Shopsmith Forums

dusty wrote:... on Mark V adjustments using the dial indicators. I still believe in setup being done as accurately as humanly possible (to within thousandths) but I have given up on preaching this to those who do not want to hear.

I studied those discussion on accuracy etc., then bought the dial indicator and calipers (and carriage stop), reviewed alignment Sawdust Sessions, and did the work. Got much easier each time.
Fast forward to t'other day when I made my prototype "elliptograph", and on the fly changed dado depth by 2 thousandths measurable and fine-tuned dado width in steps measurable but almost too small to see.
The strange sound probably heard even above the noises of the saw and dust collector was a giggle of immense enjoyment.
Your "preaching" was not wasted, at all.

I purchased my Mark V in 1981 as a very novice woodworker. It took no time at all to realize the importance of planning you project lest you fall prey to never ending changeovers. Over the years I have compiled a lot of tools. It is nice to have enough sanders that you don't have to change paper every time you need to change grits. I recently downsized to a smaller home and so have a small shop. There will always be a place in my shop for a SS. The people with 1/2 acre shops are just biased.
Roger

burkhome wrote:I purchased my Mark V in 1981 as a very novice woodworker. It took no time at all to realize the importance of planning you project lest you fall prey to never ending changeovers. Over the years I have compiled a lot of tools. It is nice to have enough sanders that you don't have to change paper every time you need to change grits. I recently downsized to a smaller home and so have a small shop. There will always be a place in my shop for a SS. The people with 1/2 acre shops are just biased.
Roger

This was a common piece of information passed out to potential customers a half century ago! Little has changed to alter its importance!

When was the last time it surfaced until today???

Yes PLAN AHEAD is crucial!!! But they are not all that time-consuming(unless extreme precision IS required)!

Not an expert by ANY means, but I do think the planning required is a good thing at least for me. I made a mission style bed about a years ago, and the plans had no detailed instructions. They said read the plans, look over the drawings, get very familiar with the drawings, and figure out how to do the project. " It will make you a better wood worker". It was a slow process, because I was learning the skills, the machine and the plans at one time, but I learned a lot. What I discovered was that as I planned the steps, I was actually able to increase my accuracy. All the ripping done at once made all the parts the same. Running the planer one time got all the parts the same thickness. ( well except for the one piece I lost in the "pile":o ) The SS is not a production shop, it is a high end machine for smaller applications. I have had to learn to enjoy the machine and part of that is the change over. If I wanted a production shop, I would have a bigger shop, and probably several dedicated machines. I get a kick out of showing visitors how the thing changes. Most folks are really interested in the process. It is good practice to do that as well.