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New owner, want to restore

Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2020 10:57 am
by ghouliegirl
Hi there! I'm so excited to find this forum. I have a new-to-me 1981 Mark V that has been sitting for some time. Got it for a song, so what the heck.

I'd like to restore it, but I don't really know where to begin. I'm hoping y'all can give me a little hand holding to get this figured out. I've never taken on a project like this!

So, what should I tackle first?

Re: New owner, want to restore

Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2020 11:24 am
by edma194
Ok, do you have a manual? Have you turned it on?

You need to familiarize yourself with the basic operations. Without turning it on check that the headstock can slide and lock on the rail, check the quill feed, depth control and lock, check that you can tilt up into drill press mode. While you're at it make sure the casters work properly. You also want to make sure the table and carriage will slide and lock, and the table height and lock mechanisms work.

I assume you turned it on before purchase and know that the motor runs but this is where things can get complicated. You'll see a number of threads on the forum where used machines have problems with the speed changing mechanism. I had that problem on my first Shopsmith, a 1954 Greenie.

What I do at this point is mount the big sanding disk and turn the drive shaft by hand while seeing if the speed dial will turn. If it's not down at the slowest speed you need to get it there, and remember to return it to the slowest speed after each use. But always keep the drive shaft moving while doing that. If it seems frozen or sticky at all then hold up, don't force anything.

If the speed dial mechanism has any problems I'd suggest stopping at this point to do some disassembly and cleaning. You'll want to do that soon anyway, but certainly hold off if there are any problems.

I'm sure others will chime in with advice, wait for everyone to offer what advice they have and choose what to do based on your circumstances.

Also, you may be past the point of turning it on already, previous owners like to turn it on to show you it works, sometimes making existing problems worse. But if it runs already, at least get the speed dial down to the lowest speed and look into cleaning and lubing before continuing.

Re: New owner, want to restore

Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2020 12:01 pm
by JPG

Re: New owner, want to restore

Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2020 3:02 pm
by chapmanruss
You have received a lot of good information already. Follow those do's and especially don'ts. If you have a manual for it READ IT. If you do not have a manual for your Shopsmith I really advise getting a copy. Some versions are available online for free. A summary manual is available at the link below.

https://www.shopsmith.com/getting_start ... Manual.pdf

Don't waste your money buying copies on ebay since they are mostly the same ones that can be found for free. Another good source for information is here on the forum. Check under the Maintenance and Repair section for Shopsmith Large Format Drawings, Illustrations and More by Everett Davis. This will be one of the first three topics. In it you will find a wealth of information on the Shopsmith tools. Some are directly linked there and others are on “My Google Drive” with documents too large to be directly linked. Everett has become the Shopsmith historian by saving and restoring manuals and other documents.

We can help you with restoring it. Any questions, just ask.

Re: New owner, want to restore

Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2020 5:11 pm
by Spooner
And pictures!!! Lots and lots of Pictures!!! Before after and during!!! Pictures pictures pictures!!!

Re: New owner, want to restore

Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2020 8:13 am
by ghouliegirl
Y'all are awesome! I'm doing some reading and checking out past posts.

Thank you! I'll post updates as they occur.

Re: New owner, want to restore

Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2020 1:43 pm
by chapmanruss
If your restoration includes painting parts than the Paint from here on the Shopsmith site in the catalog at the following link is a good but a bit spendy choice.

https://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/cat ... ppaint.htm

Gray P/N 505706 is a perfect type and color match to the gray paint on your 1981 Mark V if the paint hasn't faded over the years. With it you can make your Mark V look like new. Your other option is to pick a color of paint or paints and make it truly your own.

Unless your Mark V has been upgraded it has the original Table System later known as the Mark V 500 starting in 1985 and the single bearing Quill. If you have any problems with the Quill or table parts you will have to decide if you want to upgrade or replace parts some of which are only available used. Shopsmith no longer makes replacement parts for the original/500 table system and few if any are left in stock. If the Quill bearing needs replacement they are usually found at a bearing supply location locally.

Re: New owner, want to restore

Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2020 2:33 pm
by ghouliegirl
Starting small.

Could anyone tell me how I would get the rust off of these? Steel brush?

Re: New owner, want to restore

Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2020 4:06 pm
by Spooner
Well ghouliegirl you could replace them with new ones.

https://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/cat ... r_hubs.htm

They are not overly expensive. Or even used ones off of eBay. However if you're wishing to keep as much of you Mark V as original as possible I'd recommend removing them and cleaning them individually. Maybe use some rust dissolver gel like this.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007 ... UTF8&psc=1

Brush it on with a bush, let it sit then wipe it off.

I think a wire brush could misinform them to a degree so I'd use a softer approach.

Guys if i'm wrong chime in.

Re: New owner, want to restore

Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2020 4:08 pm
by edma194
Take them off the spindles. They're each attached with your 5/32" set screws. A 5/32" allen wrench is your Shopsmith toolbox. Then soak them in Evapo-Rust. Definitely the best way to remove rust for small items.