Shopsmith Forums

After enough aggravation tightening those horrid square nuts on my Mark V bench, some years ago I replaced them all with elastic locknuts. These are the kind with the plastic band which elastically engages the threads. Sold under the brand name ESNA and made by others as well. These really stay tight. McMaster sells them. Castellated nuts would work also.

Never expect or use a toothed or split lockwasher to secure a threaded fastener in any critical application.

Any kind of vibrating machinery should have better fasteners than what Shopsmith provides. Loose fasteners are ultimately a safety hazard.

That's strange. My 1981 Shopsmith still has all the original hardware on it and none of it has ever vibrated loose yet. I put many hours of use on it every year. I actually don't know what kind of hardware Shopsmith put on it 40 years ago because I've never looked at it or had it apart.

Never had a problem with the square nuts coming loose. They do annoy me though so I change them as the OP does with NyLok type nuts. If anyone likes square nuts I have a ton I've taken off machines and I can send them to you.

Given the title, I thought this might be an attack on some of our members.

I doubt I will ever completely understand the reasoning behind a negative opinion of square nuts. I grew up with them and have never had a problem with them.

Now if you only have hex socket sets, I suggest you get a crescent wrench or some open ended wrenches.(or GASP a pair of gas pliers). Channel locks will also work well.

12 points sockets and wrenches work just fine also. I can tell the size of a nut by eye pretty well, and can get a wrench on one from the blind side without a problem, but the square ones throw me off. And a square nut in a place only a socket can reach is a crime against hardware.

When I got my 1958 greenie from my FIL, it was missing one of the leg bolts and several others were not original, so I suspect that these can come loose. I give them a twist once in a while to make sure they are still tight.

If not mistaken most square nuts have a right and wrong way to install them , some have 4 corners that are bent downward and grab , a vibrating machine screw and hex nut with out a washer that has interlocking teeth will probably come lose ?? jmo

8 point sockets work better.

The nuts are typically made by shearing them from sheets and have a 'smooth' side and a 'rough' side like flat washers made the same way.

Older hex nuts were also made that way, but better quality nuts were not and they have an outside and a bearing side evident by a circular flat area around the thread bore.

Any threaded fastener will come loose if not adequately tightened.

I have been reading this thread the last few days. There are some strong opinions on the use of square nuts expressed here. As for myself I am fine using square nuts and regularly use them on restorations of the Model 10E and 10ER Shopsmiths. Square nuts are the type that were originally used on them for the benches and the original quill collar for the 10E. I haven't had any problems with them and on my Model 10ER R64000, the first Shopsmith I restored, they are as tight today as when I reinstalled them. I guess it all comes down to preference. Use what works for you.