Shopsmith Forums

mgdesigns wrote:I think maybe having an adjustable mid-angle support that ties back to the lower tubes would be a helpful way to adjust and stabilize the whole table.

Supporting the table with a tie back to the tubes would certainly be more stable than what I have done. The only problem, if I understand your recommendation correctly, is that the support would have to be adjusted whenever yable height is changed.

I suggest that the following might be a responsible approach that accomplishes the same stabilization while maintaining the table height adjust-ability.

[ATTACH]10616[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]10617[/ATTACH]

Is there some kind of fastening of the middle support bar to under the table?

Dusty

Thank you very much for the drawings of the brackets. But for the life of me, I cannot tell what is keeping the table up. Is there a set of extension table brackets (shopsmith) next to your brackets?

Thanks for all the great posts.

dasgud wrote:Is there some kind of fastening of the middle support bar to under the table?

That wooden block is just glued to the under side of the table. The support tube fits into a 1" hole in the block.

jctorok wrote:Dusty

Thank you very much for the drawings of the brackets. But for the life of me, I cannot tell what is keeping the table up. Is there a set of extension table brackets (shopsmith) next to your brackets?

Thanks for all the great posts.

No, but there could be. The brackets hook onto the table bar (in the outfeed rail). The majority of the weight is supported right there. The support bar, at 45 &#176]this[/URL] thread. In this thread you will find discussion of the SS Extension Bracket. If those are used, the under table support bar is not required. The outfeed table is then cantilevered off the main table.

PS: I just looked back at the thread and I maybe see the reason for your question about SS Extension Brackets. I the first photo presented in this thread the table is cantilevered. When cantilevered the Extension Brackets are used in lieu of the under table support bar.

Thank you for sharing these details. If you don't mind this will be one of the first projects I take on and I would like to copy if that is OK. I am about to get possession of my shopsmith and I will need this immediately. Cutting and drilling in metal is the one task required that I have doubts about doing with my machine. Did you use the shopsmith for these jobs.

Dusty
Nice work, as usual. Could you offer some general direction for making the brackets out of aluminum? I have no idea how to start. Working with wood is one thing, but cutting, bending, etc aluminum seems like quite another skill. How to you bend it? How do you smooth it out? What thickness do you like to use? Where do you get your raw stock? An so on.

The value of being able to make a aluminum this or that seems clear, though.

wdelliott wrote:Dusty
Nice work, as usual. Could you offer some general direction for making the brackets out of aluminum? I have no idea how to start. Working with wood is one thing, but cutting, bending, etc aluminum seems like quite another skill. How to you bend it? How do you smooth it out? What thickness do you like to use? Where do you get your raw stock? An so on.

The value of being able to make a aluminum this or that seems clear, though.

I used 2" aluminum angle which I purchased at Home Depot. It is 1/8" thick. To drill the holes I used a "Unibit" in the Shopsmith drill press. Drill at the very slowest speed setting. Clamp your work. Do not hold with your hands.

A Unibit is a step drill; that it, it is several different sizes all in one. Google unibit and look for klein unibit.

I cut the aluminum using the bandsaw and cleaned up the edges using the belt sander, a file and hand sanding.

After thought: If you use your band saw to cut aluminum, clean the shavings out BEFORE you go back to work as a wood worker. The aluminum shavings, if left, are real hard on the tires.

I vacuum the housing out real well and I clean the fine aluminum filings off the tires very carefully making sure that I get all of them. The filings get embedded in the rubber tires and some times need to be picked or scraped off. I use a small piece of plastic (like an old credit card).

The shavings, especially thoughs from the drill press are really sharp.

Dusty

Thanks for answering my first questions and now of course I have more

How did you attach the middle support to the main table support tube? Picture of it please.

Second question, what do you think about the using the aluminum side support and lengthening them so they support the table without the middle support?

Instead of cutting the hook on table end of the side support, just make the aluminum longer so it can be locked into the front of the main table with connector tube and at the rear. That should produce a stable base to set the outfeed table on.

I guess you could probably fashion a hook for the front to hook over a connect tube and a slot in the back to slide over the rear connector tube.