Shopsmith Forums

stew wrote:I have a new PP headstock and it came with the holes already in. I agree with Dusty, that thing was a pain so I sold the spindle guard. I would not drill into your headstock if I were you.

I talked to Mike Young about that a few years ago at a Lowe's demo. It is required by safety regulations in some countries othe than the US. Same with the band saw cover knobs. They were replaced with screws that you need an allen wrench to remove. The knobs make it too easy to remove the cover. And we think we have some dumb safety rules.

Thanks for all the help folks.

I guess I'm swimming against the tide on this one, but I like the spindle guard on my 500. Just a little extra level of security. I will say, though, that after I installed it it dawned on me that I would need the quill twister. Which I bought and yes it took some getting used to. Worth it for a little extra safety? Depends on the individual I guess.

edflorence wrote:I guess I'm swimming against the tide on this one, but I like the spindle guard on my 500. Just a little extra level of security. I will say, though, that after I installed it it dawned on me that I would need the quill twister. Which I bought and yes it took some getting used to. Worth it for a little extra safety? Depends on the individual I guess.

I guess so. We have existed without it since 1947 so...

I am curious how 'handy' the guard is when one desires to mount something other than the hub to the shaft.

Does it need to be removed first?

Also how often did one rotate the shafts without the twister before the guard?

I made a twister, but have never actually used it!(I had a broken coupler that I refused to discard )

I use the hub regularly as a procedural thing to make certain that the shaft turns freely. I do this whenever I change anything that might interfere with shaft rotation (change a zci, move the table or carriage, adjust the quill).

Most of our grandchildren are older, but we still have a 7 year old granddaughter, and just got a new great granddaughter, so I'm going to go ahead and install it for my feeling of safety sake.

ScottyBox wrote:Most of our grandchildren are older, but we still have a 7 year old granddaughter, and just got a new great granddaughter, so I'm going to go ahead and install it for my feeling of safety sake.

I would instill the notion of them never touching until told they are allowed to.

The new Belt Covers have the holes already in them. The Belt Cover is part # 50423801 same as the previous number without the guard holes. The website still shows the old cover without the guard holes. The Mark 7 Manual shows the cover with the guard holes. I upgraded my 520 to a Mark 7 but still have not added the shaft guard and have not decided for sure if I will. I have not see a new cover to see how the screws are secured but I will use blind nuts in the cover to attach the guard if I do add it. I hope this is helpful as a way to install it.

chapmanruss wrote:The new Belt Covers have the holes already in them. The Belt Cover is part # 50423801 same as the previous number without the guard holes. The website still shows the old cover without the guard holes. The Mark 7 Manual shows the cover with the guard holes. I upgraded my 520 to a Mark 7 but still have not added the shaft guard and have not decided for sure if I will. I have not see a new cover to see how the screws are secured but I will use blind nuts in the cover to attach the guard if I do add it. I hope this is helpful as a way to install it.

I don't think there are blind nuts on the new Power Pro belt cover. I bought a full up head stock in Dec 2012 and was deliversd in Jan 2013.

I just went out and took the pictures of the screw. The belt cover is very robust and steel not aluminum. I don't see a problem with the screws. The guard is not an item subject to stress and if you take it off and on all the time maybe you should just leave it off. After all we have lived without it for close to 70 years.

Sorry, the first picture is out of focus.