Shopsmith Forums

What part broke? Check the diagram here and tell us the reference number:

http://www.shopsmith.com/service/mark/5 ... iagram.htm

Shopsmith still sells parts and it is possible someone here might have a spare they would be willing to part with......... and ebay is full of parts if we had an idea as to what is needed to do the repair.

Ed

algale wrote:

JPG wrote:A mark 7 'rest' with a mark 7 'arm' will work on a mark 5. The extra reach of the arm can be accommodated by positioning the carriage to the side.*

Actually there is no 'mark 7' rest, but there are mark 5/V 500(short) and mark V 505-520/7(long) arms.

* the middle post mount may be used to shorten the longer arm.

Are you sure a Mark 7/520/510 tool post fits a 500 carriage?

The only difference I know of is the Mark 5 has a threaded 'gear' that goes all the way around, whereas the later version has the gear teeth on 'one side'.

JPG wrote: Wed Jan 10, 2018 12:59 am

algale wrote:

JPG wrote:A mark 7 'rest' with a mark 7 'arm' will work on a mark 5. The extra reach of the arm can be accommodated by positioning the carriage to the side.*

Actually there is no 'mark 7' rest, but there are mark 5/V 500(short) and mark V 505-520/7(long) arms.

* the middle post mount may be used to shorten the longer arm.

Are you sure a Mark 7/520/510 tool post fits a 500 carriage?

The only difference I know of is the Mark 5 has a threaded 'gear' that goes all the way around, whereas the later version has the gear teeth on 'one side'.

Exactly, old thread but im reading through old stuff trying to figure out hole posts arms measurements to build some homemade stuff for mine and im finding these forums to be as vague as a treasure map drawn by a blind person in invisible ink to say the least. Its actually quite frustrating when you search "how long is the tool rest post on a shopsmith mark v" and it steers you 50 11 hundred ways in every direction BUT what you are actually looking for!!! You'd think it would be a pretty simple question to ask but be damned if its not 3 days later and still nobody has actually said somewhere in these thousands of threads and millions of comments that its X long. If I didn't know better id swear its a conspiracy to keep ppl from making something in an attempt to make figuring it out so hard that they just order one instead of making it lol. Cause I can get a 1-1/4 piece of aluminum stock turn a 1/4 groove at the appropriate place for a set screw, then drop down an inch or so and run an 8tpi 1-1/4 die over the rest and presto, I have an adjustable solid tool rest post for my shopsmith instead of the hollow one from the factory and it would be better all the way around. To be honest, the length really doesn't even matter as long as its in the saddle all the way with enough slack to adjust and still have a little to play with come out the bottom, but at this point, its purely the principle of the matter as to why the hell can't that question be answered without searching to the end of the internet and back again to find it and still not knowing the factory post length lol. Im guessing I could just use a small extension table leg but then I don't have the countersink and its not got enough meat to turn one out and still be safe but size wise, it absolutely would work on a mk5 500 10 15 20 and mk7 without any doubt, js. But then I don't have both extension legs in my neat little table anymore lol. Its a real predicament

For searching the forum, you can use Google instead of the forum search function.

I think this is what you are looking for.

https://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/ite ... tem=514416

This is one of the main table legs. It may be longer than the tool rest post but it would work in lieu of the post if length is not a factor. I can not locate my tool rest leg. Lost in the clutter here some where. The small hole near the right end is a personal modification.

Based on tooth count (rough estimate), I would guess that the tool rest post is about 7" shorter than the table leg and has about 40 teeth.
I'm a bit confused by a couple statements within your posts. In the opening post you said "My tool rest will raise and lower, but I can't figure out how to lock the post from spinning left/right".

If you can raise and lower the tool rest you must have the post. As for locking the height, the depth of cut lock on the carriage does that for you. To lock the spin movement, the tool rest it self does that.

Shopsmith owns this site and provides it free of charge to us that chose to use it. They are in the business of selling things and as such they do not provide drawings or dimensions of things. You simply have to go to there site and support them rather then just doing it all on your own and not providing any cash flow for them. They don't charge you to be here but lets face it if no one buys units and parts they will some day go away.

