Maintenance Schedule

[robinson46176]

I function a bit more like Dusty. As far as waxing things like table tubes I let them talk to me. A set just told me this morning that they need cleaning and waxing. It was an extension table and it took a bit of rocking it front to back to pull it out. Waxing depends a lot on environment. Everything that I moved somewhat recently from the old shop to the new basement shop needs cleaning and waxing. That shop was prone to collect moisture. This basement shop just does not do that. I could lay a piece of bare steel on the floor for 6 months and it would not rust. In the old shop it would rust in 6 days.

Let me ramble through a shortish maintenance story.
When my folks bought this farm in 1950/51 the large for those days farm was split and other farmers / and an investor bought parts of it. We farmed what my folks bought and another part across the road for an investor /owner. As part of the arrangement he (who was not a farmer) provided one tractor (actually a smallish dozer/crawler and at that time my father had two regular farm tractors. My father owned a good bit of new, expensive for the time, hay equipment in addition to all of the standard row crop equipment. The other fellow said since my father was providing everything else that he would provide a new combine (they were almost all pull type here in those days). The other guy lived about 30 miles away in Indy but came down to the farm to putter most weekends just to get away from the pressure of the company he owned (tool and die business). Now he was a good guy and we all remained friends for many many years. Having said that... His wife was really good at using common sense. He on the other hand... not so much... For a couple of years he would come down on weekends and at least once a month or usually more often he would do full maintenance on that dozer. Oil and filter change, change the oil bath air cleaner, grease all of the fittings on the track system etc. etc. etc.
Now they only thing that was wrong with that was that tractor use is mostly seasonal... Many many times when he did all of that stuff we had not even driven the tractor out of the barn since the last time...
In a few years he replaced that little dozer with a new one with bigger track and the new one came with an hour meter on it. The dealer's mechanic was finally able to convince him to use the hour meter to schedule maintenance. I shudder to think how much money he threw away draining out new oil and buying filters.


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[Lodgepole]

Just a quick update, I finished my annual maintenance of my Shopsmith and SPTs. Prior to beginning this maintenance, I reviewed all of the tool manuals and Nick Engler's maintenance DVDs. The review of this information reinforced, in my mind, my need for this maintenance schedule.

I can say I am pleased with my first draft of this maintenance schedule and it's readability.

With this maintenance schedule I can forsee my Shopsmith tools lasting a long, long time.

Also, when it is -14 degrees outside, this is a perfect time for mainteance!

Again, thanks to all for your suggestions!

[saminmn]

Just a quick update, I finished my annual maintenance of my Shopsmith and SPTs. Prior to beginning this maintenance, I reviewed all of the tool manuals and Nick Engler's maintenance DVDs. The review of this information reinforced, in my mind, my need for this maintenance schedule.

I can say I am pleased with my first draft of this maintenance schedule and it's readability.

With this maintenance schedule I can forsee my Shopsmith tools lasting a long, long time.

Also, when it is -14 degrees outside, this is a perfect time for maintenance!

Again, thanks to all for your suggestions!

Only thing I was thinking, and another responder touched on, keeping a log. I think a set of columns for dates to be written in would be the addition that would give you a record. Maybe you had them and I missed them:D

[garys]

Sorry but i have a PROBLEM with you chart. The waxing and oiling should be based more on TIME USED and knot calendar time. Like Dusty, I clean it as I go along. Wax it when I feel it needs it and oil it when I feel that it's been used about 10 hours.

I'm the same way. I work my Shopsmith hard and have been doing it that way for 25 years. I oil and wax it when it needs it, and no more than that. I own tools to use them, not play with them and polish them. For me, a maintenance schedule would be a waste of my time and it would eat up my work time.

[fjimp]

Only thing I was thinking, and another responder touched on, keeping a log. I think a set of columns for dates to be written in would be the addition that would give you a record. Maybe you had them and I missed them:D

Just for grins I opened the file, changed the print preference to landscape (sideways), then took out extra lines between sections and raised/lowered the header and footer to .01. All of which stills allows it to print on two pages with a wide margin on the right side. Which creates a great spot for dates. Two things I did not do. One enter lines for dates and two publish the file here. I get nervous publishing others work. Jim

[dusty]

Just for grins I opened the file, changed the print preference to landscape (sideways), then took out extra lines between sections and raised/lowered the header and footer to .01. All of which stills allows it to print on two pages with a wide margin on the right side. Which creates a great spot for dates. Two things I did not do. One enter lines for dates and two publish the file here. I get nervous publishing others work. Jim

Now that you have changed the format, it is not some one else' work. At least that is the way I look at it.

[dusty]

I'm the same way. I work my Shopsmith hard and have been doing it that way for 25 years. I oil and wax it when it needs it, and no more than that. I own tools to use them, not play with them and polish them. For me, a maintenance schedule would be a waste of my time and it would eat up my work time.

Proper Maintenance is never a waste of time. It is proper maintenance coupled with superior design that allows for these machines to grow old and still perform as originally intended.

But then you did say a "Maintenance Schedule" would be.....

[fjimp]

Sorry on way to the new shoulder hospital. No time for discussing important issues such as who done what. Jim:D

[pennview]

Wishin you a speedy recovery, Jim.

[mrhart]

Good luck sir