STL273: Shaper Origin—Then and Now

Mike and Ben interview Joe Hebenstreit and Adi Rao about their work with Shaper—from the early prototypes to their newest offerings, Shaper Studio and Plate.

Aug 26, 2022

Sponsored by Shaper

Mike and Ben interview Joe Hebenstreit and Adi Rao about their work with Shaper—from the early prototypes to their newest offerings, Shaper Studio and Plate.

This episode is sponsored by Shaper.

For more information head on over to https://www.shapertools.com/

August 23, 2022 — Today, the San Francisco-based woodworking and robotics company Shaper Tools announced the launch of two new products for the woodworking and fabrication industries: Studio, a simplified design tool for craftspeople, and Plate—a universal template and fixture for Shaper Origin.

Announced today at the International Woodworking Fair, Shaper Studio is a simplified 2D design tool that aims to focus on the features that matter most to craftspeople, short circuiting the path from idea to production, and omitting the unnecessary and confusing features that have crept into one-size-fits-all design software. Simply put, Studio helps users spend more time making and less time fussing with a computer. For $99 a year, users get unlimited access to fonts and artwork, plus some really powerful editing features like Studio’s ShapeShifter—an intuitive shape combination tool that further speeds up the design process—along with the ability to save and export an SVG file, sync it directly to Shaper Origin, or use it with other digital fabrication tools like vinyl cutters or laser cutters. A Lite version of Studio with limited access to fonts and artwork is also available for free, and a 14-day free trial allows one to test out the fully featured product. Studio is web-based, making it easy to produce and edit designs on your phone, tablet, or computer.

Shaper Plate is Shaper’s latest accessory to effortlessly connect digital designs with physical workpieces. When paired with Origin, Shaper Plate makes installing hardware and other localized precision cutting operations fast and seamless. Plate takes advantage of Shaper’s Hardware Catalog, a collection of Shaper-vetted digital hardware templates available on ShaperHub. With Shaper Origin and Plate, installing a hinge, door pull, or other hardware is as easy as finding the file on the Hardware Catalog, aligning one of Plate’s four fence systems to a pencil mark, and using Origin to accurately mill the pocket in just the right spot. Integrated with ShaperTape, Shaper Plate speeds up a huge variety of Origin operations like installing bow ties, corner rounding, machining cable pass throughs, engravings, and more.

Shaper Plate will officially go on sale September 14th. In the meantime, attendees at the International Woodworking Fair this week can get a first look and hands-on demo. For those Origin customers eager to own one of the first units, they can sign up to get notified when Shaper Plate goes on sale and be first in line.

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