We've got some BIG news...

[Michael Kellough]

All the software upgrades are backwards compatible. Depth encoding is part of the next firmware update.

Autopass itself does cost $200. My hunch is I'll pay for it out of frustration midway in some project with lots of cuts.

My read is the hardware improvements are evolutionary, the tool sees better and may be smoother but overall functionality is basically unchanged.

RMW

The base is improved too. No more Z sensor bump and slightly larger by reducing the radius of the perimeter. The machine not only sees better but the display is bigger and better.

Some of the new options  for setting Z depth might not make it to the first generation machine becof the physical difference in the Z sensors.

Overall on the hardware side it reminds me of the evolution of digital cameras.

 

[rmwarren]

They didn't mention price at all, or if it was a "one time" thing, rather than subscription?
It looks as though they are finally making the Z axis functional during the cut. Fantastic improvement, I'll be on it right away.

Yes one-time cost, the license can be transferred between machines if you later upgrade to a newer model.

It also ramps the bit into the cut, which should open up options for cutters since you don't need to plunge.

The full Monty is north of $4K with tax (Origin/Plate/Workstation) but the functionality keeps getting better, and the new Studio design app (which needs to mature) is a game-changer. 

RMW

 

[miclee15]

I purchased a Gen1 and just missed out on the 30 return  [crying].
I'm not a professional and I'm sure the new screen and all the other upgrades would be nice, but I don't feel like the Gen 1 is lacking anything.  Its a pretty impressive tool and allowed me to make a very large L-desk much quicker then not having it.  All my templating was done online, sent to the Shaper.  C-channels, inside radius for the L, and even splitting the desk in half was done with Gen 1.  That wasn't a simple 45 as each wing was a different size.

Not happy about the $200 selling of a "feature" but not sure I need it for the stuff I do, i can spare the few mins to manually change the depth and off-set.  Maybe I'll get it down the road when I'm batching out holiday gifts LOL...

 

[woodferret]

I was giving thought to buying one when it was "on sale", but given the age I thought it might be replaced soon. It really is crappy when companies just don't admit they are EOL'ing a product.

You mean like a certain unnamed company suddenly EOL'ing 2.2 kerf blade tools? 

 

[squall_line]

It appears that the old price is still the price on the Gen 1 unit, so there's that...

I was referencing those who burned into buying the old by the sale price.

I was on Beaver's and Shaper's sites a few times last night hemming and hawing.  I can't justify the purchase at the moment regardless, so I'm glad I didn't buy just to "beat the price increase" like I did with a Festool item or two.

At least with Festool, they announced the new pricing and showed its applicability to each individual product.  When Shaper put out their "something BIG coming" that coincided with the new price, I guessed it was either a completely new product or an evolution, but I didn't come to that conclusion until the middle of the day yesterday.

... the Shaper Recon might start notifying interested parties as those who bought within the last 30 days decide if they want to return or not.

Is there a Shaper Recon site like there is for Festool?

There is.  I think it's just a waiting list at this point.
https://www.shapertools.com/en-us/recon

 

[festal]

Its pretty crappy that they put the V1 on the "big" sale and then released V2 without any notification.  Specially crappy for people that got it just outside of the 30 day return window.  I hate when companies do that, but its done for the simple fact of reducing extra inventory since V1 will not sell as well when V2 is announced.  Other companies do it too.

After futzing around with depth and forgetting to set it correctly few times, autopass is a nice feature.  $200 is on the expensive side and I think they should offer some sort of discount for the people they screwed and early adapters like they did with Shaper studio

 

[woodferret]

After futzing around with depth and forgetting to set it correctly few times, autopass is a nice feature.  $200 is on the expensive side and I think they should offer some sort of discount for the people they screwed and early adapters like they did with Shaper studio

Depth caution is in the free Jenner update.  You will get all the bells and whistle warnings for free.  Autopass extension only automates the 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 passes (example) without stopping.

 

[Mike Goetzke]

Its pretty crappy that they put the V1 on the "big" sale and then released V2 without any notification.  Specially crappy for people that got it just outside of the 30 day return window.  I hate when companies do that, but its done for the simple fact of reducing extra inventory since V1 will not sell as well when V2 is announced.  Other companies do it too.

