Shaper Origin Base Friction

[4nthony]

When using my Origin, I've been struggling to get the right about amount of glide, if that's the right word. I find myself having to slightly unweight (lift) the leading edge in order to follow the path clean and not be too jerky.

I read that the base was engineered for a specific amount of friction and that it shouldn't be waxed but mine feels like there's too much friction. It's the same on both Plate and Workstation, as well as on plywood and hardwood.

I have some scratches on the base but it doesn't really look any different from the baseplates on my other routers.

With a 1/4" bit, I typically make passes around 3mm deep. I'm still using the original bit so there's a chance it could be getting dull, but I remember the friction from day one.

Does anyone else feel like their Origin is a bit too grippy?

 

[tjbnwi]

Mine is grippy. When it has to be “forced” I find changing the bit eliminates the issue.

Tom

 

[rmwarren]

Mine is from the original batch, and I find a fair amount of resistance sometimes. I chalk it up to the somewhat unnatural motions needed to guide and control it. It's very different than, for example, holding a dumb router against a straightedge and moving it along a straight line.

RMW

 

[Rutabagared]

Mine can be a bit grippy.  Sometimes I mistake it for cutting resistance.  I typically spray a cloth with Blaster Dry Lube and wipe the base with it.  That always helps.

 

[rmhinden]

I'm still using the original bit so there's a chance it could be getting dull, but I remember the friction from day one.

I haven't had that issue, but suggest you try a new bit.    Depending on what you have been cutting, it can dull them quickly.

Bob

 

[4nthony]

Thanks guys.

Maybe I'm just getting old. Each time I use the Origin, it feels like a workout. [scared]

I'll pick up a couple new bits and maybe try a bit of dry lube on the base.

Cheers!

 

[Crazyraceguy]

If it's still the original bit, I would definitely start there.
I have never found mine to be sticky, but like Richard said, the cutting force can feel a little odd sometimes.
I find that it depends on the material. You can feel the grain direction change when cutting hardwood, but in non-grained products (MDF, etc) it's just not like that.
I cut out the rest of the sink plugs this afternoon. The best fit seems to come from a roughing pass at zero off-set and a finishing pass at -.025. Using a 1/4" bit and cutting .220 deep leaves just enough "skin" to keep the CT from sucking them up  [big grin]
Corian is rather dense, but no grain, so it takes some effort. There is a slight amount of chatter on the first pass, because of the bit vs density, The ability to do an off-set is fantastic, far better than doing something like this with a template and a dumb-router.

Any of you guys bite the bullet on Auto-Pass yet? I did the other day and it's really great. The stopping and changing depth (or off-set) can get tedious, but I find that not doing it also seems to cut down on mistakes too. You don't have to keep track of as many things at once.

 

[tjbnwi]

I bought Autopass.

Tom

 

[woodferret]

I have autopass too.  I use it mostly for roughing and climb-cut 'pocket' operations - as long as your careful with step-over it goes pretty fast without much drama.  I still prefer to go old-school when doing the finishing pass.

 

[rmwarren]

Ditto I went with Autopass, generally love it. I often forego the offset/finishing pass option as I get better finishes on material like aluminum by taking gradually deeper passes instead of one final full depth pass.

There's definitely a learning process but overall Autopass was a huge improvement.

RMW

 

[festal]

I bought it, used it few times.  Still learning but so far works great

 

[grobkuschelig]

Have not bought auto-pass yet, but will when I get more usage lined up again for Origin.

Re: On-Topic:
I found that if I route through the tape often, I sometimes get some stickiness from the tape. Quick clean with a wipe brings it back to normal.

Also: Shaper just started selling parts, so if your base is overly scratched up, you might benefit from a new surface. [emoji4]

 

[WastedP]

Grit from cutting metal has scarred parts of my Shaper's base, so I have taken sandpaper to it to polish it up, nothing extreme.  When it gets grippy, it usually means that Shaper tape has peeled off and rolled up, or there's crud from cutting, or some other external factor.  I just shut it down, clean the work surface, and wipe the base down with denatured alcohol.

I bought autopass right away, and it worked great for deep mortises on a project I was working on.  I have found that it's easier (more efficient)for some projects to design concentric inside cuts that will let me essentially perform pocketing without shutting off autopass.  For some shapes, this is easy to do in Studio, but not as easy as doing an offset in Inkscape.  If Studio had offsets and the ability to import fonts, I'd probably never need to use Inkscape again.

 

[woodferret]

For the original Origin, there are two bolt holes at the bottom where one can attach either large table bases, or in this case sacrificial or smooth glide bases.  One can go as simple (slab) or complicated (live hinge) as one desires regarding the touch sensor.  Worst case, manual touch is now available.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I bought autopass right away, and it worked great for deep mortises on a project I was working on.  I have found that it's easier (more efficient)for some projects to design concentric inside cuts that will let me essentially perform pocketing without shutting off autopass.  For some shapes, this is easy to do in Studio, but not as easy as doing an offset in Inkscape.  If Studio had offsets and the ability to import fonts, I'd probably never need to use Inkscape again.

You can do it "on tool" by adding a large off-set. Have you seen the video about Auto-pass on Shaper's YouTube channel? It helped be quite a bit.

 

[WastedP]

I've done it with on-tool offsets, but then I'm doing it on tool rather than in software.  I have some items I repeat, sometimes weeks or months apart, so having it ready to go saves time, even though it can take some time to troubleshoot before the design is finalized.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I've done it with on-tool offsets, but then I'm doing it on tool rather than in software.  I have some items I repeat, sometimes weeks or months apart, so having it ready to go saves time, even though it can take some time to troubleshoot before the design is finalized.

I get that, trying to remember the oddities could cause issues later.

In some limited cases though, I find it easier to use off-sets than pocketing. I'm not an extensive user though, it's mostly just a hobby.