Just to be clear, on most lathes, the banjo is just the chunk of stuff that the toolrest fits into. The SS universal tool rest has what would be a banjo on dedicated lathes, plus a big chunk of metal that spans the way tubes.
I'm including a picture of a Powermatic lathe with an arrow pointing to the back of the banjo, just so you can clearly see the banjo bridging the gap in the bed of a dedicated lathe.
And yep, that live center is a BIG little improvement.
Hoping that helps.
Dean Thomas
KCMO
520, jointer, bandsaw, stripsander
I saw a post either here or at another shopsmith site that sure opened my eyes to another interesting way to adapt the universal tool rest.
First let me say I've looked but can't seem to find the post.... other wise I would have added the thanks there........ THANKS
Now it was clear that one could use 3/4" tool post holders but I did not even think about the option of using 1" items. The key to this is the fact that the support base assembly has a 1" hole! (item #6 in the parts list).
Since these part name may not ring any bells I've attached a couple of pictures.
Stability. The fatter the post, the more stable the rest.
Availability. If you have certain other tools/lathes, you may already own a couple of nice, fat posted toolrests.
Adaptability. Some extras or accessories on other lathes might just work with your machine where they never would before. Like the coring systems (McNaughton, specifically).
Dean Thomas
KCMO
520, jointer, bandsaw, stripsander
