What is the use of a 10E?

wdelliott · Post by **wdelliott** » Tue Oct 15, 2013 2:49 am

I have a 520 and am happy with it. Craig's list is offering a 10E for next to nothing. My question is this: for someone who is happy with his SS 520, how useful would a 10E be? What kinds of uses could the 10E be put in a workshop?

Just looking for ideas and trying to determine whether the take the plunge on the 10E?

skou · Post by **skou** » Tue Oct 15, 2013 5:42 am

Well, most people here that have tried both, think the E and ER are a MUCH better lathe, than the Mark series.

Updating from the E to the ER is just getting a few different pieces, like the extension table, tailstock, and rip fence.

And, just about EVERYTHING that mounts on the Mk5 quill, will mount on the ER's quill. Personally, I think the ER is easier to get into drill-press mode, although, most of the time, I use it as a horizontal drill-press.

At the very least, you'd have another machine to leave set up differently than your 520. (One as a lathe, the other as a sharpening station. Or one as a table saw, and the other as a drill-press.)

steve

dgale · Post by **dgale** » Tue Oct 15, 2013 12:54 pm

As noted, the 10E/ER is considered a better lathe since it's solid cast iron and hence much heavier. I personally have picked up two 10E's for next to nothing and one is now a dedicated drill press that I mounted on the wall and the other will be a dedicated lathe and disc sander when I get around to finishing the clean-up and get it reassembled. I think the 10E/ER makes a great drill press and it gives me a dedicated drill press so I don't have to switch my MV back and forth. For the $50 I paid for it, I couldn't find another drill press anywhere that is nearly as solid and dependable as the 10E.

Ultimately, I think it depends on your needs and amount of space you have. The versatility of the SS is one of it's great features, allowing one to own multiple machines all rolled into one - this is a great plus where space is limited but it also slows things down to have to switch setups back and forth. Given how cheap 10E's can be found (and MV's for that matter), it made sense for me as someone who has adequate shop space to pick up a few extras and dedicate them to certain tasks, reducing the amount I need to switch my main MV around.

billmayo · Post by **billmayo** » Tue Oct 15, 2013 5:06 pm

I am sure many members have seen the 10ERs in the Shopsmith factory where they did a lot of the finish work on the Shopsmith equipment. I believe they are the best drill press and wood lathe you will find for the price. You can build custom setups for both of these functions that do not take a lot of room. There are plenty of 10ER parts still available today on Ebay. Many Mark V attachments that uses the quill will also work on the 10ER. Recommend looking at the yahoo group shopsmith10erusers for additional information.

fredsheldon · Post by **fredsheldon** » Wed Oct 16, 2013 10:20 am

For around $100 you can pick up a 10ER that requires rust removal and repainting and new bearings and you will end up with a brand new Lathe, Drill Press, Disk Sander, and Table Saw. I restored 3 of these this year which took 2 to 3 weeks each and about $150 in supplies and bearings. I use one as a dedicated drill press, another a lathe or jig saw, which I have used to turn about 40 bowls so far this year, and the third is a backup. I use my 520 for all my table saw, band saw and jointer operations.

[ATTACH]23023[/ATTACH]

dgale · Post by **dgale** » Wed Oct 16, 2013 3:36 pm

Wow Fred - that is a beautiful restoration job! I wish I had the patience for that kind of quality...

Here are a couple photos of my dedicated 10E drill press that I posted a month or two back in another thread:

skou · Post by **skou** » Fri Oct 18, 2013 12:51 am

billmayo wrote:I am sure many members have seen the 10ERs in the Shopsmith factory where they did a lot of the finish work on the Shopsmith equipment. I believe they are the best drill press and wood lathe you will find for the price.

Hey Bill, do you think a 500 could build an ER? (Sorry Hans) I think the ER was over-engineered, much like the Roman roads and bridges. (That are STILL around.)

OK, in 89, I moved from Oklahoma, back to Mesa. I needed some parts for my original ER, and I found a Shopsmith store in Tempe. Went in and got what I needed, and the guys there asked about my Shopsmith. I told them. Model E, serial number R-24996.

That is when I found out the factory was STILL using ERs to build the new stuff.

William, did you get the E model?

Fred, that is a SLICK build. But, why the short base? Semi-dedicated drill-press?

Dgale, how secure is that bolt on the headrest/tiebar? I can imagine it falling, if too loose.

fredsheldon · Post by **fredsheldon** » Fri Oct 18, 2013 8:32 am

skou wrote:Hey Bill, do you think a 500 could build an ER? (Sorry Hans) I think the ER was over-engineered, much like the Roman roads and bridges. (That are STILL around.)

OK, in 89, I moved from Oklahoma, back to Mesa. I needed some parts for my original ER, and I found a Shopsmith store in Tempe. Went in and got what I needed, and the guys there asked about my Shopsmith. I told them. Model E, serial number R-24996.

That is when I found out the factory was STILL using ERs to build the new stuff.

William, did you get the E model?

Fred, that is a SLICK build. But, why the short base? Semi-dedicated drill-press?

Dgale, how secure is that bolt on the headrest/tiebar? I can imagine it falling, if too loose.

Yep, it's dedicated as a drill press but I didn't want to cut the tubes so I could still use it as a standard rig if need be.

dgale · Post by **dgale** » Fri Oct 18, 2013 9:31 am

skou wrote:
Dgale, how secure is that bolt on the headrest/tiebar? I can imagine it falling, if too loose.

Yes, that crossed my mind - the bolt is plenty tight, but as a safety net, I put a heavy duty zip tie around it to secure everything in place. I don't have any need to lower the drill press, but if for some reason I did (ie had to get the headstock off for servicing), I can just cut the zip tie and loosen the bolt, replacing the zip tie when I put it back up.