What alternatives are there to the Shopsmith 1/4" speed increaser router adapter

pennview · Post by **pennview** » Wed Mar 21, 2012 8:40 am

It would seem to me that if you use a solid 1/2 to 1/4" bushing, you would need to bore a large enough hole through the bushing so that the set screw would pass through the bushing and make contact with the router bit. Otherwise, the set screw would simply hold the bushing in place and not the router bit.

On the other hand, those router bit 1/2 to 1/4" adapters have a slot running through the adapter that squeezes the router bit when the set screw (or collet) is tightened. It would be best to position the slot up to about 90 degrees from the set screw(s) to ensure that the adapter clamps the router bit. Since these adapters were made to work with a router collet, I'd make sure the bit is held securely before making any serious cuts in wood.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Wed Mar 21, 2012 12:39 pm

pennview wrote:It would seem to me that if you use a solid 1/2 to 1/4" bushing, you would need to bore a large enough hole through the bushing so that the set screw would pass through the bushing and make contact with the router bit. Otherwise, the set screw would simply hold the bushing in place and not the router bit.

On the other hand, those router bit 1/2 to 1/4" adapters have a slot running through the adapter that squeezes the router bit when the set screw (or collet) is tightened. It would be best to position the slot up to about 90 degrees from the set screw(s) to ensure that the adapter clamps the router bit. Since these adapters were made to work with a router collet, I'd make sure the bit is held securely before making any serious cuts in wood.

One could 'split' the bushing, but would still have to watch orientation.

Post #7 is imho a better 'alternative'. Key detail is to not make the hole drilled through so large as to weaken it. Yes it would be a 'bachelor' item.

reible · Post by **reible** » Wed Mar 21, 2012 3:31 pm

Hi,

Sorry I haven't gotten back to this sooner.

I have used the adapter bushings I mentioned earlier for lathe turning of bottle stoppers and the shopsmith router chuck. I have a few pictures of that set up here, see post #9:

https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?t=9258

This is not saying that it will work with the speed increaser setup because I have yet to see how the two screws hold things. The thicker adapter has a through slit and 2 notched slots to allow it to flex better I guess. The thinner adapter just has the through slot. I took a quick picture of then for you to see:

[ATTACH]16727[/ATTACH]

I'm working on a post about the adapter sleeve so I'll have that up sometime later today. I think I will put that as a new thread so it doesn't get lost in this thread.

Ed

tmoltzan · Post by **tmoltzan** » Thu Mar 22, 2012 3:29 am

Here is the view of the speed increaser "Chuck" with the two set screws advanced. I am still contemplating what to do, but am watching the other thread with great interest as well.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Thu Mar 22, 2012 12:08 pm

tmoltzan wrote:Here is the view of the speed increaser "Chuck" with the two set screws advanced. I am still contemplating what to do, but am watching the other thread with great interest as well.

Can you remove one of the set screws and take a pix?

They appear to be brass tipped full dog point. The od of the point is meaningful.

tmoltzan · Post by **tmoltzan** » Thu Mar 22, 2012 12:21 pm

I'll take a screw out and put it on a micrometer when I get home from work, but it won't be until later tonight.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Thu Mar 22, 2012 12:53 pm

tmoltzan wrote:I'll take a screw out and put it on a micrometer when I get home from work, but it won't be until later tonight.

OD of the dog and length of the dog. If both od <= 1/4" and length > 1/8", making an adapter from a sleeve should be relatively easy assuming reasonably concise drilling.

tenbears · Post by **tenbears** » Thu Mar 22, 2012 1:26 pm

There is an old adage, Time is money and money is time. Bite the bullet and buy a dovetail bit with a 1/2" shank and be done with all the adapter this and that. When something is spinning at 10K+ RPM you surely don't need it to slip. All these adapter this and that remind me of Johnny Cash and his cadillac, one on the right and two on the left.

tmoltzan · Post by **tmoltzan** » Thu Mar 22, 2012 1:48 pm

tenbears wrote:There is an old adage, Time is money and money is time. Bite the bullet and buy a dovetail bit with a 1/2" shank and be done with all the adapter this and that. When something is spinning at 10K+ RPM you surely don't need it to slip. All these adapter this and that remind me of Johnny Cash and his cadillac, one on the right and two on the left.

I agree on several things you said. I actually probably won't get shop time again for over a week so seeing what is out there while on the computer makes sense to me.

I would only have 1/2" bits if I could always find what I want in 1/2" shank (and cost was reasonable).

I finally did some searching for the right bit and see that freud makes a dovetail bit with a 1/4" cutter and 1/2" shank, just my local hardware store doesn't stock it. Local availability of bits is the reason I started to go to a 1/4" Cost of 1/4" bits is also usually quite a bit less and I don't think that a 1/2" shank is always needed.

wiredone · Post by **wiredone** » Sun Mar 25, 2012 5:38 pm

why not just buy one of these and be done with it?
http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/cata ... em1=514632

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What alternatives are there to the Shopsmith 1/4" speed increaser router adapter

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