Shopsmith Forums

dusty wrote:I'm surprised at all of you. I didn't see where anyone suggested that Customer Service be contacted to get an order status update.

Yes, five months is a long time to wait for something that can be purchased elsewhere. However, it seems to me, that that decision was made when (or before) the order was placed.

Shopsmith's status with suppliers has been well known for many months. Now they are starting to turn the corner and the advise is to jump ship. I don't follow that logic.

But then I often don't follow the logic of some people. I guess I just don't understand humanity.

Dusty,

I too am at a loss for understanding humanity, but I do understand customer service. I contacted customer service prior to cancelling the order; they told me that the chuck was still on backorder with no delivery date... a little broken record sounding.

I do appreciate Shopsmith's diligence for keeping American jobs and it's a good tool which I rely on for all my woodworking follies, but the chuck is far too common a tool to not supply readily. I've checked several other websites and found it in ample supply, with adaptor and no backorder status. Shopsmith was quick with the order update, however the status does not help my need.

I'm not so sure this is jumping ship; its more like getting off the ship at the port, buying my chuck, and getting right back on the ship.

tango wrote:Dusty,

I too am at a loss for understanding humanity, but I do understand customer service. I contacted customer service prior to cancelling the order]the chuck is far too common a tool to not supply readily[/B]. I've checked several other websites and found it in ample supply, with adaptor and no backorder status. Shopsmith was quick with the order update, however the status does not help my need.

I'm not so sure this is jumping ship; its more like getting off the ship at the port, buying my chuck, and getting right back on the ship.

It seems to me that you made a decision to wait. Now that the wait has been months (not weeks), the decision doesn't seem as though it was the right decision.

Now it is decision time again! Should I and continue to wait or should I go somewhere else to purchase. That is a decision that only you can make. I know what I would do but what "I would do" doesn't count.

dusty wrote:It seems to me that you made a decision to wait. Now that the wait has been months (not weeks), the decision doesn't seem as though it was the right decision.

Now it is decision time again! Should I and continue to wait or should I go somewhere else to purchase. That is a decision that only you can make. I know what I would do but what "I would do" doesn't count.

I really wanted them to come through on this one. I've made another decision though; I cancelled my order with Shopsmith and moved on to Penn State Industries instead. Of course their website also says that the part is on backorder also... YIKES

No worries there though; they have an email notification when the part becomes available again.

I do like Shopsmith, but I like turning more than waiting

[quote="tango"]I really wanted them to come through on this one. I've made another decision though]

I hope you conveyed to Shopsmith the fact that you were canceling because of the long wait. They need to be told that many times. I wait when I can but that is not always.

If you can order by phone, ask when they expect to deliver - they will tell you if it is going to back order. I don't believe they have ever deceived me.

Ordering as you do, from over seas, I don't know how that works. Do you call or is this strictly an email transaction.

I've never tried to get a status report by other than phone. I don't know how that works.

[quote="tango"]I really wanted them to come through on this one. I've made another decision though]

I hope you conveyed to Shopsmith the fact that you were canceling because of the long wait. They need to be told that many times. I wait when I can but that is not always.

If you can order by phone, ask when they expect to deliver - they will tell you if it is going to back order. I don't believe they have ever deceived me.

Ordering as you do, from over seas, I don't know how that works. Do you call or is this strictly an email transaction.

I've never tried to get a status report by other than phone. I don't know how that works.

Hi Tango,

Thought I'd pass along some info that may help you with your problem. Here are three companies that have websites in Europe that sell the Stronghold Chuck that you were trying to purchase through Shopsmith. The website addresses are as follows:

www.onewayeuropa.com

www.craft-supplies.co.uk

www.toolpost.co.uk

The first website listed is the company that actually manufactures the Stronghold Chuck. I just checked their inventory and they have plenty of them.

The second website also sells the Stronghold Chuck, and is also the European supplier for Shopsmith parts and supplies. They are located in the U.K.

You might want to check the type of chuck you purchased through PennState. Yes, they are a great company, but I have found that to use the chucks they offer you will need to use two adapters to attach it to a Shopsmith. The other chucks like the Stronghold you will need only one, and it is a much safer situation when only one adapter is used. I have learned this through many years of experience in woodturning on both my Shopsmith and other brands of lathes.

I do not know if the following advice is a little late, but I have found that using a Stronghold Chuck on a Shopsmith is a little overkill. The Talon Chuck (made by the same company) does just a good a job on the Shopsmith and it costs a bit less too. A Stronghold is primarily made for lathes that have a swing larger than 16-inches, and that is the swing of a Shopsmith.

