Shopsmith Forums

Since the action of the bevels is to 'capture' the base, any roughness on the vertical surface of the table rail can provide a 'catch'.

I think that if you fully retract(remove) the set screws and file flat the front rail surface that unless something else(like the sleeve and the interior part of the front clamp) is causing it to bind that it will work correctly with all the original parts returned and installed properly. I have several of this vintage/design and they all work correctly.

Now when I obtained them that was not always the case. I think there is lack of understanding how it works that leads to well intended modifications. It's modus operandi is not intuitively obvious.

When I move mine laterally, the front clamp drags against the back side of the rail, not the base against the front of the rail unless I push it into the rail.

A thing to get used to is the amount of turning the knob requires to fully loosen the clamps.

P.S. there are many washers(7) that must be correctly in place.

Interesting. My older Greenies only had an adjustment screw on one side. How do you think that would affect it?

Also has anyone drilled and tapped one to add the 2nd screw?

Everett

No, not yet! I definitely intend to do just that. Having the second set screw will make it much easier to twick rip fence alignment.

As good as the Shopsmith engineers were/are, they still missed a few of the simple things.

My Mark 5 from the 80's had 2 set screws one on each side, that is why I used them to align the fence fractionally because that is how my other fences were made to be used. I read my entire 80's owner manual last night, at the very end it finally mentioned using the "SCREWS" to offset the fence for disc sanding. It should have explained in the very front of the manual when they were explaining the fence, that would have been the logical place to tell what they were for. I still stand by my modification, it really works 100% better than it did before. doesn't freeze to the rail and pops loose as soon as you turn the lock nob to loosen the fence to reset it.

The Mark 5 fence only had the one screw since that side is the one to use the screw to offset the fence.

IIUC the second one was added when the bandsaw fence was introduced for the alumuinum table(blade drift...). Since the same base casting was used for the '500' it also has two screws.

I be curious what that '80's' manual has to say about aligning the fence.

Well I can tell you that the fence that I got new with my 1976 shopsmith has two holes/set screws. That is long before the new bandsaw table era.

I'll try and find my original manual from 1976, the information is some where as I've always know that the fence is not adjusted that way for the table saw.

Now for the bandsaw it is acceptable I guess, not having used one I can't say what the directions are but I have seen a video where the instructor used the screws to account for drift.

I believe in previous discussions we found that some 510's have two screws and some only one. The 520 has none.

Ed

Found the 510 manual. The parts list shows just one set screw. The instructions from my manual under "Align the rip fence" starts at #65, the second step #66 instructs you to back that screw out...... so it is covered there.

Now to see if I can find it in an earlier manual.

Ed

Are you saying the aluminum table was created after 1976??

OK the manual I got with my machine in 1976 came with a blue manual and on page 5 item 4 they start discussing the rip fence alignment. The directions go on to say "If the rip fence is not exactly parallel to the table slots"
"Loosen the two cap screws which secure the fence to the base casting. Set the fence exactly parallel to either table slot and tighten the locking handle. Then retighten the two cap screws."

It doesn't mention the set screws but it does tell you have to align the fence and it does not say to use those set screws.

Like wise the directions on the PTWFE tells you about the same thing and again the adjustment is done with the two cap screws. See page 6 in the smaller yellow covered edition. Same edition page 261 takes about sanding to exact width using the "fence offset screws".

Well I've done enough research to convince myself that the information is there if you read the manual and book.

Ed

The information may be there but only if you want to read that way. Telling you to back off the set screws does not mean that they cannot be used even if only for minor tweaking. Yes, they are not the primary means of alignment.

Enough said. Each to their own. All that is important is that no one gets hurt due to a poorly aligned fence.