Workers Of Wood

I have a chance to pick up a decent 3hp shaper for cheap…

Usually I’m a “buy now, ask questions later” kind of guy, but this time I’m asking “why would I need a shaper”? I mean, I have a router table with a 3hp router …

Why would ya???...
3hp is kinda wimpy... does it have a flywheel???... shaft RPM???....
cutter heads get expensive..
shapers are more suited to molding and pattern cutting if you have the RPM's...

Not a shaper fan...cost of cutters...

If you have a 3hp router, why consider a shaper of the same size given the availability of regular router cutters...?

I would pass...just my opinion...

My experience with shapers is that they are slower RPMS than routers. They are usually induction motors with belt driver to get to higher rpms, or direct drive at 3400 rpms.
They can do bigger diameter cutters than routers but cut slower.
Just my take on shapers vs. router tables.
HErb

Shapers are generally for production work where you make large runs of something, like a whole run of rails or stiles for an entire kitchen or kitchens. They turn as slow as 8000 rpm which is a bit slow for a routher bit but I did take a dead Freud router a few years ago and turned it into a horizontal router with a 1hp 3450 motor driving it after I striped the wiring off the armature and installed a pulley on it. I calculated it was turning about 12,000 and it worked okay, even with small diameter bits. I made some picture frames with it before the collet broke and I had to trash it. If you can get that shaper up to 12,000 rpm and have a collet for router bits then it would be usable that way. Even the 1 hp motor I used was okay because it had enough torque compared to a router motor that it didn't slow down in the cut. As mentioned, bits are expensive. Even professional shops don't tend to have a large variety of profiles.