Shopsmith Forums

Just curious on people's thoughts. I have a Powerpro that is full length and a dedicated drill press with full length tubes (the carriage tubes are shortened to ~14 inches or so). The PowerPro has a lift assist on it, so that helps. I have considered seeing about replacing the piston on the lift assist with a stronger one if I end up putting the tubes on there.

Which one should get the 10ER tubes? Initial thought is the powerpro so that it has more weight for lathe duties.

I agree! I doubt the extra way tube weight will require a stronger piston.

damagi wrote:Just curious on people's thoughts. I have a Powerpro that is full length and a dedicated drill press with full length tubes (the carriage tubes are shortened to ~14 inches or so). The PowerPro has a lift assist on it, so that helps. I have considered seeing about replacing the piston on the lift assist with a stronger one if I end up putting the tubes on there.

Which one should get the 10ER tubes? Initial thought is the powerpro so that it has more weight for lathe duties.

I agree with JPG, I would put them on the Power Pro. That is what I did because I had a set. I would like to see some pictures of your dedicated drill press. I have one here that also has 10ER tubes.

Yeah, my dedicated drill press is setup similar to yours: The blue mark is where I ended up cutting off the lower tubes. I will have to take a picture of it as of now.

I flipped the headstock like you did. I have a light that I haven't mounted on it yet, so this is a good reminder to do so. I like what you did with the dust collection hose. Then, of course, is finding a cheap surplus jack for https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M30uvwZdLmE#t=404 and adding a cabinet below for storage as well as lowering the center of gravity a bit.

I see in the background that you must be doing some refurb of way tubes, given the wheel setup you have mounted on your extension table.

damagi wrote:Yeah, my dedicated drill press is setup similar to yours:

The attachment WP_20140527_18_56_53_Pro.jpg is no longer available

The blue mark is where I ended up cutting off the lower tubes. I will have to take a picture of it as of now.

I flipped the headstock like you did. I have a light that I haven't mounted on it yet, so this is a good reminder to do so. I like what you did with the dust collection hose. Then, of course, is finding a cheap surplus jack for https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M30uvwZdLmE#t=404 and adding a cabinet below for storage as well as lowering the center of gravity a bit.

I see in the background that you must be doing some refurb of way tubes, given the wheel setup you have mounted on your extension table.

I would like to see a picture with the shorter tubes. I thought I might have to do that.

I used the 18" pieces of bench tubes I cut off when I made my shorty. My initial feeling was that they may be a little too long given the front leg sticks out past the table a bit and would interfere with standing at the drill press. As it turns out, when I stand at the drill press I tend to stand a bit to the right and my left foot fits under the opening in the leg and my right foot sits to the right of the leg. It works quite naturally so I haven't felt a great need to disassemble the machine and shorten the way tubes.

I see you are using a set of fixed table tubes with the connecting bracket for front table support. I used the main table tubes that are replaced when you do the MK 7 double tilt upgrade. The problem was that if you move the table you need three hands to adjust both tubes and tighten the lock. I ended up using a 1/4" dowel through the original attachment pin holes in the end of the tubes. Works great.

I don't move the headstock (yet). I installed a SS table raiser cylinder and move the table instead. The headstock is set a bit high (an inch or two) for normal drilling. Then if I use a longer bit I just move the table with the table raiser. 90% of the time I don't have to move anything. Because the headstock is reversed on the way tubes the table raiser brackets don't mount according to the instructions but the mount just fine anyway.

I also toyed with using a lead screw attached to the tie bar and the headstock casting. I think it is perfectly doable but I am not sure it is worth the effort since I almost never move the headstock.

Yes I was cleaning some 10ER tubes for a dedicated 10ER drill press for a friend. Got the 10ER for $50. There was no bench or accessories but that was all that was needed for a dedicated drill press.

FWIW, after an over night soak(or longer) in evaporust the tubes clean up in less than 10 minutes to a brilliant shine(400 grit or 00 steel wool). Also less messy than wd40. Dusty though!

JPG wrote:FWIW, after an over night soak(or longer) in evaporust the tubes clean up in less than 10 minutes to a brilliant shine(400 grit or 00 steel wool). Also less messy than wd40. Dusty though!

Thanks for the input. I think Nick Engler said potatoes work also. Either way you need some kind of a bath (4 inch PVC) tub to "soak" the tubes and that costs money if you are not in production and only need to clean two or three sets of tubes. WD-40 is not really messy compare to soaking the tubes in a tub and then having to get rid of the waste liquid. I live out in the country on 2 acres so I guess I could just dump the liquid out on my property,NOT.

