Mark 7 Premium Caster Mounting

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dmillspa
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Mark 7 Premium Caster Mounting

Post by dmillspa »

Hello All, I am a new-still-unpacking-the-boxes Mark 7 owner, who is confused about mounting the premium casters. I received several different sets instructions as well as templates for drilling new holes. When I follow the template instructions it appears all holes have already been drilled. When I mount the caster assembly in the second hole up from the foot, the casters still appear to be about an 1/8th to a 1/4 inch proud.

When I was considering purchasing the Mark 7, I saw in the forum that folks were having issues with mounting, so mentioned this to the SS rep, who told me the problem had been resolved with the template I would receive.

The only solution I can think of is moving the template about 3/8th of an inch up, away from the foot and drilling two holes, but wonder if the leg will still accommodate the accessory, as the leg tapers outward.

Is this the solution, or am I missing something? Any thoughts would be appreciated.
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wa2crk
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Re: Mark 7 Premium Caster Mounting

Post by wa2crk »

I would suggest that you consult with customer service before drilling any holes. I don't think that holes should have to be drilled in brand new equipment.
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everettdavis
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Re: Mark 7 Premium Caster Mounting

Post by everettdavis »

When you assemble the legs, and have the retractable caster assembly with the cam in the caster up position, you are saying with the casters fully inserted into the housing, the holes to mount the brackets still leave the caster slightly proud, which would lift the machine off the floor in the up position?

Measure the length of the hole depth in the housing that should allow bottoming out and the caster stem. If the depth is insufficient, call Shopsmith Customer Service and get their advice. The stems on the casters might be too long, or the hole too shallow. The legs are stamped when made, delivered to Shopsmith, then drilled in a fixture they have been using for decades.

I suspect they will be able to direct you further and perhaps send out new parts if they identify the variance.

It is a new machine, and their supplier for the caster may be making it just a bit longer than before.

I know that in other threads we have discussed that the casters may not bottom out in the hole, and this may have increased again if the caster vendor varied an in the stem length.

They need to look into that. I would not be drilling more holes on a brand new set of legs without talking with them first.

Don't email them, call them.

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dusty
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Re: Mark 7 Premium Caster Mounting

Post by dusty »

I have a new caster set and new wheels. The stems are 1 3/8" long and the hol;e into which they fit is deep enough to allow the caster to insert all of the way. However, as I read your post, I do not understand this to be your problem.

The attached is NOT an official document. It is something I created for myself back when the templates were know to be bad. I have installed three sets of casters using these dimensions and they have worked well for me.

I agree with Everett. Don't start modifying the legs without further study.
Caster Dimensions.png
Caster Dimensions.png (59.22 KiB) Viewed 10896 times
I would certainly appreciate it if you would let me know if the dimensions shown here differ from what the new Shopsmith template calls out. The original defective templates were the result of incorrectly using a photo copier to create the templates that were set out at that time. They have since produced new templates (which you should have received) that corrected the initial problems.
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dmillspa
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Re: Mark 7 Premium Caster Mounting

Post by dmillspa »

Thanks for everyone's response. Will certainly follow the advice to not drill and agree that for a new product developed over years of time, one should not have to drill.

Just had some friends turn the Mark 7 upright, and as I thought, it does stand proud in the retracted position. Have not yet measured the difference, but looks to be an 1/8th of an inch or so. They are suggesting going with the smaller casters, which might be a solution, but do prefer the larger.

Will hope to talk to customer service tomorrow, keeping your various suggestions in mind. Thank you. Will let you know.
dmillspa
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Re: Mark 7 Premium Caster Mounting

Post by dmillspa »

Regarding the templates measurement, yes, the holes are space 4 5/32nd's inches apart. Which is what the pre-drilled were set at. Have not been able to take the wheels out to measure their depth yet, as the Mark 7 legs are now resting some wood to keep the wheels free. Will work on that tomorrow.
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JPG
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Re: Mark 7 Premium Caster Mounting

Post by JPG »

It is not the 4 5/32 spacing that causes incorrect lift, but rather the (1 9/16)(1 23/32)dimensions( the offset from the 'original' set of holes)(lower pair).
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dusty
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Re: Mark 7 Premium Caster Mounting

Post by dusty »

Before we get too far off track with this, let us make certain we all have the same view of the problem.

You have said that the wheels look to be 1/8" or so proud. Does that mean that when the casters are set for NO LIFT that you can still roll the Mark 7 without dragging the legs?

The wheels need to be set fully into the plunger. I have had to use a bit of persuasion to get the stems fully inserted into the plunger. You might want to check that before you go much further.

How far apart (cntr to cnter) are the bottom two (predrilled) holes? For this issue, the 1 23/32" measurement (my number) is the critical measurement. If this measurement is 1 3/8" or more, the stems are 1 3/8" long or shorter and the stems are fully inserted into the plunger then I have no idea what could be causing your problem.

Hope this helps.

PS When I measure down from the round deck on the caster to the floor I measure 3 13/16" with the casters fully retracted (legs on the floor).
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JPG
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Re: Mark 7 Premium Caster Mounting

Post by JPG »

Realize the stem retaining ring has play that allows the entire caster to drop slightly towards the floor when the piston is at it's highest position.

As long as there is no weight being supported by any of the casters, their resting on the floor is not a concern.
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Goldie(Bought New SN 377425)/4" jointer/6" beltsander/12" planer/stripsander/bandsaw/powerstation /Scroll saw/Jig saw /Craftsman 10" ras/Craftsman 6" thicknessplaner/ Dayton10"tablesaw(restoredfromneighborstrashpile)/ Mark VII restoration in 'progress'/ 10
E[/size](SN E3779) restoration in progress, a 510 on the back burner and a growing pile of items to be eventually returned to useful life. - aka Red Grange
dmillspa
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Re: Mark 7 Premium Caster Mounting

Post by dmillspa »

Thanks again for your continuing thoughts and possible solutions. Without going through all the checks I have done, following some of your suggestions, it turns out that the pistons were not fully inserted in the housing.

Here is what I had to do: I placed the assembly in my vice and used my full body weight to see if I could push the casters further into the housing. (I had previously oiled as per instructions.) After some significant effort, including tipping my workbench from the exertion, three of the casters seated more fully. The fourth caster would not budge. So with the assembly in the vice, I jerry-rigged wood on the bottom of the caster and the matching top of the assembly and placed a screw clamp on each piece of wood. I then screwed the clamp tighter and tighter, hearing the wood crack, but finally the caster seated. After reassembling, it works great! Thanks for your help. Without your suggestions and questions, I would still not be able to go on to the next parts of the installation. I assume that I will be back with more questions. I certainly am going to talk with customer service about this issue.
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