Afternoon with Bill and Ann Mayo

[dickg1]

Hmmm? I never thought about it because my scroll saw is a standalone but does the scroll saw care which way the shaft turns.

No, and that's why I set it up to work on the quill.
Dick

[billmayo]

Thanks for all the nice comments and replies I have received concerning my health. The MINI assemblies really does look nice. Looks like the longer scrollsaw legs were needed. Thanks. I spent 4 days last weekend attending my Home Show booth. I have been really sick with a bad cold or flu since Monday with no recover in sight so far. This will be my last Home Show as I have been sick for a week or more after each home Show for the past 3 years. It is just too much anymore.

I would like to say that I have quite a few of the MINI and SHORTY Shopsmiths available as just frames or with additional carriages, tables and headstocks. I offer both a reversible motor and/or 110/220 VAC input power for these Shopsmiths. I enjoy putting these platforms together. I will have a mint 1954 Shopsmith with chrome tubes that was my booth display model for sale soon as I recheck the headstock and clean some rust off the legs.

I would like to extend an invitation to everyone and wife to stop by for a day or two or longer and play in my shop. I even have a spare bedroom (queen bed) for overnight guests. I have plenty of Shopsmith equipment that can be rebuild during our fun time plus a lot of BS to discuss. I am happy to share my secrets with anyone stopping by the job. Remind me that I may have paper copies of many procedures and tasks. This is my most enjoyable time I get to spent in my shop. I should say I am a hour from orlando theme parks and an hour from the gulf beaches. There are lots of local shows available year round. A good visit has alway been had for my visiters each time. No unhappy guests so far.

[billmayo]

How long are the tubes?

MINI Tube Length
Way tubes -25 5/8"
Bench Tubes - 26 3/8"


SHORTY Tube Length
Way tube length - 38'
Bench Tube length - 38 3/4

[backhertz]

I just completed an intense three days with Bill at his laboratory/workshop in Florida. Each day day, Bill taught me something new. During the evenings, I had a chance to visit with Bill's wife, Ann and their wonder dog, Takera-(I'm not sure of the spelling). Takera was in a cast this past February, but her leg had to be amputated. Takera was both friendly & playful.

Bill shared many things with me. We played with motors and then a couple of SPTs. Bill probably has more Shopsmith parts than there are on Poe Avenue even after someone from North Carolina came down last year and took home a truck bed & 10 foot trail full of Shopsmith 10E/ERs. I got to see Bill's latest creation: a Crafter Station with a Mark V headstock. It's amazing. It's become a dedicated knife sharpener so he'll offer free life sharpening on any blades he sells.

I got to see Dusty's schematic of the Crafter Station which uses a relay. Using Bill's method, the relay could be discarded and used the Accessory DPDT switch to operate the forward/reverse mode the way Bill wires in a Fwd/Rvs switch. Whoever designed the Crafter Station didn't realized how a DPDT switch can be wired to accomplish the same thing the relay/solenoid does. The saw switch could simply be an on/off switch if there isn't one already.

Bill disassembles any SPTs that have problems which come into his possession and simply uses the parts as needed. So in order to show me how to align a jointer or a bandsaw, we had to first assemble a jointer and then a bandsaw from parts alone.

First put he together a cutter head with new bearings and then we assembled a jointer. Once everything was assembled, Bill showed me his 2 1/2 minute jointer knife alignment that only requires a machinist's ruler. We tested it & it cut perfectly. I notice someone has a piece of glass method. Bill uses a wide, high-quality machinist's ruler which does the same thing as the glass and leaves room to make the adjustments on the height screws.

The next SPT we assembled was a bandsaw. First thing was replacing the tires with new blue tires. The blue tires went on easily as the come with a tool. Next we checked the bandsaw wheels to see if the upper wheel was canted- it wasn't. This required the used of Mayo 'special' tool #23: a special 2 foot long pipe that fits over the upper wheel shaft and the a slight amount of pressure 'adjust' it so a straight edge on the top wheel sticks out about 1/8" over the top of the bottom wheel. Then we mounted a table.

Once that was done, we replaced the upper, lower, and tracking wheels with double bearings. Next we put on a bandsaw blade and adjusted the blocks. We adjusted the blade guides & tensioned the blade. A little fine adjusting and then we applied power- it cuts like a hot knife through butter.

