New Guy

[pprime]

Hi there MrDanB! I'm new to this forum. I recently bought two used Mark 5s, both are 500s. I've been working to get both running.

Lots of good folks here with great information.

[chapmanruss]

pprime,

Welcome to the Shopsmith Forum.

First off, I would encourage you to start your own thread. That way information about your Shopsmith tools will be in one location and not mixed in with another members information. I will be happy to give you some information about your Mark 5 Shopsmith's and I have a question or two also.

[MrDanB]

Hi there MrDanB! I'm new to this forum. I recently bought two used Mark 5s, both are 500s. I've been working to get both running.

Lots of good folks here with great information.

Hi there. That's great about your machines. I sent you a PM back...
Dan

[MrDanB]

I've been reading and watching videos on my SS machine. I want to try practicing with the jointer. I loosened the headstock lock, removed the knobs @ the vent area of headstock, lightly lubed the output shafts and the input of the jointer. I put the coupler onto the input shaft and slid headstock into the other end of the coupler. Locked the headstock snug. Plugged in the power cord, dawned safety glasses and fired it up. Listened for any odd noises and looked for anything out of the ordinary. Then, I dialed up the rpm's to the jointer setting. All looked and sounded ok.
I noticed that the coupler wobbled a bit at first while it was just starting to spin, but smoothed out ok in a second or two. Is that normal? If I want to clean up a small piece of wood (say, 2" thick x 4" wide x 1.5' long) would I use some kind of pusher tool or keep pressure on the board as it goes over the blades? I'm very safety minded and want to enjoy this hobby, not lose a digit... Thanks for the help!

[edflorence]

Hi Mr. Dan B-

Interesting that you lubed the shafts before placing the coupler...I have never done that and actually don't recall ever seeing it as a recommended practice. I wonder if that had something to do with the wobble in the coupler that you noticed.

As far as guiding the stock over the jointer, note that the jointer fence has two raised bumps on the upper surface. The area between these bumps is the "no go zone" for hands. If you keep your hands outside this zone you should be OK. Refer to "Power Tool Woodworking for Everyone" for more detailed explanation. An 18 inch long board should be OK, but I would hesitate to joint anything much shorter than that on the jointer, with the lowest size limit being around 12". Small pieces can be edge jointed with a table saw, a hand plane or a router.

[DLB]

I noticed that the coupler wobbled a bit at first while it was just starting to spin, but smoothed out ok in a second or two. Is that normal? If I want to clean up a small piece of wood (say, 2" thick x 4" wide x 1.5' long) would I use some kind of pusher tool or keep pressure on the board as it goes over the blades? I'm very safety minded and want to enjoy this hobby, not lose a digit... Thanks for the help!

Alignment of headstock hubs to tool hubs is an important step, and you didn't mention it. It's normally a one time adjustment, with more frequent checks. Misalignment would result in coupler wobble, and be less visible at speed. If you have a Jointer manual it will explain the steps, essentially you align it in two dimensions, vertically and front to back.

Push blocks are a good choice on the Jointer to allow you to maintain control of the workpiece with your hands farther from the rotating blades, especially while face planing. IIRC there are two 'humps' on top of the Jointer fence identifying the area you should keep your hands out of. Also, I suggest starting with shallow cuts, 1/16" or less, to allow you to get comfortable with the feel, sights, and sounds. Looking at your pictures I don't see the typical Shopsmith Safety kit, which includes the push blocks. You might want to consider the SS version or see what alternatives there are.

- David

[MrDanB]

Hi Mr. Dan B-

Interesting that you lubed the shafts before placing the coupler...I have never done that and actually don't recall ever seeing it as a recommended practice. I wonder if that had something to do with the wobble in the coupler that you noticed.

I had some very slight surface rust on the output of the headstock and on the input area of the jointer, so I used a rust converter, cleaned it all up and used a small squirt of wd40 on them...

[chapmanruss]

The WD-40 will help prevent future rust but like oils and grease can collect dust gumming things up. Using paste furniture wax on all exposed metal parts is a better idea. It is recommended for the Way Tubes (and other parts) on the Mark tools to protect them and provide some lubrication for the Headstock and Carriage to move on them. The Jointer should have bare metal parts waxed for the same reason.

[MrDanB]

OK. Roger that! I cleaned up all tubes and used a paste wax on them and removed excess. I learned how to adjust the tailstock stop collars and align the headstock to the tailstock in both horizontal and vertical axis. I just need the tool rest, live center and chisels and I should be ready to try turning.
I have multiple used parts coming from multiple members here on the forum (thanks so much for the help). I'll learn to install guarding for the table saw, disc sanding setup etc. There's a lot to learn for sure! I'm just starting to have fun seeing how things attach, slide, lock etc. All the while, I'm thinking about safety and know that it's so important on a tool like this! You long time members have really helped to make me feel like I can do great things with my shopsmith. I see why they have such a loyal fan base...

[chapmanruss]

As you start to use your Shopsmith get into the habit of checking all the locks before turning on the motor. For example, you don't want to start cutting some stock on the Table Saw and have the Quill move because it wasn't locked. Something I have done.

There are a number of locks to check and it does vary depending on the function. There are additional locks if using an SPT like the Jointer or Bandsaw.