Mark V Lift Assist
Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2007 9:53 am
I finally saved enough of my mad money to purchase the Mark V Lift Assist. Now, I don't know whether or rejoice or to complain so I'm going to do both.
It works great and anyone who, for whatever reason, has a problem lifting weight should have one of these installed. It performs exactly as advertised. It truely makes the task of putting the Shopsmith into the drill press mode much, much easier. The young folks who read this probably won't appreciate this now but someday they will.
Shopsmith is to be commended; this truely improves the useability of the Shopsmith. Without the lift assist, putting the machine in and out of the drill press mode was a limiting factor for some users. PROBLEM SOLVED.
Now for the down side.
I usually attempt to follow instructions very closely; this time I wish I had not.
In a supplement to the instructions, we are told to loosen the set screws that secure the Way Tubes into the Way Tube Tie Bar and into the Base Arm.
We are then told to 'wiggle each way tube' to seat them into their respective holes and retighten the set screws. Seems simple enough and I did that. I even have a torque wrench calibarated in inch pounds to use to reset the allen screws. Now, how many Shopsmith users have a torque wrench laying around their wood shop?
But, I obviously didn't do something right.
Now, when I lower the machine into the horizontal position, the Headrest Lock is not centered on the Lock Shaft. I have to pull it into postion. There seems to be some torque on the way tubes 'twisting' them out of position. This was not the case before I did the installation.
Upon strict examination, I discovered that one way tube is no longer seated properly in its respective hole. I loosened the set screws in the Way Tube Tie Bar and attempted to reposition the Tie Bar properly but I can not. It springs right back into the incorrect position. When I originally loosened them there was NO torqueing pressure at all. Something is being twisted.
Unfortunately, I didn't notice this until after the installation of the Lift Assist was complete.
The installation instructions very clearly states that the Upper Lift Assist Assembly and the Lower Lift Assist Assembly should be firmly against the Base Arm and the Base Casting, respectively and that all mounting screws should be finger tight.
Then you are insructed to change this position as required to commensate for the length of the gas cyclinder; moving one one way if more separation is required or the other if less separation is required.
Install the gas cyclinder and tighten all hardware.
Up to this point, there has been nothing done that should put anything in torque. What do I do now? I must resolve the out of seat way tube and I must realign the Headrest Lock. I suspect that both will be resolved by a single action.
Seems simple. Loosen all the hardware, let everything seek its natural position and retighten. Didn't work.
Gas cylinder needs to be removed. Think I need to do this with the Mark V in the vertical position but the instructions don't say so. IMO the instruction sheet needs a WARNING. If the gas cylinder is removed from the ball joints in the horizontal position something unwanted is going to happen. I learned this the hard way with a screen door closer.
What has placed the Way Tube in torque? How do I resolve that? Does it need to be resolved?
One last rant. The quality of the photos in this set of instruction sheets is extremely poor. So poor that they might as well not have been there. Why did I notice this? Because I have to remove the gas cyclinder from the ball joints and the instructions on how to do that are pictorial. I can't see anything in the photo clear enough to determine how to pry them off.
No fear, given a big screw driver and a hammer I'll get them off.
___________________
Making Sawdust Safely
It works great and anyone who, for whatever reason, has a problem lifting weight should have one of these installed. It performs exactly as advertised. It truely makes the task of putting the Shopsmith into the drill press mode much, much easier. The young folks who read this probably won't appreciate this now but someday they will.
Shopsmith is to be commended; this truely improves the useability of the Shopsmith. Without the lift assist, putting the machine in and out of the drill press mode was a limiting factor for some users. PROBLEM SOLVED.
Now for the down side.
I usually attempt to follow instructions very closely; this time I wish I had not.
In a supplement to the instructions, we are told to loosen the set screws that secure the Way Tubes into the Way Tube Tie Bar and into the Base Arm.
We are then told to 'wiggle each way tube' to seat them into their respective holes and retighten the set screws. Seems simple enough and I did that. I even have a torque wrench calibarated in inch pounds to use to reset the allen screws. Now, how many Shopsmith users have a torque wrench laying around their wood shop?
But, I obviously didn't do something right.
Now, when I lower the machine into the horizontal position, the Headrest Lock is not centered on the Lock Shaft. I have to pull it into postion. There seems to be some torque on the way tubes 'twisting' them out of position. This was not the case before I did the installation.
Upon strict examination, I discovered that one way tube is no longer seated properly in its respective hole. I loosened the set screws in the Way Tube Tie Bar and attempted to reposition the Tie Bar properly but I can not. It springs right back into the incorrect position. When I originally loosened them there was NO torqueing pressure at all. Something is being twisted.
Unfortunately, I didn't notice this until after the installation of the Lift Assist was complete.
The installation instructions very clearly states that the Upper Lift Assist Assembly and the Lower Lift Assist Assembly should be firmly against the Base Arm and the Base Casting, respectively and that all mounting screws should be finger tight.
Then you are insructed to change this position as required to commensate for the length of the gas cyclinder; moving one one way if more separation is required or the other if less separation is required.
Install the gas cyclinder and tighten all hardware.
Up to this point, there has been nothing done that should put anything in torque. What do I do now? I must resolve the out of seat way tube and I must realign the Headrest Lock. I suspect that both will be resolved by a single action.
Seems simple. Loosen all the hardware, let everything seek its natural position and retighten. Didn't work.
Gas cylinder needs to be removed. Think I need to do this with the Mark V in the vertical position but the instructions don't say so. IMO the instruction sheet needs a WARNING. If the gas cylinder is removed from the ball joints in the horizontal position something unwanted is going to happen. I learned this the hard way with a screen door closer.
What has placed the Way Tube in torque? How do I resolve that? Does it need to be resolved?
One last rant. The quality of the photos in this set of instruction sheets is extremely poor. So poor that they might as well not have been there. Why did I notice this? Because I have to remove the gas cyclinder from the ball joints and the instructions on how to do that are pictorial. I can't see anything in the photo clear enough to determine how to pry them off.
No fear, given a big screw driver and a hammer I'll get them off.
___________________
Making Sawdust Safely