As of June 2007 Freeborns, 2-wing, 3/4" bore, Carbide tip, Signature Series line of cutters has been discontinued. Their excellent customer service has not been discontinued.
The cutters listed here are what is left of these very cost effective cutters.
We are often asked what the benefits of a 2 wing cutter are compared to a 3 wing cutter. When used as a hand feeding operation.
RUNS COOLER; Each time a tooth makes a chip, it creates friction, which causes heat. With one third less wings, the heat created is correspondingly less. This results in less chance of burning the wood at hand fed speeds.
RUNS QUIETER; With only two teeth hitting the wood, and disturbing the air, the difference in sound volume is significant.
LASTS LONGER; The foremost problem confronting a shaper user is premature wear of the cutter. The cause of this wear is not using the cutter in the manner it was designed. A shaper cutter is designed to cut wood, not rub it. If you do not keep your feed rate up, and stop or hesitate while feeding, you will put more wear on the cutter than if you cut wood with it for an hour. The major wear on a cutter is when it starts to create a chip, just before a chip is actually formed. If you do not feed fast enough to allow the tooth to get a hold of a chip, it will continue to rub itself dull and start to burn the wood. By having two rather than three wings, you have the same effect as if you increased the feed rate.. By letting your cutters tips cut rather than rub, you will minimize the wear on your cutter and significantly extend its useful life. The tendency is to go slow and get a good cut, but this is at the expense of wear, burning and sharpening expense.
