Shopsmith Forums

In this setup, I assume only one powerhead is doing the work and the other is just going along for the ride. Does this do any harm to the belts and motor of the non-driving motor? I was thinking of how I might join my 2 new 10
ER's together for the purpose of turning long work when needed. Has anybody ever done this?

http://madison.craigslist.org/tls/3538496279.html

I prefer my 10er's for lathe work because of the weight. They just feel more stable/solid in lathe use. If I was going to try this, I'd use 10er's for that reason.

trainguytom wrote:I prefer my 10er's for lathe work because of the weight. They just feel more stable/solid in lathe use. If I was going to try this, I'd use 10er's for that reason.

With the way tubes being open and accessible, joining/connecting end to end is fairly easy(aligning may be a bit tricky). As far as the 'tail stock' headstock turning, just take the motor belt off.

fredsheldon wrote: I was thinking of how I might join my 2 new 10
ER's together for the purpose of turning long work when needed. Has anybody ever done this?http://madison.craigslist.org/tls/3538496279.html

Haven’t done it myself but it should work and it would certainly be easier with the 10ER's than with Mk5/VI's. All that would be required is a couple of plugs to join the way tubes and some way to shim the benches to get the tubes parallel. Similar in concept to the lathe extension shown in this video from Shopsmith10ER.com . There should be minimal cost since you already have two (or more) 10ER's and "No 10ER's would be killed or injured in the production";).

Please give it a try and report back your results. I am sure I'm not the only one here that would be interested in how it works out.

I believe the vibration when doing lathe work on any extended tube Shopsmith would be quite high to where you could not do any smooth finish. I was unhappy with the few different and longer 1 3/4" tubes I tried. I found that a tube that had minimum flex would cost me over $100 per tube so I gave up trying. I made and used machined internal couplers/connectors using various length Shopsmith tubes but found vibration was more than I wanted. I could only turn very soft woods successfully. I am sure sharper lathe tools would have helped with this problem.

I did constructed a 126" long Shopsmith to turn 8' 4X4 porch columns many years ago. I had to use 2 carriages with a middle 2X4 ground support section to support and connect the way and bench tubes in the middle of the tubes. I used face plates on each end of the columns and had to use many 80 pd bags of concrete mix on the bench tubes and middle support to keep the Shopsmith in one place. We mounted an original porch column behind the Shopsmith close to the work as a guide and each one of us (2) did half of the column. I used my "Poor Man's Speed Reducer" headstock on this Shopsmith to get the RPM down to around 225 RPM. Close counted as we did around a hundred of the columns for a home builder. I did this as a response to a home builder dare at one of my Home Shows to show what the Shopsmith could accomplish. Sorry I did not take pictures at that time. This was a "once in a lifetime" project as we was able to complete it without getting hurt but had a few close calls. I would not recommend this type of project.

I once had an idea, using 2 ERs as the base for a stretch lathe set-up.

Set the first ER up, basically regular, except the base table is a few inches longer, at the right end. Set up the second ER, as a stand-alone drill-press, with a short base table, THE SAME HEIGHT AS THE OTHER ONE. Make a landing support, to the right of the long-table ER, to support the left (upper) end of the drill-press ER. Turn 2 plugs to line up the way tubes, and invert a tailstock to further align the way tubes.

Now, to assemble the monster. Lower the headstock on the D-P. Put a second tailstock, and (if you have it) a 3rd carriage above the headstock. Drop the D-P to horizontal, with the "normal" ER properly positioned. Push the 2 together, or pull together with a block & tackle.

The center bolt holes in the headrest, tiebar, and the tailstock are all in the same place, so one long undersized bolt will hold the whole mess together

You now have an ER-ish 5 or 6 foot lathe.

If I had not lost everything in the fire, I'd be able to do this. (I hope that scum burns in 7734.)

steve