BuckeyeDennis wrote:And besides, I strongly suspect that the SS coupler was designed to tolerate a fair amount of SPT misalignment. I do believe that the current coupler design dates back to the straight mounting tube days. So were the eccentric mounting tubes a clever solution to a nonexistent problem?
With eccentric tubes making near-perfect alignment possible, the couplers could probably be considerable shorter. On the flip side, the combination of good alignment and a long coupler may well contribute to the virtually unlimited coupler life that most of us enjoy.
The 'original' was a rubber tube with cup ends like the 'current' one. I have never had one in hand, so they may have had set screws similar to the Mod 10 jig saw coupler.
One gains an appreciation of proper alignment without the eccentric tubes when more than one 'SS' is used. Keep in mind the headstock eccentric make that a moving target with one headstock let alone more than one.
The eccentric drive belt tension is the only design detail I consider a seriously poor choice. However most likely the only 'spt' initially considered then was the jointer. The design was most likely a less expensive and simpler alternative. It's retention in the Mark 7 is not ideal, but compatibility issues most likely made that the logical choice.
As Dusty has so often mentioned, things which appear simple are not so simple when the entire picture(functions) is considered. There are interactions galore.
Yes I ignored the headstock eccentric above(intentionally).
But to understand the 'complete picture', it needs to be included.
