Shopsmith Forums

Just wondering before I order my caster upgrade if the metal template works better than the paper. Other threads talk about misalignment with paper and gets shimed with washers after to fit. Does the metal template work well enough to justify 17 bucks?

just a thought, could you transfer the paper on to a piece of 1/4 ply or MDF and have the same as on the $17 metal one. can buy 2x2' of them at my BB store for less then $10.

Beav, I have done it both ways and I bought the metal template for the last one. I hope to never do it by the paper template again. It is well worth the money. As we all know (and how I justified it ) we will buy other ShopSmith machines some will need new or upgraded casters. If you have the metal template ....

Or, send me your address and I will lend you mine if you will send it back ....

JMHO

Well I can split the cost between me and my father as we are both getting a set of casters. I just wanted to know if it is actually worth the $17 or if the paper is just fine.

I can't imagine upgrading all my shopsmiths casters though.. I do want to see how much easier it is to move with the larger wheels, especially with my big cabinet attached to the tubes, and sometimes the scroll saw on it... its a lot of weight.

So I am thinking rjent has persuaded me since this is for at least 2 sets drilled. Plus it will save me from really dulling down my own bit going through the sheet metal. Thanks for the responses.

BTW, I do appreciate ERLover's plywood suggestion as well. Love the alternate approach, which is why I like to ask the forum!

rjent wrote:Beav, I have done it both ways and I bought the metal template for the last one. I hope to never do it by the paper template again. It is well worth the money. As we all know (and how I justified it ) we will buy other ShopSmith machines some will need new or upgraded casters. If you have the metal template ....

Or, send me your address and I will lend you mine if you will send it back ....

JMHO

Generous offer

rjent wrote:As we all know (and how I justified it ) we will buy other ShopSmith machines some will need new or upgraded casters. If you have the metal template ....

LOL, this kind of thinking is how I ended up with a crazy amount of extra parts for which I have no use other than to weight down my projects. For instance why on earth do I need 4 sets of lathe chisels, 3 woodworking for everyone books, etc... ohh because if I have those chisels I have to sharpen less often... why do I have 3 shopsmiths, so I can have 3 table saws setup in assembly line if I want, or a sanding station and a saw and a bandsaw... etc..

I can quit at any time... Ooo deal on craigslist gotta go... lol!

These casters have a history here. For a while shopsmith didn't have the holes in a good position and were sending out templates off a copy machine that turned out to be slightly reduced in size.... I think that has all been solved to most peoples satisfaction. I personally mounted mine in a bit different position because I wanted the steps to be a little higher then the template put them. Personal choice.

What they don't tell you is that on some older machines the foot lever location causes the pedal to hit the new casters. At some point the lever was moved so some machines are fine while others will require more work. In my case I chose to move the pedals while others have ground them and others added washers to the casters to get rid of the interference.

My machines are from mid 70's until early 80's all have the pedal problem. I don't think we ever determined a date when the lever was moved and even then if you have a used machine who knows what vintage the casters are.

Ed

reible wrote:These casters have a history here. For a while shopsmith didn't have the holes in a good position and were sending out templates off a copy machine that turned out to be slightly reduced in size.... I think that has all been solved to most peoples satisfaction. I personally mounted mine in a bit different position because I wanted the steps to be a little higher then the template put them. Personal choice.

What they don't tell you is that on some older machines the foot lever location causes the pedal to hit the new casters. At some point the lever was moved so some machines are fine while others will require more work. In my case I chose to move the pedals while others have ground them and others added washers to the casters to get rid of the interference.

My machines are from mid 70's until early 80's all have the pedal problem. I don't think we ever determined a date when the lever was moved and even then if you have a used machine who knows what vintage the casters are.

Ed

Glad to hear it was a known issue that was fixed though. So even with paper I wouldn't have to worry.

My machine is 2003 built, so hopefully I dont have that issue. Now my father-in-laws machine, im not so sure about. I also have a 1993 model one day I may upgrade, not sure there either.

I used the paper templates for my Mark V 500. I used some blue painter's tape to hold the template in place, and used a very sharp metal punch. Put them all on in about a half hour.
At the end of the instructions there is a comment about making sure you hold on to your Shopsmith the first time you use these new casters. I thought they were being funny. Having struggled with the one casters, the change to these new caster is like comparing apples to frogs. It has been one of the better upgrades I have done. Highly recommended.

Beave2012 wrote:

reible wrote:These casters have a history here. For a while shopsmith didn't have the holes in a good position and were sending out templates off a copy machine that turned out to be slightly reduced in size.... I think that has all been solved to most peoples satisfaction. I personally mounted mine in a bit different position because I wanted the steps to be a little higher then the template put them. Personal choice.

What they don't tell you is that on some older machines the foot lever location causes the pedal to hit the new casters. At some point the lever was moved so some machines are fine while others will require more work. In my case I chose to move the pedals while others have ground them and others added washers to the casters to get rid of the interference.

My machines are from mid 70's until early 80's all have the pedal problem. I don't think we ever determined a date when the lever was moved and even then if you have a used machine who knows what vintage the casters are.

Ed

Glad to hear it was a known issue that was fixed though. So even with paper I wouldn't have to worry.

My machine is 2003 built, so hopefully I dont have that issue. Now my father-in-laws machine, im not so sure about. I also have a 1993 model one day I may upgrade, not sure there either.

I am not sure of that! I know of no one who has used a paper template that reflects what we all learned in the previous fiascos. If some one knows that the current paper template (if there is one) is accurate, that would be good to know.

I resolved my problems with a home made template.

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