5 Foot Connector Tubes.

reible · Post by **reible** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 12:56 am

After reading about Ed's changing heights comment I was wondering about how much of this is done by others.

For general cutting do you normal set up for say 3/4" stock and then if you happen to have to cut some 1/2" material do you change the table height?

Of say you are cutting 1" stock and then have to cut 1/2" or 1/4" do you change table heights?

Granted if you are doing things that required a certain depth of cut or dado's or the like you need to tune the table height but for general cutting?

Say you want to change blades, do you pull the tubes and raise the table to change or do you take the insert out and try and get it out from the top side?

I'm just trying to get a feel for how others do things, comments?

Ed

a1gutterman · Post by **a1gutterman** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 1:13 am

reible wrote:After reading about Ed's changing heights comment I was wondering about how much of this is done by others.

For general cutting do you normal set up for say 3/4" stock and then if you happen to have to cut some 1/2" material do you change the table height?

Of say you are cutting 1" stock and then have to cut 1/2" or 1/4" do you change table heights?

Granted if you are doing things that required a certain depth of cut or dado's or the like you need to tune the table height but for general cutting?

Say you want to change blades, do you pull the tubes and raise the table to change or do you take the insert out and try and get it out from the top side?

I'm just trying to get a feel for how others do things, comments?

Ed

Hi Ed,

As for the blade height, I almost always adjust it before cutting. As for the blade change, I do always move the table out of the way. I am careful of my blades, and do knot want to bang them or drop them.

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 6:25 am

I raise the table height to change blades. There are times when you cannot change through the insert opening.

As for changing height to accommodate different board thicknesses - I do not.

If I am setting up and know that I will be using the cross cut sled, I set with that in mind. This puts the blade up higher - more than a 1/2" higher.

Then if I am ripping or cross cutting and do not use the cross cut sled - I do not change the table height. I know this flies in the face of some but that is what I do.

USE THE SAW GUARD WHENEVER POSSIBLE.

paul heller · Post by **paul heller** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 7:41 am

I'm always changing heights. In fact, I'm usually changing the setup as well because I'm not very good at planning all the cuts I need up front. It seems I cut a little, sand a little, drill a little, cut a little more, etc. And I often switch between dado and regular blades.

Maybe I need to plan a bit better, but all the setup work does not bother me.

I have not tried the 5 foot tubes yet, but I seems like I would have to try to do thing the way Dusty does in order for the tubes to be usable.

Paul

shydragon · Post by **shydragon** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 9:15 am

Same as Dusty, set it up for deepest cut, or for use with crosscut sliding table. I use the router for most dado cuts.

hb2 · Post by **hb2** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 5:12 pm

I usually only change blade depth if I need to cut thicker stock. I usually use my 5 foot connectors with the fixed table on the right and I tend to keep the head stock near the middle of the bed. I often have a floating table on the left so it can support my jointech sliding table for cross cuts. If I want to change the blade I loosen the main table lock with my right hand while holding the wheel with my left so the table doesn't move then while still holding the wheel with my left hand I reach for fixed table lock with my right hand, loosen it and then grab onto the outboard vertical tube with my right hand. then I crank the table up with my left hand while pulling the fixed table up with my right. Once the tables are high enough to clear the blade I move the head stock to the left so I can swap blades. This whole process sounds worse than it is. Obviously once the blade is changed you work the process backwards.

Frank

Ed in Tampa · Post by **Ed in Tampa** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 10:32 am

Okay it sounds like we all pretty much work the same. Some of us may adjust for changes in wood thickness but we all do our blade changes and such by raising the main table and etc.

Many say they use the 5 foot tubes to accommodate sliding/crosscut tables and such. I guess this is where I get lost. My normal connector tubes, a floating table and my aux table provides more than enough table for my crosscut table.

Again I don't see the benefit of 5 foot connectors in most day to day SS setups.

