Shopsmith Forums

dusty wrote: ↑Tue Oct 12, 2021 4:05 pm I do wish I could figure out exactly what you two are ranting about.

What can't be done with the extension tables??? The only issue I ever have with them comes when I need to readjust table height after getting it all set at a different height. I don't use the 5' tubes for that very reason.

Dusty,

If you want, you could answer Ed's question that he posted above (repeated below). I think we could have a much better solution to the existing extension legs.

edma194 wrote: ↑Tue Oct 12, 2021 12:08 pm Extension legs! Does anyone find these things useful? They won't support much weight, vibration makes them move around. To get them tight against the floor I have to swing them out, lengthen them a little, then kick bottom over until the leg is straight and tight, and hopefully the table is then level so I don't have to do it again.

Dusty, the extension tables, and floating tables are fine. It's a little tricky to line them up to get an extended flat surface, but often I just need some workspace and perfect alignment is not necessary. When I didn't have extension legs I would rarely do anything but set up a floating table on both sides of an extension table. With the 27" tubes that was solid and stable. Now I have more tables, with the 27" tubes I can connect 2 floating tables to the far side of an extension table with a 27" tube but they won't be very stable without extension legs. And I'd like to connect even more tables for larger work space. This would be fine with some longer tubes, however the extension legs remain a problem, they aren't very strong and they are a pain to adjust.

RFGuy wrote: Rather than a single, flimsy leg, what is realled needed is a small rolling platform that forms a solid base with a riser that has adjustable height to raise up and support the extension table from underneath.

Now RF Guy has given me a scathingly brilliant idea. Or maybe a stupid idea, I'm not sure yet. On the shelves are an abundance of 500 extension tables and extension table legs, and a couple of extra base castings. In addition there are extra 500 main tables and carriages.

So, 500 and 510 extension table legs are the same, and a 510 extension table is the same as a floating table with legs attached. I can make additional 510 extension tables, mount a base casting on some kind of rolling pedestal and then mount extension tables into the using the SPT holes and the end lock. It doesn't have precision height adjustment but it would be fairly easy to line it up with other tables using a level. And additional floating tables can be attached to it with connecting tubes.

Even better would be using the 500 carriages and main table legs to attach to a floating 510 table somehow and do the same kind of thing. This would have a better height adjustment with a crank than the simple SPT lock, and an adjustable stop collar could be used for precision height control if you really wanted it.

If I run across a simple enough way to do the rolling base I'd try this out, but probably won't go anything further on it for now though. Just too many other things to do with limited time and energy resources.

Try all that out on March 31 and report on the next day.

I'm going to check out of the discussion and just watch.

edma194 wrote: ↑Tue Oct 12, 2021 12:08 pm Extension legs! Does anyone find these things useful? They won't support much weight, vibration makes them move around. To get them tight against the floor I have to swing them out, lengthen them a little, then kick bottom over until the leg is straight and tight, and hopefully the table is then level so I don't have to do it again. There seem to be two versions, one a little beefier than the other that locks into the length better, maybe I just have a lot of the weaker version.

Yes, I find the extension legs useful. I'm using the 520 system but I don't see that being a factor. I use them mostly for fore/aft expansion when needed. I have never needed port-starboard expansion but I've added a second extension table to both of my systems that helps with that. I don't yet have long tubes but expect to buy those endorsed by jsb, or similar, when that time comes. I adjust the height of the legs in place. Biggest potential issue I see is that there is no real weight on the legs until you are supporting material, so you have to be careful that they remain in position.

I have two legs that had the bottoms modified by a PO to mount to the bench tubes for an outfeed table. These are useful but the angle is not ideal.

