Shopsmith Forums

First time poster - go easy on me...

A friend sent me a photo of this 10ER and I cannot figure out the extra pulley.

Is this a built-in speed changer? Is this to operate SPTs? Is the extra pulley a good thing? Bad thing?

Love this forum and the countless volunteer hours my fellow 10ER users devote to it. Thank you!

NotATool wrote: ↑Tue Sep 28, 2021 8:28 pm First time poster - go easy on me...

A friend sent me a photo of this 10ER and I cannot figure out the extra pulley.

Is this a built-in speed changer? Is this to operate SPTs? Is the extra pulley a good thing? Bad thing?

Love this forum and the countless volunteer hours my fellow 10ER users devote to it. Thank you!

00d0d_eOOTYUAFl49z_0jm0ew_1200x900.jpg

It is not original. It is not for STP's as there is no way to mount them or drive them in the photo. Possibly a home made way to get different speeds. Not more speeds but different speeds. Strange!

Not only is the extra pulley, as indicated by the arrow below, non-standard but the bases, as indicated by the circles, are not OEM. It looks like besides playing with the speeds they were trying to do some kind of double tilt replacing the headrest with an additional base and arm with both bases being homemade. I wonder what speeds that pulley setup gives that early Model 10ER. It is hard to tell for sure from the picture but it may not be changing speeds much over what is available normally without that interim pulley addition. The motor has a 4 step pulley instead of a 3 step one and the interim pulleys go from a 3 step to a single pulley than to a 2 step pulley on the drive sleeve if I am seeing it all correctly. How much of the motors effort is lost with the interim pulley addition would be a concern for myself. I think I will stay with the original pulley system and 7 speeds or use the speed changer. I also wonder if this Model 10ER was originally a demo unit since it has a Logo/Serial Number Plate on the back side of the headstock as shown in the picture.

_

If the pulley block on the drive sleeve was reversed, that would give a High/Low range option and expand the speed range available.

Glad to get you 10ER experts on the case. Thanks for your wisdom!

I like the high/low speed range idea. Seems logical to me. But also agree that the lost power from additional pulley is a high price for two speeds. Was the 10ER speed controller available as an option from the start? Maybe this machine predates that accessory?

Rather than have two homemade bases, wouldn’t it be smarter to keep the original base and add an extra base on the other side? Hand building two folding bases seems like a lot of work. And for what? Under table routing?

Could this be an early SS prototype? Or do we think this rusty machine is simply some Frankenstein’s monster?

Thanks again.

David

More photos. More anomalies.

As shown in the last picture above it is a Model 10E serial number ER90?? that makes it having been made in the eastern plant. The Speed Changer was an early accessory that came out sometime after the introduction of the Shopsmith Model 10E. I am not sure exactly when the Speed Changer came out but it is in an early accessory catalog (date unknown) that predates another catalog it is in from May 1949. The pulley setup was likely done later since with the logo plate on the back side of the headstock it should have been a demo unit. Possibly added by the industrious person that made the custom bases. The pulley system may be to increase the speed to use it for under-table routing and shaping. Of course these are only guesses and will remain so unless the current owner knows the history of this 10E. The pulley adaptations I have seen until now have been to slow the Model 10's down for lathe work.

chapmanruss wrote: ↑Fri Oct 01, 2021 11:16 am As shown in the last picture above it is a Model 10E serial number ER90?? that makes it having been made in the eastern plant. The Speed Changer was an early accessory that came out sometime after the introduction of the Shopsmith Model 10E. I am not sure exactly when the Speed Changer came out but it is in an early accessory catalog (date unknown) that predates another catalog it is in from May 1949. The pulley setup was likely done later since with the logo plate on the back side of the headstock it should have been a demo unit. Possibly added by the industrious person that made the custom bases. The pulley system may be to increase the speed to use it for under-table routing and shaping. Of course these are only guesses and will remain so unless the current owner knows the history of this 10E. The pulley adaptations I have seen until now have been to slow the Model 10's down for lathe work.

I blew the picture up and it looks like ER9071.