the man, Adam! I love the direction of the channel! Keep up the good work.
I agree with ya 100% . I think the shaper is better then new. The best part I think is taking it apart to understand how it works and function. Great videos and thanks for bringing us along on your journey.
Holy cow, that set of micrometers is incredible! I have seen a few sets around but they are always missing something.... your set is really beautiful and complete!
Getting too bored of all your G & E Shaper episodes?? HELL NO! Adam. Not in the slightest. You just keep 'em coming, and we'll just keep soaking them up. 👍👍 Appreciate ALL your postings. As always, hope all good in your world. Best wishes, Mark Pearce (UK)
man, you are a rare breed these days. You're a hard worker, honest, but also passionate about your trade. that's awesome and refreshing. you do some great work at the home shop, the works shop, and great videos. thank you for sharing your knowledge and cool projects. take care, jamie from canada
Thanks for a great SNS! Part of buying equipment like the shaper is the journey of bringing stuff back to usable condition and learning how to get the quirks out of it, I’ve seen people put up with problems with equipment there whole life just because they didn’t take the time to learn what makes it click. Thanks for taking us along!
hi learning how to use your tools is never a waste of time or stock that how we all learn i am a baker trying to learn to machine as a hobby building steam engines for fun learned a lot from your vids and Keith fenner keep them coming thanks Steve from the u.k.
Adam, PLEASE get yourself a leather apron to wear when you're using the 7" grinder to rough in tools. all it takes is a defect in the wheel and it's coming apart. You can get one on ebay for about $30 shipped. Mighty impressive those 3/4" cuts. MoMax worked much better Jeff
That smile on your face when you say you're going to take a heavier cut says it all about how much you enjoy this stuff! Keep it coming good sir, Love the videos
I know from watching you that you are excellent at what you do. My 2 cents is this: Notice on your last cuts that you have all the heat from the cut going into the chip. You have a full blue color. That is exactly what you want on a shaper. It will definitely increase your tool life. When I apprenticed (Which was long before you were born, LoL) the shaper was one of my favorite machines. I used a 36" Cincinnati for years. One of the things about the Cincinnati was that it had a linkage from the clapper box to a friction block with hardwood in it to raise the box and prevent the tool dragging on the back stroke. It's amazing what can actually be done on a shaper when you think about the possible setups. I really am enjoying your videos. Keep up the good work my friend.
Abom, I have been subscribed to your channel for a little over a year. I haven't been dissapointed. I am not a machinist. I am an electronics technician. But I do enjoy watching what can be made and done with a piece of steel, mill & lathe. I learn something knew every video. Keep up the great work shipmate. I am loving the shaper video's. You show what a machinist needs to do just not making things.
I would say that the best way to understand a machine and it's idiosyncracies is to do as you have done and that is to get down and get dirty with it, most interesting Adam, 10/10.
Getting to know the shaper and fixing what's wrong or missing is exactly the right way and I couldn't agree with you more. I had to take mine apart completely so it would fit through the door - and I am glad I did it because that gave me the opportunity to look at all its little intricacies and details. Shapers are unfortunately largely forgotten about - but I find it alot of fun to self-teach me into operating it and discovering little tricks to get you around tight corners. Shapers are wonderful tools and they deserve to play a much bigger role than they actually do. I wouldnt trade one for a mill, never!
People who express negative sentiments on the state of your shaper , reveal their own ignorance . There is nothing more satifying in the long term, than restoring old machines. Thanks Adam
Howdy Adam, You are probably correct about the backlash in the table. If you notice the video when you are at full depth on the cut, there is a definite "bump" in the image when the tool makes contact with the work.
For all the People complaining about the Condition the shaper was in: The K&T also was bought not properly running and Look at that thing now!!! Every machine is in sure Safe Hand when Abom owns it ;) stoked on more content Adam!!
Reconditioning a new-to-you machine is the first step of enjoying a machine purchase. All my machines have been bought used, I rebuilt all of them. It’s all part of the process I love. And you learn invaluable information about a machine that you wouldn’t otherwise learn if you just plug it in and go.
Not only will there be something wrong with it, but fixing it is the fun part and the learning about the machine part. I don't even own a shaper and know I know a lot about how one works and what makes it work. Good resto job! Thanks.
Most excellent. I enjoy videos about the "new" metal shaper because they are so different. I've seen a lot of lathe work and a lot of mill work, but shaping, that's all new to me. I guess I just like old historical tools. Can't wait for the next edition.
For those complaining about wasting material, how do you learn about a new machine...on the actual work piece ??? Keep up the good work, absolutely fascinating.
Just want to start by saying Thank you for your video's. For those people that make negative comment on what you are doing. Adam don't worry about them, it's more about them than it is about you. Keep on keeping on. Thanks again.
Those cuts are starting to look pretty nice imo Ada, youre right there, the machine sounds and looks happy too. Amazing how those different tool steels hold an edge, as little relief and as much 'cutting' rake as you can get away with is surely the way to go for heavy cuts in mild steel. Im not sure if that block youve got behind the tool is doing anything for you, perhaps try it in front, getting the cutting edge closer to the clapper is good juju. Maybe you could indicate for movement whilst in the cut too, just to see if you find anything worth. I dunno whats up with the guys saying the 'shame you had to work on it' stuff. Overall it looks in great shape with the scraping still visible on the ram etc. Getting in there and sorting the last little niggly bits is a total joy to my mind, proper satisfying whilst learning to better understand the machine. Positive wave sent from the UK :)
I'm right there with ya about taking things apart, learning how it works, and fixing whatever regardless. All the people saying it's a shame it took some elbow grease to get the shaper into a better state, congrats. You're the other side apart from corporate greed as to why we now have to fight for what our forefathers took for granted - fixing and modifying their own property. Companies literally bank off people getting lazy and not wanting to go through the process of a teardown even if only to clean and run basic maintenance.
