Looking for information on Grizzley 1-1/2hp shaper. I am looking at purchasing one but there is no dealer near me so I am looking for comments about this product from someone who has recently purchased one. Also considering the Jet JWS22cs, 1-1/2hp unit. Both have about the same specifications but there is about $200 differerence in price. I have been using and old Sear’s shaper for the past 30 years. Would like to hear all your comments.
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Replies
I have a friend that has a grizzly and it has not held up very well. I think I would go with the Jet if I were you.
Most of the issues he has relate to the elevation having considerable slop and the motor seems to eat capacitors (three in four years).
Joe
I have the Jet. I wish I had the Grizzley. I needed to do a lot of adjusting and work on the Jet to get it working and it seems underpowered. If I had it all to do over again, I would buy the bigger hp Grizzley and then I wouldn't have to slow down so much when pushing hard maple thru my shaper. Going too slow causes the maple to burn which adds lots of hours to the project..
It's funny I came to grizzley products thru the back door.. that is I bought what I thought were quality brands and was really disappointed with them. I bought grizzley out of frustration with Delta and Jet. I'm very glad I did..
really disproves the old addage that you get what you pay for.. But then Consumers Report disproves that old addage every issue!
Edited 3/24/2003 7:29:25 PM ET by frenchy
I've recently bought the grizzly. What i've discovered is that its a good deal if you want to use it as a large router table. This machine is not big enough to handle a lot of hard work with big cutters, but i guess if you 've been using the craftsman for a long time this would be a big step up. If you are planning on doing a lot of say cope and stick work, and big panel raising you might think even bigger, but as i've heard from a lot of woodworkers the shaper is dangerous. Its the one machine that i have a power feeder on. Just watch the kick back and make good sturdy jigs if you are feeding say the end cope on a rail and stile door. Thats when things get sucked in. The bigger the HP on the machine the more momentum the machine has. You might have been able to manhandle the 3/4 hp motor on the craftsman, but 1 1/2 HP griz is bigger, and 2 or 3 would be better for big stuff.
Could you tell me more? I'm seriously considering buying a bigger Grizzley to handle all of the hardwood I'm gonna use on my floor. Hard maple is tough on tools and If I need to add a feeder how large will it need to be? I'm not a fan of danger and the Jet has been a gentle (prospero won't let me say the p word) cat but too small to be really effective on the larger stuff.
How large would you suggest I get and what size feeder should I consider?
Edited 3/26/2003 9:59:06 AM ET by frenchy
I don't know how tough feeding flooring past a cutter would be. It seems that the profiles on tounge and groove aren't that big. You might get someone with more experience to answer the question diffentively, but if it were for just my floor, not production, i might get away with the 1 1/2 hp cheapy. This is the one i have for my flooring project that i haven't started yet. I could let you know how it goes here shortly. The big thing on the shaper i suppose is the size of the profile, and how you plan on feeding it. Router tables handle putting a profile on the edge of a board fairly well, so you can tell that doesn't take much energy, but big profiles taking heavy cuts are where a shaper is superior to a router. You should be able to send a panel through a raised panel cutter in one pass, unlike a router which would take 3. I bought the delta baby power feeder for $300. It isn't much, and i've been told not very effective, but i felt it would keep my hands away from the machine, and it does. I think the real dagerous part is when you run end grain through the shaper. that is when you want a real heavy jig to keep it from sucking the stick, and your fingers into the shaper. If money is not an issue buy the 3 HP shaper with a bigger 4 wheel feeder, something like a 1 HP. Otherwise 1 1/2 hp shaper with baby feeder is a step up. The other aspect is the cost/quality of the cutters. I bought cheap-o grizzly cutters cause the offered a true flooring cutter, with the tounge off center, and not a wedge. I don't expect these cutters to stay sharp very long, or be very nice, but for the money the should get my floor done. Hey, after i'm done you can buy them from me!
I jointed all of the boards first to ensure they were straight. Then ran them all thru the planner.
The sub flooring which was eastern white pine 2 inches thick, I then shoved past the shaper and put a groove into it to spline the boards together. that was easy.
I never felt my fingers were in danger and all it ever was, was a bunch of grunt labor. Black walnut worked only slightly harder but slowed up the shaper if I feed it too fast. The hard maple on the other hand promises to be a bunch harder. Feed it too slow and the wood burns, too fast and the shaper stalls. Since I'll be handling 18 to 19 foot long and 12 to 16 inch wide planks, it promises to be a real wrestling match.
That is the easy part. I have 22 inch wide by ten feet long white oak planks that are solid burl. putting a tongue and groove into those should prove a real challange.
(by the way, I bought the grizzley shaper bit too, only I have a guy capable of sharpening them for me when they are dull)
Jeez Frenchy - please tell me that you're not going to use that burled oak for flooring. Just the thought produces the same reaction I got when I read that they used to use black walnut for railroad ties.
916 bd.ft. of burled white oak. gotta use it for something. (other than the 9 6x6 timbers that are part of the timberframe already).
It's going into the floor of the great room since I believe that will show the wood off to it's best.
basically I'm using the hard maple planks in the center, then I'll be picture framing the hard maple with the burl followed by more hard maple.. thus the burled wood will be featured. I'll have some burl in the raised panels in the entry way as well as one counter top out of burl.
