SHOP FOX W1765 1/4 HP Power Feeder

This is another one of those why didn't I get one of these before now items. I mounted this on my Shop Fox W1701 shaper using the quick mount Steelex D3868 and mounted a second one directly to the table of my other shaper. The quick mount is a good way to test the placement of your power feeder before drilling the table. The 20 fpm feed rate seems fast enough and is very consistent. Four different feeds rates are possible with the two gear sets and an optional slow speed set giving 13 fpm. There is a small learning curve in setting up the power feeder but admittedly rather easy. All adjustments are made without tools with the exception of the over arm cone assembly which needs a wrench. This only needs to be tightened during the initial installation and is used to set the arm parallel to the table. After this all needed adjustments are made with out tools. I like the fact it keeps constant pressure on the board flat on the table surface. Even a board with a mild bow can be tricky to keep flat on the shaper table when feeding by hand. Feather boards do help. As a test I re-ran a board through using the power feeder and no additional material was removed which indicated that it ran in nearly the same position. I do try to apply a coat of wax every hour and at the end of a run just to protect the table but otherwise have not seen any friction issues. Adjustments that worked well for my machine: Set the feed wheels to slightly push the material against the fence as it feeds through, set the gap between the feed wheels and the table about 1/16 to 1/8 closer than the material thickness, feed wheels parallel to the table. Rather than adjusting the fence for multiple passes which then may make feeder adjustments necessary I opted to make a spacer board for the fence. A thin strip of wood attaches to the fence and simply spaces the material a bit farther from the cutter. I have used this method with 2 spacers when running raised panels and works well in the shop. The feeder seems to have adequate power for my current use. I am controlling the power feeder with a i-socket automatic switch which is normally used to control a vacuum cleaner hooked to a miter saw. This makes it convenient to set the switch on the power feeder to the correct direction and not worry about forgetting to turn it off when done. Granted this only works on 110 VAC. My only other suggestion would be to make the mounting base easily available (outside of parts) and perhaps a bit more affordable. I could see having a mounting base on several different machines and moving the power feeder as needs for different jobs. I could see a larger shop having a power feeder for each machine but in a small custom shop as mine two power feeders are very handy and my job requirements do vary quite a bit. UPDATE: I have added two more power feeders with the fourth one placed on a Shop Fox W1764 shaper. Bit of careful measurement to avoid reinforcing ribs was needed but it will fit the shaper. Really like these especially given the fact it keeps the fingers away from the cutters even if they belong to someone else. I see this more and more as a safety item.

Good quality unit. I used a Delta 36-850 for many years, but eventually a casting broke in the mounting base. The Shop Fox unit is essentially identical. I recently cut about 2 miles of strips for cedar-strip boats and used the stock feeder on my table saw and router table. It worked well, was easy to adjust and locked in place solidly. While milling the cove and bead, I used a set of gears from my Delta for a faster speed than available with the supplied gears, they fit perfectly and made relatively quick work of the task.

Was missing the mounting bolts that were included, but works well. Expensive to ship.

Extremely heavy and very slow feeder with no variable speed. Not happy with the product.

I have this set up on my permanent router table. I get good feed speeds and really nice results when using this feeder. Recommend it.

Well made and sturdy product with a quality motor... But.... The 1/2 power (which I also own) is a beast compared to this one! For cabinet building, you really need the larger frame, larger wheels, and heavier unit to remove the amount of wood needed for rails and stiles. The 1/2 hp is MUCH larger! I would say that this unit is great for a router used for small projects, but if you have a planer and make cabinets, don't get anything smaller than the 1/2 hp!!! The bigger, the better. It's not just the horse power, it's the over all weight and size that is so much better on the 1/2 hp power feeder. However, I found no flaws in this unit for smaller jobs, and it is not a light weight. It is very sturdy.

This feeder is a great unit and does the job well. It's heavy and requires a bit of building, but its easy to put together and set up. You will need to secure the base, I use the Steelex D3968 bolted to the opposite corner of my router table. My only complaint is that I thought I could turn the unit sideways to put more pressure against the fence, but the unit is too heavy and won't bend that far. Its basically got extended arms that run from the back of the table to the front-right corner where the rollers set close to the fence, angled slightly inward to pull the stock firmly against the fence and table top. A few things to think about before buying - It can block the view of the board as it travels to meet the router bit. Its quite heavy but I set it up myself, should probably be 2 people initially. I am going to switch to a horizontal router table. Most of what I route are frames and these will cut cleaner laying flat as they move across. So I plan to reinforce the new table and build a holder for the feeder to run from the left to the right. The 1/4 HP is more power than needed. I think the 1/8th HP would have been enough and probably lighter and smaller. You can't beat the smoothness of the feed, especially on long stock.

heavy construction, looks like it will be durable

This is a solid, well-built feeder. It weighs 80lbs, so it needs two people to get it installed. Once it is set up it works reliably, but it is a fit fussy to get it in place the first time around. The variable speed comes from changing the gears in the drive. The unit comes with one set of alternative gears for a faster feed rate. There is no variable speed setting for the motor; just forward and reverse. This unit is made in Taiwan and sold by a number of different suppliers, just with different paint jobs. The price at Amazon is a couple of hundred bucks less than some of the other suppliers.