Shopsmith users chime in!

[76winger]

Recently I've seen several postings from people with Shopsmiths or asking about them, so I thought it might be fun for some of us to chime in and touch base with each other. Take a moment to speak up on how your using yours, upload some photos and show off yours, just whatever. It's another thing we have in common besides making pens!

With that in mind Here's some photos of mine from the time I got it until as recent as a year ago. When mine joined me, it was in April 2004 (based on the date of the photo, I've forgotten the exact date) and was purchased for $50 at an estate action and was a basket case as shown here.


After a summer of collecting parts on ebay and some new internal parts directly from Shopmith, I was ready to spend the winter rebuilding. I was sandblasting and repainting EVERYTHING paintable, buffing and polishing the aluminum parts, replacing the way tubes that had rusted too bad to polish up and scrounging ebay for various missing parts. Finally a year after I brought her home she was like new and ready to rock and roll!


The biggest workout the old girl has had to endure so far has to be this huge chunk of walnut that started out about 13 inches across at this largest dimension. The SS speed reducer between it and the headstock was a must, to drop the turning speed down to 100 rpm for that big beast.


The SS endured well and this 11 inch bowl was the final product of that big hunk of wood.


Mostly my trusty "Greenie" keeps busy making smaller pieces of wood go round and round so I can make pens out of them. Here's a couple pieces of ebony mounted on the mandrel that's just past rounding and on to the shaping stage. Note below the wheels at the base I've made some 4 inch risers for it so I, at 6 ft 2in height don't have to bend over so far when turning.


Here's a shot of me posing with the Shopsmith, surrounded by several of the other tools in my shop. My trusty bright-eyed companion, Kdos, is not to shy to be in the middle of things and wondering what the heck "daddy" is up to now.


And every vigilant and ready for the next job in April 2011, the old girl has been serving me well now for almost 7 years now. The past 3 1/2 almost exclusively for turning pens and bowls, and powering the bandsaw attachment.


So who else has a Shopsmith, whether you use it or not?

If you DO use it, how are you putting yours to use?

Feel free to post pictures of yours as well! Lets connect and have some fun! :coffee:

 

[flyitfast]

Your "greenie" is a treasure and you have done a good job of restoring it. Thanks for posting it.
I've had my V since 1976. Wife saw it demo'd at the Mall and informed me that I needed one of those!!! :biggrin: Have used it for simple furniture and other stuff. Have upgraded it to a 520 and really like the features. Best thing I did was install the easy lifting device. Can move it into drill press position with one finger. Like the new wheels that actually roll!!
The lathe is a little too low for me and the table saw is a little high. Don't use the lathe, but the saw gets a workout. Have a midi and full sized lathe.
Don't have any of the aux tools, but I'm glad to have the basic machine. If you have one hang on to it.
gordon

 

[chrishicks82]

Bought mine in 2007 or 2008 it has been used to remodel my house and now it is used to make my pens I will never get rid of it but I am going to buy some other single use tools so I can be a little more productive. I found mine on craigslist for $300 had to have it.

 

[kovalcik]

Bought mine new in 86. Just graduated from college and it was a choice between an PBM PC or the SS. The SS won and that was the best choice I ever made. Used it to build a house and some furniture along with basic DIY stuff around the house. Toasted the motor and had to replace it ripping down pine boards to make trim for the house (about 3 hours of constant use). Tried the lathe a couple times, but never was really happy with the results (my fault, not the machine's). Jump ahead about 20+ years. Have replaced most of the Shopsmith functions with stationary machines except the lathe, so it has been standing idle for a while. Took a couple of classes on turning and now the SS is back in operation as my lathe. Decided to try pens about a year ago. The sheave bearing just went before Christmas. I now have a small Jet lathe, but plan to get the SS up and running again soon.

 

[Justturnin]

I started out turning on my SS MarkV, which was my fathers. I turned anything and everything until I blew out the Quill Bearings. I eneded up picking up my current lathe on CL for $80 delivered so I went that route. I filnally replaced the quill ad use my SS for my TS, Drill Press and Jointer. I did use the BS almost daily until I bought my Delta last week. It is a great BS and I think SS did a fine job on it by taking away any tweeking to make it "right". Using the Delta was like learning to ride a bike all over again and the only reason I bought the delts was for 12" resaw capacity. My only complaint is the Dust Collection. I wish it was larger than 2.5" sometimes and the shroud around the Disk Sander/TS Blade lets a lot of dust out but other than that I like it. It gets the jobs I need it for done nicely. Now if I was doing fine WW I would likely upgrade to a stand alone TS but other than that it is golden.

