Advice on 510 purchase

[mattmeek]

I'm setting up a home shop in the garage of a house we recently purchased. I have some experience with general carpentry and have built furniture in a joinery class I took a few years back. Anyway, without room for stand alone equipment, I'm looking at a shopsmith 510 from craigslist.

Looks to be in good condition and includes bandsaw, planer, extra table attachment, and router. Router doesn't look like the router attachment from the SS website as it seems to have its own motor and plug in. I assume it mounts underneath the main table. Is this router any good?

The model plate lists it as model 555540 and serial number 061391. From other threads I've learned this means it was manufactured on June 13th, 1991.

The bad: motor is not working. The guys said, "it's been sitting for a long time when I plugged it in the motor sound like it's binding then it pops the circuit breaker".

Original ad was asking $700, but the guy will accept $600 for everything.

Questions:
1) Is this a fair price? I've spent some time looking around and while there are other units within driving distance (<2hrs), I've mostly seen older Mark V's in worse overall condition albeit with working motors.
2) Does the motor problem sound like it requires a full rebuild of the headstock? How would you test it or proceeds with diagnosis?
3) Can you see anything in the pictures I'm missing in terms of extra attachments?

[john_001]

In my area (NJ) that would be a fairly good price for a 510, especially with the band saw, a set of lathe tools and what looks like a dado set.

I wouldn't assume the motor is bad. It seems more likely that things are gummed up from sitting and lack of lubrication.

[mattmeek]

Thanks. Hopefully you're right that it just needs to be serviced. I'm more worried that it's tripping the breaker. I guess he could have it plugged into a circuit that can't handle the load.

[mattmeek]

I didn't see the dado set. Is that a biscuit joiner in the 6th picture from the top?

[DLB]

The bad: motor is not working. The guys said, "it's been sitting for a long time when I plugged it in the motor sound like it's binding then it pops the circuit breaker".

Original ad was asking $700, but the guy will accept $600 for everything.

Questions:
1) Is this a fair price? I've spent some time looking around and while there are other units within driving distance (<2hrs), I've mostly seen older Mark V's in worse overall condition albeit with working motors.
2) Does the motor problem sound like it requires a full rebuild of the headstock? How would you test it or proceeds with diagnosis?
3) Can you see anything in the pictures I'm missing in terms of extra attachments?

It is a nice setup under than not turning. I think it is a good buy as long as you're prepared to spend a bit more getting it up and running. It includes a Jointer and I don't see a Planer, not an unusual error. The whole thing comes with a lot of accessories, which is great. The bandsaw appears to include all major accessories: fence, table extension, and circle cutter, probably worth $300-ish by itself. Jointer is a recent version so no upgrades needed. It has a taper jig, Tenon Master, stack dado set, etc. The router appears to be a stand-alone Craftsman router, not directly related to the 510. I don't see a complete set of tables, extension tubes, and support legs in any one picture.

Whatever is preventing the headstock from turning could be major or minor, it is certainly repairable. You can bind one up by adjusting the speed control toward slow with it not running, for example, and not even damage it. On the other hand, you can burn out the motor and destroy the speed control the same way. If it were me I'd offer $500 because of this, but I'd pay $600 for it the way it is without much hesitation because of the extras. I would not try to diagnose the problem before buying it in this case because of the extras.

- David

[edma194]

It's a good price, except it's not working. If the motor is shot you're looking at $400 to $500 to replace it with a new one. You could also upgrade to a PowerPro for quite a bit more. You might find a working headstock to replace it with for less than $400. Without a working motor though, none of those extra accessories will do you any good.

I'd ask the guy to try a few things to try to get the motor turning. The speed dial is on Q in the pictures, if the speed can be dialed back while turning the spindle by hand it might not need anything more.

I think you need your first Shopsmith to be working unless you are very good with tool repair and have some extra to spend. But if the extra money is available, and you can spend a little more if you can't do the work yourself, then go ahead and take advantage of this deal.

And yeah, if you're going to take the chance on it, don't ask him to try to fix it, ask him to lower the price.\

ETA: To clarify, I'm saying to ask the guy to try fixing it if you are not willing to take a chance on the motor. Ask for a lower price if you will take a chance on taking care of the motor problem yourself.

[dusty]

I'd buy it at that price. Even with a bad motor!! I'd gamble that the motor is physically bound. Motors can be repaired.

Maybe I am biased. That is the same Mark V Model 510 (555540) that I have. The production date is within months of mine.

[chapmanruss]

I agree with the others that at $600 it is a good buy even if you have to replace the motor. Buying a new motor is just over $400 with shipping and you would have a nice set up for just over $1000 which is a reasonable price for what you would be getting. Used motors are available frequently at online auctions which could save you a little more. Just the Bandsaw and Jointer can easily sell for $400. It may be simply bound up as previously suggested. We can help with walking you through steps to check it out once you get it home. If you and the seller get the motor working before you buy it the price is likely to go back to $700 but you would know you are getting a working motor.

[edma194]

I didn't see the dado set. Is that a biscuit joiner in the 6th picture from the top?

Might be the blades on an arbor in a box in the 3rd photo, and more chippers in a box in the 5th photo.

Those would be like my old dado set that were included with my old Greenie. I don't know if they were a Shopsmith product or not. Certainly different from the new ones. Didn't use those much, lots of flying splinters from the chippers, but they worked very well. I remember using them on a project for Cub Scouts to make wooden boxes, I had some pieces of African Zebrawood on hand and that stuff was hard as a rock. The dado set went right through it. And part of that is due to the Shopsmith variable speed. Dado blades are rarely well matched to table saw speed, not to mention the material and cut dimensions, but with a Shopsmith you can find the sweet spot on the dial, and now just by pushing buttons!

[DLB]

Maybe I am biased. That is the same Mark V Model 510 (555540) that I have. The production date is within months of mine.

I have a similar one, 555540 dated 101591. I pick it up a few months ago for a good price ($550) because it was noisy. It had been upgraded to 520, which made it pretty attractive at that price. It turned out to be in good shape, the two-piece two bearing quill needed bearings and had worn slightly oversize holes for the roll pin where it goes together. Rebuilding the quill resolved its noisiness. (This is also the unit where I had limited success with the left/right extension table swap.)

- David