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Model W1701 (Mfd. Since 12/21)
SAFETY
Additional Safety for Shapers
Serious cuts, amputation, entanglement, or death can occur from contact with rotating cutter.
Cutters or other parts improperly secured to spindle can fly off and strike nearby operators with
great force. Flying debris can cause eye injuries or blindness. To minimize risk of getting hurt or
killed, anyone operating shaper MUST completely heed hazards and warnings below.
AVOIDING CUTTER CONTACT
:Keep unused portion
of cutter below table. Use smallest table insert
possible. Adjust fences and guards as close as
practical to cutter, or use a zero-clearance
fence or box guard. Always keep some type of
guard or other protective device between your
hands and cutter at all times!
:While feeding work-
piece, avoid awkward hand positions. Never
pass hands directly over or in front of cutter. As
one hand approaches a 6-inch radius point from
cutter, move it in an arc motion away from cut-
ter,and reposition it on the outfeed side.
To reduce risk of accidental
cutterhead contact, always use push blocks or
some type of fixture, jig, or hold-down device
to safely feed workpiece while cutting. Use an
outfeed support table if shaping long workpiec-
es to ensure proper support throughout entire
cutting procedure. ALWAYS feed workpiece
AGAINST rotation of cutter. NEVER start shaper
with workpiece contacting cutter!
:Never attempt to remove too
much material in one pass. Doing this increases
risk of workpiece kickback. Instead, make sev-
eral light passes—this is a safer way to cut and
it leaves a cleaner finish.
:Shaping a workpiece
with knots, holes, or foreign objects increases
risk of kickback and cutter damage/breakage.
Thoroughly inspect and prepare workpiece
before shaping. Always “square up”a workpiece
before shaping or flatten workpiece edges with
a jointer or planer. Rough, warped, or wet
workpiecesincrease risk of kickback.
To reduce risk of unintentional
contact with cutter, always ensure included cut-
ter guard, or a properly dimensioned box guard,
or some other type of guard is installed and
correctly positioned before operation.
CUTTER POSITIONING: Whenever possible, make
shaping cuts with cutter on underside of work-
piece to reduce operator exposure to cutter.
SMALL WORKPIECES: There is a high risk of acci-
dental cutter contact with small workpieces,
because they are closer to cutter and more dif-
ficult to control. To reduce your risk, only feed
small workpieces using jigs or holding fixtures
that allow your hands to maintain a safe dis-
tance from cutter. When possible, shape longer
stock and cut to size.
SAFE CUTTER CLEARANCES:Operator or bystand-
ers may be hit by flying debris if cutter con-
tacts fence, guard, or table insert upon startup.
Always ensure any new cutter setup has proper
cutter rotational clearance—before starting
shaper or reconnecting it to power.
SAFE CUTTER INSTALLATION:
knives/inserts, cutters, or rub collars may
become dangerous projectiles if they come
loose. Always ensure keyed washer is directly
under spindle nut and spindle nut is tight. If
spindle does not use a keyed washer, always
use two spindle nuts together, and ensure BOTH
are tight. Never use cutters/bits rated for an
RPM lower than spindle speed.
AVOIDING CLIMB CUTS:Feeding workpiece in
same direction of cutter rotation is a “climb
cut.” Climb cutting can aggressively pull work-
piece—and hands—into cutter. Always first verify
direction of cutter rotation
always feed workpiece AGAINST cutter rotation.
CONTOUR SHAPING: To reduce risk of uninten-
tional cutter contact while freehand shaping or
using a rub collar as a guide (no fence), always
use an overhead or “ring” type guard. To
reduce kickback risk, always use starting pin or
pivot board when starting the cut. NEVER start
shaping at a corner!