Shopsmith Forums

Just a bit of history, I picked a basket case ShopSmith a year or so ago and put it back together. I use it mostly for the Jig Saw and disc/belt sanding. I would like to try some very basic turning. Just a plug for my bee smoker, so were not talking anything fancy to start.

I have the pointy thing that would attach to the head stock, but I'm confused what happens at the other end? I found a couple pictures online of tail stock parts and found a couple likely looking candidates in the totes of parts that came with the rescued ShopSmith. Does anyone have a picture of what the tail stock should look like with a blank mounted?

Also, in my box of parts I found a molding cutter head and some knives. I would like to cut some hand hold in my bee hive boxes. I saw someone else using a molding cutter (corob cutter #44 5/8" cove knife) that made really nice hand holds. I found that ShopSmith sells a similar set of knives, but lists an old style and new style. Is there a way to tell the difference? Also do other manufacturers knives happen to fit the ShopSmith cutter?

Thanks in advance!
Jim

In your pictures the head stock drive spur is on the bottom left. The dead center that goes in the tail stock is on the bottom right. The stock goes between the two.

The pointy thing at bottom left is your drive center, and it goes on the spindle. The thing at bottom right is your cup center. It mounts to the tailstock, and supports the other end of your workpiece.

The book Power Tool Woodworking for Everyone tells how to use all this stuff, and Shopsmith has a copy posted online. The link below will take you right to the chapter on lathe turning.

http://www.shopsmith.com/academy/latheturning/index.htm

The thing at bottom right is missing it's point. You will need to correct that before it will become useable.

Your dead center, (bottom left, correction should read bottom right ), is missing its point,
Probably better to buy a live center to replace it. The mounting hole in the tailstock is #2 Morse Taper, which is very common on lathes.

rpd wrote:Your dead center, (bottom left), is missing its point,
Probably better to buy a live center to replace it. The mounting hole in the tailstock is #2 Morse Taper, which is very common on lathes.

bottom right

jsburger wrote:

rpd wrote:Your dead center, (bottom left), is missing its point,
Probably better to buy a live center to replace it. The mounting hole in the tailstock is #2 Morse Taper, which is very common on lathes.

bottom right

Right you are.