Proper Shopsmith Alignment

[dusty]

I would really like to hear just what everyone considers the characteristics of a properly aligned Shopsmith Table Saw and Drill Press. Not necessarily the precision factors. Just the characteristics - like miter track parallel to blade, etc.

[garys]

I take the old fashioned and simple approach to alignment. It it works great, cut wood with it and leave it alone. If not, tweak it a bit.
Time spent aligning is time lost getting the work done.

[everettdavis]

I wrote two documents in the post Large Format Drawings Illustrations and More that some have considered helpful.

My method to the Alignment Process

what Can A Single Crosscut Tell You

Are links on the main page folks can download.

That’s how I approach it. The Single Crosscut document can be a good indicator of how a Shopsmith one is considering is aligned. Take your own blade and arbor and a few pieces of stock. It can even help negotiate the price down if there’s a lot of work needed to get it cutting right. Obviously the machine has to run or you can’t do that, but it will give an existing owner valuable insight into condition beyond visual inspection.

Everett

[algale]

Saw mode: table miter slots aligned parallel to blade; fence parallel to miter slots; table stops properly set at 90 and 45 degrees; blade roughly centered in the table insert when the carriage is brought up against the rubber ring between the headstock and the carriage.

Drill press mode: table square in all directions to a straight bit mounted in the chuck.

[chapmanruss]

I do mine the same as algale. I start with drill press mode than go to table saw mode for alignments.

Drill press mode: table square in all directions to a straight bit mounted in the chuck.

Saw mode: table miter slots aligned parallel to blade; fence parallel to miter slots; table stops properly set at 90 and 45 degrees; blade roughly centered in the table insert when the carriage is brought up against the rubber ring or positioning stud for Model 10's and early Mark 5's between the headstock and the carriage.

I have done a lot more alignments on Model 10's than Mark series tools since I have restored more Model 10's but the idea is the same. I check from time to time for correct alignment still.

[DLB]

There is another question lurking here on how you align and what you consider aligned. My first Mark was a 25+ year old Greenie that came with no manual. I bought a new manual circa '83 (pre-500), and that is what I learned from and used for decades. The newer manuals use different tools and techniques, sometimes do not make the same adjustments. Throw in experience, forum, sawdust sessions, other online sources, better tools, and I'd bet we're not all talking about the same thing.

Great example: Al mentions DP mode table square in all directions to a bit mounted in a chuck. I believe he's referring to shimming the main table to the trunnions if needed, along with setting the 90 degree stops. '83 book makes that adjustment in horizontal mode using a sanding disc as a reference. I have an '01 book that makes the adjustment in DP mode using a bit, chuck, and combo square, but in one axis only (no shimming). Nick does it in a Sawdust Session with a drill chuck, special jig, and dial gauge IIRC. If there is one 'best practices' answer, is it the same for everyone? What is it?

To me, getting the main table right and then leaving it alone is key to everything else. So, to the excellent answers provided by others I would add (post 500 models) smooth operation of the tilt and correct operation of the tilt lock. These result from trunnion clearance, the outcome of the "$20 bill trick" from sawdust sessions, that deviates from any written version I've seen. This would be done the last time you tighten the trunnion bolts in whatever process you're following.

- David