Shopsmith Forums

I knew that there would be days that I would like woodworking and other days that I wouldn't, especially just starting out. Well I experienced both withing a few hours.

I was working on building a base for my pro-planer because while I can carry it the short distance from the garage to the driveway I don't want to do it very often. It was just going to be a very simple base with four pieces of wood glued together with dowels. Even though it sounds simple I was going to have to use several of my SPT's in make it all work. I had to use my planer to make all of the wood the same thickness, table saw to cut to the correct lengths, horizontal boring to make the holes for the dowels. Here what went right and here what went wrong.

1. Planer worked fine but I need to replace the in-feed roller. Had problems getting the wood to feed itself through the planer. And if I am going to do that I might as well replace the belt and pulleys.
2. My miter gauge will not run smoothly through my table top so I was having issues cross cutting my pieces.
3. Hooked up the jointer and it worked great. But need to remember to tighten the hubs before using the coupler. It took me a few tries before I could get the hub out of the coupler since the hub pulled off with the coupler when I took it off the jointer.
4. Horizontal bored the holes for the dowels. I had marked the wood on one side so that I would be sure to bore all of the holes at the same height so that when I went to put it all together it would be a smooth fit at the joints. Well didnt' quite pay attention to what side the wood was up and also forgot to tighten the chuck down on the quill so I found out that my holes were at different hights. Even after I tightened the chuck I noticed that I had a lot of runout so i might have to change out the quill.
5. I wanted to run my bandsaw before putting the shopsmith away just to test it out since I cleaned it up. I was turning the speed down before attaching the bandsaw when I noticed that the speed changer was having a lot of problem getting down to the low speed. I hadn't taken off speed dial so I took it off and noticed that I had a lot of sawdust in the teeth. Decided to take off the speed changer completely try to get it to run smoother. Lost the anti-chatter spring. I assume that it fell into the head-stock so now I can't even dare turn it on until I drop the motor and find the spring. Also noticed that the speed dial has a couple of teeth missing. Need to replace it.

Bottom line - do not start making sawdust until you know for sure that all your equipment has been gone through and maintained from top to bottom. Also tighten everything and tighten it again before running your equipment!!!

My first bit of advice would be to study your work habits... You mention forgetting to tighten both the drive hub and then the chuck. Form a pattern of never installing something without tightening it "immediately". If you slip a hub on tighten it at once while you are still touching it. The same with the chuck. Do not slip it on and reach for a Coke, take a drag on a cig or go pee.
Tighten it while you still have one hand holding onto it...
I am as absent minded as about anybody on the planet but I learned even as a kid (a very long time ago) about work habits that will keep you safe and work habits that will hurt you. As a young boy (from about age 8) I grew up on the farm working with stuff that was 100 times more dangerous than a Shopsmith or any table saw. Most large farm equipment will eat your whole body in an instant painfully mangling it from one end to the other ripping off limbs, crushing you into a bloody splatter or slinging your brains and guts all over a half acre. If you didn't learn you didn't survive...
Work habits will make you or break you. Your projects too.


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Oh Boy! Alan!!!!!:( What a day in the shop!!!!:eek: By the fact you have posted your mistakes, you now know what not to do! By all means, get that Shopsmith into good working condition, before using it again. Then review all of your "slip ups" don't do them again and proceed safely!

Best Wishes!!!

It may not seem like it at the time but some of the most valuable shop time we have is making the mistakes that we learn from.

Might want to try a little wax on the infeed and outfeed tables of the planer before going to all the trouble of replacing the infeed roller. I was having the same issue on my Dewalt when I remembered this trick my grandfather taught me. Once I waxed the tables, it was smooth sailing.