Shopsmith Forums

Well, i'm going on 58 now, and while that may seem like a puppy to some of you, i have a lot of miles on my back. I could lift anything i put my mind to. In my occupation we do a lot of heavy, awkward lifting, and i know how to postition myself to avoid getting hurt, but sometimes i have no choice in how to lift. Ever wonder who carried your 375 pound neighbor down a couple flights of stairs? Well that would be me.... Well i spent three days on a walker this month due to a back issue that has been getting worse every year. I had a MRI done and found that L2 thru L5 are herniated alond with a bunch of stenosis and "desication" whatever that is.
Bottom line, a lift assist for the Shopsmith may be the future for me. Do they really help that much or is it one more thing to adjust before you use the machine?
I'm feeling much better now and am cautiously getting back into mild lifting in the shop (cleaning), but i know once i feel better, stupidity will return. I am afterall, the person who was turning pens last summer three days after rotator cuff surgery!

ChrisNeilan wrote:Well, i'm going on 58 now, and while that may seem like a puppy to some of you, i have a lot of miles on my back. I could lift anything i put my mind to. In my occupation we do a lot of heavy, awkward lifting, and i know how to postition myself to avoid getting hurt, but sometimes i have no choice in how to lift. Ever wonder who carried your 375 pound neighbor down a couple flights of stairs? Well that would be me.... Well i spent three days on a walker this month due to a back issue that has been getting worse every year. I had a MRI done and found that L2 thru L5 are herniated alond with a bunch of stenosis and "desication" whatever that is.
Bottom line, a lift assist for the Shopsmith may be the future for me. Do they really help that much or is it one more thing to adjust before you use the machine?
I'm feeling much better now and am cautiously getting back into mild lifting in the shop (cleaning), but i know once i feel better, stupidity will return. I am afterall, the person who was turning pens last summer three days after rotator cuff surgery!

Yes, they really do. You can easily put the Mark V into drill press mode with one hand. In fact, if the headstock is close to the pivot point, the lift assist will work without any help from you. If fact, be careful - it could hurt you.

I can and do relate to your back issues. I have several herniated disks and have had a good deal of issues related to that. I've learned to live with it but it has not been easy.

Today I can still get my shopsmiths up but the lift assist is nice on the one machine that has it. When I upgrade to a dual tilt this summer I think I will also add the lift assist. The added weight of the powerpro is another factor pushing me that way.

It is actually now harder to lower the machine then to raise it, at least for me.

Ed

While I do not have a back problem, I do have a hand that will go completely numb, so I can not tell if I am holding anything. For me the lift assist means that if I loose the feeling in my hand, I not drop my SS because my grip loosened unexpectedly. Once the lift assist is positioned and tightened down, there are no further adjustments or messing with it unless you have a dual tilt system.

One or two other things if you are looking at the lift assist. One is that with it on there are a few things that can be issues. The depth of cut for things like 45 deg table tilt work piece length can have issues. The table sits back farther from the end and the work piece can hit the end casting.

The other is the lift assist does take up room on the tubes so "short" lathe issues can come into play. On my machine there is about a 1/4" of exposed tube then the bracket so you loose about 2-1/2".

Since I find I do have to remove it from time to time I made some PVC pipe spacers so I can relocate it to where it goes rather then have to figure it out each time.

Ed

reible wrote:One or two other things if you are looking at the lift assist. One is that with it on there are a few things that can be issues. The depth of cut for things like 45 deg table tilt work piece length can have issues. The table sits back farther from the end and the work piece can hit the end casting.

The other is the lift assist does take up room on the tubes so "short" lathe issues can come into play. On my machine there is about a 1/4" of exposed tube then the bracket so you loose about 2-1/2".

Since I find I do have to remove it from time to time I made some PVC pipe spacers so I can relocate it to where it goes rather then have to figure it out each time.

Ed

All valid points Ed. Other than that it works as advertised. FWIW, I have never had to remove mine. Mine sits on the tubes exactly as you say. What reason have you had to remove it?

Here is some additional reading for lift assist interested.

First some of the problems:

http://www.shopsmith.com/ss_forum/viewtopic.php?t=12759

Second my removal solution:

http://www.shopsmith.com/ss_forum/viewtopic.php?t=12916

While there are other work around for the lathe issues I'd have to look for posts on them. One answer is to get the extenders for the shopsmith live center or a MT2 extender(other issues with that). There is also an issue with the Universal Lathe Tool Rest hitting the lift assist bolts and it can be spaced up to clear them......

Ed

If you really want a work out, have and ER to put in DP mode, I got the lift kit for it, but do to mom will not be putting it back together for a few weeks and add the lift assist.

OK, when my older brother Sterling got his first Model 10,
one of the FIRST things he got, was a cheap bottle jack,
from HF. Slide the carriage and headstock to the tilt
base, tip upright, and use the bottle jack to lift everything
up.

Second thing he got, was a Model 10, to be a dedicated
drill-press.

steve

ERLover wrote:If you really want a work out, have and ER to put in DP mode, I got the lift kit for it, but do to mom will not be putting it back together for a few weeks and add the lift assist.

Where did you acquire a lift kit for a '10'?