Accessory Box Question

[Kent50]

I have a 1953 greenie that I restored and have gotten into collecting Shopsmith accessories from that time in their original boxes to go with it. I have seen the yellow Yuba boxes, mustard and black Magna boxes, mustard and black Shopsmith boxes, Black Shopsmith boxes and various other boxes. I can kind of figure out a basic timeline as to when newer versus older boxes came out but does anyone know the years associated with particular boxes? I think it would be cool to have a complete set of accessories, in their boxes, to go with my Shopsmith.

Thanks

[chapmanruss]

The Mark 5 was introduced in March of 1954. With that introduction accessories that had been made for the Shopsmith Model 10E and 10ER changed somewhat. Arbors, Chucks and Spindles had used 1/4" and 3/8" Set screws which were changed to 5/16" Set Screw to have a single 5/32" Allen Wrench to simplify changeovers. The first Drill Chuck, the Jacobs 3326, for the Mark 5 in 1954 had a special 3/8" set screw that uses a 5/32" Allen Wrench. It soon changed to a 5/16" Set Screw. This is one exception I know of to the set screw change I listed above. There are few other set screws used over the years for Mark series tools that use different sizes when a 5/16" Set Screw is not practical.

As for the Boxes these items came in, they didn't change all of the part numbers or the items themselves except for the set screw. As you search you would want those items that use a 5/32" Allen Wrench beginning with Boxes labeled from Magna Engineering Corporation. Since you have an early Mark 5 only boxes labeled Magna Engineering Corporation would be correct. The next labeling of boxes beginning in 1955 had Magna Power Tool Corporation on them. There will be boxes with Magna Engineering Corporation dating back to 1947 and the introduction of the original 5 in 1 tool the Model 10E. Keep in mind the set screw size for the correct era.

The 5/8 " and 1/2" "universal" Arbors changed part numbers from 12 031 to 22 031 for the 5/8" arbor and 12 030 to 22 030 for the 1/2" Arbor. An additional Arbor for the 9" Saw Blade with a 1-1/4" Arbor Hole was introduced as 22 032. Others kept the part numbers starting with 12.

Due to the time that has elapsed it is possible to find parts in earlier or later boxes than the one it may have come in originally. It can be difficult to find intact boxes for these early accessories. We are talking about things that are over 70 years old.

So far, I have mainly concentrated on Arbors, Chucks and Spindles but there are many more accessories to be found. One that most people don't realize that was made for the Mark 5 was also made to work on the Model 10's is the Shaper Fence which came out by August 1953 before the Mark 5. Its original instructions show it on a Model 10ER.

Old catalogs can be useful in learning what was available back then.

[Kent50]

Thank you so much! That is a wealth of information that I probably could not have found anywhere else. I really appreciate it.

Kent

[chapmanruss]

More about accessories and their boxes.

I am not sure when the Miter Guage Safety Grip came out or began being included with the Miter Guage. It was part number 22 354 and it sounds like it was new in the February 1955 catalog from the description. It came in a brown corrugated cardboard box. Early ones had Patent Pending on them.

The Mark 5 didn't come with a Saw Blade Guard set. It was an accessory item you could purchase separately as part number 22 370. It only has a capacity for up to 9" diameter Saw Blades which was their largest size at the time. Below is a picture of one but I have never seen a box for it. I would guess a corrugated cardboard box.

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22 370.jpg (223.19 KiB) Viewed 175 times

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Another accessory which was a carryover from the Model 10's was the Magna 2-1/2" Jointer Cutterhead part number 12 230. It was to be used with the Shaper Fence. This was another accessory that the set screw size changed with the introduction of the Mark 5. It would come as shown below but for the Mark 5 era it would have the 5/16" set screws to attach it to the Quill's Spindle. The earlier Model 10 version had 1/4" set screws

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12 230 Magna Eng 3rd style box.jpg (131.91 KiB) Viewed 175 times

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An interesting accessory was the Key Switch and Outlet Box part number 22 015. It is shown below with the box it came in. I am not sure when it first came out but is in the February 1955 catalog. This was a safety item allowing the Mark 5 power to be locked out when not in use. It mounted on the bottom of the Lock Bar through the extra holes that holds the Bench Tubes to the Bench Ends. For use it required cutting off the power cord plug from the headstock and wiring it to the switch.

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key switch and outlet box 2.jpg (169.02 KiB) Viewed 175 times

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Lathe Chisels part number 12 301 were an accessory item that did not come with the purchase of a Mark 5. For 1954 they would be the second version of the Lathe Chisels with a red logo stamped into the handle in a box from Magna Engineering Corporation. This version predates the introduction of the Mark 5 but carried over to it.

