I purchased the upgrade kit about a year ago. If I remember correctly; I read in the instructions to invert the table(s) in top of the setup gauges, on a flat surface and mount the rails.
This did two things.
1) gravity put the rails in the proper position.
2) made it really easy to access the hardware
I flipped the tables back up and installed the onto the MV; every rail slipped back into place as easy (or easier) than they did while it was a 510.
I could not be any happier with the upgrade
.
Al B
Front and Rear Rail Alignment, Mark V 520
Moderator: admin
-
Ed in Tampa
- Platinum Member
- Posts: 5834
- Joined: Fri Jul 21, 2006 12:45 am
- Location: North Tampa Bay area Florida
Dusty
Your method looks interesting but I think it is very complicated and gives opportunity for error.
I aligned my tables as the Shopsmith says setting the gauge on a table and inverting the table onto it.
I did it this way and every one of my tables provide a perfect transistion for the fence.
If you feeling a bump can you determine where the bump is, is it the fence hitting the fence rail or the table? If it is hitting the fence rail that tells me you fence rail is defective or the connector tube is bent. Since rail sits directly on the connector tube and there is no adjustment either the rail is too high or low or the connector tube is bent. If the fence is hitting the table then that says you alignment procedure is wrong.
When I first sit up my rails I did it careful and fairly quickly. After I got it together I noticed one of my floating tables was sitting higher than my main. I then went back and adjusted it. I don't remember the results but something else was wrong. At that point I thought through the whole process and concluded if everything was done exactly as SS says there was no way anything could be out. I then redid my rails first I did the main and made sure it was totally perfect. Then I did the Aux and checked my results and they were perfect. I then did the floating tables. After that I then had to adjust my aux table to my main table so I could use it on either side of the machine as Nick showed in a Sawdust session when that task was completed everything worked perfectly for me.
Your method looks interesting but I think it is very complicated and gives opportunity for error.
I aligned my tables as the Shopsmith says setting the gauge on a table and inverting the table onto it.
I did it this way and every one of my tables provide a perfect transistion for the fence.
If you feeling a bump can you determine where the bump is, is it the fence hitting the fence rail or the table? If it is hitting the fence rail that tells me you fence rail is defective or the connector tube is bent. Since rail sits directly on the connector tube and there is no adjustment either the rail is too high or low or the connector tube is bent. If the fence is hitting the table then that says you alignment procedure is wrong.
When I first sit up my rails I did it careful and fairly quickly. After I got it together I noticed one of my floating tables was sitting higher than my main. I then went back and adjusted it. I don't remember the results but something else was wrong. At that point I thought through the whole process and concluded if everything was done exactly as SS says there was no way anything could be out. I then redid my rails first I did the main and made sure it was totally perfect. Then I did the Aux and checked my results and they were perfect. I then did the floating tables. After that I then had to adjust my aux table to my main table so I could use it on either side of the machine as Nick showed in a Sawdust session when that task was completed everything worked perfectly for me.
-
dusty
- Platinum Member
- Posts: 21481
- Joined: Wed Nov 22, 2006 6:52 am
- Location: Tucson (Wildcat Country), Arizona
[quote="albie"]
I flipped the tables back up and installed the onto the MV]
I too am very satisfied with the upgrade. It was worth every cent I paid for it and I would do it again. In fact, I have. I upgraded the tables on my Crafter's Station also.
But my original question has not really been addressed though Ed (in post #2) did give his opinion.
What adverse effects will one experience if that adjustment is not done "precisely"?
I flipped the tables back up and installed the onto the MV]
I too am very satisfied with the upgrade. It was worth every cent I paid for it and I would do it again. In fact, I have. I upgraded the tables on my Crafter's Station also.
But my original question has not really been addressed though Ed (in post #2) did give his opinion.
What adverse effects will one experience if that adjustment is not done "precisely"?
"Making Sawdust Safely"
Dusty
Sent from my Dell XPS using Firefox.
Dusty
Sent from my Dell XPS using Firefox.
-
Ed in Tampa
- Platinum Member
- Posts: 5834
- Joined: Fri Jul 21, 2006 12:45 am
- Location: North Tampa Bay area Florida
dusty wrote:I too am very satisfied with the upgrade. It was worth every cent I paid for it and I would do it again. In fact, I have. I upgraded the tables on my Crafter's Station also.
But my original question has not really been addressed though Ed (in post #2) did give his opinion.
What adverse effects will one experience if that adjustment is not done "precisely"?
Dusty
Can I ask what prompted the question? I'm getting confused over if you have a problem and if you do what exactly it is.
