SCMI T130 Class shaper

John Rutter

Member
Messages
59
Location
Pacific Northwest
Well it's not a Martin, but I am in the process of installing the next best thing. I got it to consolidate several dedicated shapers into a single station for my cab door production. I figure that if I am going to survive the downturn in the housing market, I need to invest in equipment that will let me do more with less. This is the most basic Class shaper that SCM offers. They also make a version with CNC control of everything.

It is fun to do a little show and tell, so here goes:

130C%20Front3.jpg


The control panel has a reversing switch with indicator light of clockwise rotation, the motor on/off, a speed controller and display for the inverter drive (this shaper can run all the way down to 1000 rpm for sanding), a spindle release switch, and one of 3 emergency stops.

130C%20Control.jpg


There is a mechanical digital readout for spindle height adjustment.

130C%20Height.jpg


I currently have 2 other heavy duty SCMI shapers and 2 lighter Powermatics that will be replaced by this machine. It has several key features that make this possible. The fence has two wheel adjusters with digital indicators. The left moves the whole fence forwards and backwards, the right moves the infeed side only. I got lucky in that SCM was running a clearance on their aluminum fence plates with bar inserts that can easily be placed across the opening for things like panel and door edges to travel along and never leave a support. Another quick changeover feature is a section table instead of table inserts. You crank the table in and out and the phenolic insert runs up tight to the cutter for good support. The entire fence swings away on a pivot and indexes back in place with a locking pin.

130C%20section%20table.jpg

130C%20spindle%20top.jpg


The spindles are set up with ISO 40 tapers, like some CNC routers. There is a pneumatic system that clamps and unclamps the entire spindle in seconds. The idea is to mount cutters to various spindles and swap the entire assembly rather than mount and unmount from a fixed spindle. Less wear on the spindle and cutter bore, and much faster.

130C%20ISO40.jpg


The spindles are stored on a cart along with any other tools you need.

130C%20Cart1.jpg

130C%20Cart2.jpg


The spindle assembly is very robust, and the precision bearings are widely spaced. The assembly that slides up and down inside the cast column is about 20 inches long and close to 5" in diameter. The motor is roughly 7.5 HP.

130C%20spindle%20bottom.jpg


The inverter has a big honkin' heat sink around the back, and the electric panel is a bit daunting!

130C%20Inverter.jpg

130C%20electric.jpg


Hopefully, we'll be making shavings with this next week!
 
jawdrop.gif

That's a wood-eating machine. Thanks for the tour. We weekend warriors don't get much of a chance to see that kind of equipment.
 
very nice JR! i`m jealous.

Hearing that from Tod is sumptin'
His own big shaper is an "Oh My Gosh unreal huge monster."
John, the machine is impressive.
And, you are to be congratulated. You stepped up at a time when others might back down. That is the real American spirit and an example of free enterprise at it's best. Congratulations. :clap:
 
Thanks for the tour. We weekend warriors don't get much of a chance to see that kind of equipment.

John, I agree with what Vaughn said. I appreciate the chance to see the commercial side. I would have recommended that Larry Merlau (during his visit to the Pacific NW) check out your operation, if I knew you were over there in Ferndale. Hopefully by next spring we will be starting to climb out of this economic downturn. I know a lot of people are hurting in the housing industry. Hang in there!
 
Nice score John. What process of door making are you planning on using the T130 for? I have a Martin with similar capabilities. The jobs it can do are endless...just a big learning curve.


Doug
 
John I have the same spindle setup on my Martin. Make sure you keep it VERY clean any little bit of dirt or very small wood chip can leave you with a vibration.

Doug
 
Nice score John. What process of door making are you planning on using the T130 for? I have a Martin with similar capabilities. The jobs it can do are endless...just a big learning curve.
Doug

Hi Doug - I'm consolidating some dedicated stacked spindle shapers as well as a shaper that I ran a moulding head on. It will be used for all cuts where the fence is used as a reference: raised panels (reverse raised, too), door edges, rabbeting (like for cab trim parts), miter door moulding profiles.

If the economy were tracking differently, I would add a second one to handle sticking and coping (by not using the fence and working from both sides of the table - coping attachment on back side and outside fence mounted to section table for sticking).

Does the Martin use the screw from above to fix the spindles? One possible advantage to the class is that the pneumatics blow air up around the spindle taper when it releases and when the new spindle is inserted. Point taken on keeping things clean though.
 
Hi Doug - I'm consolidating some dedicated stacked spindle shapers as well as a shaper that I ran a moulding head on. It will be used for all cuts where the fence is used as a reference: raised panels (reverse raised, too), door edges, rabbeting (like for cab trim parts), miter door moulding profiles.

If the economy were tracking differently, I would add a second one to handle sticking and coping (by not using the fence and working from both sides of the table - coping attachment on back side and outside fence mounted to section table for sticking).

Does the Martin use the screw from above to fix the spindles? One possible advantage to the class is that the pneumatics blow air up around the spindle taper when it releases and when the new spindle is inserted. Point taken on keeping things clean though.

John,

Yes the Martin has a hex screw down inside the spindle, it has an airlock to clamp the spindle for removal or installation. One time I had a very small piece of debris stuck to the spindle and it was causing a slight vibration. Once it was cleaned no problem.

Aigner offers a jig called a thcknessing stop which I have used for sticking. It attaches to the front of the table and all material is ran against it instead of against the fence. So you can over cut your stile and rail stock in width and trim it down to size when running it agaist the thicknessing stop.

I just picked up a Unique GT250 door machine and really like it. I'm sure you've seen them. One thing I really like is how you can run end grain on very small raised panels. It's no easy task on a regular shaper. How do you do it on your rasied panels? Also if you do want to cut your rails to size before you profile them it's got a great clamping system allowing one to run very short parts. Then again Unique has all kinds of neat stuff for doors.

Doug
 
Aigner offers a jig called a thcknessing stop which I have used for sticking. It attaches to the front of the table and all material is ran against it instead of against the fence. So you can over cut your stile and rail stock in width and trim it down to size when running it agaist the thicknessing stop.

I just picked up a Unique GT250 door machine and really like it. I'm sure you've seen them. One thing I really like is how you can run end grain on very small raised panels. It's no easy task on a regular shaper. How do you do it on your rasied panels? Also if you do want to cut your rails to size before you profile them it's got a great clamping system allowing one to run very short parts. Then again Unique has all kinds of neat stuff for doors.

Doug

I'm downloading the Aigner catalog as I type this. What i would really like is a digital gauge on the outboard fence similar to that on a moulder. You would set your tool minimum diameter, then set the width of your part. I was looking at another Class shaper over the weekend that had the controller, hoping that the section table could be moved and set via the electronics. My thought was to attach the fence to the section table, then have a program for each cutter set and width that you want. But alas, this model only had control for height and fence...

I looked at Unique systems last summer. If I were running arches, I would want one just for that. HSK added a lot to the price, so for me it didn't pencil out. I run narrow panels with a little follower jig that is just a 4" square same thickness as the panel with 1/4" ply super glued to the top that overlaps the part in front of it. I place the ply so that it does not get hit by the cutter. The feeder puts a bit more pressure on it due to the extra thickness, so it is controlled well. The follower acts as a backup to control blowout as well. I use the continuous fence bar under the cutter to prevent it from being sucked into the cutter. We do 2" panels for reverse raised drawer faces like this.

Are you getting smoked out down there?
 
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