Shopsmith Forums

Hi: I've recently begun to break out my 520, and in particular the router table that I bought some years ago and never set up. It's the Mark V model:

http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/cata ... rtable.htm

What router fits this beast? My Craftsman router has a small insert with roughly a 2-3/16" bolt circle, while that on the table insert is roughly
3". A visit to a local tool store didn't yield any obvious candidates,
and the Shopsmith insert is smaller than the other router table standard.
Are any of you using this table? What router did you use? Am I missing
something here in the mounting procedure?

Thanks in advance.

From looking at the photo of the router table on the Shopsmith web site, it appears to use the same mounting plate (515496) as my old-style free-standing overarm pin router. You should be able to confirm that part number in your manual.

To make sure that we're using the same terminology, the router mounts to the rectangular "mounting plate", which in turn mounts into a recess in the table. To mount the router to the plate, you have to remove the OEM "baseplate" from the router, and replace it with the Shopsmith mounting plate. Then you can install an "insert" in the mounting plate to reduce the gap around the router bit.

As for router choices, my 515496 mounting plate has four different sets of mounting holes. One of those sets is a perfect fit for my Porter Cable PC690LR router with the 1001-T2 fixed base.

However, I'm using the PC690 for the overhead router, and mounting a big 15-Amp Triton TRA001 router undertable, as it has a built-in router-lift function. Shopsmith says that the maximum router base diameter is 6.5", but the Triton has a 7" diameter base. To make it fit, I will have to have to relieve the table ledge under the mounting plate to clear the router base -- 1/4" max on each side. Not a problem.

The Triton base-mounting screws don't fit any of the hole patterns on the 515496 mounting plate. To solve that problem, Shopsmith sells a blank mounting plate (515973) for about $18. With that one, you just drill mounting holes for your router wherever you need them. Or you may be able to add the required set of holes to the 515496 plate, without hitting any of the existing holes.