Shopsmith Forums

I have come across several posts that mention the need/want or ability to reverse the rotation of the Shopsmith.
May I humbly ask WHY?
From what I can figure the tools driven off the power-take-off shafts would not benefit.
I sometimes mount my nova chuck on the "wrong end" to finish (light) sanding, but that is the only time I can see a need for wanting the rotation to be reversed.
Am I missing something here?
Regards
Sandy

sandyj wrote:I have come across several posts that mention the need/want or ability to reverse the rotation of the Shopsmith.
May I humbly ask WHY?
From what I can figure the tools driven off the power-take-off shafts would not benefit.
I sometimes mount my nova chuck on the "wrong end" to finish (light) sanding, but that is the only time I can see a need for wanting the rotation to be reversed.
Am I missing something here?
Regards
Sandy

You hit it on the spot, it is for lathe finishing, I can't think of another reason.

sandyj,

You must think outside the box.

Example: Suppose you wanted to feed the stock into the saw from the other side of the table. You could do that except for the fact that the blade turns the wrong way. If you reverse the motor direction and remount the blade, you can now feed from the other side.

Now, admittedly, you'll probably never want to do that but....

Here is the Shopsmith Power Station with a main table mounted on it.....right. Wrong, this is the Crafters Station. It is basically a Power Station with the main table and some special mounting hardware. The motor is reversible.......one direction for the table saw and the other for all other SPT.

A small, compact, portable sort of Shopsmith. It is no longer manufactured. You'll see them occasionally for sale for ungodly prices.

http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/faq/craftersstation.htm

Think outside the box and constantly think REPURPOSE.

The problem with a reverse is that this is a power tool, designed to cut wood, flesh, bones, etc. To have it reverse it to make it unpredictable which is dangerous. Especially if the reverse is used rarely.

If you need to reverse for sanding, flip the piece, or move the nova chuck to the back.

Any operation from the back of the machine puts all the controls on the wrong side, away from you. And if you were on the wrong side, and the motor wasn't reversed, OOPS!!

Want to make a guess why the crafters station isn't made any more?

Can someone say "Liability"?:o

Hawk

I guess I don't get it. Except for my hand drill, I can't think of a single power tool I own that has a reverse and I can't think of a single time (other than my hand drill to back out screws) I have needed such capability.

I know next to nothing about lathes, and perhaps that is where the need is, but I have never seen any discussion about the advantages of running lathes in reverse.

I'd like to understand the need. What are you guys building out there that requires a reverse?

Paul

Paul,
I am not after the ss to go reverse but sometimes, depending on the wood, there is a need to sand 'the other way' because of the fibres "lay down" with the direction of turning. This is overcome by removing the wood and finishing 'off the lathe'. The ability to reverse is an option not all lathe can perform - no drama - the hand sanding off the lathe works fine, it is just easier/quicker.
I mount my chuck (with turning still firmly held in place) on the other side of the headstock.
The sanding is the slightest touch usually with 600grit or '0000' steel wool - just before the last coat of oil or sealer, and the speed is at the lowest.
The wood I usually do this on is with a burl where the grain is going every which way.
Get hold or a turned bowl, rub your hand around it one way (usually clockwise), now rub the other way. Notice any difference? If there is a slightly rougher texture then reverse sanding would have helped.

Regards
Sandy

paul heller wrote:I guess I don't get it. Except for my hand drill, I can't think of a single power tool I own that has a reverse and I can't think of a single time (other than my hand drill to back out screws) I have needed such capability.

I know next to nothing about lathes, and perhaps that is where the need is, but I have never seen any discussion about the advantages of running lathes in reverse.

I'd like to understand the need. What are you guys building out there that requires a reverse?

Paul

As Sandy said it is only the lathe (in normal operation), if the Shopsmith reversed and you had both the speed reducer and universal tool rest banjo (both of which I have), it would put the Shopsmith up there with the best lathes on the market and cheap at that.

Most inexpensive lathes don't have near the capacity of the Shopsmith or motor power and require changing belts to change speed, those that have the capacity cost as much or more and can't do all the other stuff a Shopsmith can do.

I agree with all the liability issues reversing might be too dangerous without all kinds of lock outs and I am thinking mounting the bowl on the back might just be good enough, especially not that I know the speed reducer mounts in the back as well.

I must be goofy when I work from the back side of my SS in the lathe mode and the turning rotates away from me. All this time I thought I was getting the motor to reverse when I worked on the back side of the machine. I have not seen any pictures of folks with the stand-a-lone lathes working from the back side of their lathes, they must be one-sided lathes. SS is unique and I hope it stays that way.
ldh

Couple of thoughts:

1. Reversing rotation is handy for lathe turning, sanding, and sharpening. As with most woodworking techniques, there is an acceptable work-around for those of us with one-way tools.

2. In single-center turning (bowl turning) you just mount the turning on the other side of the headstock, as has been mentioned.

3. In between-the-centers turning (spindle turning), you swap the spindles end for end.

4. In sanding, where the abrasive combs the fibers in one direction, you have several choices. (a) You can turn the workpiece end for end, (b) move the sanding acessory to the other side of the headstock, (c) or wet the wood. This last choice causes the fibers on the surface to swell. They stand up to become "whiskers," and you can knock them off with a few swipes of a fine abrasive. This is a good practice before applying a finish whether you sand in two directions or not.

5. In sharpening, you (a) sharpen on the other side of the disc, or if you're not using a disc, (b) move the accessory to the other side of the headstock.

Granted, all of these work-arounds require more thought and time than simply flicking a switch, but not having that switch does reduce your risk without reducing your capabilities.

With all good wishes,

Thanks for the great information Nick. I realize now that I am certifiably goofy, but I will continue to use my SS and not one of those one-sided stand-a-lones.
ldh