A few have mentioned using the 5 foot with router tables. Again I don't understand. I have a adjustable leg set and normal connector tubes that I often slip in my router table and my aux table to do routing. By doing this my Main table and two floating table can be setup with my other pair of connector tubes and used to make touch up cuts and etc without effecting my router setup. I sure wouldn't want them all tied together making me change both my SS set up and router setup any time I had to make a height/tool change.

Again I know it is fun/impressive to tie everything together forming a huge table system on the SS but how practical is it for most day to day SS operations?

I have my 5 foot tubes in the shipping tube and I don't think I have ever used them other that playing with them long enough to decide they were too long.

Again I play with cutting them off. My idea is to cut them to a length that will allow me to have main table, two floating one of either side of the main and the aux table all connected with enough room to see between the main and left most floating to see the on/off switch.

I never try to rip full sheets of ply on my SS as I have found the practice dangerous, not very accurate and physically demanding to the point of not being worth it.

When I got into wood working most saws had a sub 20 inch fence. Guys started striving for a 25 inch fence so they could rip sheet goods in half. Now the homeowner industry standard is 50 inches so you can crosscut sheet goods in half ( a very bad idea). However most professional shops only have 37 inch fence (rip baltic ply which is usually 5X5) The crosscut on using panel saws, RAS, slidding table/carriage saws, or now the new guided saw systems.

What I feel is lacking in the SS is proper infeed and outfeed tables.
IMHO

reible · Post by **reible** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 3:04 pm

I guess I should answer my own questions too.

I always take the blade off by raising the table, sometimes I move the table and sometimes I move the headstock to gain access.

In general I don't do a lot of blade height adjustments... but that depends on a lot of factors and what blades I'm using.

I never mount more then one floating table to the main table without adding the legs. I may even add the legs with working that way.

I don't always add a floating table but rather use the old 500 way of adding extension table(s). Some of that is habit and some of it just seems to make since.

I like the 5 foot tubes if I'm ripping a bunch of different widths, you can put a floating table on and slide the floating table as needed to get the widths you want and fine tune from there.

I like the 5 foot tubes if I mount my Jointech system on. I like them when using the routing table mounted inline with the machine.

If I'm trying to work a bit more precise having two extension table and the 5 foot bars makes the table stiffer, more so then just a single extension table.

I never leave the tubes in and attempt to raise or lower the system if it attached to an extension table, long or short tubes.

I have used the long tubes to stabilized the drill press table by having 4 legs in place.

I'd really miss not having the longer tubes. For me they were a good investment and provide me with additional versatility. Since it is easy to swap the short and long I do that if the long ones seem to be the way but that has be only a few time. It is more likely I swap tubes just for the convenience of an operation and I say it more then likely I go from short to long.

The nice part is you have the option to have it Ed's way or Ed's way... isn't America great! And a big cheer for Shopsmith for giving us both what we want!!!

Ed

a1gutterman · Post by **a1gutterman** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 1:00 am

I am probably going to do it Ed's way.

woodburner · Post by **woodburner** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 5:17 pm

Hi All,

What interesting reading, I thought I will write about another way that I use my 5-foot connector tubes.

One way I use one of my 5-footers is to place one or two floating tables behind my main table so I can have an extension table for ripping wood.

I just reverse/flip my extension table around so when I slide the 5-foot tube in it, the tube is then located behind the main table. I then place one or two floating tables on the tube, and then an adjustable leg after that.

I then take a two-foot tube, attach it on the far side of the floating table(s) and use my other adjustable leg to align the floating table(s) to the height of the main table.

With this set-up, you can move the floating tables along the 5-footer and align them behind the main table, no matter where the main table is located on the way tubes.

I find this set-up very helpful when it comes to ripping wood.

And since I have two sets of them (one came with my Incra System, one set I purchased before then), I can use one set to attach my Incra System to, and one of the extra ones for making an extension table while ripping with my Incra fence.

You see, I have found a way to use both the 5-foot tubes and 2-foot tubes at the same time, along with the adjustable legs. Isn't the Shopsmith system just grand?