Shopsmith Forums

one of my top rail tube developed a slight bend enough to get the headstock stock. can I take the bottom rails and swap them on top?

hegemon86 wrote:one of my top rail tube developed a slight bend enough to get the headstock stock. can I take the bottom rails and swap them on top?

The way tubes are a different length than the bench tubes, so they are not interchangeable.

The way tubes all have a slight bend to them. so the trick is to rotate them so that they both curve up or both curve down and the distance between centers stays constant.

Try removing the tie bar, headstock, table and carriage. Then loosen the way tubes that they slide on at the hinge end. Inside the tubes you will see a weld. Rotate the tubes so that the welds are at the top or bottom. Then re-assemble and see if everything slides OK.
Bill V