 

[RichB]

I have the SSMarkV, which I bought new about 35 yrs ago, I think. I have a bandsaw, and strip sander attachment for it. It used to be my main machine but now I use it for horz. drilling and buffing out my pens. It is very useful for different machining. I have thought of selling it but about the time I think about it, it turns out to be the only machine I can use for a different project. I have a nice equipped wood shop, but it still has a place.

 

[Donovan's Corner]

My college mentor who introduced me to wood turning had a shopsmith but used it as a table saw and not as a lathe. He continues to use his Jet mini lathe, but I like the look of your shopsmith and wonder why he didn't use it?! I would have!

 

[76winger]

Your "greenie" is a treasure and you have done a good job of restoring it. Thanks for posting it.
I've had my V since 1976. Wife saw it demo'd at the Mall and informed me that I needed one of those!!! :biggrin: Have used it for simple furniture and other stuff. Have upgraded it to a 520 and really like the features. Best thing I did was install the easy lifting device. Can move it into drill press position with one finger. Like the new wheels that actually roll!!
The lathe is a little too low for me and the table saw is a little high. Don't use the lathe, but the saw gets a workout. Have a midi and full sized lathe.
Don't have any of the aux tools, but I'm glad to have the basic machine. If you have one hang on to it.
gordon

Thanks Gordon, mine was little too low as well, thus the reason I made the risers, which works much better for me now.

I hear the easy lift is really nice. I never invested in one for myself because I have a Craftsman floor standing drill press, so any drilling done on the SS is usually in the horizontal position.

 

[TerryDowning]

My 1955 "Greenie" although it's blue now was originally purchased by my PaPa and then handed down to my Dad in the early 70s (I remember riding in the back of our station wagon bringing it home). I assumed ownership in 2001.

I have used every function on this tool. I also have the 4 inch jointer.

This is the power tool I learned on and my kids learned on. I use it regularly for all kinds of work. It does good with small and large. I do wish I had a speed reducer though as I would like to turn some larger pieces.

It does need paint, casters, and new bearings. But I can still get replacement parts for this beast of a machine.

 

[76winger]

My 1955 "Greenie" although it's blue now was originally purchased by my PaPa and then handed down to my Dad in the early 70s (I remember riding in the back of our station wagon bringing it home). I assumed ownership in 2001.

I have used every function on this tool. I also have the 4 inch jointer.

This is the power tool I learned on and my kids learned on. I use it regularly for all kinds of work. It does good with small and large. I do wish I had a speed reducer though as I would like to turn some larger pieces.

It does need paint, casters, and new bearings. But I can still get replacement parts for this beast of a machine.

It's amazing that after all these years you can only find any part you want used, but most everything can still be purchased new as well! It's a shame we don't have more of this kind of quality and re-usability in American products these days, instead of everyone thinking they have to come up with a completely new version every year or two AND build planned obsolecence into the products as well.

 

[76winger]

Bought mine in 2007 or 2008 it has been used to remodel my house and now it is used to make my pens I will never get rid of it but I am going to buy some other single use tools so I can be a little more productive. I found mine on craigslist for $300 had to have it.

You got a heck of a deal! By the time I got done rebuilding my $50 purchase I had about $800 in it. But half the parts in the head stock were new at that point, including upgrading to the newer belt style and the dual bearing quil. Those alone were about half of the price of the project. The rest was new way tubes and lots of used stuff off of eBay for all the missing pieces.

 

[rej19]

Here's a pic of mine. I have most of the attachments including the dust collection system. I use it for my horizontal boring and sanding.

 

[76winger]

Here's a pic of mine. I have most of the attachments including the dust collection system. I use it for my horizontal boring and sanding.

Nice setup Ron, looks like your set up to slide the headstock back and forth between sanding and horizontal drilling!

 

[76winger]

I have the SSMarkV, which I bought new about 35 yrs ago, I think. I have a bandsaw, and strip sander attachment for it. It used to be my main machine but now I use it for horz. drilling and buffing out my pens. It is very useful for different machining. I have thought of selling it but about the time I think about it, it turns out to be the only machine I can use for a different project. I have a nice equipped wood shop, but it still has a place.

