Shopsmith Forums

Tightening set screws is a pretty simple task, and never crossed my mind before, but as I continue to go through my old 10ER, disassembling, cleaning and reassembling, I got to wondering if there is a specific torque that should be applied.

For example: how tight should the two 3/4” feed pinion shaft collar set screws be tightened? When I removed them, one side had relatively light burs left on the shaft, while the other side had a significant impression left in the shaft with burs that prevented easy collar removal.

Is there a recommended torque value (inch pounds), or rule of thumb to follow? When I reassemble, I’d like to do it correctly.

Thank you,

Torque value is tight. Seriously, there are no torque values. Certainly you don't need to be a gorilla. Snug things up and then slightly tighten and if they don't come loose over time they are tight enough.

There are general torque tables available for different fasteners but that is overkill IMO for this issue.

Thank you for the response. I knew I was probably “nuking” the situation and being to OCD, but wanted to make sure I did not carry bad practices forward with this project.

Set screws that 'dig in' will always mar the shaft etc.

More torque = more marring.

Let me add my agreement with what John and JPG said. They do not need to be tightened up so much as to cause burs making it difficult to remove the collar or any part later. Sung it up than tighten slightly, that's enough.