Shopsmith Tool Covers

[KCollins]

Does anyone use the covers SS has for their Mark V and Mark 7 and all the SPT's?

Do they help to prevent rusting and moisture issues or do they just keep the dust off?

[chapmanruss]

I have and use the covers for my Shopsmith Model 10E, 10ER, a Mark 2, Mark V 520, Mark 7, Power Station and my SPT's although my Mark 7 rarely get covered as it is used more often than all the others. I haven't had any problems with rust developing on them but that may be from good maintenance too. The canvas cover on my Model 10E is one I made patterned after the original canvas cover I have on my Model 10ER. All other covers are Shopsmith covers of varying age. The material used for the cover has changed over the years.

[KCollins]

Thanks Russ. How about wording it this way. Does the covers hold in moisture?

[KCollins]

Here's the deal... as most of you know I just purchased the Mark 7 and I have all the SPT's and 2 Mark 5's. Since the Mark 7 and all it's goodies are new, clean and rust free I want to keep it that way. I am in the habit of waxing the way tubes of my Mark 5's and the cast iron tables on the SPT's... I have not in the past waxed any aluminum surfaces. Should I? The manual that came with the Mark 7 said to, which got me thinking maybe I'm missing something. I have noticed that the legs have a tendency to rust around the bottoms. I posted that question or observation last week. I have also noticed that most drill chucks for the Mark 5's have been rusty. I'm contemplating keeping a layer of WD-40 on the new one when not in use. I'm contemplating WD-40 for my new Arbor Wrench as well as that's another item that seems to rust easily. I also have a 73" Husky Tool Cabinet I plan to keep everything in.

My garage is unheated and I worry about condensation. However I don't know how condensation works. I know if something is cold and it warms up it will condensate and vise versa. But if its covered or in a cabinet will it condensate? Maybe that's the question I should have posted.

[JPG]

Condensate comes from moisture in the air cooling.

"Vice Versa" will not create condensation.

Covers 'help' minimize air interchange.

A while back discussion took place regarding rusty leg interior. We decided it was NOT the neighbors dog or cat causing it.

Any thing that provides a barrier to the cold parts directly contacting the cooling air will help. That includes air laden with camphor fumes.

[chapmanruss]

Opinions on condensation will vary by the individual. Remember that the members here live in different parts of the country and in turn live in different climates. I live in the Pacific Northwest where we have a moderate amount of humidity. Others are higher while others are very low. Temperatures and rain/snow vary by location too. My garage/shop is fully insulated but unheated. We just had temperatures in the 20's leaving the garage/shop quite cold. Late last June the temperatures hit a record 115 degrees here. I believe having the garage/shop insulated slows the temperature changes and thereby reduces condensation problems. Since it is a garage besides my shop space, we keep one spot for my wife's car to park in, so the garage door gets opened at least twice a day. Still, I have had no problems keeping rust off my tools. Keeping inactive tools covered, I believe, helps too. Many here know I restore Shopsmith Tools as a hobby. Once rust is removed during restorations I like to keep parts that way. Bare metal parts do benefit from being waxed. As for using WD-40 I have used it too on nuts, bolts, washers, etc. after cleaning. Waxing the aluminum tables does provide some benefit as a surface lubricant for wood to slide on. In some climates it can help prevent corrosion that can occur on the aluminum tables.

As the saying goes: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

[KCollins]

Is waxing twice a year good or should it be more often? Using the tools once in a while not on a daily basis.

[Hobbyman2]

Glad this was posted, I found my dust covers over the weekend, I only have 2 one for the band saw and one for the MKV , I use to use them , and then got busy and they have been folded up buried under some other "forgotten stuff" . I can't speak for moisture prevention since they dont really seal anything and usually the bottom is open , but they do keep a lot of dust off the eq when not in use and they look cool ! waxing on my eq gets done as needed , I use to clean everything after every use and rewax the tables , but it seems like they dont set long between use so now its only as needed , if the wood doesn't slide across the table or drags on the fence I wax jmo . my guess is it depends on how long they set between use ? blowing or vacuuming the dust from the inside of the head stock and keeping everything oiled seems to be a good PM plan . now I just use the leaf blower on the unit before I sweep / vacuum the floor .

[garys]

Is waxing twice a year good or should it be more often? Using the tools once in a while not on a daily basis.

As already mentioned, it depends a lot on your climate and where you keep the tools. My 1981 Shopsmith was purchased new by my Dad and I've had it since 1988. It has never had any rust on it and I'm lucky if I get around to waxing most parts of it once a year. Many years it gets no maintenance at all and it just runs hours doing woodworking. The first 15 years I had it, it was kept in an unheated garage that dropped to around 5 degrees in Winter and over 100 degrees in Summer. Then, I moved it into my basement where the temperature doesn't change much, but the humidity increases in Summer. None of these conditions seem to cause it to rust, but I live in a very dry climate.
You should probably keep an eye on yours and see what kind of upkeep it wants in your conditions.

[adrianpglover]

I live just outside of Houston and my shop consists of an enclosed breezeway between the kitchen and the garage as well as a tool storage room in the garage. No doors between where the cars are parked and my shop. The garage is a bit drafty and the windows of the breezeway don't close all the way. Condensing moisture can be an issue for my shop. I don't have any of the SS covers. I think they would work about as well as a grill cover. For my tools I keep paded moving blankets on them. Hand tools and all of the parts and pieces for my Mark 7 stay either in my rolling tool chest or in drawers I built into my workbench. As stated previously anything you can do to keep down the rate of air interchanging near your cold, dense, steel tools, the better. I've found that sometimes even just an old t-shirt is enough for a few days.

Really had a time of it with condensation today. Temps had been in the 40s and 50s yesterday and this morning were in the 60s and raining off and on all day. Cars fogged over in 10 minutes with the garage doors open.

Don't worry about covering something all the way to the floor unless you have a lot of air flowing under them all the time. Another word of caution - don't keep your tools at the front of your garage where a wet garage door could drip on them. Had that happen once or twice at my last house. The moving blanket covered the moisture and held it against the cast iron top if my table saw and I didn't know until a week later when I uncovered it. After that I added a tarp layer on top of the moving blanket.