There should be enough burl left over to put some burl as a picture frame for all of the floors on the second floor. The third floor will have black walnut with Padduck as a picture frame.. When you come over and visit me stocking feet only please!
If there are a few scraps of burl left over, I'll try to make something out of them.. (heck one cut-off from the 6x6 I made a drill bit holder out of..)
Oh, the 4x6 and 4x4 black wanut timbers I bought to start all of this insanity? I kept them from going to the pallet mill.. (and only paid 17 cents a bd.ft. for them)
Guess that's better than seeing it go into pallets, but still.... Then again, if memory serves me well, around Lake Minnetonka the streets are paved with gold.
Jeff
Nah, we only roll out the gold when it's sunny out, never in the rain. don't want to get it dirty you know,.....<G>
You know frenchy if you would break down and buy a power feeder you could run all that pretty burled oak by climb cutting it and you won't have to even worry about it splintering at every grain change FWIW Joe
I was planning on getting a power feeder anyway, anything to control the feed speed so that I don't burn the maple. (I seem to have a devil of a time working with maple..) I'm not sure how big a feeder I'll need, nor have I heard the term climb cutting. Could you explain it to me?
Frenchy, the term climb cutting is used to describe the feeding of material in the same direction as the cutters are revolving in other words the opposite way as you normally do. Now in order to perform this operation safely, you absolutely need a power feeder to control the stock. Do not even attempt this by hand. The slice of material is very small, (mostly little flakes) and beccause the cutter cannot dig into the stock and pull out large chunks. The cut ought to be relatively smooth without chipping along the edge.
As to a power feeder I would suggest a three wheel 1/2 hp as a minimum for shaper work. My rational goes along this line- Once you start using a PF on a regular basis you will find it indespensible for a variety of shaping operations.You say you have trouble with burning on your maple, I am here to say that a PF solves the issue as long as the knives are sharp. Need to raise some panels for the built ins or kitchen cabinets, PF is the answer. And so on and so forth. I even use mine to rip boards on the TS and to assisit in flattening stock on the jointer.
Hope that little love shack you are building is coming along fine sounds as if you have most of the structure up finally..
Joe
Joe, this place will be done in three stages. The street side stage is done structurally, (wish I could figure out how to post pictures) except for some interior braces and overhangs on the outside. (about a months worth of work). but at least rain water/snow doesn't fall inside anymore... I'll spend this summer and next winter doing the trim stuff as well as finish details and then next summer I'll start on stage two.
The real challenge will be in stage three when I'm doing a curved front on the lake side where I won't have access to the front with the forklift that I've used to build everything so far.
I've mentally thought thru the steps I'll need to do to get to that point and it's do-able, however... It will be a ton more work.. Worst comes to worst I may just arrange a barge to haul the forklift around to the front, put up the frame and panels and then barge everything back..
It's one of those indepensible tools like a power feeder. you don't know the uses of it untill you get one and then suddenly it's like you can't concieve of doing something without it..
Thanks for the discription of climb cutting.. and 1/2 hp. power feeder isn't very expensive.. maybe I should have had one all along..
Go for a four wheel feeder (you can always run with 1 wheel off) and go for 1 or 1 1/2 hp for what you are trying to do. You need the traction for climb cuts we calculated that a 1by 3 by 40 inch piece of red oak was going at 109 .41 mph when it left the feeder.Who cares about the .41 when it hits you!Simple stupid mistake ,not enough traction
I really do not believe that a three or a four wheel power feed would have any thing to do with the way that the machine was set up and 1/2 hp is plenty to keep the feed under control I would have a hard time justifying a four wheel feeder with 1 1/2 hp considering the fact that I have done climb cuts on raised panels with knives as large as 8" diameter. I have not lost or thrown a panel yet. If I were giving advice here I might suggest that the density/ type of material used on your wheels is improper for the application.
Joe
Look for a Powermatic 26 shaper. You should find one for about $500. I purchased one 6 years ago with 2hp Baldor, 3/4" and 1" spindle and cast iron fence. There is not a big difference between the PM 26 and 27. Some parts interchange, like the spindle cartridge. Forget the light weight 1.5hp shapers.
Dave Koury
Mr cheap guy here. I own a Craftsman Shaper. Full size and pretty capable. 1/2 inch shaft, 1-1/2 hp motor but a larger shaft would be nicer.
You know what I'd really like? A sliding clamp for holding the end of a board (endgrain exposed to the cutter). I'd like it mounted to the shaper table. The guy I boiught this one from had one of those. I thought it was over the top at that point but now I'd like it for shaping the rails on doors.
Beyond that the Craftsman is fine by me.
Mel ,
I agree with DJK , try and find a used 2 hp or better,Davis & Wells , Powermatic ,Rogers, Delta and many other old brands are out there. You will pay close to the same or less than the new imitations. That way you will have a machine that can handle most all your needs now and in the future. Also most of these older machines will at least retain their value , whereas the same may not be true for the newer type machines .
good luck
I would suggest you take a look at Bridgewood shapers. You can check them out on the Wilke Machinery website at http://www.wilkemachinery.com/index.html
No, I don't work for them, aren't related to them or anything. I am a customer. Good service, good equipment.
Like any other piece of machinery, if you get something that is too small or underpowered for the work you put it through, you are going to have problems. I just ran about 400 liner feet of 1 inch board through mine to cut a rabbett. No problems.
Alan
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