Shopsmith Forums

How straight are my long table tubes.

Nick provided a hint that works well for the shorter tubes. With that in mind I went to the shop with two pair of the long tubes. My original set first.

Lay one of the long tubes in any one of the miter tracks. Now lay the second tube on the table along side of the first tube. Balance them so that approximately the same length of tubes are extended off the table. While holding one of the tubes secure in the miter track, slowly rotate the other tube on watch the far ends. If the rotating tube is bent you will is it immediately.

Fortunately, I have one straight pair (the new ones). The original pair (at least one of them) has a significant bow. The bow is bad enough that it becomes a serious candidate for being cut into shorter tubes. The trick will be trying to figure out where to cut without just getting more pieces of bowed tubing. My 4' pieces are both really bad.

This thread may not result in tables that can swapped but it sure has been educational for me.

You do what the early greenies had to have done.(they did not have the 'secret').


Get out your grinder!

I don't have anything to report on my quest to understand the extension table issue but for the moment that effort is on hold.

I have come to the conclusion that the "secret screw" does what it has been advertised to do. I played with that for about half the day yesterday but in the end I backed it down to where it has been for many years (even with the casting).

If an extension table tube that is not straight has been the reason why table alignment is less than perfect...it is no more.

The UPS guy just delivered the solution. I ordered thicker walled 1" aluminum tubes. Laid side by side on my desk top and rolled I can see that they are perfectly straight.

We will see.
Now I have to decide into what lengths I want to cut them. I bought and then read the catalog better. I could have ordered them cut to length.

Where did you get the tubes?
Bill V

wa2crk wrote: Thu Dec 24, 2020 5:58 pm Where did you get the tubes?
Bill V

I got mine from Metals depot. They are Stainless Steel with a 0.120 wall thickness. VERY stiff. As Dusty said, rolling them on a flat surface they are perfectly straight.

I bought them 6' long. That allows an extra floating table on the outboard side of one or the other of the fixed tables.

I bought mine at Metals Depot as well. I bought aluminum rather than stainless steel.

I got 6' lengths but if these work out I'll be getting more in different lengths to fit my typical setups. Wall thickness id .188". A thicker wall (.250") is available but I thought that to be excessive. I paid about $42 for each 6' length.

https://www.metalsdepot.com/aluminum-pr ... round-tube