A question for 60's Mark VII owners

[sheldonp]

I've used a 1957 Mark V in my guitar shop for a few years now and absolutely love it. While looking for accessories the other day I found and acquired an extremely well maintained Mark VII.

IMG_4323.JPG (104.76 KiB) Viewed 2634 times

My question pertains to the built in dust collection system. The previous owner (whose father was the original owner) said he never used the dust collector, nor did he ever see his father hook it up. They both used the dust cabinet for tool storage. Everything is still there and operational, but it really doesn't seem to do all that great of a job. I already have a dust collection system worked out for my Mark V that works perfectly on the VII.

Cutting to the chase, is there a noticeable increase in power (and/or decrease in noise) when removing the impeller, or should I just leave it in place like it has been for the last 50+ years?

Thanks in advance for your input!

[everettdavis]

When JPG posts an answer to this..... treat it as gospel.

He is arguably the Mark VII Guru.

In the mean time, check out the Google Drive link where I posted a restored Mark VII manual with JPG's patient and kind help.

It is about halfway down the page on this post http://www.shopsmith.com/ss_forum/viewt ... 90#p185690

You may find some other useful links there as well.

There is also an old thread that was revived recently. On February 6th JPG posts some really sage advice about the speed cam lubrication etc. valuable to any Mark VII owner. http://www.shopsmith.com/ss_forum/viewt ... 009#p61009


Everett

[sheldonp]

Thanks for the links, Everett. I actually found your restored manual online the night I brought the machine home. Outstanding work and a million thanks!

[JPG]

That 'sage' lubrication advice originated with Bill Mayo, not me!

That looks like it is in very good condition. Critical things likely to fail/be(come) inoperative in addition to the nylon cam are the nylon gear rack on the front way tube and the power switch.

You are 'fortunate' to have the blower and housing(they are often missing).

As for increased 'power' by removing the blower, I simply do not know, but doubt it would be worth it.

Sound levelwise I do not think the blower adds significant additional noise.

I intend to use mine as a 'pre' collector for the DC. That provides a place to mount the input hose close to the area it is needed and a connection for the DC input hose.

Interesting mod to the dust bag cover and unique caster setup. I hope you got the combination aux table/main table extender.

B4 you ask, most of the Mark 5 stuff will work on the Mark VII. An exception is the shaper fence(a unique version that mounts through holes in the main table - very different from the current Mark V version dimensionally, but a similar design). They appear occasionally on E-bay and since the Mark VII allows 'below table shaper cutter mounting', I think you would find that acquiring one would be very useful when 'luthering'.

[sheldonp]

Thank you for the reply and tips, JPG. I was skeptical of the impeller having much impact on power. I'll probably just leave well enough alone.

It has been lubricated to the letter per the above mentioned guidelines. This forum is a wealth of information and I tried to do as much research as possible before I did anything to the machine.

I really am amazed at how well kept the machine is. The cam and gear rack are both in very nice shape with no cracks, warping, discoloration or worn areas. The switch plate has no corrosion or cracks and all three push buttons still have a very positive "tight" feel to them. The keys/lock are in great shape as well. That is a Goldie caster set that the PO built a wooden mounting system for. It's really solid and works OK, but it doesn't really function properly, plus it's ugly. Assuming there are any to be found, I'd like to eventually put the proper caster set on it.

I did get the aux/extender table and bought a second one from ebay today. It never hurts to have extra aux tables! The shaper fence was MIA, but I'll be trying to find a serviceable one. I have all kinds of tasks in mind for the undertable function.

Thanks again for the advice on the vac and the tips. This forum is great!

[JPG]

The shaper fence was not a standard accessory so it really is not 'missing'.

They do appear on E-bay, but few and far between. Realize the sellers do not always know what goes with what, so you must 'look' at the pictures.

Have you seen this? http://www.shopsmith.com/ss_forum/viewt ... 19#p135519