Shaper tool head assembly

A shaper is a machine tool which holds and locates a workpiece on a table and machines or cuts the workpiece by feeding it against a reciprocating cutting tool. In other words, the ram of the shaper moves a single point cutting tool back-and-forth, and on each forward stroke, the tool removes a chip of metal from the workpiece. The workpiece is held in the vise of the shaper or secured to the table of the shaper with clamps, T-bolts, etc. When horizontal surfaces are being machined, the table automatically feeds the work to the cutting tool on each return stroke of the ram. When vertical cuts are being made, the work is fed to the cutting tool on each return stroke of the ram either manually or automatically. The cutting tool on a shaper can be set to cut horizontally, on an angle, or vertically. Shaper size is determined by the largest cube which can be machined on the shaper. A 14" shaper can machine a cube 14" x 14" x 14"; a 300 mm shaper can machine a cube 300 mm x 300 mm x 300 mm, and so forth. Types of Shapers There are three types of shapers: • crank shapers • gear shapers • hydraulic shapers