table alignment

osx-addict · Post by **osx-addict** » Tue Apr 21, 2009 2:33 am

dusty wrote:It is Shopsmith part # 942328
http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/catalog/mvmaint_helpkit.htm

but to respond to your specific question and need - I use something else.

Miter Gauge Stop Rod, 505629

http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/itemfind.htm?item=505629&Submit=Find+Item

Thanks Dusty.. I had discounted the one in the kit as it was a 'T' style not the 'L' style used in the video.. Oh well..

Ed in Tampa · Post by **Ed in Tampa** » Tue Apr 21, 2009 1:41 pm

osx-addict wrote:Ed -

I don't suppose you've got a pic? I'm trying to picture it in my head but...
I like the idea of using the 1/4" dowel since I bought a 4' length yesterday for other alignment purposes..

Rick
It is just a dowel with a block of wood on the end. The dowel end I stick in the hole in the side of the miter slot and use the hex nut to tighten it. The other end just has block of wood about 1"x1" with a hole in it where the dowel goes. When I want to align my miter slot to the blade I simply stick the dowel in the miter adjust it in or out until the wood block is just touching the blade. I then lock the dowel in place with hex nut. Then I slide the miter gauge to rear of the machine and turn the blade so the wood block is touching the same location on the blade. Now I sight between the blade and wood block. If is just touching the slot and blade is parallel. If the wood block is wedged against the blade then the table is out of parallel with the back too close to the blade. If there is space (seen as light) between the blade and the block then the table front is too close to the blade.

dcottrill · Post by **dcottrill** » Fri Jun 05, 2009 12:19 am

I have been slowly working on honing my original 1988 purchased shopsmith to refine it and improve it's over all performance. Equipped with Nick's sawdust wisdom, a dial indicator and great enthusiasm I took on the task of aligning the miter slot to the blade. Then my nightmares came back.

In the spring of 1988 trying to align the miter slot to the blade the first time I went through 2 table and several hours of phone conversations with SS Techs. Finally giving up or in and believing it was only possible by someone with super human skill I accepted was good enough.

This week the first night was a disaster. I was up until 2 AM and had to get up to go to work at 6:00 AM. The table was worse than when I started. It was out 0.100"! I went backwards….

The second attempt was even worse as I had lost my patients. Wife rescued me and went to bed at midnight.

Tonight out of total frustration and a table that was over all worse than when I started (had to almost hammer it out of the carriage). I tore the table completely apart. I noticed that the OUTFEED trunnion holes are 3/8” and the INFEED trunion holes are 1/2”. Time for some research…

After reading two different discussions on this I discovered

- I have a defective outfeed (rear) trunnion.

Hats off to those of you that were able to align your SS with the undersized holes. The best I have ever been able to do is 0.025". I'm hopeful that I will now be able to approach the precission that Nick and several of you have obtained.

Tomorrow, I will be contacting Shopsmith to discuss.

I will keep you posted.

dcottrill · Post by **dcottrill** » Fri Jun 05, 2009 6:11 pm

Shopsmith told me to send in the trunnion and they will examine it to determine if it is indee defective.

I asked if I could purchase one to replace it while they try to determine if it is defective or was damaged in use. The response I received was they don't have any instock and the trunnions are on back order. It seems that the machine used to make them is not working at the moment, so they are not even able to ship markVs.

Now I'm deliberating the benefits of just doing it myself, but with out know that I can get a replacement one it raises the stakes.

Anyway it went a little different then I thought it would.

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Fri Jun 05, 2009 6:51 pm

dcottrill wrote:Shopsmith told me to send in the trunnion and they will examine it to determine if it is indee defective.

I asked if I could purchase one to replace it while they try to determine if it is defective or was damaged in use. The response I received was they don't have any instock and the trunnions are on back order. It seems that the machine used to make them is not working at the moment, so they are not even able to ship markVs.

Now I'm deliberating the benefits of just doing it myself, but with out know that I can get a replacement one it raises the stakes.

Anyway it went a little different then I thought it would.

It would be nice if Shopsmith could/would jump in here (right now) and help you to resolve this issue]securely[/U] to the table before you begin to drill. I did that but the photos don't show that. Actually, I drilled one hole with a hand drill. I DO NOT advise that.

As shown in the photos, I inserted the smaller drill into the hole to be drilled, adjusted the tables as shown. This provides the desired alignment. Clamp the trunnion to the the table in that position. Change to the desired drill bit and drill it out slowly.

PM me if you need to discuss this.

dcottrill · Post by **dcottrill** » Sat Jun 06, 2009 10:17 am

Thank You Dusty,

I have not yet decided what I'm going to do. The question is to delay the repair to enable Shopsmith to examine the part/s, or just fix the problem and get it all back together and enjoy woodworking.

Thank you for the pointers. I read all of the postings and liked the pictures that you posted on how you drill them out. I will take your advise to make sure it is clamped down. A spinning piece of metal at the end of a drill bit is not fun.

I hope you have a great day.

Dan

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Sat Jun 06, 2009 11:05 am

dcottrill wrote:Thank You Dusty,

. . .

Thank you for the pointers. I read all of the postings and liked the pictures that you posted on how you drill them out. I will take your advise to make sure it is clamped down. A spinning piece of metal at the end of a drill bit is not fun.

. . .

Dan

ESPECIALLY when SS does not have any to replace it!:eek:

dcottrill · Post by **dcottrill** » Sat Jun 06, 2009 1:19 pm

SS told me the machine for making the "tie bars/trunnions" is not working and needs to be repair. It is currently holding up the shipment of MarkVs.

I would expect them to fix it quickly!

Ed in Tampa · Post by **Ed in Tampa** » Sat Jun 06, 2009 3:50 pm

dusty wrote: Clamp the trunnion securely to the table before you begin to drill. I did that but the photos don't show that. Actually, I drilled one hole with a hand drill. I DO NOT advise that.

Take Dusty's advice clamp it. I drilled mine and I figured with as large of piece of iron as it was and how I was able to hold it it would be fine to drill without clamping.

When the trunion got ripped out of my hand it either stretched or tore something. I know it was sometime back in the fall and my hand is still not totally healed. I think the muscles/tendons that work my index finger on my left hand were messed up pretty good. For the first week or two my hand ached enough to make me promise myself I wouldn't be that stupid again.

robinson46176 · Post by **robinson46176** » Sat Jun 06, 2009 9:54 pm

Ed in Tampa wrote: make me promise myself I wouldn't be that stupid again.

But you will...

We all do. Sometimes I think we even get better at it as we get older.

-
Or maybe we are just tough enough to recover quicker when we are younger.