I'm with you because I think there will always be a use for it due to the versatility of the machine. Unless your just filthy rich and can purchase every individual toll the Shopsmith can mimic. But even then, it's a good spare machine if you already got it, just in case some breaks when you need to get a job done.

 

[navycop]

I like that setup Ron. I was trying to use mine for the drillpress, but had no room to add the table and raise the tubes. I never thought to mount the vise as if I was going to drill from the top-but instead use the horizontal boring feature.

 

[rej19]

Thanks Mike. This is the way I have it set up most of the time. I can easily swap the band saw with the sander if I need it. I am very limited for space so it works out good for me. At some time I will post my "mini shop" photos!

 

[JamesB]

As a prospective Shopsmith owner I hope to learn how to maximize the potential of it from all the great owner here if I get this one off craigslist : "Circa 1950's Shop Smith many spare blades, dados, drums, discs etc. All original with manuals, etc."
The guy is supposed to be sending pics soon. I'll post them here when I get them.

 

[navycop]

What speed to micromesh?

I lost my chart that had the Shopsmith speeds (k, L, M, etc) matching up with some of the speeds that others used for sanding and general turning. Can anyone help me out with what speeds to turn, micromesh and apply finish using the shopsmith?

 

[76winger]

I usually leave mine on the slowest setting for sanding and finishing, which is 700 rpm. I know some use a faster speed, but I like to believe I sling a lot finish around the shop by keeping the speed down, and don't build up as much heat during sanding either.

 

[Jackson]

My dad got one about 10 years ago from a garage sale when I was 8 or 9 and never used it much. Now I use it for everything pen related, as it is our only power tool. We use everything, the table saw, band saw, disk sander, belt sander, drill press, and lathe.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/5181549/100_1164.JPG

 

[Copernicus]

I use my SS for everything. My only complaint is in the tool rest. I'm actually thinking of buying one of the univeral toolrest setups that SS makes. Also...What kind of 4 jaw chucks (if any) are you guys using?? I'm in the market for one but dont want to break the bank

 

[Jeff-in-Indiana]

I have two Shopsmiths. A 1952 10-ER which is a drill press 100% of the time. A 1984 500. The dust collector, two bandsaws, jointer, belt sander. Either four of five tailstocks each with at least one eccentric inserts. All kinds of other add-ons. I love the variable speed but out-of-round blanks were simply too much for me . . But since I could NEVER keep the the stupid tailstock in-line with the headstock, I bought a Nova DVR XP. . . hahah

 

[mikespenturningz]

I have had my shopsmith for about 8 months and I really love the machine. I have had all the separate tools and they took up too much space. I bought the SS and have been using it ever since. I have the bandsaw and jointer add ons. I use the bandsaw all the time but have not needed the jointer. I have a separate bandsaw that is actually a much better unit but the SS is so convenient that I rarely go to the other one. I use the horizontal boring tool all the time too. I use it to drill my blanks and it also works great. I wanted one my entire life and now that I have it I wish I had done it much sooner.

 

[Carly0915]

Bought my V in 1989 and have had it ever since. Used it exclusively before I had any stand alone machines and then decided to sell it to make room for more stand alone ones. Couldn't sell it for what I wanted so I put it in my garage for a year. Then I decided to bring it back in and have been using it for band sawing and the sander. Now that I decided to turn pens I have decided to use it along with my mini-lathe. Just got a mandrel for it but haven't had the time to see how it works. Glad to see there are still die-hard SS users out there.

 

[Mr Vic]

Purchased my Mark Five in the late '90s with the Jointer, Scroll Saw, Bandsaw, Router attachments and Dust Collector. Used to turn pens on it but was overkill. Purchased a Jet 1014vs and haven't used for turning lately. I leave the bandsaw mounted and when not using the circular saw the tabble serves for holding my lathe tools. Use the headstoch and chuck for buffing pens.

Best upgrades. I cut a retangular hole in the bandsaw cover and glued in a plexiglass window so I could view the tension adjuster. A couple months later it came out from ShopSmith....I also upgrades the rubber tires to the poly bands...haven't had a blade jump off issue since.

It has it's quirks, but I wouldn't trade it...Maybe one day my Grandsons will use it..

 

[TerryDowning]

.Maybe one day my Grandsons will use it..

If properly cared for, not a doubt in my mind!

I use my grandfather's 1955 regularly and would not trade it or sell it.

