Built by  J.Emrich at Mühlacker during the 1920s this was one of the smallest German-made shapers ever constructed with automatic feeds and a pivoting table. The ram stroke could be extended to a maximum of 150mm whilst the table had a longitudinal travel of 220mm and 125mm vertically. Although various configurations were offered the particular machine illustrated below has a pivoting, double-faced table formed as a simple braced angle plate - its relatively light construction and lack of a front support being typical of many similar contemporary machines. Even so, the table was of enormous depth and able to mount the dividing attachment either sideways or facing inwards. T-slots on one face ran from left to right and on the other from front to back - with both a vice and dividing attachment mounted separately by T-bolts.
Originally powered by flat-belt (from a ceiling-mounted line shaft) the shaper has been very neatly converted to a self-contained drive by V-belts running over a jockey wheel. Although now fitted with the part in steel, the original drive pinion that engaged with the crank gearwheel was made from laminations of leather pressed and riveted together. This construction, widely used at the time on other lower-powered machine tools, gave a noticeably smooth and silent drive, though it would prove unreliable when subjected to continuous, heavy use. Interestingly, all the nuts and bolts on the machine were English Whitworth form, the change to metric fasteners not being complete in German industry until well into the 1930s.
Arranged with conventional right-hand threads, the operating crank handles had a sense of movement that was "clack-handed" - a rotation of a handle to the right causing the slide to move out, not in. Despite this aberration, the designers had tried to make life easy for the operator by providing circular, knurled-edge screws to alter the settings of the table power feed - there was no need to go hunting for the infamous "self-hiding" spanner.
This model of the Emrich cut metal in the conventional way, on the push stroke, but some later types (see the last illustration on this page) were changed so that the action took place when "pulling". The newer models were also more heavily built, with self-contained drive systems and 3-faced box tables with sturdy built-in vices and other accessories. Although little-known, Emrich were the forerunners of the celebrated Ludwig Gack, makers of many ingenious and complex shaping and slotting machines.