After futzing around with depth and forgetting to set it correctly few times, autopass is a nice feature.  $200 is on the expensive side and I think they should offer some sort of discount for the people they screwed and early adapters like they did with Shaper studio

I've had this happen with other companies and it upsets me too. Other companies will release the new product and discount the old and let you choose what fits your needs.

 

[WastedP]

I was kind of underwhelmed by the hardware side of the announcement.  I'm close to finishing year two with my machine.  It feels and works almost identical to day one.  The machined aluminum body and bigger, better screen weren't features I was wishing for.  Better guts are better guts, and I had no doubt at the time of purchase that there would be incremental upgrades to the computery bits that I would miss out on without an upgrade.  If the new base is tougher and more scratch resistant, that would be a plus.

In the last few months, I've been using the machine for outdoor work, and taking it to jobsites.  The biggest issue I noted was sun/shade changes messing with the machine's ability to see tape.  Direct sunlight is rough to work in sometimes.  Maybe the improved vision sensors would help with that.

Very excited about the next firmware update and the Z features.  I used the Studio beta and didn't love it.  I do most of my drawing for Shaper in Inkscape, but the Z thing is definitely going to push me into Fusion 360.  When I saw AutoPass was a paid extension, I wasn't surprised.  When they started putting up paid projects on ShaperHub, I think the writing was on the wall.  I think they are approaching it nice and careful.  Before I saw the price, I figured anything under $100 would be a no-brainer, especially after the tedious multiple passes I just went through cutting out Paperstone countertop parts.  At $200, I'll still probably sign up, especially since it's transferrable to a future machine.  But I'll wait until after working with the new Z features.

I am assuming that the new line of bits is produced by Festool, but the bits that came with my machine said they were made in USA (I would guess Whiteside).  Has anyone seen anything to show who's making them?

 

[rmwarren]

I recently purchased 3 of their new bits, they came from the US, Sweden & Germany. My guess is they outsource to whomever has the best price or available production capacity.

RMW

 

[Crazyraceguy]

[member=41832]WastedP[/member] I agree totally about the hardware improvements. I'm sure that they are indeed better, but not some fantastic difference, that would have me selling my G1 to get one.
The firmware update  however, seems great. I don't mind a one-time fee, it's the subscription thing that bugs me
Studio has been really good for me. It's not as "free drawing" as Inkscape, but (to me at least) far more intuitive. After watching the intro video, I made cuttable projects very quickly. It has also inspired me to get more out of my Origin. I have always transferred files with a thumb drive, only connecting it to the internet when I have it at home. Some recent improvements at work have extended the WIFI out into the shop better. I connected it this afternoon and loaded a file that I made last night, at home. With Studio being web-based though, I could create something right there too.

 

[WastedP]

I was not going to pay for Studio, but the 50% deal suckered me in.  I used it to layout and draw an undermount sink cutout for a Richlite countertop.  My first impression is that it's pretty much like the on-tool design, except I can sit in my office to use it.  I'm not sure it was worth fifty bucks for basic shapes and text.  I'd like to see some kind of round-trip design ability where on-tool work can make it back to the desktop, Studio sync seems to be the way they could do that.

 

[rmwarren]

Whacked this out in a few minutes today, Studio on iPad while in the shop. Just a quich slot for 1/2" router guide bushing and press fit holes for 8mm pins. 0/0 is the center of the design.

[attachimg=1]

It's just a simple jig to route a slot in some 80/20. Cut using Plate in a small scrap of 1/2" ply taped down to a sacrificial work surface.

[attachimg=2]

Plate is already scanned and gridded in Origin so it's easy to just duplicate the workspace and drop the new design in at 0/0 on Plates coordinates. Then just use the sliding "reticle" to align it to a mark on the ply.

If I still had to use F360 and set up a tape field, scan and grid it probably wouldn't have happened today.

RMW

 

[Michael Kellough]

[member=935]richard[/member]/RMK  did you mill the slots in the aluminum with SO? If so, do you recall the bit and speed and feed rate you used? And/or what specs you would suggest for an 1/8” bit in 6061?

 

[mino]

I recently purchased 3 of their new bits, they came from the US, Sweden & Germany. My guess is they outsource to whomever has the best price or available production capacity.

RMW

Unlikely there were 3 different makers for a single bit type. Two I can image if you hit a moment the supplier is being switched. These contracts tend to be multi-year at the minimum.

