Shaper speed just as a router needs to be slowed to perhaps 10 000 rpm for larger router bits a shaper needs to be slowed even farther for the larger shaper cutters 7 000 rpm is common for large shaper cutters but even slower may be needed for very large cutters.
Wood shaper versus router.
Shapers like most table saws jointers and stationary planers run on induction motors.
Even though the router bits are smaller they make far more revolutions per second rpm than a shaper does.
Companies do not make double duty tables because customers use shaper router tables and tools for different jobs.
The wood shaper or spindle molder cutter spurs a longer path but a router table can be used for shorter tracks.
Therefore the precision work and jobs that require repeatability need shaper as their equipment.
Wood shapers tool can make deep and long cuts on the wood which is not the case with routers.
When we feel that the tool is being pushed to its limit it becomes not only bad for the final product but also a danger.
That gives you far more wood contact and a cleaner cut than you d get with a shaper.
Router bits are way smaller than shaper bits in diameter.
Shapers typically run at 7 000 to 10 000 rpm while routers typically run at 22 000 to 25 000 rpm.
The cutting speed you want is dependent on the diameter of the cutter or bit.
As we were all taught by our elementary school woodshop teacher let the tools do the work.
One way to look at the difference is that relatively speaking universal motors provide high rpm and low power and induction motors provide low rpm and high power.
The results of using a shaper are smoother than that of a router.
There s very little a shaper can do that you can t duplicate with a router table.
A wood shaper is quite expensive but router bitsrequire little expense to use.
You can however use a router as a shaper but you cannot use a shaper as a router.
Shapers are used more often in industrial woodworking shops and i do almost all my machining of wood with a really good well built router table.
Rick white the short answer is no.
Larger shaper cutters and oversize router bits like panel raisers require slower speeds while small router bits need higher speeds to do the job.
One option for those looking as a wood shaper vs router table is the ability to make reverse cuts.
That allows you to work on smaller wood pieces as you get more control.
Routers like shop vacuums and bench top planers run on a universal motor.
