What a spindle shaper is
A stationary machine with a vertical spindle rising through its table. Cutters are bored to fit the spindle and stacked on it with spacers and rub collars under a nut; a fence guides straight work and a collar guides curved work. Laguna's manual for its industrial machine lists interchangeable spindles of 30, 40 and 50 mm for tooling made to the EN 847 standard, spindle speeds of 3,000 to 10,000 rpm on five pulley steps, a spindle that tilts on some models, and a forward/reverse switch.
Shaper or table-mounted router
| Feature | Shaper (Laguna's manual) | Table-mounted router (Bosch 1617EVS, RA1181) |
|---|---|---|
| Holds the cutter | Interchangeable spindles, 30, 40 or 50 mm | A collet: 1/4, 3/8, 1/2 in or 8 mm |
| Speed | 3,000–10,000 rpm on five pulley steps | 8,000–25,000 rpm on a dial |
| Direction | Forward or reverse, set by a switch | One direction; feed right to left |
| Tooling | Cutters mounted on the spindle with collars | Router bits with shanks; some Laguna models also take router bits to 38 mm |
| Guarding | Cage or adjustable guard (OSHA); a power feed often the best guard for straight work (Laguna) | Overhead guard and featherboards (Bosch) |
One maker's machine on each side. Speeds and spindle sizes differ between models.
A table-mounted router does edge profiles, joints and small-part work with bits that have shanks; a shaper takes cutters that mount on the spindle, at lower speeds, and Laguna's guarding advice for straight work centres on a power feed. Freud draws one line for routers: bits over 1-1/2 in diameter only with the router mounted in a table. Router tables are covered in router tables.
Equipment notePaid link
Benchtop router table
Bosch RA1181
The table-mounted router this section compares with a shaper: Bosch's RA1181 benchtop router table, with its overhead guard and featherboards.
Paid link — BenchRoot may earn a commission if you buy through this link.
Speed and direction
Laguna's manual says the safe spindle speed depends on the spindle's diameter and usable length, the length of the cut and the cutter's diameter, gives charts for choosing it, and tells the operator to check the speed setting before every cut and that it suits the tooling. Because the spindle runs either way, it also says the tooling must be fitted to turn in the correct direction, and the work fed against the direction of rotation. Check the rotation set against the cutter before starting. Router speeds, for comparison, are in the speed chart.
Guarding
OSHA's woodworking standard, 29 CFR 1910.213(m)(1), requires the cutting heads of every hand-fed shaper to be enclosed with a cage or adjustable guard designed to keep the operator's hand away from the cutting edge, with a circular guard no smaller in diameter than the largest cutter, and it rules out a warning device of leather or other material on the spindle as a substitute. Laguna's manual adds that no one type of safeguard suits every job: each operation is considered on its own and the best practicable guard chosen, enclosing the cutters as far as the work allows.
- Power feed where possible; Laguna says a feed unit with a straight fence often gives the best guarding on its machine.
- Push stick with the guard when hand-feeding along the fence.
- A false fence to close the gap around the cutter, and table rings to close the hole in the table.
- Rub collars: the cutter below the collar wherever possible.
- Stopped work: end stops to prevent kickback, and the fence moved onto the cutter by its screw adjustment, not by hand.
- Long work: roller stands or extension tables.
Safety— Training first
Laguna's manual makes training a requirement: the machine's dangers, setting the fence, jigs and guards, choosing tools, and where the hands go. A shaper is not a first machine to learn on alone.
Dust and upkeep
Laguna says the dust collection system is to be used during machining and switched on before the cut starts. OSHA's standard requires knives and cutting heads to be kept sharp, properly adjusted and firmly secured. The router family the shaper sits beside is in the router guide; cutting profiles with router bits instead is in router bits.
Before switching on a shaper
- Cutter mounted for the rotation set; nut tight
- Speed set for the spindle, cutter diameter and cut, as the manual's chart gives
- Guard or cage enclosing the cutter as far as the work allows
- Fence, false fence and table rings closing the gaps
- Power feed or push stick ready; stops set for stopped work
- Dust extraction running
Sources
Laguna's manual is for its industrial 5 HP single-phase shaper, cited from a copy hosted by a Laguna dealer; other shapers have other spindles, speeds and guards, and their manuals govern. OSHA's standard binds employers; it is cited here for what it requires of shaper guarding.
- 1.
Industrial Shaper 5HP 1-Phase Manual, Part No. MSHAPS45T-5-0167 (copy hosted by a Laguna dealer). Laguna Tools, 2015.
Used for: Interchangeable 30, 40 and 50 mm spindles for EN 847 tooling; five spindle speeds from 3,000 to 10,000 rpm; a forward/reverse switch; spindle tilt on some models and router bits to 38 mm on some; feeding against the spindle's rotation; checking the speed for the tooling; the cutter below the collar wherever possible; no one safeguard effective for all work, guarding enclosing the cutters as far as the operation allows, and a power feed often the best guard for straight work; push sticks with the guard, false fences, table rings, extension supports, end stops for stopped work; operator training; dust extraction on before machining.
- 2.
29 CFR 1910.213, Woodworking machinery requirements. U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Used for: Paragraph (m)(1): cutting heads of hand-fed shapers enclosed by a cage or adjustable guard keeping the hand from the cutting edge; a circular guard no smaller than the largest cutter diameter; no warning device of leather or other material on the spindle. (m)(3): a start-stop device for each spindle of a double-spindle shaper. (s)(2): knives and cutting heads kept sharp, adjusted and secured.
- 3.
1617EVS 2.25 HP Electronic Fixed-Base Router. Bosch.
Used for: A full-size router's published speed range, 8,000–25,000 rpm, and its collets.
- 4.
RA1181 Benchtop Router Table Operating/Safety Instructions. Bosch, 2010.
Used for: A router table's overhead guard, featherboards and feed rule, for comparison.
- 5.
Premier Adjustable Rail and Stile System (instructions poster). Freud.
Used for: Bits over 1-1/2 in diameter only with the router mounted in a table.
About this guide
Written by BenchRoot Editorial. How BenchRoot sources, checks and corrects its pages is set out in the Editorial Policy. If something here is wrong or unclear, the contact page explains how to tell us.