Again if the rails are connected to the tables incorrectly a number of things can happen. The tables can be too high, or too low depending on how you mounted rails. They can be at different heights in relation to each other again depending on how you installed the rails. The floating tables and depending on how you did the aux table adjustment could be setting on a slope. That slope would be because the left or right side of the rail was mounted higher or lower that the other side to table. Lastly you could create a bind on connector tubes if the main table rails are mounted sloping, it would be nearly impossible to tie the aux table and main table together with a connector tube. If this occurred it is possible the Aux table could be mounted slanting if you made the adjustment to it like Nick shows using a connector tube.
Let me explain. If the main table rails were mounted so the rails one end right or left was mounted higher, that would force the connector tube running through it to be angled up or down. Now you set the main table for a perfect 90 degrees to the blade and insert two connector tubes. You loosen the aux table adjusting bolts and now you slide the aux table onto the connector tubes, which if you remember are sloping, Now the table will be held to that same slope. If you then tighten the aux table adjusting bolts the table will be locked in that slope. So if you try to put the table on the opposite end of the Shopsmith no matter what you do the connector tubes will not slide in.
There is various things that can happen if the rails are mounted incorrectly to the tables. Instead of trying to guess all the scenarios wouldn't it be better to tell us what you found or the problem you have occuring?
Ed
-
dusty
- Platinum Member
- Posts: 21481
- Joined: Wed Nov 22, 2006 6:52 am
- Location: Tucson (Wildcat Country), Arizona
Front and Rear Rail Alignment, Mark V 520
I no longer have a problem at all and in fact I never really had a problem while using the Shopsmith. Let me explain.
I have two complete sets of tables; a main table, 2 extension tables and 2 floating tables making a set.
In the beginning, there was only one set and that set was used on the Mark V exclusively. When installed, it was apparently adjusted with the alignment gauge resting on the edge of the front rail (not on the magnet as shown in my photos).
Then came along the Crafter's Station. I upgraded the rails to 520 just weeks ago. You can proably guess by now what happened. When I adjusted the rails, for some reason I know not why, I set the aluminum gauge as shown in the photos with the gauge resting on the magnetic strip.
Still this caused no real problem. All of the alignments worked out fine and I have witnessed no adverse effects using the Crafter's Station.
Then, one day a week or so ago, I got into a frenzy of reconfigurations and in doing so I mixed floating tables. Opps. The tables are not the same height. This caused a problem because I had one of the floating tables up against the router table and there was a lip that obstructed free flow of the piece being routed.
Without analyzing why, I did a quick fix (realigned the rail) and went on with my work.
When the project was done, I reconfigured the two units and Opps. The tables on the Crafters Station do not align. There is a lip between the main table and a floating table.
The rest you either know or can surmise.
I have now aligned all of my front rails with the gauge as shown in photo #4. There is no question with the rear rails because of how they are shaped.
Now we are back to the original question.
What adverse effects will one experience if that adjustment is not done "precisely"?
Obviously, I have one answer. Are there more? Long term, universal solution - be consistent in whatever you chose to do!
I have two complete sets of tables; a main table, 2 extension tables and 2 floating tables making a set.
In the beginning, there was only one set and that set was used on the Mark V exclusively. When installed, it was apparently adjusted with the alignment gauge resting on the edge of the front rail (not on the magnet as shown in my photos).
Then came along the Crafter's Station. I upgraded the rails to 520 just weeks ago. You can proably guess by now what happened. When I adjusted the rails, for some reason I know not why, I set the aluminum gauge as shown in the photos with the gauge resting on the magnetic strip.
Still this caused no real problem. All of the alignments worked out fine and I have witnessed no adverse effects using the Crafter's Station.
Then, one day a week or so ago, I got into a frenzy of reconfigurations and in doing so I mixed floating tables. Opps. The tables are not the same height. This caused a problem because I had one of the floating tables up against the router table and there was a lip that obstructed free flow of the piece being routed.
Without analyzing why, I did a quick fix (realigned the rail) and went on with my work.
When the project was done, I reconfigured the two units and Opps. The tables on the Crafters Station do not align. There is a lip between the main table and a floating table.
The rest you either know or can surmise.
I have now aligned all of my front rails with the gauge as shown in photo #4. There is no question with the rear rails because of how they are shaped.
Now we are back to the original question.
What adverse effects will one experience if that adjustment is not done "precisely"?
Obviously, I have one answer. Are there more? Long term, universal solution - be consistent in whatever you chose to do!
"Making Sawdust Safely"
Dusty
Sent from my Dell XPS using Firefox.
Dusty
Sent from my Dell XPS using Firefox.
-
Ed in Tampa
- Platinum Member
- Posts: 5834
- Joined: Fri Jul 21, 2006 12:45 am
- Location: North Tampa Bay area Florida
Dusty
Okay I think I got a hold on what your asking.
