LumberJocks Woodworking Forum banner
58K views 89 replies 46 participants last post by  FeralVermonter 
#1 ·
An offer I couldn't refuse

So yesterday I was up in a tree I am felling for and with my step-dad (I keep the wood) when he asked if I had done any turning. I said no because I don't have a lathe, but that I would like one. He looked up at me and asked if I'd like one.

Well I know he has a workshop, but it is mostly for metal working and his lathe is a large metal lathe, so I thought he was kidding. Anyway, after we cleaned our mess up at the end of the work day, he took me to his open-sided store area under the garage and showed me what looked like a Shopsmith, but there was no name plate I could see. Further back in the store was a second one, but this one has the Shopsmith logo on the control dial. He thought at least one of them still had a working motor, so he plugged one in and switched it on. I was gobsmacked when the motor sprang to life. The motor sounded smooth - no scraping or rattling, no wheezing or staining - the bearings sound like new and the main spindle turns easily by hand as if it had been recently overhauled and lubricated.

He'd picked them both up for a song a few years ago with the idea of building one good machine out of two, but never got around to it. Since then the machines have been sitting in a fairly exposed area deteriorating further. He doesn't think he'll get to restoring and using them, so he reckons someone who will respect and use them well should have them for free.

I'll probably collect the machines some time this month and will blog the restoration process and the first project. I know there will be a ton of work to do as these machines look like they belong on a scrap heap, but I'm sure it will be an interesting and rewarding journey. Like my wife said, felling a tree is hard work but the pay is good.

:)
 
See less See more
#5 ·
I dod a freind a big favor and he gave me his Shopsmith but it was about 30 years old and really made a lot of noise. Since it dodn't cost me anything I was able to pack up the main unit and put it on a bus to Ohio and had it rebuilt and all the new stuff was installed on it for about $100 at that time. Still have it in my shop and use it for spcific things.
 
#6 ·
There is a free video series by Nick Engler on the Shopsmith (forum) site where he takes a unit out of a scrap heap and makes it look new. Lots of tips and things that should make the process go faster.

Shopsmith will do it but it costs a lot more that $100 today.
 
#9 ·
Go to ShopSmith forums ( http://www.shopsmith.net/forums/index.htm ) to learn a lot about shopsmiths and how to restore them.

I started with ShopSmith many years ago and I still have that machine in my shop. I now have more space and I have acquired a pretty good collection of stand alone tools, but I still want to keep my shopsmith. I use it for a number of secondary functions (buffing, horizontal boring, belt sander attachment, and others). It's a reasonably good (but not great) lathe. If using it as a lathe is your primary objective, weight it down a lot and/or bolt it to the floor and get the heavy duty universal tool rest. I'm always impressed with the quality of the engineering in a shopsmith. It's a unique machine that can be adapted to perform a number of functions in a way that you cannot do with other machines.
 
#12 ·
Thanks for all the pointers Guys.

I will definitely be blogging the restoration progress with lots of pictures.

Stay tuned to this space, but don't hold your breath for the first episode as I'll only start it in a couple of weeks, and it won't be on the top of my priority list.

Cheers
 
#13 ·
You are gonna love it, Zac! I always wanted a 10ER and found one 3 years ago at a steam engine show flea market for $150. It's a 1953, and is my most treasured stationary tool. I bought it intending it as a dedicated lathe, but I use it for so much more the longer I have it. It was so well cared for I kinda got a bit aroused just looking at it…...The only thing I had to do was clean up the rust on the way tubes.
It's my grinder, boring tool, and lathe…..One of the things I absolutely love it for is cutting dados. It takes, literally 2 minutes to set up, and I don't have to putz with blade changing on my table saw.

I suggest you get a a ball bearing live center right off the bat. You're gonna be looking for a Morse taper (probably a #2MT).....I found a good one for about $30 at the Rockler store, but Highland has them starting around $16.

There's a guy in Texas named "Skip" who maintains a Yahoo Group called "Shopsmith 10ER Users Group". You might wanna check it out. He is , as far as I'm concerned, THE leading authority on the 10E & ER….and machines replacement parts, and speed changers.

Good luck and "Happy Shopsmithing"! ~ Joe
 
#14 ·
The Treasure Trove

As you may know, I have been gifted a Shopsmith but it needs restoration.

Well, This afternoon we loaded the Shopsmith and the second "spares" machine in our bakkie (pickup) and drove it 2.5 hours home. Most of the trip was in rain, with almost half of the drive time spent peering through a rain storm worse than I have seen in the last 5 years. At times the visibility was down to about 3 car lengths.

I'm not worried about any rust from the trip, because this is how my new toy has been stored for the last few years

The Shopsmith

.

Its Legs

.

The Shopsmith Clone made in Taiwan.


