Newbie- How accurate is a metal shaper?

[patriciooholegu]

Hello people.
The nex week a friend of mine will let my use a big and good metal shaper on the workshop to make the parts of my diy cnc small lathe.
I never used this machine and never saw the finished job they do.
So my question it is: How accurate is a metal shaper?
It is able to make, for example, a clean mirror-like flat surface from metal cast?

Thank you and please suggest!!

[awemawson]

In the right hands a shaper is capable of very accurate work but it takes skill. The surface finish is dependant on the rigidity of the machine, and the shaping of the tool.

A shaper can be visualised as a giant fist holding a lathe tool, which is pushed across the surface being machined. Each time it makes one push across the surface the index mechanism cranks the cross feed screw so that the next push is is displaced slightly from the previous one. By having a tool whose nose is slightly rounded rather than acute, you form a series of smooth cuts the bigger the radius of the rounding and the closer to an absolutely flat surface. Alternatively you can use a flat faced tool slightly inclined to the vertical thus shaving tidly bit off. You need to practice on scrap first!

AWEM

[Perfect Circle]

Check these links out..
Good Luck~!

The Shaping Machine

YouTube - Introduction to the metal shaper