As I writing post #14 above it dawned on me if the rails were mounted sloping on the main table it could explain why people have a hard time using the Aux table on either end of the SS. If the rail was running up or down and then the aux table was mounted with its rails parallel (no slope) it would be almost impossible to slide in. If the adjustment of aux table was then done like Nick outlined in a sawdust session and then moving that table to opposite end of the SS would make it nearly impossible to make that adjustment.
I think from all this talk I'm going to recheck all my table rails. Makes absolutely certain the rails are in fact parallel to the table surface and since I readjusted my Main table I'm going to then redoe my Aux table adjustment making sure my connector tubes slide through both my Aux table and main table with my Aux table sit in either end of the SS. Then I'm going to get a long super straight edge and make sure both my floating tables sit flat, level and in perfect alignment on my SS.
Ed
Okay I think I got a hold on what your asking.
As I writing post #14 above it dawned on me if the rails were mounted sloping on the main table it could explain why people have a hard time using the Aux table on either end of the SS. If the rail was running up or down and then the aux table was mounted with its rails parallel (no slope) it would be almost impossible to slide in. If the adjustment of aux table was then done like Nick outlined in a sawdust session and then moving that table to opposite end of the SS would make it nearly impossible to make that adjustment.
I think from all this talk I'm going to recheck all my table rails. Makes absolutely certain the rails are in fact parallel to the table surface and since I readjusted my Main table I'm going to then redoe my Aux table adjustment making sure my connector tubes slide through both my Aux table and main table with my Aux table sit in either end of the SS. Then I'm going to get a long super straight edge and make sure both my floating tables sit flat, level and in perfect alignment on my SS.
Ed
-
dusty
- Platinum Member
- Posts: 21481
- Joined: Wed Nov 22, 2006 6:52 am
- Location: Tucson (Wildcat Country), Arizona
This sounds like a plan with one other item to be added.
Check to make certain that your extension tubes are perfectly straight. If they are not, you will experience some sort of difficulties along the line.
My 5' tubes are not straight. I had a pair that I replaced for this same reason. When the new ones arrived, I cut the old ones into shorter tubes with specific applications in mind.
Now my new 5' tubes are no longer straight. I suspect that I have caused this when I am setting up to incorporate the router table. I sometimes slide the router table onto the tubes and let it rest there without the adjustable legs or the extension tables holding up the ends. Bad practice.
Nick, I hope you read this. You said that I was doing something to cause this problem when we had our go around over the "defective tubes". You were most likely correct.
Check to make certain that your extension tubes are perfectly straight. If they are not, you will experience some sort of difficulties along the line.
My 5' tubes are not straight. I had a pair that I replaced for this same reason. When the new ones arrived, I cut the old ones into shorter tubes with specific applications in mind.
Now my new 5' tubes are no longer straight. I suspect that I have caused this when I am setting up to incorporate the router table. I sometimes slide the router table onto the tubes and let it rest there without the adjustable legs or the extension tables holding up the ends. Bad practice.
Nick, I hope you read this. You said that I was doing something to cause this problem when we had our go around over the "defective tubes". You were most likely correct.
"Making Sawdust Safely"
Dusty
Sent from my Dell XPS using Firefox.
Dusty
Sent from my Dell XPS using Firefox.
-
dusty
- Platinum Member
- Posts: 21481
- Joined: Wed Nov 22, 2006 6:52 am
- Location: Tucson (Wildcat Country), Arizona
Front and Rear Rail Alignment, Mark V 520
The gauges are being used to position the rails a fixed distance below the plane of the table top. By using them on rails that have no magnetic strip you would simply be positioning the rails slightly different than if you had the magnetic strip.
Now you have given me another question to answer for myself, Dwight.
If the front rails are aligned as though there was no magnetic tape, would the front tubes be at the same level with respect to the plane of the table top as are the rear rails? .........I'll have to give this some thought before I go out there and get myself in deep x@#^&*.
Now you have given me another question to answer for myself, Dwight.
If the front rails are aligned as though there was no magnetic tape, would the front tubes be at the same level with respect to the plane of the table top as are the rear rails? .........I'll have to give this some thought before I go out there and get myself in deep x@#^&*.
"Making Sawdust Safely"
Dusty
Sent from my Dell XPS using Firefox.
Dusty
Sent from my Dell XPS using Firefox.
When I upgraded to the rip scales, I simply followed the directions Shopsmith gave me and I have had no problem. I have slowly come to the realization that the word "precisely can mean different things to different people. As long as I follow the directions I have no problem Since the scales are able to be removed I have simply bought into the notion that "precision is built into the machine".
BPR
BPR