Once you get into woodturning you will find that you don't create to many woodturnings larger than 12-inches in diameter. And if you do make something at 16-inches on your Shopsmith, the Talon Chuck can handle it just fine.

Please feel free to ask me anymore questions. It might be easier to use the private message function if you do, so this thread doesn't fill up with just our messages going back and forth.

Everyone else, you might get a kick looking through these European woodturning websites. They offer tools not available here in the U.S. and some will ship them here. Problem is you need to check the exchange rate and find out what the tools cost in U.S. currency.

Have a great day!

woodburner wrote:Everyone else, you might get a kick looking through these European woodturning websites. They offer tools not available here in the U.S. and some will ship them here. Problem is you need to check the exchange rate and find out what the tools cost in U.S. currency.

at the local woodturners club meeting last week, the speaker mentioned as an aside that the European and American styles of sizing gouges were different: one uses the internal flute width and the other uses the outside dimension/width. I believe he said the the European style is to measure the inside so that a 3/8" gouge in Europe might be a 3/4" gouge by US measure. unfortunately, he said it 3 times and one of those times he said it backwards from the other 2 (which way was larger). please take this as strictly for-what-it's-worth.

woodburner wrote:Hi Tango,

Thought I'd pass along some info that may help you with your problem. Here are three companies that have websites in Europe that sell the Stronghold Chuck that you were trying to purchase through Shopsmith. The website addresses are as follows:

www.onewayeuropa.com

www.craft-supplies.co.uk

www.toolpost.co.uk

The first website listed is the company that actually manufactures the Stronghold Chuck. I just checked their inventory and they have plenty of them.

The second website also sells the Stronghold Chuck, and is also the European supplier for Shopsmith parts and supplies. They are located in the U.K.

You might want to check the type of chuck you purchased through PennState. Yes, they are a great company, but I have found that to use the chucks they offer you will need to use two adapters to attach it to a Shopsmith. The other chucks like the Stronghold you will need only one, and it is a much safer situation when only one adapter is used. I have learned this through many years of experience in woodturning on both my Shopsmith and other brands of lathes.

I do not know if the following advice is a little late, but I have found that using a Stronghold Chuck on a Shopsmith is a little overkill. The Talon Chuck (made by the same company) does just a good a job on the Shopsmith and it costs a bit less too. A Stronghold is primarily made for lathes that have a swing larger than 16-inches, and that is the swing of a Shopsmith.

Once you get into woodturning you will find that you don't create to many woodturnings larger than 12-inches in diameter. And if you do make something at 16-inches on your Shopsmith, the Talon Chuck can handle it just fine.

Please feel free to ask me anymore questions. It might be easier to use the private message function if you do, so this thread doesn't fill up with just our messages going back and forth.

Everyone else, you might get a kick looking through these European woodturning websites. They offer tools not available here in the U.S. and some will ship them here. Problem is you need to check the exchange rate and find out what the tools cost in U.S. currency.

Have a great day!

Thanks Woodburner,

I have looked again at the stronghold and I think you're right; it is a bit more than I need. What I need is something to hold the piece freely without a tailstock; mainly for finishing and boring.

PSI has the Barracuda 2 titanium coated deal and that's the one I'm going for. It takes a 1" 8tpi adaptor which I've also ordered. I'm pretty sure that the adaptor is a good buy since so many other tools also take a 1" 8tpi. In my opinion its the next best thing to a #2mt... but thats just my opinion

I live in Belgium, but I don't normally purchase items from european companies. I'm in the Air Force which gives me the luxury of worldly travel while still holding a US mailbox via APO post office box. This means that when I order things from The States it is shipped as continental US. The APO facility is in New York, again it is quite a luxury.

The dollar is so weak compared to the Euro or British Pound right now that it doesn't make sense for me to purchase equipment on the European economy; the good ol' US of A is still the best place to buy such things; cheaper and better quality !

I've looked at craft-supplies.co.uk and what I've found is that they have the same supplies as all the other woodworking sites but they put that funny little "£" sign in front of it. That means that the same thing I can get for "$" is costing me many more "¢"

Thanks for the tip...

Tango

tango wrote:I'm pretty sure that the adaptor is a good buy since so many other tools also take a 1" 8tpi. In my opinion its the next best thing to a #2mt... but thats just my opinion



Thanks for the tip...

Tango

Do you have a different lathe to use that chuck on? The SS takes a 5/8's plain adapter.

beeg wrote:Do you have a different lathe to use that chuck on? The SS takes a 5/8's plain adapter.

I believe he is referring to the 5/8" plain bore to 1"-8 screw. i.e. the adapter screws into the chuck having a 1"-8 threaded hole and the adapter slips over the ss 5/8" shaft.