I'm in conversation with an eBay seller, regarding 4 used wedges he has for sale. He's unable to tell me about any wear on them, probably because he's not familiar with what new ones look like, but he's been kind enough to send me some images.
Can anyone please help me out, as I can't tell from the photos whether these are fully serviceable:
Sure looks like Shopsmith wedge locks to me (see "O" and "P" below in pic. Only question that I have is why buy them used? IF you intend to replace them they are dirt cheap so I don't really understand the desire to overpay for a used version on eBay...pic below is an old one so they are a little more expensive now but still affordable.
This is not something to buy used. Those parts are inexpensive purchased new.
Why do you need the wedge locks? Are your old one's beyond repair? Sometimes they only need a few minutes with a file to clean up the mating surfaces but they can get damaged beyond repair over time with pieces breaking off or threads stripping out.
To answer some questions:
The reason for suspecting that mine are worn is due to the fact that they jam and need a whack to free them. At least two YouTube videos from well known contributors say that they are worn.
I would not normally buy used wedges, but obtaining many Shopsmith parts in the UK is next to impossible, unless you want to wait months for them and sometimes there's no guarantee that they will be sent by Shopsmith. Buying direct from Shopsmith requires a minimum order - ISTR $200!
The main UK supplier is a great guy and does his best to obtain parts, but he can't be expected to keep everything. His website does not indicate current stock and I have other parts on order through him, which Shopsmith will not commit to a delivery date - playing just as awkward as they did when Craft Supplies were their main UK agent.
Due to a generous offer, the ones on eBay are only $10 for all four, so not a big layout, but the thing that kills it is the shipping which is a total rip-off, but not the seller's fault.
Thanks for the tip about re-dressing them, that may be a good solution. I was looking for removal instructions or a video, but not found one yet. I presume it's a fairly simple matter of removing the nut on the backside and rotating the screw, or is it necessary to remove the carriage from the Way Tubes?
wurlitzerwilly wrote: ↑Wed Jul 27, 2022 12:47 pmI would not normally buy used wedges, but obtaining many Shopsmith parts in the UK is next to impossible, unless you want to wait months for them and sometimes there's no guarantee that they will be sent by Shopsmith. Buying direct from Shopsmith requires a minimum order - ISTR $200!
Sorry, didn't realize you were hailing from the UK (didn't see your profile at first). Makes more sense now and sorry it is so hard to get parts there for Shopsmith. I'd recommend Ed's solution first to try to keep your existing wedges. If you can post some more pics of the used wedges that are on sale in the UK that might help. Part of the problem I think is the pics, in the original post, are so zoomed in and a bit blurry. Wondering if the seller has any better pics showing the condition of the used wedges so that maybe other members here can give their advice to you on them...
Not sure what you mean by jamming. If you can't loosen the locks with the headstock lock handle then you should clean the screw and threads in the wedge locks and other parts of the headstock locking mechanism. If the locks loosen but the the headstock doesn't move the wedge lock faces and the way tubes need cleaning. If you have a 500 the same applies to the carriage locks, 510 and later machines have a different carriage lock.
Sorry to hear about the parts situation. I can't do anything about the shipping charges but you could PM me about working out a way for you to get new parts if it's not breaking any import laws. I left the international smuggling business behind many years ago after a close call in Brazil so I do international trade by the book now.
edma194 wrote: ↑Wed Jul 27, 2022 1:13 pm
Not sure what you mean by jamming. If you can't loosen the locks with the headstock lock handle then you should clean the screw and threads in the wedge locks and other parts of the headstock locking mechanism. If the locks loosen but the the headstock doesn't move the wedge lock faces and the way tubes need cleaning. If you have a 500 the same applies to the carriage locks, 510 and later machines have a different carriage lock.
Sorry to hear about the parts situation. I can't do anything about the shipping charges but you could PM me about working out a way for you to get new parts if it's not breaking any import laws. I left the international smuggling business behind many years ago after a close call in Brazil so I do international trade by the book now.
Hi Ed.
The issue with jamming is that after the carriage is locked and working correctly, when it's unlocked the wedges stay locked on and I'm unable to move the carriage along the Way Tubes. A mild whack with a hide mallet on the carriage or lock handle, frees them. The Way Tubes are clean and have been correctly waxed and the Headstock slides along them easily. It's only the carriage that's an issue after it's been locked and unlocked.
The parts in question would only come to about $15 total and I believe that any UK taxes would only be applied if the items exceeded $20. Even if they did apply VAT at 20%, it's no big deal. The big killer is the shipping cost - which is around $50-$60 on those 4 items - it's an utter disgrace and a total rip-off, especially when many Chinese items can be obtained with virtually no shipping charges!
I could take advantage of Shopsmith's special offers (which are not available in the UK) by having stuff sent to a friend in Ohio, but he would still have to pay extortionate shipping costs to get them to me and of course I'd have to pay them.
I will PM you, but I'm not sure what you may be able to do.
RFGuy wrote: ↑Wed Jul 27, 2022 1:09 pm
Sorry, didn't realize you were hailing from the UK (didn't see your profile at first). Makes more sense now and sorry it is so hard to get parts there for Shopsmith. I'd recommend Ed's solution first to try to keep your existing wedges. If you can post some more pics of the used wedges that are on sale in the UK that might help. Part of the problem I think is the pics, in the original post, are so zoomed in and a bit blurry. Wondering if the seller has any better pics showing the condition of the used wedges so that maybe other members here can give their advice to you on them...
Keeping my original wedges and re-dressing them may be the best solution. I've not removed them previously, so I don't know what I'm looking for yet. I do have an engineering friend who would be more than capable of making new wedges, excepting that it's extremely unlikely that he would have the correct thread tap for those threads, let alone a left handed thread for the front wedge.
I've downloaded the images again at their original scale. The first ones I posted were expanded by my browser. I've uploaded them again below:
Is this only a problem on the carriage? Very easy to take a look at those wedge locks in drill press mode and see what keeps the carriage from moving. You can probably disassemble the locking mechanism without removing the carriage. The screws rust easily but are fairly hard steel and don't rot away easily. Gunk can build up in the threads of the screw or wedges. I use penetrating oil to make sure I can turn the wedges all the way in to remove the screw, and then remove them. De-rust the screw, clean the wedges well, file of any sharp edges and put it back together.
Also, when I remember, putting penetrating oil on the roll pin holding the handle on helps it come out nice and easy. Not sure if helps driving the pin back in. That little trick I should have learned years ago makes me hate roll pins less.
RF Guy