Shopsmith help requested

[agfox]

Greets folks,

I have some questions on a shopsmith I hope you can assist with. I've had a hard time with this, so this may not make sense in parts as it's highly personal. My grandfather was the only other woodworker in the family, and he died this past March. He was a dedicated shopsmith man, and I'm pretty sure he owns everything they made, at least it seems that way going through it. You learn a lot about a man when he dies and you go through his stuff. I learned where I get all my bad ww'n habits. Brand new accessories, router bits, drill bits, and lord knows what else... all in the package with receipts. I knew I had to get it from someone! I'll use it, someday... just keep telling myself!

Anyways, I was considering bring the shopsmith home for a dedicated pen lathe and I have read some of you have this machine. I have a jet mini now and it's all I've ever turned on. I understand it has a unique arbor situation, and the headstock moves instead of the tailstock, but other than that I'm pretty clueless to it. I'll be eventually hauling all the pieces home, but on the first trip I'd like to get what's necessary to turn pens. Can you give me an idea on what to make sure I get to take home? Are there some pictures I can look at? How do you hold the mandrel? Would a beall chuck (with an adaptor for the spindle) work on this? I keep reading something about changing speeds in lathe mode is a problem?

I signed up on the SS group on yahoo, so hopefully I can search there too. I appreciate any and all help you can give.

Thanks,

Nathan

 

[wdcav1952]

Nathan,

Try to touch base with Michael (MDWine). Rumor has it that he sleeps with his ShopSmith he loves it so much []

 

[KenV]

I am guilty, but it is in the garage and I sleep with my wife of lots of years.

Your grandfather had some good taste. Shopsmith has the ability to do it all if you are willing to spend the time on jigs. Or you use only a few items and leave them set up. It is, in my opinion, a bit ackward as a lathe, but it will do some serious lathe work if you want.

If your grandfather had the bandsaw, set that up on the left end. Mount the 12 inch disk sander or better the "donut sander" on the other end. Put the saw table in place and make a sander gig. There are a couple of good ones in the photo section.

That would let you turn on the mini - cut and trim blanks on the bandsaw, and do all sanding on the disk sander. Swap the disk sander out for the drill chuck and you can drill your blanks with the same gig platform that you use for sanding. Band saw, horizontal drill press, disk sander, all in one, and ready at a moments notice.

(Wood butcher is the term to describe you, your grandfather, and me -- FWW had a reprint on the final page recently to describe the condition....)

 

[mick]

Nathan, if all you want to start with are basics to turn pens take home the shopSmith itself(of course), the tail stock(you'll have to purchase a live center to replace the original center if it's not already been replaced)and the Jacobs chuck used with the drill press and the toolrest. With just this you can chuck a mandrel rod into the Jacobs chuck, move the Smith unit up to meet the tail stock and you're ready to turn to turn pens, provided you put bushings and a`couple of blanks on the mandrel of course.....lol. PSI also sells a mandrel especially made for the shopsmith. It's basically a mandrel rod screwed into fitting made to be placed directly onto the shopsmith. With this setup you won't lose any length like you would using the drill chuck.
I started out turning on a ShopSmith and did for quite awhile til I, like you bought a jet mini. Now my Smith is used mainly for its drill press capabilities The speed issue isn't really one at all, but you do build up quite a wrist from all the cranking up and down as you turn the ShopSmith on and off as it needs to be turned to its slowest speed before you power it down(something to do with screwing up the drive belt if I remember right.
Got anymore questions I'll try to answer, or like mentioned in the earlier post MDWine also uses a ShopSmith.

 

[MDWine]

My Smithy is certainly more agreeable than my wife, and....
No... never mind...

Yes, I love my Smithy, and have been known to talk to it and caress it lovingly. It's been a great machine, and still IS! I didn't turn today, but did go to the basement and talk to my SS!

We'll talk soon, Nathan!

 

[jwoodwright]

Drilling jig I made for my ShopSmith when I started Pen Turning 7 years ago...

That's a 2-color Corian glue-up in the "jaws"...

<br />

 

[ilikewood]

I use my ShopSmith for just about everything...except drilling. I always ended up with too much flex in the table. I bought a HF drill press and have dedicated my SS to tablesaw/lathe use mostly. It is all I have ever used as a lathe at home and it has done very well.

Just a note...I use a motor bearing that fits over the end of the mandrel and slips into the tail stock instead of a live center. It works much better, but finding the electrical motor bearings to fit was the hard part.

 

[KenV]

Bill -- The thrust bearing idea is a great one.

 

[MDWine]

I use mine for everything. I've considered having a separate drill press, even a benchtop model, but I've been putting the $$ into other stuff. Now, what I'd REALLY like is that 'lift-assist-kit', but I wind up putting that money other places too! I try to get all of my upright drilling done at one time! [8D]

Ya gotta love the Smithy!