Editing Shaper (section)

== History ==
[[Samuel Bentham]] developed a shaper between 1791 and 1793.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mvlTAAAAMAAJ&q=Samuel+Bentham+Shaper | title=Modern wood technology| last1=Hackett| first1=Donald F.| last2=Spielman| first2=Patrick E.| year=1968}}</ref> However, Roe (1916) credits [[James Nasmyth]] with the invention of the shaper in 1836.<ref>{{Harvnb|Roe|1916}}, [https://books.google.com/books?id=X-EJAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA92 p. 92].</ref> Shapers were very common in industrial production from the mid-19th century through the mid-20th. In current industrial practice, shapers have been largely superseded by other machine tools (especially of the [[Numerical control|CNC]] type), including [[milling machine]]s, [[grinding machine]]s, and [[Broaching (metalworking)|broaching machines]]. But the basic function of a shaper is still sound; tooling for them is minimal and very cheap to reproduce; and they are simple and robust in construction, making their repair and upkeep easily achievable. Thus, they are still popular in many machine shops, from [[Job production|jobbing shops]] or [[Maintenance, repair, and operations|repair shops]] to [[Tool and die maker|tool and die shops]], where only one or a few pieces are required to be produced, and the alternative methods are cost- or tooling-intensive. They also have considerable [[retro]] appeal to many hobbyist machinists, who are happy to obtain a used shaper or, in some cases, even to build a new one from scratch.