.
Tomorrow I'll unload the machines and take better pictures for posting (if there is sun).
 
#15 ·
What you have is NOT a shopsmith. It's an import copy that (I think) was sold through Menards in the 1980's as a "Woodmaster". As I remember, many parts are close enough copies as to be interchangeable. Good luck on the restoration. I've restored several Shopsmiths…some that were real basket cases, and it's very rewarding when you're done to use the machine. -SST
 
#21 ·
Unpacking - Terrible Condition

This morning I unpacked my new toys and can confirm that I have one Shopsmith mk 5, and one Master Shop. They are both in very sad condition, and I will be concentrating my efforts on restoring the Shopsmith and relegating the Master Shop to being the "spares" supply wherever possible.


.

The load waiting to be unpacked.

.

As you can see, there is rust everywhere

.
Even the Aluminium is seriously corroded

.
At least one of the main castings is broken


I can see that this is going to be a long and difficult restoration process, but I'm sure it will all be worth it in the end. I have been trying to manipulate my budget to buy a drill press followed by a table saw, with a lathe somewhere down near the bottom of the priority list - this way I get all 3.

Many of the accessories are missing, but at least I have the table saw and the lathe tail stock
 
#35 ·
We have identified the machine

At least I believe we have identified it.

Shopsmiths have a very active user group forum, and the members there have helped me identify which model I have.

It seems that my SS is a "Goldie" MK 5 (not MK V) model 500, manufactured somewhere from 1960 to 1963 by Magna Corporation before they went out of business in 1964. Shopsmith Inc. (founded in 1972) still supports the Magna machines.

It seems that the clincher in identifying it was this warning label riveted onto the headstock casting - apparently all of the other models have stick-on labels.

.
The machine has obviously undergone some not too clever repair and maintenance in it's long career, evidenced by this make-shift power switch.

.
This machine seems to be almost as old as me, and older than many LJ's. I just wish I could renovate myself with some electrolysis, sand paper, paint and wax.

The reference to electrolysis is a method employed by several SS refurbishers to remove rust. I know many LJ's refurbish old tools and machines, but I haven't seen mention of electrolysis as a rust remover. I'll post that process and the results when I do it - hopefully it will help someone restore a plane or two.
 
#41 ·
Started the Strip-Down

I started stripping my Goldie today, so I knocked this cradle together to support it while working.

.
I rough cut the base and overlong uprights. I then clamped the uprights together and used a large Forstner to drill the support cut-outs and cut off the tops off the uprights to give me half-round cradles for the way tubes. A few angle brackets later all glued and screwed, and I have a good work stand.

.
I can even turn the unit on its side to access the underside.

.

I then started stripping down the headstock to find out what internals I have. To get the belt cover off, I had to take the end casting off the way tubes. Not very cooperative due to rust.

.
Not commonly used restoration tools

.
Speed pulleys seem to be in decent condition

.
The motor appears to be original

.
It seems to be able to handle both 110V and 230V without mods

.
Wiring is all shot

.
Good news though - The quill rack & pinion seem to be in very good condition, just greasy & dirty

.
That's it for today.
 
#42 ·
Wow, this one is a bit on the rough side. I await with excitment to see how it goes on this great machine! This isn't your first one I am guessing?
 
#52 ·
Stripping and Cleaning

I have spent the last several days down with a nasty bug as did most in our house, so the work slacked off a lot. Anyway - so on to more stripping and starting the cleaning.

Here is the inside of the headstock with a bucket of bits.

.
I have found that the speed control sheave assembly needs to be replaced - the wire loop is supposed to be fixed in the end of the shaft with a bearing. Bearing is gone and the wire is near worn through.

.
Headstock completely dismantled and brushed off - original colour still shows in some areas.

.
I pressed out the nameplate rivets from behind, and can reuse them.

.
I had to use a lot of penetrating oil to remove stuck items and there were some areas of old gummy grease, so I needed to degrease all the parts for a decent clean up (except the bearings)
Check out the oils on this casting

.
and the grease in the quill gears in the previous post.

How to degrease?

Find some plastic baskets and place small parts in them. Then place basket and larger parts in bucket and smother with degreaser

.

Before


.
Brush them and rinse thoroughly. The baskets help them dry out.
.
After

.

I am using a new (to me) paint stripper that is much gentler to the skin that those I have used before, and it has no unpleasant vapours.
Just paint it on and leave it for a few hours. The scrape and hose off.


.

Here is the first part painted

.
Note the red patch on the thumb knuckle? Skin does NOT beat wire wheel in drill !!
There are lots more pictures, but that's enough for now.
 
#59 ·
Cleaning Tubes

I have been doing some tests of technique for cleaning the various tubes on my Goldie. I will be posting some pics of methods & results as I go along.

