Shopsmith bench and way tubes

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masonsailor2
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Shopsmith bench and way tubes

Post by masonsailor2 »

Does anyone know what grade of steel the tubes on a MkV are made of ? Also what is the length difference between the bench and way tubes ?
Paul
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JPG
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Re: Shopsmith bench and way tubes

Post by JPG »

Way 52"
Bench 52 3/4"
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masonsailor2
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Re: Shopsmith bench and way tubes

Post by masonsailor2 »

Thanks JPG. I am having some 8’ tubes cut. Still not sure about the grade of steel.
Paul
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robinson46176
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Re: Shopsmith bench and way tubes

Post by robinson46176 »

Based on the fact that they clamp into thin aluminum castings at the ends I doubt that the grade of the steel matters that much. I assume that the 8' tubes are for lathe work? If so filling the tubes with concrete would stiffen them a lot and more weight would steady it against the long turning. The bench tubes could even be trusses...


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Francis Robinson
I did not equip with Shopsmiths in spite of the setups but because of them.
1 1988 - Mark V 510 (bought new), 4 Poly vee 1 1/8th HP Mark V's, Mark VII, 1 Mark V Mini, 1 Frankensmith, 1 10-ER, 1 Mark V Push-me-Pull-me Drillpress, SS bandsaw, belt sander, jointer, jigsaw, shaper attach, mortising attach, TS-3650 Rigid tablesaw, RAS, 6" long bed jointer, Foley/Belsaw Planer/molder/ripsaw, 1" sander, oscillating spindle/belt sander, Scroll saw, Woodmizer sawmill
masonsailor2
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Re: Shopsmith bench and way tubes

Post by masonsailor2 »

Yes I have to turn a sink pedestal and I want to use my stripped down headstock/tailstock for stability. The problem is that it takes up a lot of room on the tubes. Stiffness is not an issue. If I have to I will go to 1/4” wall thickness. Chrome moly is pretty expensive so I will probably not go with that.
Paul
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Re: Shopsmith bench and way tubes

Post by P89DC »

Long story short, no need to spend the money on 4130. It will not make any difference.

Higher grade steel tubing isn't any stiffer for a given wall thickness compared with lower grade steel tubing.

Higher grade steel resists permanent bending more than lower grades (Young's Modulus). This doesn't really apply to the application in question (SS way tubes). There isn't much opportunity for force inputs high enough to permanently bend way tubes.

Higher grade steel tubing such as 4130 etc is generally used in applications that require lightweight. 4130 type steels can be made thinner because they don't fracture or permanently bend as easily as lower grade steels such as 1020. But, for a given wall thickness/diameter, no matter the steel, all will flex the same amount.

So for SS way tubes, for any grade steel, 1/4" will not bend or fracture but may flex too much. Filling them with concrete should solve the problem.
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sehast
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Re: Shopsmith bench and way tubes

Post by sehast »

masonsailor2 wrote:Yes I have to turn a sink pedestal and I want to use my stripped down headstock/tailstock for stability. The problem is that it takes up a lot of room on the tubes. Stiffness is not an issue. If I have to I will go to 1/4” wall thickness. Chrome moly is pretty expensive so I will probably not go with that.
Paul
When I did a double tilt upgrade earlier this year I used solid steel precision ground tubes for the bench tubes and 1/4" seamless walled steel tubes for the way tubes to replace the old ones. The additional weight and rigidness added a very noticeable increase in stability. When coupled with the increased accuracy of the double tilt bases, I now have a very different machine that weighs in at about 300lbs.
masonsailor2
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Re: Shopsmith bench and way tubes

Post by masonsailor2 »

Thanks to all. Francis’ idea of the truss solution may need to be the answer for the bench tubes and may be necessary. I am thinking of welding on a piece of 1/4” steel about 3” wide on the bottom of them if necessary. I also like the idea of the solid way tubes. This will not be a permanent setup. I have the end castings left over from the double tilt upgrade, the legs from the one I converted to a drill press and a carriage left over from the one I have the drum sander mounted on. I don’t have a need that often to leave it set up so I will probably break it down and only set it up when the need arises. It will only be used when I need to turn something long.
Paul
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