I ran a few different shapers as a Tool and Die maker. Both hydraulic and mechanical. Mostly for contouring to a scribed line
to match the outline of the part. You can adjust the cross feed and get a pretty smooth surface when doing a flat surface.
As for cutting gears and helical ones a gear hobb. a slotter, or a gear mill with an automatic indexing feed would be a faster and less
laborious choice. Remember they only cut in one direction so time is lost on the return stroke. I was offered one for my shop but they take up a lot of room so I declined it.
to match the outline of the part. You can adjust the cross feed and get a pretty smooth surface when doing a flat surface.
As for cutting gears and helical ones a gear hobb. a slotter, or a gear mill with an automatic indexing feed would be a faster and less
laborious choice. Remember they only cut in one direction so time is lost on the return stroke. I was offered one for my shop but they take up a lot of room so I declined it.