Shopsmith Forums

Hi All. I looked through the 15 pages of reviews and didn't find any on the Universal Lathe Tool Rest. Some called it the banjo tool rest. Anyway, wondered if those of you who have one like it. I'm on my third upgraded tool rest and this one is showing stress cracks now too. So, I might have to pay more to get something more durable.

I purchased it when it first came out. A must have in my book. Well built and worth every dime. ShopSmith got this one right.

bredeson wrote:Hi All. I looked through the 15 pages of reviews and didn't find any on the Universal Lathe Tool Rest. Some called it the banjo tool rest. Anyway, wondered if those of you who have one like it. I'm on my third upgraded tool rest and this one is showing stress cracks now too. So, I might have to pay more to get something more durable.

I may have been to add the word "banjo" to the Universal Tool Rest, the tool rest is the piece of metal you run your tool against when you turn. The banjo is the part that sits on the lathe bed and has a hole for your tool-rest.

I purchased the banjo when it first came out and I love it, it is a major improvement for many reasons. I don't know if you are asking about the tool rest (Shopsmith sells 3 or 4) or the holders. In my opinion the Shopsmith tools rest are too soft, they gauge easily if you take hardened steel tools near them. The smaller holders to me were not an issue but I much prefer the much stronger Universal Banjo but for the actual rests I use hardened steel modular rests from "Best Wood Tools", they sell one for the 3/4" hole in the standard holder, which also fits the 3/4" hole in the Universal Tool Rest Banjo. They can make one to fit into the 1" hole in the banjo. The advantage of the 1" post is you can get a lot of other accessories that only can be used with the 1" post. Right now I am using the 3/4" post but I am trying to work with the company to get a 1" post that is the correct length. Unfortunately they have never seen the Universal Tool Rest banjo or they would already be offering it.

Many companies sell this modular tool rest system including Woodcrafter and Rockler but they don't all offer the Shopsmith post. Also the pricing varies I ended up ordering several rests at between $20 and $27 and one post which costs about $26.95 from three different sources. The Shopsmith post is more complex because it is not just a straight piece of metal like many of the other. You can also find the rests frequently on sale, I have not seen the post on sale.

I'm more wondering about the banjo holder part. Thanks for your comments. I'm glad to hear that it is much stronger.

I just got the universal tool rest from my first TA. I love it compared to the old tool rest. I can get it into any position I want quickly unlike the stock rest. Turning is a pleasure now. There is a lot to get used to using it. There are several ways to adjust the heigth of the tool rests. You will have to try and figure it out for youself. For me shearing I use the stop ring to hold the rest in place. For scraping I remove the rest and rely on the allen set screw for adjusting the height. It is harder to do it this way but I feel more comfortable and that is that. The older unit with the wheel to adjust the height was nice but harc to set just right and keep it there.

I am in agreement with the others about the universal lathe tool rest (banjo). It is extremely nice when it comes to turning bowls and hollowing out anything. The maneuverability is fantastic and the weight (35 lbs) of it makes for the SS to be more stable when turning. I use it all the time whether turning something as simple as pens to anything else. I definitely would recommend it if you plan on doing much turning. Since I purchased one several years ago, would not be without it. Also I agree with Paul about the SS tool rests being "soft" as I have had to resurface mine after getting some dings in it which effects the chisel when turning.

bredeson wrote:I'm more wondering about the banjo holder part. Thanks for your comments. I'm glad to hear that it is much stronger.

There is a new adapter that comes with it, it is a piece of metal about 1/2" thick and 1.5" wide that holds the tool rest post. I can't imaging how you could damage it.

Paul,

Not sure what you mean about a new adapter. I bought my UTR when it first came out and it came with this "adapter?", if we're talking about the same thing.

Does the Univ. Rest affect the minimum length of stock to be turned? I guess I am seeing table carriage and the rest stacked up to the right of the headstock.mt

woodburner wrote:Paul,

Not sure what you mean about a new adapter. I bought my UTR when it first came out and it came with this "adapter?", if we're talking about the same thing.

New as compared to how the "old" tool rest holder held the tool rest post.

We need better names for this stuff or some pictures.