On Thu, 6 Apr 2006 20:34:17 -0700, "Bob Daun" wrote:

Bob..
I'm about your height, (was 6' 2" but some settling of contents), and when I was
doing a lot of turning on the shopsmith I'd raise the ends and put a 4x4 under
them.. makes it nice and stable because the legs just seem made for a 4x4, and
it gets it up a little.. YMMV

I bought my 510 in 1986 and have used it extensively for lathe turning
(bowls--both segmented and natural). I have turned approximately 50 bowls
ranging in diameter from about 11 inches down to 3-4 inches. I am six feet
tall and it would be nice if the unit were 6" or so higher, I really have no
particular difficulty. When I get to finishing the inside of bowls, I often
do move the bowl to the far right side of the unit and sit on a stool while
doing the interior work. I did all my turning with faceplates until I
purchased a OneWay Stronghold chuck (including the appropriate Jumbo Jaws
for finishing the bottoms. I still do use the faceplates at times. I use
primarily Crown HSS tools as well as a Stronghold Termite.
I wouldn't buy a Shopsmith if I only wanted it for turning but as a
multipurpose tool it is very good with very good product support from the
manufacturer.


"Joseph Handy" wrote in message
...
I was wondering what model Shopsmiths the members of this group own.

After reading the above posts it seemed that the two major problems with
the
Shopsmith lathe function is the weight of the unit and the height.

I am wondering if the 510 better than the 500; and if the 520 better than
the 500 and 510 concerning these issues. I did hear that the 510 is
bulkier
than the 500 but I don't know whether it's enough heavier to make a
difference.

Any help will be greatly appreciated. I am currently looking at buying a
used shopsmith and am weighing the pros and cons of the different models.

Joseph




Mac

https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/wood_stuff.htm