On a shaper, you would set the cutter to shape which surface of the stock?

• A. Bottom
• B. Top
• C. Front face
• D. Edge

Answer: (A)

The key idea is that the shaper removes material from the surface that is in contact with the cutter as the ram strokes. In typical setups, the stock sits on the table and is guided by a jig or fence, so the surface that the cutter actually shapes is the bottom surface of the stock—the face that ends up being the reference on the bottom side. This is why the bottom surface is the one you shape on a shaper. If you needed to shape the top, front face, or an edge, you would reorient the stock or use a different jig to expose that surface to the cutter.