metal-cutting machine in which the workpiece is usually held in a vise or similar device that is clamped to a table and can be manually operated or power driven at right angles to the path of a chisellike cutting tool with only one cutting edge held on the end of a reciprocating ram. A moving table feeds the workpiece in small, discrete increments at the end of each stroke of the tool, and a scalloped but essentially flat surface is generated on the workpiece. The adjustable mounting of the tool permits the cutting of grooves and the generation of surfaces at almost any angle to one another.

The rams on most shapers reciprocate horizontally. Shapers with vertical rams are known as slotters, or die shapers, and are frequently provided with rotary tables. Means are provided on all shapers for varying the length of stroke and speed of the ram.