You can of course go to the likes of ebay and get used parts and sometimes other places provide replacement of upgraded parts which of course provides people with at least a few choices rather then new from shopsmith. Of course some used parts on ebay go for more then they do at shopsmith so one much do due diligence.

I don't see any advantage in a do it yourself version of this part. I have never heard of one braking or for that matter bending. Since there are a few cast parts that are in the chain they are often the part that fails.

Now the part you think is threaded is not. It is concentric rings that match the gear in the carriage on the older versions and just matching teeth on the current version. In order to get one that works right you will need all the dimension to get it right or spend hours with trial and error. So the easy way to do this is to buy one then you have one to measure and do your own design, but at that point you already have one and have to have a compelling reason to engineer and build your own now that you own one........ get the logic here?

Ed

Here are a few pictures:
Ed

I would not want to guess how many versions of this part there have been in the 60+ years the system has been in production. Two minimum, but probably more. IMO, the rack type is better than the spiral type because 1) it locks to the carriage better, and 2) if it is not locked solidly to the carriage it won't turn very far. I measured one at 8". That is a bit longer than the spiral type I have, and which I can't measure because that design is integrated with the tool rest arm and not easily separated. If I had the equipment and was making my own, I would make it the length of a main table leg because I'd find other uses for it. (And as you point out, too long is not an issue.)

I didn't understand the countersink reference but I agree you should not use an extension table leg for this. They do not have the wall thickness for the rack.

Ed beat me with the pics but confirms the 8" measurement. I'd still go 14 or 15". I have a few extra main table legs around and find uses for them regularly.

- David

reible wrote: Sun Feb 07, 2021 3:32 pm Shopsmith owns this site and provides it free of charge to us that chose to use it. They are in the business of selling things and as such they do not provide drawings or dimensions of things. You simply have to go to there site and support them rather then just doing it all on your own and not providing any cash flow for them. They don't charge you to be here but lets face it if no one buys units and parts they will some day go away.

You can of course go to the likes of ebay and get used parts and sometimes other places provide replacement of upgraded parts which of course provides people with at least a few choices rather then new from shopsmith. Of course some used parts on ebay go for more then they do at shopsmith so one much do due diligence.

I don't see any advantage in a do it yourself version of this part. I have never heard of one braking or for that matter bending. Since there are a few cast parts that are in the chain they are often the part that fails.

Now the part you think is threaded is not. It is concentric rings that match the gear in the carriage on the older versions and just matching teeth on the current version. In order to get one that works right you will need all the dimension to get it right or spend hours with trial and error. So the easy way to do this is to buy one then you have one to measure and do your own design, but at that point you already have one and have to have a compelling reason to engineer and build your own now that you own one........ get the logic here?

Ed

The Shopsmith mk5 500 tool rest post is threaded, it doesn't have concentric rings at all. Its 1-1/4 8tpi thread. The table legs like in that one picture above is splined on one side to mimic the action of threads so it can move it up or down. But I assure you, the original factory SS mk5 500 tool rest post is threaded, mk5 520 and mk7 use the one side spline to drive it up and down tho. The logic in doing it myself is simply because I can, no more no less. Sure, I could jump on ebay right now and grab one for 20 bucks, but really, whats the fun in that? I didn't learn how to do this stuff to buy it from somewhere else, I learned it so I could do it myself lol. If I knew how to add a picture on here I'd show you a picture of one zoomed in on the last thread where you can see it tapering away and how the last couple are flat from not totally going through the die before being backed off, but thats definitely threads and not concentric rings. Nonetheless, I finely figured out how long it was anyway. saw a picture of one beside an 8 inch rest so I screenshot it and blew it up till it was the correct scale and presto, I got the measurement for the post lol.

reible wrote: Sun Feb 07, 2021 3:47 pm Here are a few pictures:

qrt1.jpg

qrt2.jpg

qrt3.jpg

Ed

Awesome, thanks a lot for that!! I had figured out a way to measure one already anyway, but for real thank you very much for that nonetheless .