Has your shopsmith been putting on weight lately?

reible · Post by **reible** » Tue Apr 16, 2013 5:55 pm

Now I don't mean she is getting fat and she sure doesn't look fat but she is putting on some pounds these last years.

I don't have real numbers here but just to make my point I'm guessing at a few numbers, if you have real numbers please post....

Lathe operations example:
Powerpro add 10#
Lift assist add 10#
Red casters add 3#
Mark 7 dual tilt +/-# ?
universal lathe rest 35#

That is about 58#

For saw operations it gets more complicated. In my case I purchased a 500 then upgraded it to 520. I have no idea of the weight change but that would have been a few pounds as well. Then there is adding floating and fixed tables and associated hardware....

Feel free to weigh in on the subject, especially if you have some real numbers for the weights.

Ed

joedw00 · Post by **joedw00** » Tue Apr 16, 2013 6:10 pm

Shouldn't the Mark 7 dual tilt be about the same weight as the old ones?

Culprit · Post by **Culprit** » Tue Apr 16, 2013 9:21 pm

Mine put on 60-75 lbs overnight. I think it had something to do with packing the bench and way tubes full of lead wheel weights.

moggymatt · Post by **moggymatt** » Tue Apr 16, 2013 11:15 pm

Culprit, what changes did you notice after putting all that weight in?

charlese · Post by **charlese** » Wed Apr 17, 2013 1:28 am

I think the PowerPro put on more than ten lbs. The motor alone is 35 lbs. Don't have any data on the old headstock, but it seemed about 45 lbs. The PP weighs in at 82 or 83.

Culprit · Post by **Culprit** » Wed Apr 17, 2013 10:59 pm

moggymatt wrote:Culprit, what changes did you notice after putting all that weight in?

It is my first ShopSmith (and I've only restored two) and I only used it for less than an hour when it was given to me and I got it running before the Gilmer belt broke (most likely due to dry rot). That prompted me to completely tear it down and rebuild it: reversing the motor, drilling the oil holes in the sheaves, cuttIng the access hole in the headstock, new bearings, packing the tubes with lead, etc.

Since I had only used it for less than an hour before, I didn't know enough to notice a difference. But I do know that it is quite solid, and has done everything I have asked of it. The main reason I did it was to add weight and vibration dampening for turning large chunks of wood on the lathe, especially before they get round and balanced. So far, I have only used the lathe for 30-35 pens and some spinning tops, so I haven't really tested it yet. The thickness planer runs at pretty high speeds and is clamped to the way tubes. It works well and is rock solid, but again, I haven't used a thickness planer on a stock machine to compare it to.

I know that's a long-winded way of saying "I don't know."