Again, thanks for your input. There are many ways to clean SS tubes. I like the way I do it and it works.

jsburger wrote:

JPG wrote:FWIW, after an over night soak(or longer) in evaporust the tubes clean up in less than 10 minutes to a brilliant shine(400 grit or 00 steel wool). Also less messy than wd40. Dusty though!

Thanks for the input. I think Nick Engler said potatoes work also. Either way you need some kind of a bath (4 inch PVC) tub to "soak" the tubes and that costs money if you are not in production and only need to clean two or three sets of tubes. WD-40 is not really messy compare to soaking the tubes in a tub and then having to get rid of the waste liquid. I live out in the country on 2 acres so I guess I could just dump the liquid out on my property,NOT.

Again, thanks for your input. There are many ways to clean SS tubes. I like the way I do it and it works.

It takes 5' of 2" pvc pipe with a plug on one end and a removable plug on the other. Actually the evaporust is the expensive part, but it IS reusable for the most part. Also is is non-hazardous.

Yes the potatoe works, but takes a couple of weeks. The tube smells like a sewer pipe when taken out.

To each their own!

jsburger wrote: I would like to see a picture with the shorter tubes. I thought I might have to do that.

jsburger wrote: I used the 18" pieces of bench tubes I cut off when I made my shorty. My initial feeling was that they may be a little too long given the front leg sticks out past the table a bit and would interfere with standing at the drill press. As it turns out, when I stand at the drill press I tend to stand a bit to the right and my left foot fits under the opening in the leg and my right foot sits to the right of the leg. It works quite naturally so I haven't felt a great need to disassemble the machine and shorten the way tubes.

Yeah, that was my feelings too. It wasn't horrible, but I felt like it could be better. In theory, having the two sets of legs almost touching is probably the best setup in terms of foot position. However, my concern was instability. What I have now seems to be a good compromise.

jsburger wrote: I see you are using a set of fixed table tubes with the connecting bracket for front table support. I used the main table tubes that are replaced when you do the MK 7 double tilt upgrade. The problem was that if you move the table you need three hands to adjust both tubes and tighten the lock. I ended up using a 1/4" dowel through the original attachment pin holes in the end of the tubes. Works great.

Since I have done a lot of repairs and such of older units, I had the fixed table from a 500 just lying around. Right now I am using it as-is, but have considered adding a small chunk of wood on top to prevent damage to the table itself and perhaps add leveling capability.

jsburger wrote: I don't move the headstock (yet). I installed a SS table raiser cylinder and move the table instead. The headstock is set a bit high (an inch or two) for normal drilling. Then if I use a longer bit I just move the table with the table raiser. 90% of the time I don't have to move anything. Because the headstock is reversed on the way tubes the table raiser brackets don't mount according to the instructions but the mount just fine anyway.

I also toyed with using a lead screw attached to the tie bar and the headstock casting. I think it is perfectly doable but I am not sure it is worth the effort since I almost never move the headstock.

Interesting. I had considered picking up the table raiser. I am younger and more physically fit compared to your average SS user, so the weight isn't really the issue...moreso a convenience factor.

jsburger wrote: Yes I was cleaning some 10ER tubes for a dedicated 10ER drill press for a friend. Got the 10ER for $50. There was no bench or accessories but that was all that was needed for a dedicated drill press.

That's the same setup I used a while back. The guy had left his 500 outside in the pacific northwest in a carport...ugh, that was an adventure. I like your wooden plug. I ended up using a rubber plug from NAPA that was the right size. I got one for the way tubes, one for the bench tubes. Worked great.

JPG wrote:

jsburger wrote:

JPG wrote:FWIW, after an over night soak(or longer) in evaporust the tubes clean up in less than 10 minutes to a brilliant shine(400 grit or 00 steel wool). Also less messy than wd40. Dusty though!

Thanks for the input. I think Nick Engler said potatoes work also. Either way you need some kind of a bath (4 inch PVC) tub to "soak" the tubes and that costs money if you are not in production and only need to clean two or three sets of tubes. WD-40 is not really messy compare to soaking the tubes in a tub and then having to get rid of the waste liquid. I live out in the country on 2 acres so I guess I could just dump the liquid out on my property,NOT.

Again, thanks for your input. There are many ways to clean SS tubes. I like the way I do it and it works.

It takes 5' of 2" pvc pipe with a plug on one end and a removable plug on the other. Actually the evaporust is the expensive part, but it IS reusable for the most part. Also is is non-hazardous.

Yes the potatoe works, but takes a couple of weeks. The tube smells like a sewer pipe when taken out.

To each their own!

Good to know it is non toxic. I might try it next time. I have 4 10ER's here to restore.