Shopsmith Forums

I think you will find we all view things a little differently so finding a consistence set of answers is unlikely.

I'll give my opinion as others have done, it's a starting place but what is going to really mean something is your own experience. If you have someone to work with at the wood turners group then his/her methods might dictate things differently yet.

1) I have both of the shopsmith faceplates plus a few others. I'm not a bowl turner but I do faceplate turning. For what I do I most often use the 3-3/4" face plate. If you get in to deeper bowl and larger work pieces then the larger faceplates might be a good idea. Starting out you might want to save the money and just get that one to start with.

2) Getting a chuck at some point in the future is a good idea, it saves you the expense now and lets you get some experience with turning so you will have a better idea what you want in the future. The Nova G3 goes on sale from time to time and if that time happens to fall when you are shopping for one then all the better. I personally would not get a chuck of any lesser quality but some folks have and do fine with them.

3) I have a speed changer for my 10ER but since the machine is apart waiting on me to finish painting and assembling it I can not talk from experience. I do know that a lower speed is pretty much needed so I think you will want to find a speed changer sooner rather then later. So start shopping and make sure you watch places like e-bay and don't get carried away in a bidding war. You should be able to find one in good condition for about $150 or less.

4) I upgraded my grinding system a couple of years ago. I went with a variable speed version which I like much more then my older high speed one. I also went for a upgrade, 6" to the larger 8" size which I also like a lot better. If you decide on a cheap grinder you might find you will want to replace it later with a better quality one. So it might be pay me now pay me later situation. Grinding wheels are normally included with the grinder but they maybe of lower quality so again you will want to upgrade to better ones at some point.

5) Live centers, I have a couple, the shopsmith ones are decent but if you find you want a variety of options shopsmith also sells the Nova live center system. I got mine before shopsmith started selling them and I paid a good deal less but that was some years ago. You can see it here:

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

Again you can use the one you mentioned but it is limited when compared to what other offer.

6) If it works for you then fine. You can get various different ones and making your own works too. On a square it is as simple as lines crossing from point to point and any straight edge can do that. For the price it is a starting point.

As far as connecting a scrap block to your work piece I'm pretty old school. Titebond II and either newspaper or brown paper or even just surface to surface. I have had CA joints brake while wood working so I would not go that way..... if it works for you fine but again I don't trust it. I have also had joints that failed with hot glue, now I must say that there are different hot glues and I have only used the old version and not the new stuff so maybe I'd change my mind if I played with that. A lot also depends on how large a piece is, if it the size of a half dollar then just about any glue will work. IF it 8" in diameter and a foot long well that is another story all together.

Ed

Jeepmiller09 wrote:

benush26 wrote:I use a hot melt glue gun to attach the wooden block to the bowl blank.

How does this work do you just part it like anything else? I would be afraid the glue would be on the bottom of the piece and then gunk up my sander to get it off.

If you mean do I use a parting tool, no. There will be a seam between the two pieces. Use the putty knife as a thin wedge/blade to separate the two pieces. The sharp edge will usually find the seam.
There is some glue left on the bottom of each. I use the putty knife to scrape off as much as I can. A quick trip to the belt sander will remove the rest. Never thought about nor worried about the glue gunking up the belt.
If you are going to make a slight hollow on the foot, you don't need to bother sanding the glue off. You will scrape out and off any residue.
I never thought of using a parting tool, but I would guess you could.
I also used a putty knife when separating pieces joined with a paper layer between. No matter how I joined them, I learned to have grains going in similar directions if I could, that way when using the putty knife I would go with rather than against. The grain to eliminate tear out.

Be well,
Ben

Just read Ed's reply and understand his apprehension about hot melt because of failures. It is VERY important to get a stick designed for strong bonding of wood. I initially got mine from a local lumber supply. It was Stanley brand, though I don't remember a id number. Now I use Stanley GS500. It was pricey at >$2 a stick but have found it cheaper on Amazon.
If you do try hot melt, please don't use the cheap glue stuff aka "all purpose". It might be fine for rhinestones on canvas, but not for lathe turning bonding.
I'm sure there are other brands as good and probably better than the Stanley, but it works for me (I use it for lots of wood working projects).
Hope this helps.

Be well,
Ben

Check out woodturnersresource.com. Great info over there as far as lathe work. Not much Shopsmith info however, but great woodturning info that you can use with a Shopsmith.