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Version 2a 12 301 SS red logo chisels 1.jpg (255.99 KiB) Viewed 175 times

Version 2a 12 301 SS red logo box 1.jpg (291.72 KiB) Viewed 175 times

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In your first post here you said,

I have a 1953 greenie that I restored

I am curious as to the serial number of your Mark 5 Greenie to see when it was made and if that was prior to the introduction in March of 1954.

[Kent50]

I miss typed when I first posted. I believe my Greenie is a 1954 model. The serial number is 265359. It was given to me by the son of the original owner. It came with the original sales packet that had brochures and other items along with a letter thanking him for his interest. The letter has his name on it which is pretty cool. It also came with a lot of accessories, some in boxes and some not. I restored it but could not get original paint so it is charcoal gray and silver at this point. I just saw that a guy on Ebay is selling what he says is custom mixed original green and silver green so I bought some. I will probably repaint mine to the original green this winter.

Thank you for posting the pictures and sharing the information. I do have the original lathe tools and one carbide tipped lathe tool along with the jointer cutter in their boxes. I have been watching for an original key switch in it's box but they are rare. I do have the upper and lower saw guards but they must be newer than my machine because the don't look like your picture. I too have never seen any Greenie saw guards in their original boxes.

Kent

[chapmanruss]

Kent,

Your Greenie serial number 265359 was made in April 1954. Its great that some of that original paperwork was still with it. Nice pieces of history.

I have a 1957 Mark 5 Greenie to restore plus a Mark 2 and SPTs. I have been looking for paint colors in the Hammered Finish original to the Mark 5 Greenie colors. I have seen the paint I believe you are referring to but I am not looking at it as an option. I have been experimenting with green colors and using a clear Hammered Finish topcoat. The common green paint used for years for restorations was Rust oleum Hammered Finish Verde Green but was a bit off to be correct. I like the Rust oleum Hammered Finish silver just need a green option. Below is a previous Mark 5 Greenie using Hammered Finnish Verde Green and Silver that I restored.

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IMG_0220cr.jpg (133.73 KiB) Viewed 106 times

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There were 4 carbide tipped Lathe Chisels made in that era. The single boxes were grouped together and also sold as the set of 4 in an outer box as seen below.

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Carbide Lathe Chisels r.jpg (131.04 KiB) Viewed 106 times

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The Key Switch/outlet box is a rare item. I have one as does Forum Member John Dalton. It's one to keep an eye out for but could take a long time to find.

As for the Saw Blade Guard set not being the one I posted, it was likely a later purchase since they were an optional accessory. The next Mark 5 Saw Blade Guard set is shown below. There is another later set for the Mark V 500 original Table system and an upgrade to that set.

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505627 Upper and 505628 Lower Saw Blade Guards r.jpg (85.54 KiB) Viewed 106 times

[Kent50]

Very nice restoration. It is beautiful! One question though, isn't the original silver color more of a silver/green? Mine looked like a silver/green when I got it but maybe that was just aging.

I have one of the carbide tipped lathe chisels but not in it's box. The one that I have is the 1/4" round nose and it came with my Shopsmith. The carbide tipped tools are rare and I have never seen one in it's original box. Very cool set you have there.

The blade guard shown above is the one that I have. It also came with my machine.

Kent

[chapmanruss]

Rest oleum has reduced the number of color options for the Hammered Finnish Paint. There was an Antique Silver that I have used which was a bit grayish then a bright silver. Age is a factor in how the original colors look today. The Mark 5 shown in the picture I previously posted had a lot of poor condition paint. The Headstock casting itself had almost no paint left on it. I do have a really good example of the Green Hammered Finnish paint from a Mounting Base from the 1950's still new in box. The mounting hardware is still in the little brown bag.

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91 000 Mounting Base.jpg (191 KiB) Viewed 45 times

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Yet another thing to watch for to add to your collection.

In the past Shopsmith sold touch up paint in spray cans for not only the gray but the gold and copper of the Mark 5 Goldies and two green colors both a dark and a light green. None of them were a Hammered Finnish. Below are the pictures Shopsmith had in the online catalog for the Greenie and Goldie Touch Up Paint examples.

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SS greenie touch up paint.jpg (15.56 KiB) Viewed 45 times

SS goldie touch up paint.jpg (16.96 KiB) Viewed 45 times

[RFGuy]

Russ,

Wow! That is a beautiful color and finish on that mounting base. Too bad it is not so easy to reproduce that look today on Shopsmith equipment. Too bad there aren't more Mark V's that are that color instead of all of the grays...

[Kent50]

I really like the original color on that base. Too bad we cannot get that in a spray can. Although, I guess maybe the formula might not be allowed with all of the EPA restrictions on paint these days. I would love to find some of the original touch up paint to add to the collection but I think that will be like chasing a unicorn! ;-)