Older Mark V

[8iowa]

Jphn:

Last year I purchased a 510, upgraded to 520, from a local widow. Included were a bandsaw, jointer, belt sander and jigsaw. There was some rust and neglect, probably due to the owner's illness, but with some naval jelly and elbow grease everything cleaned up pretty good. I took the headstock down to Bill Mayo to have the belts replaced and a general check-up.

This is now my additional machine in my shop in the U.P., giving me two operational 520's. My inspiration for the work flow in my shop came from attending a Shopsmith class in Dayton (back in the good old days). In this classroom, they had two 520's with different set-ups, one as a saw, with the Incra 5000 sled, and the jointer mounted on the side. The other 520 had the router table set up for doing raised panals. The Pro Planer was of course on it's own stand and the bandsaw was mounted on a Shopsmith power station.

I was impressed with this work flow, so in my U.P. shop I now have my bandsaw on a power station, and have mounted my planer on it's own separate power stand. This past Summer I used the "added" 520 in saw mode, with the jointer also mounted, and used my original 520 for dadoing, drilling, and biscuit jointing. I have since purchased a lift assist for the additional 520 to make it easier to use in vertical mode. Storage has been a problem, so I made a SPT storage staion per Shopsmith plans, and a long two shelf, paneled door floor cabinet, with an 8'x2' top that also provides a large work surface. I have almost all of the advantages of a larger shop with stand alone tools, plus the versitility of the Shopsmith system. Another advantage is when I have a family member in my shop working on his project, I can also continue with my work.

My shop here in Gainesville is basically 1/2 of a two car garage and is still a project in process. I will only be able to accomodate my original '83 MK5 (upgraded to 520). However I have added a Pro Planer and a power station, which is still in the box. I also plan to add a scroll saw. I hope to almost duplicate the work flow of my "workshop in the woods". Fortunately, my son and son-in-law, who live near-by, now have their own Shopsmiths, so I don't have to accomodate an additional worker in my garage.

[dusty]

I feel like I might be redirecting this thread (again) but here goes.

8iowa,

It seems to me as though you have, in fact, established a standalone work configuration in both of your shops. How often do you find yourself in the process of reconfiguring - seldom it seems?

This is the beauty of the Mark V. When one does not have the space to accommodate all of the standalones, the Mark V is used as a 5 in 1. With a router table in the configuration it is actually a 6 -1 (footprint wise).

Then as space limitations diminish, the individual power sources can be added to gain versatility.

I now have the ability to operate simultaneously the Mark V, power planer, band saw, belt sander, scroll saw. On the Mark V, I typically have the jointer, router table and table saw established.

Reconfiguration becomes a necessity only if I need to use the drill press, change depth of cut or do horizontal boring. Thus the need for advance planning which I am NOT very good at.

I love what my Shopsmith has done for me. I have a 20x20 shop that affords me the conveniences of 40x40 (or bigger) standalone shop and I don't feel that I have sacrificed anything in the way of precision.

What I don't have is space for raw wood storage or finishing and probably never will.

[Ed in Tampa]

...Storage has been a problem, so I made a SPT storage staion per Shopsmith plans, and a long two shelf, paneled door floor cabinet, with an 8'x2' top that also provides a large work surface...

8iowa
What plans for the SPT storage station are you referring too?
Could I have more info on the your floor cabinet. I have been redoing my shop and I'm constantly looking for idea to incorporate.
Thanks
Ed

[johnmccrossen]

Allsas, I used Rustoleum brand hammered gold and hammered bronze from Lowes. The gold is more yellow looking than original but that is the closest I could find. Maybe someone else might know of something closer.
I assume you are referring to the roll pin in the pivot shaft for rotating the machine to vertical. That is only a 1/8" diameter roll pin and is easy to bend or flair out on the end you are driving on if it sticks. I used a little larger pin punch to drive the roll pin flush with the pivot shaft, then used a 1/8" pin punch that I sanded down in a drill press a little bit so it wouldn't bind up in the hole and was able to get the pin out after spraying it with penetrant. If the roll pin is bent or damaged, then I don't know if a die grinder could be used. Again, advise from one of the full-time rebuilders could help you. Good luck. John McCrossen

