Shopsmith Forums

Most people ask for recommendations after they have done something. What they are really looking for is not a recommendation but approval for what they did; some are well done and approval well deserved. However, I’m asking for your expertise before I start this project because I realize that many of you have far more expertise, engineering and design experience than I do, so I would like to tap into that. What’s in if for you? Well, you will have my undying (until whenever) appreciation and I will adore you forever, or 100 hours of run-time on my SS, whichever comes first. However, each person who submits recommendations that are incorporated into the final project will get recognition on this forum. Not the 15 minutes of fame Andy Warhol promised, but at least 15 seconds of your name on the screen, and preserved for future readers. How’s that for motivation?

Here’s my winter project:

I have a 510 that I am going to build a cabinet underneath to house miscellaneous small to mid-size tools. I plan to expand this so that it is wider (not longer) than the current base. The width is determined by a metal cabinet I want to incorporate. I plan on using salvaged parts from a VII I parted out so that I can have castors that can be lowered and elevated. I want to do this without replacing the rods that run through them with longer ones but adding a few inches at the back will provide a lot more storage space.

I can abandon incorporating the metal cabinet so that is not a requirement if just building a new cabinet will work better.

Currently the metal cabinet houses many small tools and parts. I want all of this to go in the cabinet along with saw blades with arbors, saw blade guards, miter gauge, etc. If I use this cabinet this will need to go on the left below the headstock because of clearance for the table, otherwise I lose about an inch for lowering the table. The fence could go in a slot above the left castor since that might be wasted space.

The attached photos are concepts. The length of the cabinet will probably be 70-72 inches. The gray metal cabinet pictured is 29Lx20Wx18H. So that leaves about 35 inches on the right for additional drawers. I plan on putting these on suspension rollers like what are available on file cabinets. Picked up a few over the years for mice nuts (smaller than peanuts) at garage sales.

The footprint between the castors on the Mark VII parts is 15 inches so this increases it to about 19.

So what would you do? How would you design this? Will there be a problem if the castors are unbalanced beneath the SS as shown in the second photo? Do I need to shorten or lengthen the base so that when it is upright it is still balanced?

I spent my career as a corporate psychologist, not an engineer. I understand why people do things (brilliant and stupid) but that doesn’t mean I know how to do brilliant things. I do know that it is best to ask first (measure twice), evaluate and then proceed – with caution and the ability to ask again, and again if necessary.

All suggestions (drawings, pictures, internet links, etc.) will be reviewed and appreciated.

Note: Drawings are not to scale. Hey, I’m not an engineer.

Images need to be uploaded to the forum and attached to the post. <<<<< never mind, you fixed that.

I would make the added depth protrude from the rear, not the front. Allow for toe room as well(keep it off the floor). Other than that, any thing goes.

JPG40504 wrote:I would make the added depth protrude from the rear, not the front. Allow for toe room as well(keep it off the floor). Other than that, any thing goes.

Do I have this backward? I thought the added depth was at the back. How much Toe Room? I thought I would use the brackets I cut off from the Mark VII as a gauge. Do in need more? Thanks for the reply.

db5 wrote:Do I have this backward? I thought the added depth was at the back. How much Toe Room? I thought I would use the brackets I cut off from the Mark VII as a gauge. Do in need more? Thanks for the reply.

Backward? Maybe. The two pix are ambiguous.

The first shows the steel cabinet on the left.

The second makes sense only if a 'bottom view' looking up.

Both show the cabinet on the left in the 'pix'. Adding the word 'front' implies the top of the pix is the front, but is easily overlooked.

Drawings are usually as viewed from front, sides, top, bottom or a projected angle view. The words top, front, bottom, back, left, right usually refer to the view of the drawing, not an edge and may include the word 'view'.

Toe room depends upon yer foot/shoe dimensions, but three inches(depth and height) will usually suffice. Look at yer kitchen counters.

P.S. The caster footpedal needs 'toe' room also.

lightnin wrote:Toe room.. Maybe try your rig in all configurations stand there as you would to do work,
then look down maybe chalk the floor by your toes then look at all your chalk marks and then decide the dimensions.

Are you using the Shopsmith legs and castors?
I assumed so because you didn't consider changing the wheel base.

Do you have or plan to add a lift assist? That will take space up underneath.

I wasn't going to get one because of that but at the demo I was told the PP was 25# heaver.
I lifted it with the assist disconnected and decided to get one and deal with the loss of storage space.

While I am contemplating taking mine off.

dusty wrote:While I am contemplating taking mine off.

One day while doing a simple routine task I did a little twist in my back. It's never been the same.
I'm not gettin' any younger I design that into things... ease of use...
I hope the day never comes when I can't use my tools.. I try to put that day farther down the line.
I'm not quite 60 but I know there's more track behind than in front of me.
I'm runnin' out of track....

lightnin wrote:
One day while doing a simple routine task I did a little twist in my back. It's never been the same.
I'm not gettin' any younger I design that into things... ease of use...
I hope the day never comes when I can't use my tools.. I try to put that day farther down the line.
I'm not quite 60 but I know there's more track behind than in front of me.
I'm runnin' out of track....

Yup, we all are. But I believe you are trying to tell me to think about this decision. I have but I have not made up my mind yet.

The confusion comes from the fact that I now have the shorty which is my go to drill press. With the shorty there and my suspicions about the lift assist putting torque on the tubes, the easiest solution may be to delete the lift assist.

lightnin wrote:Are you using the Shopsmith legs and castors?
I assumed so because you didn't consider changing the wheel base.

Do you have or plan to add a lift assist? That will take space up underneath.

I'm using the castors salvaged from the Mark VII (attached picture). I hadn't thought about the lift assist but went online and it looks really great but I don't think I can justify spending $400+ to get one. I would be willing to give up the storage, however.

Hadn't thought about toe room. I do need to put my feet somewhere. Duh! Thanks

OK...
I have not built a cabinet that fits under a shopsmith
BUT I wouldn't build anything that does not fit between the casters. I would not go wider at all, I don't like the idea of weight being put outside the casters. To me that seems like it would make it easier to tip or FEEL like it's going to tip. The rest of the lay out to me seems to depend on what you feel best with