New casters

[trainguytom]

Thank God I am not the nuttiest person here. Although that may not be a function of mindset so much as available space. If I had any more space, I'm sure I have more SS stuff...and yet, maybe if I re-organized my space a little better I'd have a little more room for an extra machine...or 2.
(Hello, my name is Tom, and I'm a Smithoholic...)

[oldc6]

I like the shopsmith wheels upgrade cause, I think they add a splash of color to an already class looking piece of equipment............[ATTACH]16033[/ATTACH]

[fjimp]

I like the shopsmith wheels upgrade cause, I think they add a splash of color to an already class looking piece of equipment............[ATTACH]16033[/ATTACH]

Agreed now when you add a power pro and the 520 upgrade you will truly have an efficient work of art capable of making anything. Not to mention the speed range will be greatly increased at both ends and your shop will be whisper quiet. Jim

[fgrule]

I'm guessing that a 4" caster would not be feasible due to the need to raise the caster system even higher than the 3", which would wedge too much (because of the tapering legs)? And also, possible interference from the larger swing radius of a swivel caster.

Does this sound right?

Thanks, Fred

[robinson46176]

I'm guessing that a 4" caster would not be feasible due to the need to raise the caster system even higher than the 3", which would wedge too much (because of the tapering legs)? And also, possible interference from the larger swing radius of a swivel caster.

Does this sound right?

Thanks, Fred

I don't think that problem would be from the wedging since the legs flex fairly easily. The problem comes from the amount of clear space required for the caster to swivel in a full circle without hitting the leg.
You could probably get around that by installing a set of shop made spacers that would move the caster set at least an inch closer to the middle of the SS to gain swivel space (wheel base end to end, not tracking width). If you do something like that you might want to always lower the SS down on the legs when in drill-press mode or it might want to tip end-wise easier?
There is almost always a way...


.

[pennview]

There is someone on e-bay selling a set of 4" casters for $89 plus as I recall $10 for shipping. The seller provides new sockets for the casters, because his have threaded stems, unlike the smooth stems on the Shopsmith variety. So I'd guess a 4" caster will fit the Shopsmith. The seller provides a couple of drill bits and a template to drill holes in the Shopsmith legs for fitting the new casters.

Along those lines, I have a set of 4" casters from Grizzly that sell for $4.50 each. These have M12 x 1.75 stems. I've been thinking about seeing if they will mount onto the Shopsmith, but haven't gotten around to checking. It may be that the original Shopsmith sockets can be tapped to accept these casters, but that's one of things I'll have to check.

[fgrule]

Francis,

Yes, I need to be aware of the geometry.! Spacers? Might have to think on that.


Art,

I had seen that ad on Ebay, but forgotten it. I guess 4" have a chance depending in the pivot radius.

I saw these on Ebay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/150385619656?ss ... 1423.l2649

Fred

[trainguytom]

This discussion seems to keep drifting back to 4" casters and I just got to wondering how many SS guys have shops where they roll the machines over rough or badly cracked or other difficult to navigate substrate?
It seems to me that for anyone like that, maybe the larger diameter wheels may be better, but lots of the Shopsmith & shop pics I've seen on this site seem to indicate that almost everyone has a pretty smooth basement, garage, or shop building floor.

Now, if that's true, (and maybe it really isn't & only guys with nice floors submit pics of their shop) where's the logic in spending $90 on ebay, or whatever SS charges for larger wheels, plus the time to drill/mount them, when for about $4 each you can get ball bearing drop in casters from Menards (plus a little shipping if you don't have one nearby)? (and I'm not necessarily pushing Menards, Grainger has the size in their catalog for about $9 each)

The $4 ones improve the mobility so that you can roll & pivot with 2 finger ease & they drop right in. Granted, the red wheels look pretty cool, but am I missing some steps in logic? Or am I weird because I would rather spend my time & money building stuff with my Smith?

I know I'm cheap & therefore always looking for a low cost solution to things, & I know some guys seem to like the idea of having the newest, the best, and the most expensive thing available, so maybe it's just my inability to really grasp that second concept that keeps me adding stuff to this thread.

[robinson46176]

This discussion seems to keep drifting back to 4" casters and I just got to wondering how many SS guys have shops where they roll the machines over rough or badly cracked or other difficult to navigate substrate?
It seems to me that for anyone like that, maybe the larger diameter wheels may be better, but lots of the Shopsmith & shop pics I've seen on this site seem to indicate that almost everyone has a pretty smooth basement, garage, or shop building floor.

Now, if that's true, (and maybe it really isn't & only guys with nice floors submit pics of their shop) where's the logic in spending $90 on ebay, or whatever SS charges for larger wheels, plus the time to drill/mount them, when for about $4 each you can get ball bearing drop in casters from Menards (plus a little shipping if you don't have one nearby)? (and I'm not necessarily pushing Menards, Grainger has the size in their catalog for about $9 each)

The $4 ones improve the mobility so that you can roll & pivot with 2 finger ease & they drop right in. Granted, the red wheels look pretty cool, but am I missing some steps in logic? Or am I weird because I would rather spend my time & money building stuff with my Smith?

I know I'm cheap & therefore always looking for a low cost solution to things, & I know some guys seem to like the idea of having the newest, the best, and the most expensive thing available, so maybe it's just my inability to really grasp that second concept that keeps me adding stuff to this thread.

It's a "just because" thing...


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[pennview]

It's not only an uneven floor, those small or original wheels simply won't roll over the smallest scrap of wood on that smooth floor. And, there's also that "just because" as Farmer points out.