Shopsmith Forums

I'm new to woodwork. Have acquired a SS 510 still sorting through bits and pieces.

My ? Is about what looks like a SS but is labeled TWS MADE IN TAIWAN 1984. Would the parts be interchangeable with a SS. Is it a knock off? It's advertised as a wood lathe but also has saw fence lower blade cover and a few odds and ends. Any ideas? Thanks Stewart

STEWART,

Welcome to the Shopsmith Forum.

There were a number of Shopsmith clones made in Taiwan or elsewhere. Reports on them I have seen say some parts fit while others do not. One thing to keep in mind about the clones is they were a cheaper alternative to the actual Shopsmith Mark V and as such were lower in quality.

Thank you for your response. I was thinking it may make a good power station.

STEWART wrote: Mon Apr 18, 2022 11:42 pm Thank you for your response. I was thinking it may make a good power station.

As long as the headstock continues to work!

Make sure the spindle is the same size as a Shopsmith. You want to be able to use your Shopsmith accessories on your workstation and you may not find any others to fit the clone machine.

Spindle shaft OD IS 5/8".

Quill body OD is 1 3/4".

I assume TWS is the same!

Ditto SPT mounts.

JPG wrote: Tue Apr 19, 2022 12:15 pm Spindle shaft OD IS 5/8".
...
I assume TWS is the same!2

I haven't been able to independently verify this, but someone has told me their TotalShop spindle is not exactly 5/8", perhaps 16mm or something. So his TotalShop accessories would mount loosely on the Shopsmith, and the Shopsmith accessories would not fit on the Totalshop spindle.

Perhaps he was mistaken, but it's worth checking out before spending time and money.

The seller is away till the end of the month before I can lay eyes on the TWS. At that point I will measure things and hear it run. It appears to be used mainly as a lathe with few other bits and pieces. So we'll see and for a couple hundred Canadian pasos seems hard to resist. Later