Harbor Freight Industrial Shaper - Any experience?

[garymuto]

I recieved a mail flyer that listed the 1 HP industrial shaper for $289 on sale from $329. What caught my eye is that this shaper can also use 1/4" and 1/2" router bits. It also has a (quiet) Induction motor and a cast iron top. A bench dog top alone would cost more than this shaper with a motor, split fence and miter gauge. with the recent 15% coupon it becomes even more appealing. Does any know how well it works?

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=95668

 

[dino drosas]

A shaper is one tool that really commands total respect. This one appears to be very light weight and the rpm's of the spindle are a little slow for router bits - 13,200.

"The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten"

The above is one saying that I have found especially true when purchasing tools.

 

[jlwest]

I would stay away from HF power tools if you desire precision, accuracy, and safty. Just my opinion.

Jeff

 

[garymuto]

Thanks for the responses. It looked sturdy enough but I don't know how well lined up the spindle is to the table and how flat the table and fence are. It seemed better than a router table made out of MDF so I thought I'd get some opinions.
My use would just be for router bits and the 13,000 RPM seemed good for panel raising.

 

[cubicdissection]

I would stay away from HF power tools if you desire precision, accuracy, and safty. Just my opinion.

Jeff

Well, I guess I won't tell you about my HF Mini Mill that will hold a thousandth all day long

Many times it's the attention to detail on initial setup paired with the skill of the operator that makes a difference. I'm in the market for a small shaper as well...if you find any info I'd appreciate if you would share it. That's a nice savings over the small Griz shaper...if it's works it would be a steal.

 

[garymuto]

Thanks for the response Eric. I agree with your comments. I just don't want to buy a tool and have to deal with bent shafts, loose bearings, etc... If it's just a light duty issue I think I'd be happy with it since i'm not looking for speed.

So far I've been only able to find some comparable sized shapers. Jet makes a 1 HP open stand and a 1 1/2 HP closed stand (Much nicer) in addition to their 2 and 3 HP (really nice) shapers. I haven't seen any proces though. The Grizz shaper looks very comparable except it has a smaller table, smaller (3/4 HP) motor and slower spindle speed. Comparable price until you add the shipping. I like the way they advertize it as a solution to a router table more than an actual shaper.

 

[JimmyC]

Gary,
Definitely look the HF over good, you'll know if it's made cheaply or not. After all, there are a dozen or more people on this site using the HF #34706 lathe happily because it was a good deal. You don't see many of them for sale used here, and the only reason peolple here part with them is because they like them so much that they upgraded to a better and larger lathe (like a Powermatic).

Good luck with your decision !:icon_thum

Jimmy:mrgreen:

 

[Bas]

Harbor Freight is hit-and-miss. You mentioned the lathe. I've been real happy with their 2HP Dust Collector, Forstner bits, shorter bar clamps (<24") and digital caliper. I bought a hammer drill for $25 and it's performed flawlessly. It would probably die if I tried to drill through concrete all day five days a week, but for home use it works fine. There are also some products that were less than stellar, unfortunately...

Could you replace the shaper motor with a regular router? If that's possible (even with a little fiddling), it may be worth it to take the plunge. Worst case, you have a spare induction motor and a good router table.

 

[Ozzie-x]

I can't speak to the Harbor Freight shaper, I don't do business with them. Some folks may have good success with their stuff, but like Bas said, I think the quality control of their products is a little hit & miss, enough so that I would be very wary of any of their products.

After considerable research, I bought the Jet 1 1/2 HP maybe 4 years ago. It has been a real pleasure, and I have not had a single problem. I narrowed my search down to the Jet and the Griz, and chose the Jet over the Griz because when you factored in the cost of the extra top extension (to make it equal to the Jet) and shipping the Griz, the "real" cost of the Griz was nearly the cost of the Jet. So I went with the Jet since I already have several other Powermatic tools. I use the little Jet shaper a lot for what most folks use a router table, and most "light" shaper duties; I don't even have a router table. I rarely use the old monster Delta shaper since getting the little Jet, (but will when I set up for another kitchen cabinet project). You probably won't go wrong with either the Jet or the Griz.

 

[garymuto]

The jet 1 1/2 looks nice but the 1 HP looks about as heavy duty as the HF model, but probably better built.