Replies

1. 
   joinerswork | May 31, 2007 12:25am | #1

   Sewerman,

   I've been involved with making 5 of these.  In lieu of a stock feeder, we set up the shapers with hold downs (straight edged 2'  lengths of stock, clamped in place) above the stock, and beside the stock, and fed the strips thru by hand.  We ripped enough strips for 3 canoes, and molded both edges, in the course of a saturday.  Started in the am, and were done & swept the sawdust, by mid afternoon.  We did have two shapers set up, one for each profile, and so passed the stock back and forth across the two machines.  Five of us working, two ripping on the saw, two feeding the shapers, and one tailing the last shaper, and piling up the finished strips.  If you are reasonably careful ripping, so that the strips are uniform in thickness, you can set the holddowns close enough to the stock that there is only enough slack to pass them thru.  Wax them, and the shaper/router tables, to reduce friction.

   Ray

2. 
   KeithNewton | May 31, 2007 04:53pm | #2

   I have a couple of old Rockwell 34-150 feeders that I have done this with. I got both of these back in the late seventies, and don't know if they still make them. They are just the cheapest two wheel models.

   I have found that I can do two jobs at the same time by setting them up side by side.

   By feeding a second board behind the first into the feeder on the TS, I then recover the first strip, and have time to start it into the second feeder on the router, then get back to the stock into the TS before it has finished the last.

   Once you get the rhythm down, you can have two machines running without having a break between strips. You will be as busy as a one-armed paper-hanger, but the work will be over before you know it.

3. 
   mike4244 | May 31, 2007 06:14pm | #3

   If you have a small feeder then use it.I hand fed the strips past a two router set up, did coves and beads on same pass. This was set up on a single plank between horses.I had no problems handfeeding the strips.I have a baby feeder now,did not then.If I ever do another I imagine I'll use the feeder.

   mike