# Delta RS-15 Shaper



## Aurora North (Nov 29, 2016)

Well...

I was originally looking for a solid 1" quill for my heavy duty shaper and a guy contacted me with 2 Delta RS-15 Shapers. Both have stock feeders. 

RS-15 #1 comes with a 4 wheel stock feeder in good running condition at $2400.

RS-15 #2 comes with a 3 wheel stock feeder, but needs a bearing job on the quill. $1000

7.5 HP and weigh 1130ish lbs a piece. 

So... rather than buying or having a 1" quill machined for me I would be moving to a 1 1/4" spindle with far more power and adjustments in speeds and the ability to throw some serious cutting heads around with confidence that I'm not going to be worried about throwing quill pieces/ blades through the air when the 3/4" interchangeable set up suffers a catastrophic failure. 

Good deal or not so good of a deal?

The thing I'm leery about is the slide rail that is milled into the table surface. My heavy duty delta 3hp doesn't have a dovetailed slot which makes my shop-made coping sled a bit dangerous as it can tip out of the slot. That is frankly one of the most piss poor designs I have ever seen on a machine. I have been trying to find a closeup photo of the RS-15 to see if it is the same or has a dovetailed slot or T-slot, but it's a detail that I guess most people don't focus on in their photos. 

Any of you guys know off the top of your head having either owned one or worked on one?


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## rocky1 (Nov 29, 2016)

http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/detail.aspx?id=6845 - See .pdf left side of the page. 

If you zoom on the drawing it would appear it's a T-track.


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## JohnF (Nov 29, 2016)

I don't have a delta but do have a different shaper with a 1" spindle and a 4 wheel feeder. I have never felt unsafe using a sled for coping. My shaper has no dovetailed or T track either, just a standard 3/4" slot. Just pay attention and use a firm steady grip.
As far as which I'd get, I would buy the one needing bearings. Thing is, you might need them shortly in the other one anyway. I assume they would be ABEC7 or better grade and wouldn't be cheap, but once put in you can go a long long time.
Those would definitely be capable machines.


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## Aurora North (Nov 29, 2016)

Rocky, thank you sir! I was still looking at shapers and in one photo is looked like a t-slot, but just fuzzy enough that I couldn't make it out to be sure. The PDF clears that up. T-slot indeed. Thank you!

JohnF, 

I wouldn't say that I feel unsafe for my fingers etc. I'm comfortable running shapers. It was more unsafe in the way of my parts dropping and hitting the floor! This actually was happening to me while I was cutting slots for dovetail track into some 2" thick shelves that measured 16 x 26 and 16 x 44. They were heavy shelves and to load each shelf onto the sled and clear the spinning cutter I had to move the sled back decently far which created a tipping situation. I was fine for the majority of it, but having become so used to being on a sliding shaper or dovetailed/Tslot shaper table I would unload my shelf and the darn sled would tip off the table and hit the floor. By myself of course and juggling a heavy shelf (2 layers of 3/4 veneered MDF w/ hw face edge) and a coping sled that wanted to fall off the table. 

More of a pain in the butt that anything. 


Update on this... So I can either buy both shapers and repair the one that needs the bearings... Or I make an offer on a bridgewood tilting/sliding shaper. If I can get it low enough, I can even buy the RS-15 that needs bearings. I've never used a bridgewood and am unfamiliar with their reputation. But with that I pick up a tilt function and of course a sliding table for coping. Might be the way to go especially if I do pick up the one RS-15. But again... quality on the bridgewood?


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## JohnF (Nov 30, 2016)

Bridge wood were from way back when imports started to come in. Probably Taiwanese but I'm not positive. I'd sure want to try it out under power before shelling out much for it. The more dodads there are the more likely something is not really right. I've had shapers around for 35-40 years and have never thought I'd need or even wanted a tilting spindle. But I don't know what you're making with one. I mostly use one for millwork or door parts.


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## barry richardson (Nov 30, 2016)

They had that model of Delta shaper where I worked and were selling it. In excellent condition (no power feed though), asked $600 and no takers. I thought about buying it to flip, but after checking around, found there are a lot of them out there, and little demand. The big shops have gone to more automated systems, and the rs-15 too big for most small shops and hobbyist. Just my 2 cents, I think if you keep your eyes peeled, you can find a better deal.....


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## Aurora North (Dec 3, 2016)

First two pictures are of a Gomad he offered up being that he was in their taking photos. It is a non-tilting shaper with interchangeable spindles up to 1 1/2", but has a sliding table. The first RS-15 with no fence is the one that needs bearings at $1000. The second is at $2400 with the 4 wheel feeder. Looks like he freshened it up a bit with some spray paint also. I'm actually leaning more towards the Gomad with the slider for tenon work. Or a combination of the Goman and the RS-15. 

The tilt shaper I would use for radius millwork. More often than not it would stay at 90, but it comes in handy when you need it for those oddball things.


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