Mark VII Belt Part # / Tension

steveogden · Post by **steveogden** » Fri Nov 13, 2009 3:12 am

Hi All, I'm excited to have gotten my first SS, a Mark VII. I've got a manual supposedly coming, but I'm eager to at least fire it up and tune it so I've got a couple questions...
A: What is the correct part # of the V-belt (as written on the belt)
If the answer is 501330 DF... then...
B: How in the heck are you supposed to get the belt on, and
C: Are the four machine screws in the bottom of the motor cover supposed to pull the motor snug to the cover? or is there some sort of tensioning system that might be missing on mine (like an alternator bracket?)

(It appears the previous owner had intentionally removed all but one of the screws, presumably to be able to use this belt which I suspect is short, this of course is problematic)

D: Lastly and leastly, I'm seeking Mark VII accessories, it seems SS isn't too keen on acknowledging it's own stepchild - Mark the VII, but is there a list and or sources of all existing and/or currently available/compatible accessories? I'm interested!

Thanks!

mikemarkvii · Post by **mikemarkvii** » Fri Nov 13, 2009 4:03 pm

congrats on joining the shopsmith world. the mark VII has both better and worse features than the 500 series. if you research this and other forums you can find the good, the bad, and the downright ugly
from the motor to the quill is the same, except the speed control is different from the 500. other than that everything is the same. uses the same belts, tension, quill etc. the on/off switch and the table/fence/carriage are different.
first thing i would do is a complete pm [preventive maintance] to clean, lube, and familiarize yourself with your new machine. you can find details elsewhere on the forum.
all spm's will fit the VII
good luck and happy shopsmithing
mike

mickyd · Post by **mickyd** » Fri Nov 13, 2009 6:35 pm

steveogden wrote:Hi All, I'm excited to have gotten my first SS, a Mark VII. I've got a manual supposedly coming, but I'm eager to at least fire it up and tune it so I've got a couple questions...
A: What is the correct part # of the V-belt (as written on the belt)
If the answer is 501330 DF... then...
B: How in the heck are you supposed to get the belt on, and
C: Are the four machine screws in the bottom of the motor cover supposed to pull the motor snug to the cover? or is there some sort of tensioning system that might be missing on mine (like an alternator bracket?)

(It appears the previous owner had intentionally removed all but one of the screws, presumably to be able to use this belt which I suspect is short, this of course is problematic)

D: Lastly and leastly, I'm seeking Mark VII accessories, it seems SS isn't too keen on acknowledging it's own stepchild - Mark the VII, but is there a list and or sources of all existing and/or currently available/compatible accessories? I'm interested!

Thanks!

Welcome Steve Ogden from who knows where.

Glad you found us. Not too many Mark VII owners here but surely enough to help you with your questions. I'm not one of them unfortunately but others will reply to your post shortly I'm sure.

Don't be afraid to update your user profile with where you are. We won't hunt you down, we promise.

Good luck and hope you enjoy the forum.

robinson46176 · Post by **robinson46176** » Fri Nov 13, 2009 6:48 pm

Pay extra close attention to the thrust bearing thingy that the speed control cam presses against. All else is easily fixable except the rack gears on the upper front way tube. Even if the rack gear is gone (typical) the headstock just functions like a Mark V and you ignore the crank.
The speed control cam melts easily and I suspect they also become brittle. Someone, I believe in CA, was having them cast in aluminum but I assume that they are now all gone. I have never found any. There are several possibilities as far as fabricating one from metal or even making a different design of speed control. I have never compared any of mine to the Mark V pork-chop control to see if it could be converted to that system. I'm sure it could be done but I have no idea of level of difficulty.
-
About anything can be done, the impossible just takes longer.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Fri Nov 13, 2009 9:39 pm

robinson46176 wrote:Pay extra close attention to the thrust bearing thingy that the speed control cam presses against. All else is easily fixable except the rack gears on the upper front way tube. Even if the rack gear is gone (typical) the headstock just functions like a Mark V and you ignore the crank.
The speed control cam melts easily and I suspect they also become brittle. Someone, I believe in CA, was having them cast in aluminum but I assume that they are now all gone. I have never found any. There are several possibilities as far as fabricating one from metal or even making a different design of speed control. I have never compared any of mine to the Mark V pork-chop control to see if it could be converted to that system. I'm sure it could be done but I have no idea of level of difficulty.
-
About anything can be done, the impossible just takes longer.

Realize that the current manufacturer "Shopsmith, inc." is NOT the parent of the Mark VII! That distinction belongs to its predecessor Magna American Manufacturing. MA stopped all production in the late 1960's

Shopsmith Inc. was founded in the early 1970's and resumed production of the Mark 5 and referred to them as Mark Vs.

http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/toolhistory.htm

http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/history.htm

Shopsmith still supports the Mark 5/V with replacement for most parts. Since some Mark VII parts are the same, those are available. Unique Mark VII parts are not. Neither are unique parts for other earlier models of the Mark 5(The gilmer drive parts are an exception and are still availavble) nor the Model 10(s) and sawsmith etc.

Pay close attention to the speed control cam and the follower that has a tendency to get too hot and MELT the plastic cam. They are NOT available from SS Inc. and are extremely scarce(consider yourself fortunate if yours is functional(speed cam).

The Mark VII is somewhat of a 'stepchild' but then it is over 40 years old! How many 40 yr old tools have ANY replacement parts available?

If you do not know about the 'Power Pro' headstock about to be produced, ask and It shall be supplied. It appears to be a Mark VII owners salvation .

The Mark V procedure below should be helpful/enlightening. Keep in mind there are differences and be aware of them. The Motor sheave details are quite relevant to your initial question. Be careful! The motor sheave tension spring is strong and quite capable of pinching things. Make sure it IS free to move. The outside half of the pulley should move in and out freely(albiet under tension of the spring).

http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/prod ... cement.pdf

Good Luck!

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Sat Nov 14, 2009 7:02 am

Is the speed control cam a complex part?

Could it be fabricated locally?

Has someone with a quality speed control collected the details required to manufacture one. If so, it would probably be appreciated if they would post it.

Along with pictures.

Are there any theories for why it was plastic?

mickyd · Post by **mickyd** » Sat Nov 14, 2009 9:02 am

I've heard so much about this speed control component since I joined the forum in Feb yet I've never seen it. As dusty asked, anyone have photos? If so, please post.

With absolutely no knowledge of the part, my theory would have to be plastic equals inexpensive.

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Sat Nov 14, 2009 9:40 am

mickyd wrote:I've heard so much about this speed control component since I joined the forum in Feb yet I've never seen it. As dusty asked, anyone have photos? If so, please post.

With absolutely no knowledge of the part, my theory would have to be plastic equals inexpensive.

and short lived!

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Sat Nov 14, 2009 12:55 pm

dusty wrote:and short lived!

AIUI the plastic composition of the cam is not the 'entire story'. The bearing against which it 'pushes'(similar to the porkchop pushing) gets hot(perhaps to poor lubrication) and causes the cam to melt.

It has always been a surprise to me that the direct connection(no mechanical advantage) from the knob to that cam makes for easy turning of the knob.

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[ATTACH]6557[/ATTACH]

mickyd · Post by **mickyd** » Sat Nov 14, 2009 2:34 pm

JPG40504 wrote:AIUI the plastic composition of the cam is not the 'entire story'. The bearing against which it 'pushes'(similar to the porkchop pushing) gets hot(perhaps to poor lubrication) and causes the cam to melt.

Why couldn't one duplicate and replace with plastic cam with a wooden version with shim stock on the contact surface?