Shopsmith Forums

Hello everyone,

I am excited to jump into the Shopsmith world! I was looking for a drill press (primarily for woodworking), and on CL I kept missing the old ones with some character, like the 1950s Craftsman 150, an old Delta or a Walker-Turner. (I grew up with a 1940s Delta 220 – missing its pulley guard!). Then, after reading some woodworking forums, the 10ER was recommended. I started reading the many excellent posts here on the understated, yet elegant, 10ER, and I decided to hunt for one.

I have already learned so much from everyone here. Thanks so much for sharing your phenomenal wealth of knowledge. (Especially everettdavis, chapmanruss, and jsburger).
So, I got this 10ER ~2 weeks ago. (Listed at $150 OBRO, I offered $125, and we agreed on $135). It looked in decent, restorable shape. The classic story, variant #37: The younger widow was selling her late husband’s 10ER. It had been his grandfather’s. Stored in the garage of a friend of hers; friend is now moving = 10ER has to go. She said she had gotten lots of views, but I was the only person who replied. It was already disassembled from the bench, and I got it all in the car in 15 minutes. I expressed my sympathies, but I don’t know how the husband died.

(Classic beginner mistake, however! I thought I had all the parts, but when I got home I realized I was missing the headrest. Also one Table Rod Lock Knob, and the hard-to-define Base Lock Knob. Ah well, you win some, you lose some…)

Some things it did come with:
- Variable Speed Changer
- 10ER Fence – horizontal knob
- Front extension table (x2)
- #3326 Drill chuck & key
- 12" Sanding disk
- 10ER elliptical adjustable Tailstock
- 3/4 hp GE motor #5KC47MG36
- Bench (no casters)
- Mortising hold-down (but no mortising attachment to the quill.)
- Shaper fence
- Miter fence extension (& miter gauge stop rod)
- Centers, bits & bobs
- Distic adhesive (anybody want an original Distic adhesive?)

I don’t have a ton of time to restore this great beast, as I am still working full-time remotely. Fixing it up sure beats staring at the stupid computer screen, though. I’m not looking to sandblast/repaint/etc. but I do want it all to work, and the parts to move with ease.

Thanks for reading, and I look forward to sharing my rebuild of this amazing machine!

Opolopo
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Model 10ER Serial Number R-46182
Wedge locks: 2 piece
Saw guard: slotted
Rip fence: Horizontal
Extension table bracket: ER-6”
Way Tubes: 1/4"
Headrest Bolt: 4 (Original not present, but holes visible on bench. No clue as to whether original was Al or Fe).
Table support rods: Solid
Pivot Base shape: Squared-off
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Very nice. Welcome aboard.
You certainly have done your research.

If you haven't run across it already, this post may be helpful. https://www.shopsmith.com/ss_forum/view ... 02#p274502

Welcome to the forum. That is a nice find at a very good price. It should clean up nicely. The speed changer and 3/4HP motor are a bonus.

table extension (for the miter) too, nice machine, you done good!

Let me add my welcome to the Shopsmith Forum.

The missing parts are not to hard to find. They are on ebay all the time. The headrest for your Model 10ER can use either the 4 bolt earlier version or the 2 bolt later one. Check how many holes are already in the bench for it. The Headrest changed from 4 bolts to 2 bolts around the time your Model 10ER was made. You can even use the Jointer Headrest in place of the regular one if you want to. The base lock knob and table height lock knob for the carriage should be able to be found on ebay too. For the base lock knob either version will work. The base lock knob changed about the time the base itself did.

Since you have already been reading here you are well on your way to understanding what a Shopsmith is and how it works. As for getting it ready to run, do a good cleanup of the parts. Remove the rust followed by "polishing" the way tubes and table posts. Put it back together and enjoy. That may be a simplified way of saying it but getting all the parts cleaned up now while it is already apart will avoid having to redo something later.

Remember we are here to help.

Thank you for the encouragement and feedback. These machines are particularly addictive!

rpd - Thanks for the updated 10ER links page. I have found it very useful.

Here’s the parts I have acquired:
- New 3/16” & 1/8” hex wrenches (I worked as a bicycle mechanic for a few years, so most of my tools are metric.)
- New 10ER 4 hole Aluminum headrest (Pretty nifty that I could tell by the impressions on the bench that originally it had a 4-hole headrest.)
- Bearing puller
- Nupla 2 lb. dead blow hammer (that thing is fun!)
- 1/2" x 6" iron pipe
- Brass wire wheels for rust removal
- Table Rod Lock Knob – eBay
- Tie Bar (Since I am planning on it mostly being in vertical drill press mode, I figured I could use an extra tie bar as a split collar. It also included an Al knob I can use as the Base Lock Knob) I have mostly just been taking it apart, which so far has been fairly easy. (I am lucky, I understand.) Nothing cleaned or repaired, yet. I will do Evapo-Rust on the way tubes, though I don’t have the PVC pipe yet for their immersion.

As for the bearings, I tried reading through the complete treatise on the subject, the Shopsmith Bearings Guide from Everett, as well as What were the original bearings Shopsmith Used in 10E. My head is still spinning with bearing classes, C3 vs. C0, internal tolerances, etc. I learned that correct orientation of the bearing tool upon reinstallation is essential!