Bill has a caster mod that took me only 15 minutes to do. Bill supplies a metal template and a drill bit and 4 casters . It is so easy being I simply use the nuts and bolts to secure the metal template & then drill two holes so the assembly.

I had to leave early today, but I left with more knowledge about these SPTs and motors than I ever knew. While I was rewiring a motor, Bill rebuilt a headstock. Bill doesn't just repair problems he sees. He replaces ever single bearing and belt and then runs it for a couple of hours. He has never had a headstock returned with a problem because he takes pride in his work and his standards are high.

I just wish I lived closer. I whole recommend any of you if you're ever in the area to send Bill a PM. If you need something or have a question, I'm sure Bill will be able to answer it. He no longer does the Home Shows, but he has forgotten more about Shopsmiths than I'll ever hope to learn. If you have a headstock that is old & sluggish, it will operate better brand new when he's down as he corrects all the minor problems he comes across.

[billmayo]

The scroll saw and jig saw will operate in either direction. They convert rotary action to up and down action. The MINI uses 25 5/8" way tubes and 26 3/8" bench tubes. You cut the bench tube in half and cut the way tube twice in the middle.

Having seen recent good pictures of the Crafter Station, I have made a Crafter Station Upgrade for the MINI that will allow the full capability of the Crafter Station with the added advance of having the full 750 to 5200 RPM speed range of the MINI headstock. I used the 500 main table and modified carriage that fits in the SPT mounting holes. It makes a nice joiner and planer knife sharping setup as the main table can be tilted for different knife angles. It also makes a nice wide extension table for the 500 machines that is easy to raise and lower along with being able to be tilted. This modification provides much greater capability and more functions than the Mark V Power Station shown below that I just assemblied.
[ATTACH]22530[/ATTACH]

[JPG]

. . .
I got to see Dusty's schematic of the Crafter Station which uses a relay. Using Bill's method, the relay could be discarded and used the Accessory DPDT switch to operate the forward/reverse mode the way Bill wires in a Fwd/Rvs switch. Whoever designed the Crafter Station didn't realized how a DPDT switch can be wired to accomplish the same thing the relay/solenoid does. The saw switch could simply be an on/off switch if there isn't one already.

. . .

https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?p=150038&postcount=7


P.S. I wish I were closer to Plant City!

[billmayo]

I like to make the offer to anyone who would like to visit my shop for one or more days. I even have a extra bedroom with a queen size bed. I invite you to bring a headstock and/or SPTs that we can rebuild. I have plenty of headstocks and SPTs to play with if you want to fly in. I only charge for the parts needed on your equipment, no labor charges. I am an hour from Orlando theme parks and the Gulf beaches. Other Shopsmith owners and Tony has taken me up on this offer for many years now. I really enjoy the time as it helps me remember things that I had forgotten and refreshes my mind plus I do great BS. I will need some advance notice as I spend more time in the doctor offices than in my shop.

[backhertz]

I've stayed at Ann & Bill's home and learned more about Shopsmiths than can be found in any book. Bill taught me how to reverse motors which I noted someone else is ow doing. It's easy if one understands motor operation and is mechanically inclined. He to showed me how to align a jointer in under 3 minutes using a machinist's ruler- but first we had to put a jointer together from parts. Bill has forgotten more about Shopsmiths than I'll ever learn. Lastly we put a bandsaw together, adjusted the tilt of the upper wheel and in about an hour the bandsaw was singing. We had to put the bandsaw together from parts as well.

In the evenings we got to visit and I played with Takara, their Akita that had to have a leg amputated. I just had a great time as their guest. Bill has more stories than Doan's has back ache pills.

I encourage anyone interested to take up Bill's offer and I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

[ipbarnard]

Perhaps bill can post us instructions on aligning the joiner blades with a ruler?

Thanks,
Foster From Flint

[JPG]

Perhaps bill can post us instructions on aligning the joiner blades with a ruler?

Thanks,
Foster From Flint

Not from Bill, but should suffice. https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?t=12205&highlight=ruler

The blade is adjusted upwards until when the arbor is rotated past the apex, the ruler barely moves. Repeated for both sides of all three blades.