- David

Ed,

Well, I think it is brave to try to come up with some other means of supporting the extension tables. IF you can do that with spare Shopsmith parts, I think that is great. I am surprised no one has challenged the status quo on this in the past, so if that is true you will be a trailblazer here. The telescoping legs are a weak link of the Mark 4/V/7 IMHO. Besides the difficulty in setting up and adjusting the extension tables with the telescoping legs, I have had them slip (height drop) even though they were fully tightened before. Not all of us are ripping 1/4" plywood on our Mark V with the extension tables. I've attempted to set them up before to do some drilling on a large 6/4 panel that I was working on. It can really be challenging trying to level and align everything when you put serious weight on top of it like this and not have the height change from the weight. Or have a leg splay to one side or the other. I also wish there was the option of a fixed leg that would quick connect/disconnect underneath the extension table rather than hang onto the connector tubes. Unfortunately the swivel is needed because they want to support cutting bevels on the main table so by extension (pun), extension tables must be able to rotate and swivel. A fixed (no rotation) telescoping leg that quick connected under the extension tables with a micro-adjust feature (like the Shopsmith Adjustable Stop Collar) would be the ideal leg support in my opinion.

P.S. Don't even get me started on using the special telescoping leg (555627) to try to support the main table during drill press, hollow chisel mortising, etc.

P.P.S. IF you are just ripping and only need outfeed support with minimal weight, I really like the Shopsmith Extension Table Brackets (555997) as an alternative to setting up telescoping legs.

I personally have never had an issue with the telescoping legs. I have bent one of my 5' shopsmith tubes but that was clearly my fault. I have two sets of legs, one that came with a 510 basket case I got and then upgraded to a 520. The other set is from when I upgraded my original 500 to a 520. I can't say I've ever noticed which is which and they are stored together and used as needed. This is not saying that they might have other vintages that do not work as well??? Or it could be they are faulty?

I have walking sticks and camera uni-poles that work the same and they too work fine. Not saying I would want to use one for pole vaulting but for the stuff I do they work fine.

I have purchased a pair of 5 foot tubes off a guy that use to sell on ebay and they are more rigid then the shopsmith ones. Don't know if he sells them any more????

To solve the issue of having to change heights, I basically set of the most exposure that I expect to cut then don't change it when I cut thinner materials. I've never had an issue doing that way.

As far as large sheet goods, did it on my 500 even but working by yourself or when you get older that gets to be more then I want to deal with. I did use external supports of the 500 and still have them for the 520's, plus I have 2 520s' so I have a lot of extra support if and when needed. I now have a tracksaw and would never want to return to cutting on a table saw, no mater which table saw. It is just so much easier and faster with track saws.

Ed

If I was cutting a lot of large sheet goods I'd get a tracksaw too. A table on a rolling stand with it's own height adjustment is and interesting notion but does nothing to solve my current problems, connecting tubes that don't cost an arm and a leg, easy alignment of the tables. I can live with the extension legs if longer tubes are rigid enough. And I can make sturdier legs if I need to. I'm unlikely to use them on a tilted table since I can cut bevels on my tablesaw.

edma194 wrote: ↑Wed Oct 13, 2021 1:54 pm A table on a rolling stand with it's own height adjustment is and interesting notion but does nothing to solve my current problems, connecting tubes that don't cost an arm and a leg, easy alignment of the tables.

Ed,

So, Shopsmith sells a pair of 5 ft. connector tubes for $58.25. Not trying to nitpick here, but what would be an acceptable cost for this function for you? Unless you already had some EMT or black pipe laying around to reuse, ANYTHING else you buy on the market will likely cost nearly as much or more. To get something more rigid you are likely to pay 2x or more than this. The Shopsmith 5 ft. connector tubes work well in my opinion, but I just don't use them as much as I thought I would.

https://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/cat ... ntubes.htm

The price for 2 5' tubes from Shopsmith is excellent right now. I will probably get those and continue looking for something I could use at 36" or longer than 5'. The 27" tubes have always been fine for what I need, don't think 5' tubes will be a problem strength-wise as long as they are supported at both ends. I have a 10' piece of 3/4" black pipe (OD 1.04"), if I can get that to fit in the table tubes I won't cut it in half, I'll still get the Shopsmith 5' tubes and use the black pipe if I need longer.

I'm not really in the same position as most Shopsmith users because I have a Sawsmith table saw and my table on that is soon going to expand to 76" wide thanks to forum member Binder. I can also stretch out my 510 tables even wider than that. But I will probably continue to put 4x8 sheets on sawhorses and boards and use a circular saw and straight edge to break up the sheet. Depending on the use I'll cut oversize and finish the pieces on the tablesaw.