 

[mikespenturningz]

I purchased the Nova G3 for mine and it came today. I used the lathe to drill my blanks tonight. It worked great for that. I just ordered the pin jaw attachment and that should make it even easier. I use this shopsmith every day and I just like it better all the time. What speeds to you guys run for turning your pens. I used to use up around G but I keep wearing out live centers so I slowed it down to around C or D and it seems better for the live center. I also use the bandsaw on mine all the time. I only used the table saw once so far, I am not sure if I liked that or not will try it again the next time I need to saw something big. I use the bandsaw to rip most of my blanks and to cut them to size.

 

[Culprit]

I know this thread is 5 months old, but since it was linked to in a post today, here's my Shopsmith story...

A broken 1955 Greenie was given to a friend of mine who is a cabinet maker. It sat in his shop for a few years. He never got around to fixing it up, so he gave it to me.

I replaced bearings and belts, added oil holes to the early-style sheaves that had no holes, drilled the access hole on the back side of the headstock, scrounged some parts, casters, etc online.

Some of the more unique modifications I've done was to pack the tubes (way and bench) with used lead wheel weights from a truck tire shop. It adds quite a bit of weight and dampens vibrations. I highly recommend it. The only downside is the increased weight when going to drill press mode, but for me it was worth it.

When I had my motor apart to replace the bearings, I chose to snip and solder some wires and add an extra switch to make it reversible for sanding. It also allows me to run SPTs such as the belt sander and bandsaw on either end of the headstock.

Even with all the work I put into it, I chose to keep the original Gilmer belt drive setup. I did restore and test the slip clutch. Someday I would like to add a second bearing to the quill, but as it is, I get less than 0.001" of runout so I'm quite happy.

I have a 1955 Greenie with jointer, bandsaw, planer, jigsaw and beltsander. I use a Nova G3 chuck to drill my blanks. I used to clamp them to the table using the mitre gage and drill them that way, but this is faster and more accurate. I chuck the mandrel in the Jacobs drill chuck and use a 60 degree live center. I haven't tried TBC yet, but it's on the list.

The next thing I need to do is get a shorter tool-rest. I'm thinking about cutting down an old spare that I have instead of buying the short 4" one from Shopsmith.com.

Notice the extra reversing switch in the picture.

 

[76winger]

I know this thread is 5 months old, but since it was linked to in a post today, here's my Shopsmith story...

A broken 1955 Greenie was given to a friend of mine who is a cabinet maker. It sat in his shop for a few years. He never got around to fixing it up, so he gave it to me.

I replaced bearings and belts, added oil holes to the early-style sheaves that had no holes, drilled the access hole on the back side of the headstock, scrounged some parts, casters, etc online.

Some of the more unique modifications I've done was to pack the tubes (way and bench) with used lead wheel weights from a truck tire shop. It adds quite a bit of weight and dampens vibrations. I highly recommend it. The only downside is the increased weight when going to drill press mode, but for me it was worth it.

When I had my motor apart to replace the bearings, I chose to snip and solder some wires and add an extra switch to make it reversible for sanding. It also allows me to run SPTs such as the belt sander and bandsaw on either end of the headstock.

Even with all the work I put into it, I chose to keep the original Gilmer belt drive setup. I did restore and test the slip clutch. Someday I would like to add a second bearing to the quill, but as it is, I get less than 0.001" of runout so I'm quite happy.

I have a 1955 Greenie with jointer, bandsaw, planer, jigsaw and beltsander. I use a Nova G3 chuck to drill my blanks. I used to clamp them to the table using the mitre gage and drill them that way, but this is faster and more accurate. I chuck the mandrel in the Jacobs drill chuck and use a 60 degree live center. I haven't tried TBC yet, but it's on the list.

The next thing I need to do is get a shorter tool-rest. I'm thinking about cutting down an old spare that I have instead of buying the short 4" one from Shopsmith.com.

Notice the extra reversing switch in the picture.

Nice use of your old "Greeinie"! I like your idea of the reversing switch in particular, I hadn't thought of that, but it would be great for sanding larger items like bowls and such.

Thanks for sharing!

