diff --git a/src/servo/text/font.rs b/src/servo/text/font.rs
index 661f4516def..ed3870e39a8 100644
--- a/src/servo/text/font.rs
+++ b/src/servo/text/font.rs
@@ -117,8 +117,7 @@ impl Font {
             None => {}
         }
 
-        // XXX(Issue #163): wrong! use typedef (as commented out)
-        let shaper = @harfbuzz::shaper::HarfbuzzShaper::new(self);
+        let shaper = @Shaper::new(self);
         self.shaper = Some(shaper);
         shaper
     }
diff --git a/src/servo/text/shaper.rs b/src/servo/text/shaper.rs
index 28587f3021e..7b0c9531c3c 100644
--- a/src/servo/text/shaper.rs
+++ b/src/servo/text/shaper.rs
@@ -4,5 +4,14 @@ Uniscribe, Pango, or Coretext.
 
 Currently, only harfbuzz bindings are implemented.
 */
+use font::Font;
 
 pub type Shaper/& = harfbuzz::shaper::HarfbuzzShaper;
+
+// TODO(Issue #163): this is a workaround for static methods and
+// typedefs not working well together. It should be removed.
+impl Shaper {
+    static pub fn new(font: @Font) -> Shaper {
+        harfbuzz::shaper::HarfbuzzShaper::new(font)
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file