Hello from Wilmington NC

[Phatocaster]

Hello everyone. Scott here. Hope all are well. I purchased a used Shopsmith today from an estate sale for $300 and wanted to know what maintenance I should do before I start putting it to work. The book that came with it says it is a Mark V. It seems to have been sitting for quite a while but was sitting in a really nice climate controlled shop. It came with the band saw, scroll saw, jointer, belt sander and several boxes of dados, blades and some pieces I have no idea about. If anyone could point me in the right direction it will be highly appreciated. Thank you to all. I look forward to having some fun with my Shopsmith.

[DLB]

Welcome to the forum, Scott! It sounds like you got a great buy, as it includes a nice selection of Special Purpose Tools (SPTs). We love photos and can help with any mystery parts it came with. The best place for you to start is the New Owner's Information thread: viewtopic.php?t=7092

- David

[JPG]

NEVER TURN SPEED CONTROL UNLESS PULLEYS ARE ROTATING(MANUALLY OR POWERED) PRIME RULE!


PICTURES PICTURES PICTURES

LUBRICATE LUBRICATE LUBRICATE

WELCOME!!!

[dino9832]

Welcome Scott! I'm a new Shopsmith owner as well. The first thing I did was wax what needed to be waxed, then followed this video for oiling the headstock (motor assembly).
[youtube]https://youtu.be/WPOfNdYM8j0[/youtube]
https://www.supco.com/web/supco_live/products/MO98.html

Take things slow and don't rush! There's a great deal of good information here: https://www.shopsmith.com/academy/introduction.htm
It appears to be the hardcover book online.

[chapmanruss]

Hi Scott,

Welcome to the Shopsmith Forum. David gave you a great link for new owners started by JPG. The link to the video from Dean does show how to oil the sheaves inside the headstock. Although the video shows the Headstock off the machine you don't need to do that. It was just a simpler way for Jacob Anderson to show the oiling locations. Lubrication is the key to a good running tool. The "Zoom Spout Oiler" can be found at many hardware stores and is the easiest way to get oil to that Idler Shaft Sheeve through the rear access hole. Jacob repaired Shopsmith tools for many years but as I understand it, has now retired.

One of the most important things to know about the Shopsmith tool is, as JPG stated

NEVER TURN SPEED CONTROL UNLESS PULLEYS ARE ROTATING(MANUALLY OR POWERED) PRIME RULE!

Dean also mentioned waxing what needed to be waxed. Waxing the bare metal parts like the Way Tubes not only protects them from rust but provides lubrication to make the Headstock and Carriage move more smoothly on them. Traditionally Johnson Original Formula Paste Wax has been used for this but apparently S C Johnson has discontinued making it as of the end of 2021. Other similar paste waxes, like Minwax Paste Finishing Wax, will work as well.

Ask questions about anything you are unsure about and pictures can help explain what you are asking.

[Phatocaster]

Thanks everyone. I'll check the video out. I'll also get some pictures and post them. I looked through the box of accessories that came with the machine. There was a craftsman xcaliber dado set in it. Can that be used with the Shopsmith or was that just extra blade on the box?

[DLB]

Thanks everyone. I'll check the video out. I'll also get some pictures and post them. I looked through the box of accessories that came with the machine. There was a craftsman xcaliber dado set in it. Can that be used with the Shopsmith or was that just extra blade on the box?

Most commercial U.S. market dado stack sets or wobble dados will work on the Mark using what is now called a Molder / Dado Arbor (5/8") and a table insert. So 99+% chance it will work. IIRC this arbor used to be called Universal, but I don't think there is anything different but the label: viewtopic.php?t=7092

If the PO used this on the Mark, it is likely you have the arbor and table insert somewhere in your collection. In the old days we also used these arbors for 5/8" 'standard' arbor saw blades, so it may have something mounted to it.

- David

[chapmanruss]

David is correct. As long as the Dado set can mount on a 5/8" arbor it can be used on your Mark V. Originally called simply a 5/8" Arbor Part Number 22 031 (top row 3rd from left) it later became P/N 505506 the 5/8” Universal Arbor and later called the 5/8” Molder/Dado Arbor. There have been 4 versions of the 5/8" Arbor P/N 505506 and the name change came during version 3. The picture below shows all the 5/8" arbors made for the Shopsmith tools since their introduction in 1947. The bottom row has the 4 different versions of the 505506 5/8" Universal or Molder/Dado Arbor. The last version has a longer threaded shaft and it could hold wider dado blade setups.

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Arbors page 1 - labeled.jpg (150.85 KiB) Viewed 978 times

[Hobbyman2]

JMO there are much better dado sets than the wobble dado , I never had much luck with them , they didnt leave a flat bottom in the cut . you will find a lot of good information here on your SS , I did and seem to have stuck around , also you may want to look into the zero clearance inserts for the table when using the dado , good luck with your SS , ours is over 40 years old and still going strong .

[JPG]

40? A young one.