10ER: Connecting Tubular Ways to Headrest?

[Eric"Shop"Smith]

Hello world!

I am a beginning woodworker who recently had the good fortune to receive a free ShopSmith 10ER from a family friend. I received it in pieces in Michigan, loaded it into my car, and after driving it all the way to Florida I am in the process of setting it up as a lathe.

There is one detail that I cannot figure out: are the way tubes secured to the headrest in any way, or is it just the weight of the machine that holds them down? I see that there is a small cutout in the tie bar that lets it go around the shaft of a thumbscrew that protrudes from the headrest (part 101310, "Knob and Stud"), but it doesn't seem to be designed for joining the two pieces together. The thread only goes about halfway up the thumbscrew, so I can't tighten it all the way into the headrest. If I attach the tie bar near the end of the way bars, I can tighten the thumbscrew enough to have it press into the tie bar. But this doesn't seem to provide a secure connection and just doesn't feel right. Also, previous screw indentations on the tubular ways suggest the tie bar was never set up this way by the previous owner.

On the other hand, page four of the manual says "Tighten the headrest knob, which then locks tubular ways to headrest." I cannot imagine what else this could mean. I am sorry if this is a stupid question, but I would feel a lot more stupid starting up a power tool without attaching a piece that needs to be secured.

Also, can anyone tell me what the smaller thumbscrew in the tie bar is for? It is the same diameter and thread as the one in the headrest, but only about an inch long and the thread covers its entire length. It may be listed somewhere in the manual, but it is hard to decipher some of the directions if I am not actually putting pieces together.

Thanks,
Eric Smith

[timsturnings]

Hello Eric, congrats on the 10er you just got.
I don't know if I can explain it correctly either. The tie bar goes on the end of the waytubes at the headrest end of the machine. The long thumbscrew goes through the outside of the tie bar, through the tiebar and into the headrest. This should lock down the way tubes on the headrest end.

The shorter thumbscrew on the tailstock end is to lock the shopsmith in place when tilted up into the drill press position. The screw goes through the side of the tailstock stand and into the notch when in the upright position.

Does this help???
Tim.

[Eric"Shop"Smith]

Thank you for the quick response.

So my theory about how to attach it was correct? Just to be clear, the screw is piece 101310 in the attached diagram, and the 2-inch screw in the first post of this thread. It is about 2 inches long and has threads along half its length. It can be screwed about halfway into the headrest. So I need to position the tie bar about 1 inch away from the headrest, so that when the screw is tightened the knurled knob at the top will press up against the edges of the notch in the bottom of the tie bar?

I tried to do this before and it didn't seem to be very effective. I could still lift the tubular ways with a slight jiggle, but maybe I just need to crank down on it with the allen wrench. I see that tie bars on later models have a cupped indentation that the screw knob would fit inside. But the ER tie bar has a straight-sided notch, so the only thing holding it in place is friction between the side of the tie bar and the side of the knob.

[timsturnings]

The diagram doesn't look quite right to me. On my e-rs the tie bar is on the outside of the frame (farthest left piece in the pic). The thumbscrew (no allen wrench hole) goes through the tie bar from the left (in the pic) into the headstock. No gap should be between the tie bar and the headrest, if your screw is a little too long to tighten up, I used a couple of washers). Tighten it down securely and you should not be able to move the tubes. That is how mine are together and if I get it hand tightened securely enough, the way tubes cannot move.
I hope this helps.
Tim.

[JPG]

Not gonna say right or wrong, but this is how I see it.

[ATTACH]14589[/ATTACH]

Headrest and Tie Bar screw

[ATTACH]14590[/ATTACH]

Put together and add the 'Tailstock' mounting screw

[ATTACH]14591[/ATTACH]

Add the 'Tailstock'.

[ATTACH]14592[/ATTACH]

And then add the extension table.


Ya gonna have to imagine the way tubes.

IMHO the way tubes should be mounted to the tie bar with the tubes extending beyond the tie bar by the 'thickness' of the tailstock. In this position, the 'tailstock' is merely providing a mount for the extension table.

The headrest is positioned in towards the headstock by 1/8" to allow the tie bar to clear the headrest when raising to vertical.

[timsturnings]

You have the tailstock mounted on top of the headstock. The large triangular piece is for the other end of the machine. It mounts on top of the tail end. The extension table is for the tailstock end of the shopsmith. I don't know which of us is confused but the large triangular part with the small screw in it belongs on the other end. Your second picture is the correct way of assembling the headstock of the shopsmith. The third pic and fourth pic are wrong.

[Eric"Shop"Smith]

Ok, things are starting to make sense. When I got it the upper screw in JPG's second picture, the one threaded into the tie bar with the allen wrench slot, was instead screwed into the head rest. It must have gotten switched around at some point. I was mistaken in identifying it as the the screw in the other thread. As is clear from JPG's picture, the proper screw has a much larger knob at the top. This would probably provide a more solid connection. I will have to look around in my box of little parts and see if I have it.

The screw that was mounted in the tie bar when I got it was a shorter version of the upper screw in JPG's second picture. It is about an inch long, its threads run its entire length and it lacks the slot for an allen wrench. I will have to try to figure out where that one is supposed to go.

I did have the tie bar on the proper side of the headrest and the instructions make it clear that is the way it is supposed to be mounted. I am not sure why the exploded diagram looks that way. It might be to keep the tubular ways from obstructing the view of the piece.

It is easy enought to determine where the large pieces go from photographs, but figuring out which screws go where can be a bit confusing when they are all made with the same diameter and thread. Thank you for all the help.

[heathicus]

The tailstock works on either end depending on where you need the extension table. JPG's pictures show which screw knobs should be used where. Generally speaking, I also agree with his placement of the tie bar and headrest as the "correct" arrangement. However, on my ER, I not only have that backwards, but I have the headrest and tie bar moved in (or to the right) enough to place a tailstock on the outside/left end. So, in my arrangement, from left to right, I have tailstock with extension table, tie bar, headrest, headstock, carriage, pivot arm, and another tailstock with extension table.

[JPG]

You have the tailstock mounted on top of the headstock. The large triangular piece is for the other end of the machine. It mounts on top of the tail end. The extension table is for the tailstock end of the shopsmith. I don't know which of us is confused but the large triangular part with the small screw in it belongs on the other end. Your second picture is the correct way of assembling the headstock of the shopsmith. The third pic and fourth pic are wrong.

That is the reason for the '' around the word 'tailstock'. Yes when used as a tailstock, it mounts on the other end.

However if the way tubes are mounted to the tie bar with enough room for mounting the 'tailstock', an extension table can then be mounted on either end(or both if ya gots two of each).

I believe the small headed screw that secures the 'tailstock' to the tie bar was added when the long extension bracket was introduced since the longer bracket will interfere with the original aluminum headed screw.


FWIW. the 10E tailstock and extension table and bracket are entirely different. It will also mount on either end if tie bar is attached 'correctly'.

[JPG]

The tailstock works on either end depending on where you need the extension table. JPG's pictures show which screw knobs should be used where. Generally speaking, I also agree with his placement of the tie bar and headrest as the "correct" arrangement. However, on my ER, I not only have that backwards, but I have the headrest and tie bar moved in (or to the right) enough to place a tailstock on the outside/left end. So, in my arrangement, from left to right, I have tailstock with extension table, tie bar, headrest, headstock, carriage, pivot arm, and another tailstock with extension table.

Howzit 'backwards'? That is the same as my pix. The pix are looking from the 'left end'.