Shorty Drill Press not perpendicular to floor, any ideas?

[jsburger]

As I recall there has been at least three threads on the subject here at this forum but if you want to do it again by all means go for it.

But, the only accurate way to do so is to have the shopsmith in horizontal position and zero the gauge then go to vertical. There is no way of knowing for sure the bench and way tubes are actually level with each other so you have to use the same set of tubes to measure from. Even this could have some errors if the tubes have even a slight bend in them.

Sometime when I have nothing better to do I will try and search for the lost threads on the subject.

Ed

That is exactly what I did. Zeroed the Wixey on the bench tube and measured on the same side way tube.

[jsburger]

I don't have any angle thingies that I trust but based on my level my drill press goes past 90°. I'd guess it was at least 1.5° past 90. The lock has to be positioned in the bottom of the conical hole in order to work and mine fits there fine. The drill press was built from a Greenie needing 1-7/8 bench tubes, the headstock originally was on the 510. I'll try out my other machines eventually but if memory serves the 510 will look the same.

I do think it serves as a safety feature, if the vertical assembly is not locked I think pressure on the quill feed could push the vertical assembly backward and down. The parts must be made to allow the proper positioning but I suppose there could be some castings that were mis-drilled for the hinge pin or just not shaped right. Something is definitely wrong if the locking bolt does not push down on the bottom of the conical hole. If it's not there or the top of the hole the vertical assembly could rock back and forth.

That is not true. New SS's come with a tag on the lock knob stating that the knob will not bottom in the hole. Someone please correct me if that is wrong.

[JPG]

The "off centering' and huge dimple is so the bevel on the screw and the tapered profile of the dimple create a wedging of the two parts as the screw is 'tightened'. When properly tightened it ain't gonna tip over without taking the base along with it. Now all that assists the reverse shorty drill press setup as well as 'normal' raising to vertical.

If anything the shorty drill press assemblage is likely more stable than "SOP".

It is that locking that is relevant. The vertical angle(sop setup) over 90 is likely to make sure it does not fall with no locking. We may be guilty all this time in assuming it was intentional(it doesn't want to fall until over 15° away from vertical).

[jsburger]

The "off centering' and huge dimple is so the bevel on the screw and the tapered profile of the dimple create a wedging of the two parts as the screw is 'tightened'. When properly tightened it ain't gonna tip over without taking the base along with it. Now all that assists the reverse shorty drill press setup as well as 'normal' raising to vertical.

If anything the shorty drill press assemblage is likely more stable than "SOP".

It is that locking that is relevant. The vertical angle(sop setup) over 90 is likely to make sure it does not fall with no locking. We may be guilty all this time in assuming it was intentional(it doesn't want to fall until over 15° away from vertical).

Yes it is. It is rock solid. All the weight is over the bench unlike the SOP. I also have a conventional shorty that I cut 18" off the tubes. When I put that in DP mode and lean on the table a little bit it will raise the far end of the bench off the floor.

[dusty]

The "off centering' and huge dimple is so the bevel on the screw and the tapered profile of the dimple create a wedging of the two parts as the screw is 'tightened'. When properly tightened it ain't gonna tip over without taking the base along with it. Now all that assists the reverse shorty drill press setup as well as 'normal' raising to vertical.

If anything the shorty drill press assemblage is likely more stable than "SOP".

It is that locking that is relevant. The vertical angle(sop setup) over 90 is likely to make sure it does not fall with no locking. We may be guilty all this time in assuming it was intentional(it doesn't want to fall until over 15° away from vertical).

What makes this so? Are the two assembled basically the same way?

[algale]

The "off centering' and huge dimple is so the bevel on the screw and the tapered profile of the dimple create a wedging of the two parts as the screw is 'tightened'. When properly tightened it ain't gonna tip over without taking the base along with it. Now all that assists the reverse shorty drill press setup as well as 'normal' raising to vertical.

If anything the shorty drill press assemblage is likely more stable than "SOP".

It is that locking that is relevant. The vertical angle(sop setup) over 90 is likely to make sure it does not fall with no locking. We may be guilty all this time in assuming it was intentional(it doesn't want to fall until over 15° away from vertical).

What makes this so? Are the two assembled basically the same way?

More of a theoretical advantage than reality, but in the standard set up the table hangs over empty space. Put enough weight on the table and you could theoretically lift the rear legs and have the entire Shopsmith pivot forward on the front leg and whack you in the head or crash down to the ground.

In the shorty set up, this is not a concern because the table is over the legs or at least the legs extend beyond the table toward the operator

Again, I view this as a theoretical advantage because I suspect that before you could put enough weight on the table in the standard configuration to risk raising the rear legs, the carriage has already slipped down, the table lock has given way, and the weight has slipped off the tilted table and landed on your foot.

[JPG]

According to John above it is quite a reality.

[algale]

According to John above it is quite a reality.

Only with a shorty in standard set up. A full length Shopsmith was what I was referring to.

[JPG]

According to John above it is quite a reality.

Only with a shorty in standard set up. A full length Shopsmith was what I was referring to.

I'se confused! But so what!

[Mike]

Took everything apart and back together, very little change so will figure out how much to grind to get it closer to a permanent 90. This will allow lock to line up and sink in deeper for a more permanent lock. I know many will disagree and I very much respect your opinions.
Thank you all