Push me, pull me Shopsmith double drill press

[robinson46176]

Since you ask the question, you must have them both. Put one of each on opposite ends and perform a comparison.
We await the results!:D

Great minds think alike. That was pretty much what I had come up with.
I will probably assemble the headstocks unpainted until I know what I want to use.

[robinson46176]

Made a little progress this afternoon. I have 2 legs painted and ready, both pivot ends are painted and ready, bench tubes cut and painted and some little stuff done. My back finally reached up and slapped me and said it's time to stop.
I ended up cutting the bench tube with one of my pipe cutters (looks like this)
http://www.plumbinghelp.ca/images/202_Pipe_Cutter_3C.jpg
instead of the metal chopsaw. It cuts quite easy and is not nearly as noisy.
Now I need to dig out 4 way tubes and clean them up along with a couple of tie-bars and a caster set.
I may slip the headstock off of the "Old Gray Mare" (1 1/8th HP) and slip it on one end of the "Push-me, Pull-me" while I am building it. The one I have picked out to use on it permanently will need some going through and maybe some small parts.
I think I know which Gilmer 3/4 HP headstock I'm going to use unless I find a surprise in it.
I haven't taken any pictures yet. I figure everybody knows what the individual parts just cleaned and painted look like.

[robinson46176]

Preliminary setup. Those are not the permanent headstocks planned for for this unit. I'll probably leave them there until I get around to rebuilding the other two. That is just a board sitting across the top but I will put a similar shelf across there like that to stabilize the tops of the way tubes and to mount pulleys under for cables for the counterweights to ease raising and lowering the tables and headstocks.
There will be a shelf/box mounted on top of the bench tubes and another just below the pre-drilled holes in the legs. I have decided to save back the caster set for another project and instead I will cut a 3/4" plywood shelf the the SS legs will bolt down to. Under that I will put a good set of locking casters. That shelf will be enough larger than the leg base that I can have the casters out far enough on the corners that the unit has full stability. As it sits now it is quite stable but I want it to be fully safe to push across the floor and not tip if it hits a little something on the floor.
I think I am going to be pleased with this unit.
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If the legs were a little further apart you could mount a third headstock in the horizontal position:D

[beeg]

Looking GOOD there Farmer. Just hope it does KNOT tip over sidewards.

[robinson46176]

Looking GOOD there Farmer. Just hope it does KNOT tip over sidewards.

That was one of my initial concerns as well. I rocked it back and forth pretty aggressively and with the added weight it sits remarkably solid.
Sideways stability is the third weakness of the Mark VII. They run a little top heavy and call for more caution pushing one on a rough floor than a mark V.
When I put this one on its caster platform its stance will be at least 4 inches wider and 4 inches longer than it is sitting on the legs now. That should make it sit even more solid.
After a week of use in my shop the lower shelves will have about 3700 pounds of crap piled on them (probably none of it drill press related).
That will help hold it down.

[robinson46176]

If the legs were a little further apart you could mount a third headstock in the horizontal position:D

I guess I could weld up a set of crossed bench tubes that were positioned like this # (but square) and make it a 4 way.
I'm afraid it might be kind of hard to get through a door.
I think 2 will be enough.

[a1gutterman]

From another thread, in post 7, the farmer said,

As I was working out the Push-me Pull-me drillpress I was trying to figure the best way to brace the tables to avoid flex under normal pressures. What I intend to try is pretty simple.
Unfortunately it is hard to describe or at least it is tonight.
I guess I'll just make one and take a picture.
One of my criteria is that I be able to move the unit around and still leave my setup undisturbed.

I can think of one way to support the tables on your push-me/pull-me: Use 510 or 520 tables and put the 5' table tubes through both tables.

[robinson46176]

From another thread, in post 7, the farmer said,I can think of one way to support the tables on your push-me/pull-me: Use 510 or 520 tables and put the 5' table tubes through both tables.

I thought about that but that would tie up both tables at the same height which does not fit my criteria of being able to leave one sat up while changing the other.
My plan is to use the tailstock / extension table sockets and if needed a simple diagonal brace from that bracket down to the bottom of the legs. The support would have a socket of its own (oversize) that would have a vertical that can slide up and down in that socket and be held by tightening a knob on the socket. Nothing will touch the floor so the unit can be moved around without moving anything. While I plan to use a simple piece of pipe for the vertical one "could" use one of those reversible quick clamps that you can setup so that they push instead of clamp together. I'm just not sure if they would be rigid enough to not flex a little since they are mostly plastic.
http://img.diynetwork.com/DIY/2003/09/18/wkh204_4fb_lg.jpg

[JPG]

They are ok for 'light' duty. They will slip/break under heavier loads.