520 upgrade or?

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Ed in Tampa
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Re: 520 upgrade or?

Post by Ed in Tampa »

AEA wrote: Fri Jun 18, 2021 11:22 am The 510 is a good system. I really can't figure out the statement Ed from Tampa keeps making. His opinions and experience are certainly not mine or many others.I have both a 510 and now have a 520 also. The 510 is just as accurate and reliable. It's smaller but in using it it's just as reliable. The 520 I have a bit more confidence in when I'm wrestling full sheets of 3/4" plywood against it, but that's about it. I don't have to measure each end or anything like that. I spent the time to set both up. The 520 is easier to set up initially but once I got the 510 set up it hasn't changed and it's been several years since I set it up. I had a stand alone table saw and gave it to my brother because I would rather use the space for my extra Shopsmith.
Get the 510, learn how to use it, see the setup procedure from the Mr. Tool Hunter (now My Growth Rings) and don't listen to the negative nonsense.
Model 510 and model 520 are the same size!
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Ed in Tampa
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Re: 520 upgrade or?

Post by Ed in Tampa »

Ed in Tampa wrote: Fri Jun 18, 2021 5:41 pm
AEA wrote: Fri Jun 18, 2021 11:22 am The 510 is a good system. I really can't figure out the statement Ed from Tampa keeps making. His opinions and experience are certainly not mine or many others.I have both a 510 and now have a 520 also. The 510 is just as accurate and reliable. It's smaller but in using it it's just as reliable. The 520 I have a bit more confidence in when I'm wrestling full sheets of 3/4" plywood against it, but that's about it. I don't have to measure each end or anything like that. I spent the time to set both up. The 520 is easier to set up initially but once I got the 510 set up it hasn't changed and it's been several years since I set it up. I had a stand alone table saw and gave it to my brother because I would rather use the space for my extra Shopsmith.
Get the 510, learn how to use it, see the setup procedure from the Mr. Tool Hunter (now My Growth Rings) and don't listen to the negative nonsense.
Model 510 and model 520 are the same size! The only difference between the two are the fence rails and how they lock to the fence tubes and the fence itself. Frankly in my opinion the 510 fence had a superior locking method to the 520 fence. Not as fast since you had to twist the lock and flip a lever versus two levers but I think I could position it better.
lew
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Re: 520 upgrade or?

Post by lew »

A lot of good information all around. Thank you!
I got excited for a moment when I received the shopsmith email and saw they're having a sale on the upgrade, but factoring in shipping and Lowes is still cheaper.

Ed in Tampa, Is there anything I should visibly look out for if shopping for a 510 or is it one of those things that doesn't show up until you go to use it?

Ed from RI, I saw your heads up post about the 510 for $300, I thought about it as well (I'm in MA) but was in the hunkered down phase.
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dusty
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Re: 520 upgrade or?

Post by dusty »

RFGuy wrote: Fri Jun 18, 2021 12:31 pm It isn't just Ed that doesn't care for the 510 table system. I have commented on it in the past. Often the assumption on this forum is that if anyone complains about the 510 then they just don't know how to setup or align it and that may well be true for some Shopsmith owners. It has been too many years since I switched from 510->520 now so I can't say for sure that my issues with 510 setup weren't user error on my part. My own perception has been that the setup and use of the 520 table & fence system has been more trouble free for me than when I used my 510 system. Also, I like the extra heft (weight) of the 520 fence and believe it is easier to dial in a width for cutting whereas my 510 fence I could just look at and it would move. I do wonder though if the differing experiences are due to the actual equipment rather than user error. We know that there have been quite a few manufacturing changes over the years on different Shopsmith parts, as one would expect for a product in manufacture for so long. In addition there is manufacturing variability and sometimes Shopsmith even recalls new parts that get shipped in error because of supplier issues. So, I wonder if my 510 fence was persnickety simply because of a manufacturing issue with the one I received, but those who never had these issues have parts that are manufactured better. Just a thought.
What is different about the 510 with respect to the 520?

The rails and the rip fence.

Locking the 510 rip fence was an issue until I learned (years ago) to push the fence tight against the rail before I locked it. This squared the fence and maybe allowed it to lock more securely. I still do that even when using the 520.

Now installing dual tilt is a different discussion. That made for significant changes in overall stability of the way tubes and carriage and table.
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AEA
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Re: 520 upgrade or?

Post by AEA »

Ed in Tampa wrote:
Model 510 and model 520 are the same size! The only difference between the two are the fence rails and how they lock to the fence tubes and the fence itself. Frankly in my opinion the 510 fence had a superior locking method to the 520 fence. Not as fast since you had to twist the lock and flip a lever versus two levers but I think I could position it better.

They are the same size in area but not thickness for storage. I now hang the tables on a French cleat wall when they are not in use, I've had to make my j brackets much deeper. The 510 tables are about 1.5 inches thick and lay flat against each other. The 520 rails and nobs take up right at 4.5 inches. I used to store my tables on a shelf and they took up a lot of room. That's what I listed as a negative for the 520 system, but In function I like the the nobs on the bottom better than the wheels in between the table and tubes on the 510.
AEA
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Re: 520 upgrade or?

Post by AEA »

Ed in Tampa,
I'm assuming you thought I was implying the tables were smaller and not just the 510 fence?
Hobbyman2
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Re: 520 upgrade or?

Post by Hobbyman2 »

If I had it to do over I would have held out for the 520 table , if nothing else the fence looks better . do not discard the 500 table and carriage they are very use full .they make good extra tables , fence and supports , folks here have made router tables from them ,you will find other use full ideas . JMO
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tiwariishu887
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Re: 520 upgrade or?

Post by tiwariishu887 »

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