When Alec Rivers attempted to make a picture frame from his grandfather’s old hand tools, he never envisaged that he would start down a path that would shake up the woodworking & making industry.

HOW IT STARTED

Back in 2011 after inheriting the old tools, his picture frame turned out to be "close". But close, meant that his mitres had gaps that he was unhappy with. Frustrated with the difficulty in making this seemingly simple shape, the PhD candidate wondered if technology could help. So he set out to work on a prototype for a handheld digital router that could help people make precise cuts.

TOP TEAM

Alec later teamed up with Ilan Moyer & eventually Joe Hebenstreit, now CEO, to build a team from MIT, Apple, Amazon, Google, and Tesla, all of whom share the same goal of bringing this first-of-its-kind technology to market.

RETAIL

Five years later in 2016 Shaper Origin was launched. Batch 1 of pre-order sales started delivering in late 2017, with Batch 2 delivery occurring in February/March 2018. The pre-order window has closed, and when the Origin begins to retail, it will do so for $2,499.*

FESTOOL DEAL

You may have seen videos online of the Origin using various types of trim routers. But in July 2017 it was announced that the folks at Shaper have teamed up with Festool to create a custom spindle for the Origin.

HOW IT WORKS

The world's first handheld CNC works using "Shaper Tape" as a visual marker system. The tape is applied to your workpiece, then the tool scans the tape to generate a map and make sure your cuts are exactly where you want them. The basic premise is that you guide the router around your work piece with your hands, following an on-screen path. As you move, the tool provides an "auto-correct for your hands" that keeps your cuts precise and accurate.

SYSTAINER INCLUDED

For many woodworkers, who use Systainers to store and transport tools, you will be glad to hear that the Origin comes in it's own custom SYS 5 T-LOC Systainer. This will allow it to easily integrate with the rest of your setup.

CONCLUSION

The Shaper Origin feels like the largest leap forward in handheld power tools that we've seen in recent times. The ability to bring the power of digital fabrication to a job site is unprecedented. The innovative features like cloud capability and touch screen display make it a tool for the future. While the ability to use standard cutters and vac extraction make it a tool for today.

I remember where I was when I first heard about the Shaper Origin in 2016. I was working as a joinery designer for a shopfitting company. I genuinely thought "oh shit, this is going to be game-changing". A lot of the marketing surrounding Origin centres on the maker community. But I also think there is another larger opportunity for Shaper tools.

Joinery shops around the world have an array of large industrial woodworking tools plus many will have a large flat-bed CNC machine (or two, or three) churning out parts for assembly. Many of these joinery shops will have 50-150 joiners working at benches, making and assembling joinery. I know from experience that the queue of work for the CNC can be extremely long. With the result that companies often suffer from down time where joiners have to wait until the CNC operator gets to their job in the queue before they can get the parts they need to complete their project.

The possibilities that open up if each bench is equipped with a Shaper Origin are huge. It provides companies with the ability to be agile and nimble in comparison to hugely expensive, industrial level CNC machines that are cumbersome. Plus most CNC machines come with proprietary software that is dated and not user friendly—to put it politely.

Shaper have changed the game with their Origin. I hope they continue to grow and improve. I for one, will be cheering them on.

*Editor's note: This article initially had stated that the retail price was $2,099. This was incorrect and it has been changed to $2,499.

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