[billmayo]

Excellant advice on the roll pin. You need a good set of non-China pin punches if you are going to be removing and inserting roll pins. I file a taper on one end of the roll pin to make inserting it easier. I have drilled out roll pins but they are very hard and may damage several drill bits before you are done. Use a lubicant and only drill for a very short period each time. Once I reach the pivot shaft, I switch back to the pin punch.

I find that roll pins, screws, set screws, nuts and bolts all rust on the Shopsmith making them difficult to remove some times. I find that using KROIL (http://kanolabs.com/) has made my life a whole lot easier. I spray almost everything with KROIL before I attempt to remove it. I have not broken or had damaged anything when removing it since I started using the KROIL about 2 years ago. They give a Money Back Guarantee that you will be happy using it. I have used a few cans of KROIL so I am totally happy with the results. No, I have no connection with them. It is just a really outstanding product that works for me.

Allsas, I assume you are referring to the roll pin in the pivot shaft for rotating the machine to vertical. That is only a 1/8" diameter roll pin and is easy to bend or flair out on the end you are driving on if it sticks. I used a little larger pin punch to drive the roll pin flush with the pivot shaft, then used a 1/8" pin punch that I sanded down in a drill press a little bit so it wouldn't bind up in the hole and was able to get the pin out after spraying it with penetrant. If the roll pin is bent or damaged, then I don't know if a die grinder could be used. Again, advise from one of the full-time rebuilders could help you. Good luck. John McCrossen

[8iowa]

Dusty:

I too apologize for taking this thread astray. I have found that if you have enough space, a second Shopsmith adds a lot of flexibility to your operations, although my original intention was to be able to accomodate another family member in the shop. With so many used MK5's out there finding a second machine is not that difficult or expensive.

My shop has about 600 sq. ft. of usable space. I believe that if one has about 400 sq. ft. available, a second machine makes a lot of sense.

Ed:

The SPT storage cabinet is actually one component of a complete Shopsmith workshop organization plan that I picked up a few years ago at the retail store in Dayton. I can't find any reference to these plans on their web site. Perhaps they discontinued this printing when they developed the storage station (555761). None-the-less, I have these plans up North. I'll be going up there next month, and I'll bring them back for you to borrow. I may even have a second set.

The workbench storage cabinet is my own design that has evolved through several years. It even includes my own unique 7-11 tool mounting system. I have made detailed sketches and have taken pictures. If you send me your email address in a PM I will send you pictures. I have a new digital camera and have not yet figured out how to reduce the resolution in order to post pictures on this site.

[dusty]

Dusty:

The SPT storage cabinet is actually one component of a complete Shopsmith workshop organization plan that I picked up a few years ago at the retail store in Dayton. I can't find any reference to these plans on their web site. Perhaps they discontinued this printing when they developed the storage station (555761). None-the-less, I have these plans up North. I'll be going up there next month, and I'll bring them back for you to borrow. I may even have a second set.

Hopefully this will help you decide how to store your SPT:

[ATTACH]2164[/ATTACH]

This is a four page foldout that provides a material list and assembly instructions. It does not have a part number.

[8iowa]

Dusty;

that's not what I have - but I like it.

[johnmccrossen]

Dusty, Thanks for sharing the accessory stand photo. I don't have the power station but have everything else shown plus some other older SS stuff (another jointer, compressor, and jig saw). I have been thinking about how I can modify or replace my original storage shelf and this gives me some ideas. Thanks again, John McCrossen.

[cityslicker2]

Dusty, do you have any way to scan the info on the storage cabinet from SS and email it or post it along with a reply to this thread? I like that and would love to build it to store some of my SPT's. I dont have the Power station but could adapt it. Thanks!