The Purloined Shopsmith

[Masonsailor 2,249]

I thought I would move this one over here. So I came home from a trip to find one of my SS's missing. It was the Power Pro that I have used for years as my lathe. It was a misguided attempt by my wife and son to get me a new lathe for Xmas and give my son a second SS. He is a pretty serious woodworker in his own right and has wanted a Power Pro for a long time. He did pay for half the new lathe for which he could have easily purchased a PP upgrade. A new lathe in my shop would require that I get rid of one SS no matter what due to spatial restrictions and the sentiment was very nice. I would have given him one of the SS to make room anyway, just not the PP. My son makes a ton of money and can easily afford to buy whatever he wants in the way of tools so economics is not an issue. Anyway yesterday turned into a very emotional time but we got it all settled. We will swap out headstocks so I get my PP back, along with all my accessories. He also took my nova chuck and heavy duty tool rest. The rationale was that the new lathe is coming with a new chuck and therefore I would not need the Nova. In the words of Captain Ron : GET YOUR darn BEER MATE. So as of last night he gets a regular headstock and his wife is getting him a PP upgrade for Xmas and I get my stuff back and he can keep the SS. They both meant well so I am not angry anymore but it was a little weird. The flip side of all this is they both know the history here. I have been turning on a SS all my life. My father had an old greenie that I turned on as a boy and I have been turning on one ever since. I have had a larger lathe in the past ( Powermatic) and was impressed with everything but the floor to spindle height which is way higher than the SS. It always felt awkward as I am used to leaning down on the chisel with my weight and did not feel I had the control I have with the SS. In all fairness I didn't give it very long time for adjustment before I went back to the SS. This was right about the time then PP came out and I also found a universal tool rest for sale which along with hanging a 400lb tool chest from the tubes changed the SS to a much better lathe. The only limitation was the swing over bed distance which is limits the size turning to about 13". This is where the current motive for my wife comes into play. She for the most part designs the house and I build it. We have done this for 40 years. She periodically comes up with a need for me to turn an object much larger than 13" in diameter which is the current case, and to her seemed logical to buy us a bigger lathe. The new lathe has 24" capability so it will give her more options. Always an interesting journey when she has more options.

Paul 

[Gunny 56,563]

Good to hear things got worked out.  It would be very rare for me to get rid of a piece of working equipment.  Recently acquired a 12 inch benchtop Drill press to add to the family.  Still have my original 8 inch Delta and of course the floor model 17 inch JET.

 

[Larry Buskirk 14,840]

Well I guess that leaves out a "Stealth Retrieval". 

[John Morris 22,497]

17 minutes ago, Larry Buskirk said:

Well I guess that leaves out a "Stealth Retrieval". 

Larry, what would a Patriot Woodworker Stealth Retrieval Vehicle look like?

[HandyDan 92,829]

[John Morris 22,497]

@HandyDan, there it is!

[HandyDan 92,829]

Glad to hear it's all worked out.  Can't blame you for being upset.  They had their hearts in the right place but you should have been the one to decide the fate of your tools.  I get it.

[Larry Buskirk 14,840]

42 minutes ago, John Morris said:

Larry, what would a Patriot Woodworker Stealth Retrieval Vehicle look like?

 If it's from my area. 

IIRC another of HandyDan's photos.

[JimM 2,559]

3 hours ago, HandyDan said:

Well, at least it's inconspicuous! 

[Gunny 56,563]

Stealth is great and sometimes that works best.  But occasionally I just need to drive the point home and overkill is the order of the day.

 

Show up in this and nobody really wants to argue about who the lathe belongs to......

 

 

[Masonsailor 2,249]

I gotta say I prefer Gunny's method the best. A tank has a certain style to it. It makes a statement as to your intentions 

[Larry Buskirk 14,840]

1 hour ago, Masonsailor said:

I gotta say I prefer Gunny's method the best. A tank has a certain style to it. It makes a statement as to your intentions 

But first you send in these to get their attention.

 

[Artie 9,571]

WARTHOGS!

[Gunny 56,563]

1 hour ago, Masonsailor said:

It makes a statement as to your intentions 

 

Also proper clothing for the occasion.  Meet the Purple Brothers.  The runt will shoot you, the tall one wants to bend you into a pretzel.  Where one is the other is close by so be warned.  

 

[Fred W. Hargis Jr 11,020]

That purple is catchy and stylish, I'd imagine the enemy sees you they would be laughing so hard they couldn't shoot.

[Larry Buskirk 14,840]

1 hour ago, Fred W. Hargis Jr said:

That purple is catchy and stylish, I'd imagine the enemy sees you they would be laughing so hard they couldn't shoot.

Probably stuns them just long enough they don't get a chance to shoot. 

[Larry Buskirk 14,840]

13 hours ago, Artie said:

WARTHOGS!

Double the pleasure, double the fun! 

[Gunny 56,563]

1 hour ago, Larry Buskirk said:

Probably stuns them just long enough they don't get a chance to shoot. 

 

Shock and awe.

[Fred W. Hargis Jr 11,020]

Did you mean shock and awe-full? Oh, wait...you were talking about the planes.

Edited November 23, 2020 by Fred W. Hargis Jr

[Masonsailor 2,249]

Well yesterday was pretty interesting. The new lathe arrived via an 18 wheeler which presented a problem getting it backed up to the driveway to use his lift gate but he managed to back it all the way down the street and get the lift gate on the driveway. Then when he goes to bring it to the rear of the truck on the pallet jack it looked a little odd. As it gets to the rear of the truck it’s obvious that things are not right. Somewhere along the way it had fallen some distance. The crate was shattered, it was laying on its side on another pallet with the lathe exposed and mangled. So I refused the shipment per Grizzly’s instructions and they drove off. The bizarre part is that they continued to ship it after such damage. I will be having words with the trucking company today. Now the issue will be how long it will take for Grizzly to get me another one. On a brighter note thanks to the tip from Lew the piece of ebony arrived from Cook Woods. 
Paul