Here is a drill holder I got years ago when I bought a cutting disk for my drill. I haven't used this rig for years, but it is now earning its place in my "Good-to-Have" tool collection. It is adjustable in all directions except length.


This first "Tubes" post deals with the extension table legs. These legs are from my clone machine and were chromed but a lot of the chrome had been rusted out. This evening I used a sanding drum to hold the tube in my drill and used a cable tie to set & hold the drill trigger.


I used sandpaper grits 80 - 100 - 120 - 180 - 280 - 360 - 600 (wet). Followed by paste wax applied to the spinning tube with fine steelwool and buffed off with a polishing cloth.

Here is the result showing before & after.
 
#65 ·
Quill Dismantling

A few days ago I tried to dismantle my Goldie's quill assembly with zero success. I seriously wanted to dismantle this to clean it up properly - I'm sure a bath in degreaser would not be good for the bearing.

First I removed the whole quill from the headstock.
Next I removed the set screw from the spindle knob, but I couldn't take the knob off the spindle. I managed to turn the knob on the spindle with tools, but it was very tight, and wouldn't pull off.

So I asked the ShopSmith Forum members for some pointers. Which I got.

Here are a couple of pictures.
On this one you can see the score marks on the shaft that (I think) were the main reason the knob would not come off.


Check the crud inside the housing


In this pic you can see the corrosion I will need to remove, as well as the wonky clip on the housing.


I supported the housing with the spindle facing up and the spline facing down unsupported, and whacked the daylights out of the shaft sending it down out of the housing and bearing at the same time, but I had to ensure that I don't damage the end of the shaft.

That's why I have "soft" mallets in my arsenal. For this job I used an aluminium mallet. The mallet gets all dinged before it harms steel.

In terms of "whacking tools", here are my favourites shown from left to right in order of force required.
Short handled claw hammer, Rubber mallet, Nylon faced mallet, Aluminium mallet, 4 pound hammer.

.
.
.
Today I removed the bearing from the housing and degreased and cleaned the parts (excluding the bearing).

The bearing feels very good with no apparent slop or play, and smooth rotation without grating or excessive free running.

As you can see, my cleaning brush will soon have to be retired.

 
#76 ·
Electrolysis for Rust Removal

This series has been quiet for a while, as I've been buying replacement parts off eBay and dealing with several small(ish) technical issues. The members of the ShopSmith owners' forum have been extremely helpful. My thanks to the LJ members who pointed me to that forum.

Here is my experience with removing rust by Electrolysis and I'm sure that many LJ's can benefit using this technique for tool restoration. If you have any questions, just ask and I'll do my best to help. I'm sure that this isn't the first LJ posting about this technique, but it is the most recent, and new members could find this helpful.

Basic setup:-

I took 2 scrap pieces of painted angle iron from old shelving.

.
Cleaned the inner faces and attached cables.

.
I took my quill housing and wedged a cable inside.

.
Then placed them in a bucket and electrolyte like this.

.
Next I connected the battery charger Black to quill & Red to angle irons


'
I applied power, and nothing happened. At least nothing happened in the bucket. The charger hummed, and that was all. I moved the quill closer to the scrap - nothing. I moved the quill to touching the scrap - nothing. I switched the charger from 3A to 15A - nothing.

So I dismantled the setup and pondered overnight.
Was it the Electrolyte solution? Maybe the issue was the 1 tablespoon per gallon I've seen on some instructions.
Was it the charger? It is a bit old, and has been incorrectly connected a few times.

A few possible answers surfaced in my brain over the next few hours, until I had a route mapped forward.

Step 1: Test the charger on a battery I know will need boosting - CHECK
Step 2: Enrich the electrolyte to 1/2 cup per gallon as seen on other instructions - CHECK

I made these adjustments and connected the system again.
I applied power and (drumroll please) ... ... ... NOTHING.

Then a small little background idea pushed forward in my head - This charger has an automatic cut-off when the battery is full. Maybe it also has a protection circuit of sorts that only allows it to work if there is a battery connected.

The next step was to use a battery instead of a charger on the cleaning circuit to see if the charger was the problem.

I connected the battery to the circuit and … ... Hey presto - BUBBLES


.
I then connected the charger to the battery to keep it charged it while the battery was working on my quill. The battery and the work are connected in parallel.


.
Six minutes after starting, this is the surface of the electrolyte


.
This is the charger - As you can see here, the system is drawing between 9A and 12A


.
Goop Soup anyone?


.
The temperature of the liquid went up from the ambient 25 deg C to 42 deg C


.
Before


.
After Electrolysis



.
After 15 minutes with sandpaper and steel wool.

.

This process has reduced my work time down to half or less. What used to take over 4 hours, now takes less than 2 hours including electrolysis.
.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top