Shopsmith Forums

cooch366 wrote: Wed Aug 20, 2025 8:45 am Maybe this Craftsman wrench will work. I have a couple of them and the “vise” grip function takes the slop out of using it.

It could work, but I believe the wrench you show is only available in a 10 inch version, so not as much leverage using it compared to the Shopsmith arbor wrench. I have Vise Grips and when you need them, you need them, but I see them as more of a backup solution. The locking mechanism Vise Grips (or this Craftsman wrench) use is always a bit of a pain to use, the unlock operation, I mean.

I also prefer to change blades with the arbor mounted to the machine. However, my 5/8" and 1-1/4" arbors all have 7/8" flats at the spindle end and either a 1-1/2" or 15/16" arbor nut. The SS arbor wrench that I'm familiar with has open ends of 1-1/2" and 15/16" and fits the two sizes of arbor nuts well. But the 15/16" end is, at best, a loose/poor fit on the 7/8" flats. I'm not saying it won't work, just that it's not the best choice. I've never seen a Crescent brand or similar adjustable wrench that would fit this poorly unless deliberately adjusted for poor fit.

- David

DLB wrote: Wed Aug 20, 2025 2:01 pm I also prefer to change blades with the arbor mounted to the machine. However, my 5/8" and 1-1/4" arbors all have 7/8" flats at the spindle end and either a 1-1/2" or 15/16" arbor nut. The SS arbor wrench that I'm familiar with has open ends of 1-1/2" and 15/16" and fits the two sizes of arbor nuts well. But the 15/16" end is, at best, a loose/poor fit on the 7/8" flats. I'm not saying it won't work, just that it's not the best choice. I've never seen a Crescent brand or similar adjustable wrench that would fit this poorly unless deliberately adjusted for poor fit.

- David

David,

True and you make good points. Thanks. I hadn't changed a sawblade arbor in some time so I had to go back and check it out to remind myself. Okay, so my SAE wrench set ends at 7/8" and it does fit the flat of the sawblade arbor, but my wrench is only 11" long. This combined with the narrow body of the wrench makes it a poor choice IMHO for sawblade arbor removal. My Shopsmith arbor wrench is 13.25" long and with its wide body makes it easier, in my opinion, to change the sawblade arbor. Stating the obvious here, but the extra length gives NOT only more leverage but greater clearance to get those pesky fingers/knuckles farther away from sawblade teeth. Ouch. IF my calculations are correct the difference in length gives a 20% improvement in torque for loosening the arbor nut. At least using the Shopsmith arbor wrench works better for me and that is all I was trying to say. Maybe I should look for a new and better replacement that is an exact fit. IF one can find a long, comfortable handle wrench of ANY type that properly fits the sawblade arbor nut and flats then by all means use it. What the heck do I know???

P.S. Would love to know why the small end of the Shopsmith arbor wrench is NOT 7/8"...

The small end of the Shopsmith Arbor Wrench fits a 15/16" nut. This is real convenient when using the Shopsmith adjustable dado blade which happens to be 15/16".

What puzzles me is the other two sizes that the Shopsmith Arbor Wrench could accomodate (11/16" box and 15/16" box).

Considering this topic. Does anyone know why Shopsmith chose 1-1/4" as an arbor size? Was it a marketing scheme to lock-in customers to their blades or are the blades superior in some way to 5/8" arbor blades? I have the 1-1/4" blade / arbor that came with the SS when I purchased it in the early 80's, but that non-carbide blade dulled pretty quickly (and wasn't useful for fine cuts anyway). So, I purchased the 5/8" arbor and have never purchased another blade with a 1-1/4" arbor mount.

Dusty's post had me go out to the shop this morning to take the following picture I had been thinking about doing for this thread.

The top Wrench has the 5/8" Arbor 505506 on the left and the 1/2" Arbor 505505 on the right. The lower Wrench has a 1-1/4" Arbor on the left on the nut and a 5/8" Arbor on the right actually on the base but is also the same size used for the nut on that size Arbor.

EDIT: Correction the base uses a smaller 7/8" Wrench than the Arbor Wrench at 15/16" so the arbor shown in the bottom right of the picture should be using it on the nut. Disregard what is shown under the X.

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jimbeaux,

Good question and I don't have an exact answer. We could make guesses. The 1-1/4" Arbor Hole Saw Blade & Arbor on the Mark 5 when it was introduced in 1954 and was a 9" diameter Blade. There are blades made by other manufacturers that have a 1-1/4" Arbor hole.

jimbeaux wrote: Thu Aug 21, 2025 5:18 pm Considering this topic. Does anyone know why Shopsmith chose 1-1/4" as an arbor size? Was it a marketing scheme to lock-in customers to their blades or are the blades superior in some way to 5/8" arbor blades? I have the 1-1/4" blade / arbor that came with the SS when I purchased it in the early 80's, but that non-carbide blade dulled pretty quickly (and wasn't useful for fine cuts anyway). So, I purchased the 5/8" arbor and have never purchased another blade with a 1-1/4" arbor mount.

There has been some discussion on this in the past (see past threads below). Differing opinions, I believe. I have the 1 1/4" bore size Forrest Woodworker II sawblade and love it. So, it is possible to get 1 1/4" bore sawblades if you have the 1 1/4" bore size sawblade arbor. IF you have a cheaper sawblade on 5/8" bore size, I suspect you would benefit from adding stabilizer rings to it, but with the 1 1/4" bore size these are unnecessary IMHO.

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jimbeaux wrote: Thu Aug 21, 2025 5:18 pm Does anyone know why Shopsmith chose 1-1/4" as an arbor size?

What's the deal with Shopsmith's 1 1/4" saw arbor? (youtube)

Thanks guys. The video explained it very well. I'll just stick with my 5/8" arbor from the "old days" that, I guess, is actually a Daddo / Molder design (the one that runs into the table saw brace if you're not careful ;-) I'm sure the 1-1/4 arbor blades that Shopsmith sells are excellent blades, but they are a little pricey for me at ~$100. Although I might order a 555321 (5/8 Inch Saw Arbor for MARK V 500) -- I didn't know they existed...

chapmanruss wrote: Thu Aug 21, 2025 5:49 pm Dusty's post had me go out to the shop this morning to take the following picture I had been thinking about doing for this thread.

The top Wrench has the 5/8" Arbor 505506 on the left and the 1/2" Arbor 505505 on the right. The lower Wrench has a 1-1/4" Arbor on the left on the nut and a 5/8" Arbor on the right actually on the base but is also the same size used for the nut on that size Arbor.

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Wrenches on Arbors.jpg
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jimbeaux,

Good question and I don't have an exact answer. We could make guesses. The 1-1/4" Arbor Hole Saw Blade & Arbor on the Mark 5 when it was introduced in 1954 and was a 9" diameter Blade. There are blades made by other manufacturers that have a 1-1/4" Arbor hole.

Thank you so much. However, I am embarrassed to have not learned this many years ago. I wonder what I might have used other than the arbor wrench.