Sent from my iPad using Forum Runner

 

[plantman]

I bought my Shop Smith new in 1982. Can't say I ever used it to turn pens, but I have made many a toy on it. I still use it for drilling blanks because the double post makes it very sturdy. I keep the band saw on the other end. I also used the disk sander until I bought a bench top model last year. Last week I tore it apart because the bearing on the end of the speed changer pully lost it"s balls so to speak. Cost-$25.95 with free shipping. Also cleaned up the on off switch as long as I had it apart. Everything else is as I bought it 30 years ago. Over the years I have purchased most every attachment that there was. Alot of it at estate sales, auctions, or rummage sales. There was a time when Shop Smith was in question of going belly up, and machines and parts were realy cheap. I used it to make all my reeded window and door mouldings as well as the rosettes in the corner blocks, the fancy old time base moldings and pithe blocks under the door moldings in my new house 20 years ago. I found the old bill of sale when I was looking for the instructions on how to get the head apart. Just over $2000 with everything you could buy for it at the time. "Delux package" they called it. Looking back that was a lot of money in 1982. Best feature, it only takes up the space of a bike, and you can roll it anyplace you want!! I guess my $26 replacement bearing wasn't to bad for 30 years of excellent service!! Jim S

 

[76winger]

Well, since we got this thread reincarnated, lets pose a some questions/solutions that might help one another. Here's the first the first thing I did when I started using the lathe:

Have you ever had problems keeping the rest in place while turning, rather than drifting into your work, since the base of it doesn't lock in place?

Here's some photos of the solution I come up with to keep the pesky thing in place, and it's been working great for almost 4 years now. One end clamps around the post of the tool rest, while the other end has a dowel that fits snugly in the hole on the opposite side of the carrier, with a notch to clear the gear inside the hole:

 

[76winger]

I use my SS for everything. My only complaint is in the tool rest. I'm actually thinking of buying one of the univeral toolrest setups that SS makes. Also...What kind of 4 jaw chucks (if any) are you guys using?? I'm in the market for one but dont want to break the bank

I'm using the low-end Barracuda chuck offered by PSI, along with their Shopsmith adapter that converts to 1"x8tpi thread. It's been a great entry into using a chuck for me, and since I've never used one before I don't miss the simplicity of the fancier key-operated chucks (yet).

 

[Russknan]

I purchased a used 10ER back in the 1970's. Heavy! Had only 3 speeds. You had to switch pulleys with a belt to change them. Had a jointer which, with a bit of effort, could be swung up to get a belt on that, too. In retrospect (of course, nearly double my age now that I was then) I'm not sure how I managed to lift it up to use as a drill press. Worked great, though, and I made a lot of stuff with it. Then, in the late 1990's, my wife's uncle decided that, at 90+, he wasn't going to be doing woodworking anymore. GAVE me his 1984 SS500 with a bandsaw, jointer on a separate power stand, a Craftsman radial arm saw, grinder, dedicated router table, bunch of other gear, and a boatload of clamps. Yes, Virginia, there IS a Santa Claus! Uncle Mort had an "engineering" kind of mind. I think he used the SS mainly to make jigs for it, which he labeled in very precise handwriting. Very little wear on it. I used the various functions, except the table saw (too small and no good vacuum capabilities) and the lathe. I DID buy a conversion kit to give better sawdust removal but I chickened out when it required that I take a hack saw to one of the castings in order to install it. Tentative plan is to take it to an ironworking place "when I get around to it" and have them make the modifications. Maybe. Then, in December, we needed to have some electrical work done. The electrician got one look at my "scrap pile" just under the main breaker box, and told me it would have to be moved in order for him to work. It had started out as a milk crate into which I put scraps that I might need "someday". Filled it, then piled stuff on top. Then the stuff overflowed . . . Anyway, after the electrician got done, I decided I wasn't just going to dump the wood back on the floor again. Why not use scrap to make a simple scrap bin? Good idea. So I designed a skeleton out of 2x2s, planned to skin it out with some 3/8 plywood and put heavy casters on the bottom. Design changes came next. Sturdier bottom made of 3/4 ply edge joined with glue and pocket screws. Made 3 compartments, one for short pieces, one for long, and one for dowels. Extended the skeleton out to make a handle out of 2x2. Decided that handle would look and feel a *lot* better if it was rounded over. I had a Shopsmith, but hadn't turned anything in over 30 years. Put the 2x2 "handle" on it, and fired it up. The result was not particularly a thing of beauty, but was quite functional and satisfying. Of course, after all that, the bin "made of old scraps" just HAD to be sanded and polyurethaned . . . But I had had so much fun using the lathe on the handle, I had to try something else. Given my lack of experience, I figured that I wouldn't start with bowls or something that, if not done properly, would come off and hit me in the head. Thought about pens. Read/bought some books and videos, spent an inordinate amount of time researching on the Internet, then bought equipment, pen kits, and some blanks. Turned the first one. Ugly, but better than I had expected. And, it was FUN. Then turned a couple more which rapidly turned out much better. One was made from an oak scrap from the bin which was too short and had too many knots and wild grain to be used for anything else. Came out GREAT. And I've been hooked ever since. Maybe there was something of Uncle Mort's OCD that remained in the machine and was communicated to me. Maybe it's just my own supply. But the blank collection, bushings, a tool here or there, vast amounts of time spent enjoying stuff on IAP, etc. keep growing. To stop rambling and get back on topic, probably the best accessory I've ever gotten for the SS is the "Lift Assist" kit. Wonderful!!! And now I don't think twice about changing from lathe to drill press. Recently saw a demonstration of the latest version of the Shopsmith. Had a terrible case of the "I wants" for about a week. I just can't justify the expense, though, when I have a machine that exceeds my capabilities. Russ