Thank you so much for teaching all of us who are interested in this ! I saved a G&E shaper from going to the scrap yard.. I’m learning how to run it now thanks to you!
wow... that is just awesome. the 0-12 micrometers is just awesome. the box alone tells a story. and then the mic's them selves add to that. LOVE old tools. you can tell alot about a machinist by their tools. where they come from, who they worked for in some cases and what they did. love this stuff!
I never truly appreciated shapers and their versatility until I watched your videos and learned quite a bit from you. Now I want a smaller one really badly, they are so awesome!
For $200 I could make awesome lamps out of those! 52 years as a high end job shop worker and still tool poor! 71 this year and I still miss it! I remember one of my first jobs roughing out gauge plates on the 24 shaper. Mesmerizing
One of my favorite comments is always "What do you need that machine for". Pretty sure those Starrett mics are more 70's or 80's. The old frames were round hole not oval and the frictions were chrome not black. Major score!
Try putting the tool directly against the clapper and your spacer on top of the tool. That will reduce tool point deflection and should help with the chatter at the entry to the cut. Ideally the cutting face would be behind the face of the clapper. That is why the forged gooseneck tools were made.
Amazing videos Abom. You are a real nice guy also. You could smile a little more; it suits you. Keep your head together and don't let youtube totally run your live (it sneaks up to you)
I wouldn't be uptight either about having to make minor repairs on a 50 year old piece of good quality machinery. I have a 2 year old import lathe that has needed fairly major repairs and could still use some tweaking. I think your shaper is a very cool piece of equipment, reminds me of the (smaller) shaper I ran in high school metal shop.
I think it's awesome that you're saving another piece of heavy iron not everybody would take the time to save this thing they usually scrap them God bless you for doing a job that most people hate
Adam I feel the same way and I get great satisfaction from improving my tools even if the work I'm doing isn't imperative to operation. I think it's more about tuning the machine to my liking. It's actually very relaxing and time can really fly by!
will done on your you tube video i do enjoy but its nice someone using shaper i have don`t see one or used one since i was apprentice i am now 58 and live in Bristol in the UK this seem like a forgot bit of kit. last i used one was to rough out keys like gib head and feather key s in my first year of apprenticeship i was show how used one a great m/c for roughing out +it nice to see one grinding up tools keep it up
CNC is boring. I never tire of watching good shaper videos. There are 1000's of lathe and mill videos but not many of shaper and grinding. Adam it is my opinion you made a good choice in the production of shaper videos. Thanks as always for sharing your time with us.
Nice mic set Adam. That is the newer style frames with the oblong holes. The earlier 436 large mics had round holes. Which I like better. ( Have no idea when they changed the frames) but I would not throw that set out especially for that price. You did well.
You make very Quality content ! So don’t bother with those who talk but never do. Anyone who has worked with that type of equipment realizes it needs maintenance and needs maintained. That’s the reason we have a world full of CNC people who have no idea how to actually run a machine keep it in top condition. Experience with the total picture will be appreciated great content great video.
Hey Adam. Don’t listen to those idiots! Maintenance is key, especially on machinery like this. That is how you keep things going smoothly for a long time and you don’t have a catastrophic failure down the line. You don’t buy a used car and expect it to be perfect all the way around.
atom , I have a 14 inch tool room G&E I got from a plant that had 30 coats of paint thank you for sharing the tare down I had to strip all the paint off I'm half finished I have a issue with the step over dile I need to learn more I have a lot of cleaning they painted the ways that protected the machine
Hi Adam - just keep going, it’s your shaper. I’m glad you take the time to restore it and fix it up right. And to the snooty folks out there; it’s a mechanical device; it’s got moving parts - they’re going to wear out eventually! It’s good that the shaper was in as good a condition as it was; it speaks to the pride and craftsmanship of the G&E folks who built it to do a job and keep on ticking! If you think you can run even a finely made German automobile for 25 years or so without maintainence, go right ahead and try! Meanwhile, I’ll keep up with my trusty ol’ Ford F-150 pick-em-up truck and scheduled maintainence and watch it tick over 200,000 miles or so, as I pass your broken-down car on the side of the road. If you take care of well-built equipment, it’ll take care of you. Treat it like cr*p, and Mr. Bozo will visit your shop! 😎
LOVING the shaper vids!! (But you already knew that from my previous comments) I went through the same process when I got my first one, and believe that a lot can be learned from hss/tool shape use on the shaper. You mentioned your gibs in a previous video; you might consider checking play in the ram with an indicator to see how much side-side movement it currently has. My first shaper (14"G&E) was much older/worn and would hop-chatter in some cuts until I adjusted the gibs tighter (not too much, there is a "just right"). There's more I could say, but keep up the great work. Thanks!
Adam: Don't know if this makes much difference on edge durability, but I keep the overstroke on the back end very short so the ram has not accelerated up to stroke speed yet when the tool hits the cut.Great video....Dave
Dave, been going off the books but I learned to keep it at least an inch to allow time for downfeed. I’m going to play with different grinds once I get it back together.
I see no difference in buying an old rust bucket car and restoring it than buying a machine. Its the enjoyment in accomplishing the task. I like refurbishing old farm equipment. You do great work, keep at it.
