Shopsmith Mark 2 - the good, the bad and the ugly

[dlbristol]

Thanks for the link Ron! I have no idea what the writer was talking about, but it was pure fiction in my opinion! There is nothing other than a few superficial similarities to a Mark 5. I was curious about the Mark 2, and I now have it in my shop. The guy was glad to get rid of it, total cost $0. There is a jacobs chuck on it that I may keep. The motor, which I thought was a transplant is a Wards motor, so maybe not. It works, but I am leery of the cord, so I did not run it very long. The pulleys on top an bottom appear to be genuine. Trunion and table work, carriages and pivots seem to work. Way tubes are ok, need to be cleaned up a bit, head stock and Quill appear to be ok. Most of what is there seems to be " functional". My questions: 1. Has anyone been able to make something useful out of a Mark 2 that would make keeping it worth while? ( I can't see any thing I want to mess with)
2. Does anyone know if there is a market for parts?
I could part it out and just see, or just scrap it out. I figure the chuck and the motor are probably a fair return on my investment!:)

[JPG]

Thanks for the link Ron! I have no idea what the writer was talking about, but it was pure fiction in my opinion! There is nothing other than a few superficial similarities to a Mark 5. I was curious about the Mark 2, and I now have it in my shop. The guy was glad to get rid of it, total cost $0. There is a jacobs chuck on it that I may keep. The motor, which I thought was a transplant is a Wards motor, so maybe not. It works, but I am leery of the cord, so I did not run it very long. The pulleys on top an bottom appear to be genuine. Trunion and table work, carriages and pivots seem to work. Way tubes are ok, need to be cleaned up a bit, head stock and Quill appear to be ok. Most of what is there seems to be " functional". My questions: 1. Has anyone been able to make something useful out of a Mark 2 that would make keeping it worth while? ( I can't see any thing I want to mess with)
2. Does anyone know if there is a market for parts?
I could part it out and just see, or just scrap it out. I figure the chuck and the motor are probably a fair return on my investment!:)

It is 'kinda' like a cross between a M5(with no speed control) and a 10ER(without cast iron). I think it would make a 'tolerable' drill press.

I do not think it came with a motor, so a wards motor makes sense.

[dlbristol]

Ok! the Wards motor begins to be less of a surprise. I thought about the drill press idea, but the quill stroke is pretty short. May be not an issue for most of what I do. Thanks for the info.

[JPG]

Ok! the Wards motor begins to be less of a surprise. I thought about the drill press idea, but the quill stroke is pretty short. May be not an issue for most of what I do. Thanks for the info.

What is the quill feed range?

[dlbristol]

I don't know exactly, but I doubt it is much more than 3 inches. 3.5 at the most. It looks just like a M5 quill, at least on the surface. I haven't looked into the inside much. Maybe there is a problem inside. I was thinking it might be a base for a router table. The adjustment on the table looks to me like a real tough thing to do with any accuracy.

[JPG]

I don't know exactly, but I doubt it is much more than 3 inches. 3.5 at the most. It looks just like a M5 quill, at least on the surface. I haven't looked into the inside much. Maybe there is a problem inside. I was thinking it might be a base for a router table. The adjustment on the table looks to me like a real tough thing to do with any accuracy.

Return spring a likely culprit!

[dlbristol]

You are probably right, I know nothing about this machine, so I just assumed that was normal. I will look at it next week. I am going to Ft Lewis Washington for the 2nd Ranger Battalion KIA memorial on the 7th.

[dusty]

The Mark II was not manufactured by Shopsmith, Inc but who did the manufacturing. Does anyone know. Was the Mark II a knock off or was it done with the blessings of Shopsmith. If a knock off, could there have been trademark and/or copyright issues with the Mark II.

[pennview]

The Mark II was simply manufactured before there was a "Shopsmith, Inc.," before Folkreth bought the rights to Shopsmith. I don't think the statement "not made by Shopsmith" is any different than saying Shopsmith didn't make the original Mark VII and the 10e/10er which were made by Magna, etc.

[robinson46176]

When I first saw that crank belt tension on the Mark II I wondered how it might work with a single motor mounted variable speed pulley. I have a motor I took off of some tool or the other (I forget) that has a pulley like the one in the picture. The speed is changed by changing the belt tension in relation to the pressure of the internal spring. Obviously not the speed range of the SS system but maybe a major improvement on a Mark II at least allowing adjusting each step to a possible "sweet spot".

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