 

[Culprit]

Have you ever had problems keeping the rest in place while turning, rather than drifting into your work, since the base of it doesn't lock in place?

It looks like you came up with a great fix.

But I have to say that I haven't had that problem. Is your problem that when you set the height of the tool rest and tighten the lock knob that the threaded tool rest post still rotates? Does it lock tight enough that the height adjustment lever stays in place?

 

[76winger]

Have you ever had problems keeping the rest in place while turning, rather than drifting into your work, since the base of it doesn't lock in place?

It looks like you came up with a great fix.

But I have to say that I haven't had that problem. Is your problem that when you set the height of the tool rest and tighten the lock knob that the threaded tool rest post still rotates? Does it lock tight enough that the height adjustment lever stays in place?

Yes my problem was with it rotating. The locking knob locks the height in place, so it doesn't raise or lower, but it doesn't prevent the arm holding the rest from rotating, thus the reason for my solution. I don't know if newer Shopsmiths have the problem as maybe they engineered a fix for it. but my old circa 1954 model did.

 

[76winger]

... removed background story, it's just above ...
Given my lack of experience, I figured that I wouldn't start with bowls or something that, if not done properly, would come off and hit me in the head. Thought about pens. Read/bought some books and videos, spent an inordinate amount of time researching on the Internet, then bought equipment, pen kits, and some blanks. Turned the first one. Ugly, but better than I had expected. And, it was FUN. Then turned a couple more which rapidly turned out much better. One was made from an oak scrap from the bin which was too short and had too many knots and wild grain to be used for anything else. Came out GREAT. And I've been hooked ever since. Maybe there was something of Uncle Mort's OCD that remained in the machine and was communicated to me. Maybe it's just my own supply. But the blank collection, bushings, a tool here or there, vast amounts of time spent enjoying stuff on IAP, etc. keep growing. To stop rambling and get back on topic, probably the best accessory I've ever gotten for the SS is the "Lift Assist" kit. Wonderful!!! And now I don't think twice about changing from lathe to drill press. Recently saw a demonstration of the latest version of the Shopsmith. Had a terrible case of the "I wants" for about a week. I just can't justify the expense, though, when I have a machine that exceeds my capabilities. Russ

Great story on how you got to where you are using your Shopsmith. Mine has the distinction of being older than me, even though I've only had it about 6-7 years now. It was born in 1954 and I didn't come along til 1957!

Although it's a great option, I came up with my own solution for the lift assist kit too: I either drill horizontally or use the Crafstman floor standing drill press I purchased about 5 years ago, before I started turning pens but after I had the SS rebuilt and in service. After I started turning pens, I added the much wider table offered by Rockler along with their pen blank vise.

 

[Culprit]

Yes my problem was with it rotating. The locking knob locks the height in place, so it doesn't raise or lower, but it doesn't prevent the arm holding the rest from rotating, thus the reason for my solution. I don't know if newer Shopsmiths have the problem as maybe they engineered a fix for it. but my old circa 1954 model did.

Here is a picture of my 1955 Greenie tool rest post and arm, and a 1980's tool rest post and arm (wearing the actual Greenie toolrest - that seems to be the straightest combination of the mix match of parts I have on hand). The threaded rod on the Greenie is permanently fixed to the arm with no movement at all. It looks like a press fit, or maybe some brazing or something. There are no set-screws. The newer 80's version has a set screw so that you can swing it in and out without affecting the height adjustment.

I wonder if your '54 was made the same as my '55 and has just come loose through the years, or if there was a design change between those two years.