John,
Glad you have got it all sorted without having to be nasty. It will be a valuable addition to your growing shop.
It is many years since I have had to use a shaper in anger, but once you find out how and get to use it, there will be no stopping you.
The milling machine has taken over from the shaper for most jobs, but for some production jobs they really excel.
Getting the hang of setting the correct angle for the job on the clapper box should be your first priority. Get that under your belt and you will be flying. That is most probably where your first tentative steps were going wrong, if you don't get the angle right, it cannot get back correctly to start the next cut.
Darren has recently become a proud owner as well, so he might be able to point you in the right direction for starting info.
John