Modified live center

[masonsailor2]

I need to solve an issue with my SS drum sander. One of my upcoming projects will be a new house which means cabinets windows and doors. I have to increase the width of my drum sander to accommodate 36" doors. Right now my max is 30". I can use a PP headstock and buy longer tubes to increase the width of the Shopsmith but I won't be able to use the cup on the live center. It will not offer enough support for a drum that size. I need to create a live center that will have a standard SS arbor to accept a 3" lathe faceplate which is what I already use on the headstock end of the drum which is bolted directly to the drum. Any ideas ?
Paul

[Mike907]

http://bestwoodtools.com/

Pictured on the home page.

Mike

[STB]

extenson.jpg (611.32 KiB) Viewed 3477 times

[BuckeyeDennis]

The Nova live center system might also work for you. With all the attachments that it comes with, you might find a mounting solution other than the 3" faceplate.

http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/cata ... center.htm

But if you're set on using the faceplate, you can still use the Nova live center. It has a shallow female #2MT on the live side, to accept accessories. You could mount a Shopsmith tailstock chuck arbor there, if you cut it's Morse taper down to about 3/4" in length.

http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/cata ... arbors.htm

And with that, you can mount any SS spindle tooling live on the tailstock.

Total cost would be about $90 plus shipping.

[Mike907]

Less expensive option to my first suggestion:

http://www.pennstateind.com/store/LTCA18.html

http://www.pennstateind.com/store/CF3J.html

Mike

[everettdavis]

I had a similar issue when I was polishing way and bench tubes and wanted a more secure solution. I contemplated modifying this for a drum sanding solution down the road and discussed it a bit in that post. You could do something like this, and as an added benefit, the bearings are rated at the full shaft speed of a Mark V.

“I mounted my Pedestal Base Pillow Block with T-Nuts on a piece of oak and clamped it to the worktable and extension table. I could then elevate the worktable and extension with a level on the tube I was sanding to set it up. The Pedestal Base Pillow Block reminded me a bit of a 10er tail stock once I had it mounted up.

In the future I may weld up a telescoping square tube frame for mounting the pillow block. If I do that, I might also add a 2nd Pedestal Base Pillow Block on the drive end with a large pulley and small one on the quill to form a speed reducer. I could move the whole thing forward on the tables for the offset, or just drop the tables below the quill. That’s another project entirely, and that way you could mount and drive it with another motor or drill, opposed to the Mark V, should you only have the one you are servicing. I might even turn it into a wide drum sander when not using it to restore the various tubes.

For now a few select holes and T-Nuts in this piece of oak and I can polish up just about anything I need.”

IMG_0506.JPG (147.74 KiB) Viewed 3432 times

Maybe that can give you an idea on how to safely build a long term wider sanding solution using two Pedestal Base Pillow Blocks …


Everett

[Mike907]

You may be able to combine Dennis' and Everett's ideas. The Nova live center system can take a 5/16" bolt in one of the adapters, so you wouldn't need the pillow block.

Mike

[masonsailor2]

Thank you all ! The Pennstate Ind idea is perfect. I already have a Nova system but this is going to be a permanent setup and I don't want to commit my Nova stuff to it. I don't mind footing the bill for new tubes. I think that will be the best solution since it is going to be a permanent fixture and won't be broken down. Since the headstock will not be sliding back and forth on the tubes I can use black chrome moly tubes which I can get locally and pretty reasonable. I will probably be welding supports to the tubes to stabilize the whole thing. Thanks again.
Paul