New Shopsmith Mark 4

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jsburger
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Joined: Fri Jul 21, 2006 4:06 pm
Location: Hooper, UT

Re: New Shopsmith Mark 4

Post by jsburger »

DLB wrote: Fri Sep 10, 2021 7:38 pm
RFGuy wrote: Fri Sep 10, 2021 6:57 pm Is that really going to help a center of gravity issue, if it exists, with a shorty in drill press configuration? I have that leg (item #555627) and it is primarily sold by Shopsmith for main table support when drilling, particularly cutting mortises in drill press mode with a hollow chisel mortiser. I guess I am skeptical it is going to do much to "aid" stability of a shorty drill press. It prevents downward movement of the main table, but that is about it because it is kind of flimsy. Thinking maybe that Shopsmith CS got their wires crossed on this recommendation...
Is it similar to the 510/520 legs? I think it will help. Will it help enough is a fair question. The CG isn't out past the feet or anything, but as John (jsb) put it you can easily push down on the table and lift the Headrest-end feet off the ground. So heavy material or a lot of drilling force could be a problem. (I suspect you can do this on a full size too, but you have to push a good bit harder.) Ultimately the Mark 4 customers have to decide. I like mine, but like most shorty owners here on the forum I have it in addition to a primary machine. So if it doesn't do something well, it doesn't need to. I think a little stabilization will go a long way, should easily make it as stable as a full size Mark. And probably not nearly as stable as a dedicated DP.

Note - The answer I posted came from Jim M in engineering. My only intent, in bringing this to their attention, was to ensure they thought about its possible safety implications.

- David
Yes, I can push down on the operator side of the table with moderate+ force and lift the head rest end off the floor. My shorty is 18" short of a full sized MK V/7. Remember the spindle force on the table is not that far out. I used two telescopic legs and 27" table tubes and it worked just fine. My experience with the telescopic legs is that they work fine. Of course they won't hold up an unlimited amount of weight but they work fine for what they are intended for. As far as I know the single leg is the same as the ones that come with the MK V except it attaches to the table edge instead of the table tubes.
John & Mary Burger
Eagle's Lair Woodshop
Hooper, UT
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