Shopsmith Forums

We made the trip up to Grant's pass, Oregon today and we purchased a Mark V that is in terrific condition. (Except it is going to need a new power cord) Chan (SWMBO) surprised me by whipping our her check book and making this a Valentine's /Anniversary present for me. Now I know furniture will be expected soon.
It came with the band saw and jig saw in deal and our 2000 Rav4 was loaded almost to capacity.
We locked the headstock and tipped the Mark V on its side onto some 2x6s that we took with us, (thanks for the suggestion fellas) removed the legs and packed the Rav.
It is the smooth gray finish with a serial # of 329031. If I'm correct this puts it at about a 1979 vintage.
Thanks to all the members of this forum for all the knowledge and help.
Now I'll be getting to know the ole fella between classes, studying, and remodeling our 1964 ranch style house.
I'll be seeing y'all around with plenty of stories and questions in the future.
Like when is the best time to buy a 520 upgrade.
Thanks again,
John and Chan

Hi Pinkie,
I was wondering how you made out. I am glad it went smoothly. As far as the 520 upgrade, I'm sure that many here will tell you that the sooner the better. I probably will not upgrade to a 520 due to a combination of my use of a 12" stand alone TS and my use of the Incra Ultimate Fence/Router System on my 510.

.............

the ole boy?

There is no need to upgrade unless you feel that an upgrade will give you functionality that you don't already have.

I really like the 520 rip fence and I believe it is more stable and accurate than the others but I see evidence on this forum that some really fine work can be done without the upgrade.

Hi, Congrats on your purchase - and congrats also to your wife!

I started with a 510 and still have not changed to 520,a decade later. The 510 offers me enough technology to allow me to make what I want. My thinking is, I'd rather spend the dough on things like the OPR, new router bits, more wood, maybe a Sand Flea, etc. It seems the machine stays in alignment very well, and for exactness - it gives just what I put into it!

I am not ruling out a 520. Maybe some day I will want one! That differs a lot from needing one.

BTW Pinkie,

We made the trip up to Grant's pass, Oregon today and we purchased a Mark V that is in terrific condition. (Except it is going to need a new power cord).......

That power cord; I would replace it with a 12ga cord if I were you.

[quote="a1gutterman"]BTW Pinkie,
That power cord]
Tim,funny you should mention that, as it had been "upgraded" to 12 ga but the outter insulating cover has seen better days.
I'm thinking the 520 upgrade will help me cut cabinets more accurately since I have a bum left arm and right shoulder. The extra suport and accuracy of the fence seem pretty attractive to me. Time will tell though.
I'm the MV's (Star Trek reference) third owner. The 2nd owner got it when he purchased his house from an 82 year old guy that had to move out because of health reasons.
Apparently the older fella built quite a few items on the SS. The fella we got it off of said he replaced the belts and did the maintenance recently still, I'm going to go throught it myself to get familiar with the machine before cutting some 2x12 poplar.
Is anyone else amazed by the quality of the paint on these machines? Sure it has chips and scratches but wouldn't anything built circa 1979?
I was going into high school in 79-80.
I'm just excited to have "the ole fella" home.
Dusty, I'll have to name the Mark V, but firing up "the ole fella" just seems to work for now.
I'll post pictures when I arrange the work area.

John:

I started with a 500 back in '83, and didn't upgrade to 510 until the about '94, so I have a lot of experience with the 500.

To start with, I hope you got a manual. If not get one first thing. I have also seen a lot of older machines that no longer had the upper and lower saw guards. These items are a must! I'm not sure if your vintage of a machine had the plastic upper saw guard, if not - get one.

The 500 has 50 inches of ripping capacity and thus you can saw 4'x8' sheets without having to go outside to rip your plywood on saw horses with a hand held circular saw. May guys who swear by their stand alone table saws have to do this, and they then have the nerve to criticize the Shopsmith as being "weak" in saw mode. Go figure! To facilitate cutting large sheets I made a five foot plywood extension with a lower lip that bolted to the fence. This improved my cutting accuracy. Another neat accessory was the front table extension (505626) which will add 7 inches to your crosscutting capacity. Fortunately a lot of 500 accessories sell on ebay for reasonable prices.

If you haven't already considered it, the dust collector will make your wife very happy, especially if you are operating in the basement or garage. Good luck.

pinkiewerewolf wrote:........It is the smooth gray finish with a serial # of 329031. If I'm correct this puts it at about a 1979 vintage........

Hi Pinkie,
I might be figuring wrong, but if that is the right serial number, it would be a 1956 model, not 1979. please see http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/serialnumber.htm
The 1979 models have 5 digits according to the chart. After I read 8iowa's post, where he is talking about a 500, I went back to check. Is yours indeed a 500, or has it been upgraded to a 510?

I am not trying to talk you out of the 520 upgrade, and the Pro-Fence for it looks beefy, but the Incra Fence that SS offers is very accurate, and if you buy the Incra Ultimate Fence/Router System, you will have a very large work table too. Rick Davis (TA instructor) highly recommended it to me.

So, if you have a 500 that has been upgraded to a 510, you may want to consider the Incra (you can order the Incra items for either a 510 or a 520). If you have a 500, maybe you will want to upgrade straight to a 520:D .

Whatever you decide, have fun with it:D .

Hey fellas, it did come with a manual and some other bookwork that I will have to go through.
Tim, you are correct...I have a real classic on my hands.
I reread the serial numbers on the machine and the list and the machine predates me by about 6 years. I'll be darned.
That would also explain the Magna labels and the 3/4 HP.
I'm even more "tickled" now as I was contemplating the thought of finding a 10 ER to begin with. (There was a sweet one advertised in the San Fran Craigslist).
I'm even more impressed with the machine's condition now.
Studying for classes is eating up my time right now but as soon as I get a hold on my math class I'll have to check the books out.
The ole fella might just have to keep that as his moniker now.