I went with OEM bearings from eBay. (Fafnir 202KLL3 & Timken 205KLL2) One of the NOS Fafnir quill bearings I bought has a hitch in it, so I bought a 3rd bearing on eBay. The one that was sent was in the correct box, but nowhere near the correct size. Money refunded, I am now purchasing my 4th quill bearing. Hopefully the Timken P202KLL3 is a Fafnir 202KLL3 equivalent!

I also was living in the alternate universe where one part # = the correct part (and only that!). Now I know I need to check bearings very carefully. It seemed cheaper to go with eBay at the beginning, but Hog Winslow & the correct NTN bearings he offers look pretty good…

The motor cable insulation cracked badly as I removed it from the headstock. Time for some new wires!

So far the only casualty has been the bent quill lever. I think I had it resting on that lever in the car on the 1-1/2 hour drive home. It bent at the threads on the quill end. I got it out okay, but I worry about bending it straight again. As you can see from this photo, I used a 3/8-16 bolt as a makeshift lever to remove the quill from the headstock. A few questions to start:

- Why would the PO have two Front Extension Tables? It’s great for me, I just don’t quite understand. Extra miter possibilities?
- Also, what are the 2 clamps & bolt in this photo? (I think top right is the 5/8” to 1/2" router adapter? And bottom right is the shaper arbor?) Thanks for your assistance!

(Now back to de-greasing, de-rusting, cleaning, and re-assembly. Where did I put that set screw?...)

Opolopo

Looking good so far,

I don't think the metal in the quill lever is that hard, one of my cable raiser cranks had a bend like that in the middle of the threads.
I was able to straighten it.

Nice to have two of the miter gauge extensions, I only have one, they provide more in-feed support. More than once, when I didn't have it installed, I have set up for disk sanding the end of wider board and then reached away to make an adjustment only to have the miter gauge tip back and fall on the floor because the head was out past the table and was heavier than the board.

The clamps on the right are for the shaper fence, they clamp it to the table.

The shoulder bolt and spacer on the left are to hold the A-34 jigsaw on to the headstock.

The miter gauge extensions are also a table front extension. Having two provides a wider front table extension regardless of the miter gauge.

Also two works well with a sled(really need the front extension for that).

Glad you were able to find the parts you needed. As you found out the part number isn't the only thing needed to identify the correct part. There were 1 to 7 different versions to parts for the Shopsmith Model 10E and 10ER. Add to that all the part numbers changed in November 1951. That was after you Model 10ER was made. Some parts can be changed individually while others have to be changed as an assembly.

Sorry you had so much trouble getting the correct OEM bearings. As for the bearings from Hog Winslow they are a good alternative to the OEM bearings. Tom has been selling bearings for years. He changed to the NTN Bearings a few year back. I have put the bearings he sells in most of the Model 10's I have restored. In fact I need to install a new set on the 10E I am getting ready to reassemble. He is also a good source for the oilite bearings for the Speed Changer.

You can try to straighten the threaded end of the Quill Feed Lever. I have had one bent in the same place and using two nuts on the threads put the nuts with the threaded end in a vice and bent it back.

Ron already identified the parts you asked about. It is interesting you have the mounting bolt and spacer for the Jig Saw but not the actual Jig Saw. The Shaper fence is most commonly known as being for the Mark 5 with the original table system. Less commonly known, as it came out before the Mark 5 was introduced, that does work on the Model 10's too. It's original manual shows it being used on a 10ER.

Darn, that means the A-34 jigsaw got away. Probably lost in the seller's garage, along with the missing headstock.

(But hey, I have a painted table raiser handle…)

I still haven’t figured out the shaper fence. I’m not sure I want to experiment with that. Besides, I don’t think I have any shaper blades. Could I use a modern ½” router bit (like a roundover bit) and the fence? I guess I don’t understand exactly how to use the SS as a router table, especially with the bit from above, not below. Having the extra extension tables will be really useful if I want to make a sled.

I managed to remove the bearings. The quill bearings weren’t too hard to remove, but the drive bearings were stuck in there pretty tight. I was wondering if I was going to break the bearing puller! I was using a washer in between the bearing puller and the end of the drive sleeve, (since it’s hollow with the splines for the spindle) and the washer kept bending. (See blue arrow.) I then used a part from a bicycle crank remover (since I figured it was harder than the washer). (Red circle). It bit into the end of the drive sleeve, so I now have to file those marks down. (I don’t recommend this approach.) Then I switched to the end of a pry bar (red circle) and gave it a few more turns and it started to move. I can tell I am doing something wrong if I have to improvise like that. (Not all mechanical difficulties are solved with the “Just use a bigger hammer!” approach… [This is my attempt at sarcasm from my bicycle mechanic days]) What is the proper way to push those bearings out, with the business end of the bearing puller pushing on the end of the hollow drive sleeve?

I now have my PVC pipe for the way tubes & Evapo-Rust, and I got the last quill bearing in the mail, so now I can get back into it.

Thanks for the valuable information!

Opolopo