More likely different makes for different bit types.

In the ODM world there are companies that specialize in specific bit types - as they tend to require different tech/know-how only for the likes of Festool or Shaper to "put them together" into a collection to sell.

The other aspect is that the "simpler" bits can be had from more makers /so cheaper/ while the more specialist bits can be had from a few or even a single maker.

The new Shaper looks TEMPTING ... to the point of redirecting my OF2200-assigned budget for something bigger. It is trully becoming a "portable CNC" of sorts.

 

[PaulMarcel]

I was not going to pay for Studio, but the 50% deal suckered me in.  I used it to layout and draw an undermount sink cutout for a Richlite countertop.  My first impression is that it's pretty much like the on-tool design, except I can sit in my office to use it.  I'm not sure it was worth fifty bucks for basic shapes and text.  I'd like to see some kind of round-trip design ability where on-tool work can make it back to the desktop, Studio sync seems to be the way they could do that.

I've been using Affinity Designer. $55 one-time (no subscription). With the Origin plug-in, it's super easy to export to the hub. While it's been a while since I used it in the shop, when I did, it certainly was fast to update my project in Origin. I'd guess Studio has more integration; I haven't looked yet.

 

[rmwarren]

I recently purchased 3 of their new bits, they came from the US, Sweden & Germany. My guess is they outsource to whomever has the best price or available production capacity.

RMW

Unlikely there were 3 different makers for a single bit type. Two I can image if you hit a moment the supplier is being switched. These contracts tend to be multi-year at the minimum.

More likely different makes for different bit types.

In the ODM world there are companies that specialize in specific bit types - as they tend to require different tech/know-how only for the likes of Festool or Shaper to "put them together" into a collection to sell.

The other aspect is that the "simpler" bits can be had from more makers /so cheaper/ while the more specialist bits can be had from a few or even a single maker.

The new Shaper looks TEMPTING ... to the point of redirecting my OF2200-assigned budget for something bigger. It is trully becoming a "portable CNC" of sorts.

Sorry, I don't think I said the bits were alike. There were 3 different countries of origin for 3 different bits.

RMW

 

[nclemmons]

I’ve had my Shaper since the early ‘pre-order’ days and been very happy with it.  Have the workstation and the plate which arrived this week. 

My understanding on the Gen2 is that the base, lighting and screen have been updated.  I do not believe there is a change in processor or memory based on talking to friends at Shaper.  I have been using Studio a bit and it’s early but promising.  Missing some basic features like the ability to draw a line. 

Lot’s of discussion/revolt on the Shaper forum on the $200 cost of the auto pass feature.  When I look at what I have invested for router bits and other tools and accessories, I don’t personally have an issue knowing the effort to design and develop tech products.

I’ll definitely add auto-pass license later this month for the improved productivity. 

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I’ve had my Shaper since the early ‘pre-order’ days and been very happy with it.  Have the workstation and the plate which arrived this week. 

My understanding on the Gen2 is that the base, lighting and screen have been updated.  I do not believe there is a change in processor or memory based on talking to friends at Shaper.  I have been using Studio a bit and it’s early but promising.  Missing some basic features like the ability to draw a line. 

Lot’s of discussion/revolt on the Shaper forum on the $200 cost of the auto pass feature.  When I look at what I have invested for router bits and other tools and accessories, I don’t personally have an issue knowing the effort to design and develop tech products.

I’ll definitely add auto-pass license later this month for the improved productivity.

Agreed totally. It's a minimal one-time thing that is associated with your account. So if you ever replaced the machine for some reason, it still applies.

I'm sure that there will be updates to Studio, same as they do with the firmware for the machine.
The Shaper team seems like they are very interested in what people do with Origin and how they can improve the experience.

 

[DynaGlide]

As much as I am trying to get away from computers in my woodworking journey (hence my ridiculous Roubo bench build) I think I'm probably going to cave on buying a Shaper when the time is right. My end goal is to be able to do the things that need to be done by hand like finessing a perfect M&T joint or smooth planing a board before finish, but also to have that level of accuracy for a pattern or jig or inlay or whatever I can dream up for a project.

The Studio software is the first compelling reason for me to consider the Shaper. While I'm pretty darn good in SketchUp I have zero experience with Fusion other than trying, and failing miserably, to follow some YouTube tutorials.

Matt