Shopsmith Forums

Ok I’m new to shopsmith I’m 29 for anyone wondering my name is abbreviated I’m a silican carbide machinist on 2/3/4 axis lol now I bought it for lathe operation it’s a er10 I bought it from under a tarp from a carny he took as collateral for a loan that defaulted lol so some pieces are there some are missing so I have a lot of pieces I don’t know what they do I will figure out how to post pictures later in another thread for that on to questions and thank you in advance first on the headstock the is a coller it’s silver with set Allen’s and has a 5/8 set rod to stop travel it connects to the main head body now I put the spur center on and tightened set screw now when I have to advance the spindle out of the head sometimes it will push the shaft and set screw on the spur center back deeper into the collar to where the setscrew on the spur center will actually dig into the silver collar around the ram is there any way to stop this or can I take collar off or is that only for drill press operation? Second the table way rods are kinda rusty and beat up I have oiled them and wd40 on the headstock lock mechanisms now I can lock it unlock it now problem is if I let it sit a few days I literally have to take a dead blow hammer and wack it a few times before it slide on the rails same with tool holder once it’s broke loose I can slide to back and forth as much as I want till I lock it down or don’t move it for a while if I lock it down and immediately unlock it I have to knock it loose again or if I just let it sit I have to knock it loose again I keep rails well oiled so I don’t think it’s rusting in place any advice would be greatly appreciated thank you also any ideas of home making a adapter to put a drill chuck directly on headstock spindle as a side note I work on 2/3/4 axis horizontal and vertical mills and they break down constantly I buy a 60 year old shopsmith from a carny stored under a tarp stored outside it has a few ticks but fires right up does what it’s supposed to that speaks volumes shopsmiths and old equipment is awesome new age technology sucks!

Welcome aboard.

10ER's are fun, no frills and very robust (why does that word always make me think of a Los Vegas chorus line ).

The 10ER was made with two designs of wedge locks. First they had two wedge locks, later ones have a single wedge lock. The singe wedge lock will screw right out for maintenance, the double wedge lock are a bit trickier as there is a nut at the back that will fall off when unscrewed,

The silver collar is there to take up end play on the spindle. This link shows how it should be positioned.
http://www.shopsmith.com/ss_forum/posti ... 10&t=21789

Here is a link to an article that will explain how to clean up the wedges to reduce sticking.
http://www.mkctools.com/10erwedgelockrepair.htm

This is a thread that links to a lot of 10ER information.
http://www.shopsmith.com/ss_forum/maint ... t5074.html

Everett Davis has restored and enhanced several of the 10ER manuals, you can down load copies from this link. On the first post click on the My Google Drive
http://shopsmith.com/ss_forum/viewtopic.php?p=185690

Other documents for the 10ER and accessories can be found on Vintagemachinery.com
http://vintagemachinery.org/mfgIndex/de ... =338&tab=3

First of all welcome to the Shopsmith Forum. Check out some of the links Ron posted above. Especially the fourth one to Everett's Google Drive where you will find a wealth of information on all things Shopsmith. I would recommend taking apart your Shopsmith enough so you can remove the rust, clean and polish the Way Tubes. The manuals with their parts drawings will be helpful. Once this is done you will find using your Shopsmith will be much easier. In the manuals and other materials Ron has linked for you are maintenance procedures. They call for using oil on the way tubes to protect from rust and make sliding the carriage and headstock easier. Do not use oil but instead use paste wax. Paste wax will provide rust protection and help the headstock and carriage slide smoother. Attached is a PDF on using paste wax.Oil attracts saw dust and the combination will actually work against you in trying to slide the headstock and carriage on the way tubes. Using oil requires cleaning it off and reapplying almost every time you use it making sawdust. Read the supplement and you will get a better understanding. Any question you come up with on how to do this, what is this part, is this right etc. Ask and you will find help here. Pictures are always helpful even if you just want to show your Shopsmith.

Forget you ever heard of wd40. Machine oil for lubrication. Kerosene for penetrating oil(or pyroil/kroil etc.). Orrrrr 50-50 mix of ATF and acetone.

Yes de rust all sliding tubes etc.. Use electrolysis or evaporust. Save abrasives for polishing omly.

Thank you all for the information I appreciate it very much I plan on doing a full teardow and sand blast and either ceramic coat or powder coat the whole thing I really appreciate all the links! I was worried I was talking to one guy and I work in a full blown machine shop it has pretty much every machine you could want so most of the work I can do except powder coat or paint but I was told I couldn’t polish the way tubes or it wouldn’t lock anymore at work I have a full sized metal lathe I can spud the end chuck it up and polish them but I have rubber polishing bands starting at 1500 grit going up to 5000 grit then I move to .05 micron diamond paste and diamond slurry I can use along with graphite lapping plates my machines are meant for making military armor deep ocean gas and oil seals stators and nuclear seals so any ideas are greatly appreciated and I’m willing to try anything once if y’all can make diagrams even crude and send em I also have access to a water table for cutting and my machines I have access to are tolerant to .0005 I can attempt to make what you want if I can at least get a crude drawing thank y’all

Is "polishing" the same as "waxing"? I wax my Way Tubes and have no problem locking either the carriage or the headstock. I might suggest that you buy new wedge locks (especially for the headstock).

Well I’m referring to polishing as in sanding down with fine grit till it’s shiny chrome looking than coating with way lube oil well I was till I got a reply on this now I gotta find this wax stuff

Sicmachinist wrote:Well I’m referring to polishing as in sanding down with fine grit till it’s shiny chrome looking than coating with way lube oil well I was till I got a reply on this now I gotta find this wax stuff

Original Johnson's past floor wax. Available at your local big box store. Tree Wax paste floor wax also works. SS has provided both over the years.

The way tubes need to be able to be gripped by the locking wedges. I would remove the rust and then sand smooth, 500/600 grit should be good then wax. Most of us use Johnson Paste Wax which can be found any number of places, wipe it on and buff. Here is a link to it that shows a picture so you know what to get. Welcome to the forum. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Johnson-16-oz- ... sh/3384826

Here is a picture of what you want your 10ER tubes to look like. These were done starting with a VERY light touch of 320 grit. Then 400 grit followed by 600 grit and then 0000 steel wool. Then Johnson's paste wax. There is no reason to get carried away with 1000 grit or higher.