Making friends with a shaper

[Hawkeye]

Here's a question for you. I'm assuming it's a crank-type shaper. Open the door over the gear drive and watch which way the gear turns. It should turn clockwise when seen from that side. This will result in the ram moving out slower than it retracts. If it's turning backward, swap any two wires feeding the motor.

If the table is advancing when the ram is coming out, there may be something not set up properly. The table will normally advance while the ram is retracting.