New to the hobby; looking for tips

[BuckeyeDennis]

Thanks. One more question. This post gives instructions on breaking down the unit for transport. It says to bring a 9/16" socket and ratchet and a long T-handled Allen wrench. Socket and ratchet, no problem. But what size Allen wrench? Later on in the thread someone recommends bringing a backup in case your primary breaks; I don't mind buying one Allen wrench assortment but two or more of them "just in case" seems overkill. Does anyone know the exact size of those setscrews?

Thinking about it, a can of penetrating oil might not be a bad addition to the traveling bag...

You need a 5/32” T-handle Allen wrench, aka the “Shopsmith tool kit”. You can generally buy them individually. If you buy a good one (Bondhus is my favorite, and Elkin also makes good ones), it would take gorilla strength to break or strip it.

FWIW, 5/32” is 3.97 mm. My personal experience is that 5/32” and 4mm hex keys can be used interchangeably, even though the nominal size differs by 0.0012”.

[robinson46176]

The "standard" Shopsmith Allen wrench (that always came with the machine new) is much longer in both dimensions than a normal Allen wrench and is fully functional to use. Having said that, once you get a good quality Tee handled one you will spend a half hour looking for it when you miss-place it rather than pick up one of the L shaped wrenches to use.
And yes... You WILL miss-place it no matter how much you try to always put it back where it belongs.
In my shop I like to keep an old speaker magnet down on the front of the headstock (on the steel end cover) where I can just hold the wrench near it and the magnet will grab it. I don't have to line up a little hole to store it. I have a speaker magnet about 3" across on the side of my drill press in the farm/mechanics shop where I keep the chuck key and a couple of center drills handy.
Never under estimate the power of a tool to crawl out of sight when your back is turned.
My big love of Shopsmith is the flexibility to make all manner of special set-ups that you can't do with most stand-alone tools. My woodshop is a mix of stand-alone tools and Shopsmith stuff. Some guys whine about all of the Shopsmith setups but that ability is why I have several in my shop.


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[DLB]

ehbowen - I've sent (or attempted) you a PM, check your box. Not currently for sale, but I can reconstitute a 510 in your range. I'll stay out of any discussion of relative value.

- David

[RonKlein]

The 'standard' hex wrench is 5/32", and fits the arbors and hubs.

[chapmanruss]

I transport Shopsmiths in our Dodge Grand Caravan. Both Mark V's and Model 10's fit without having to remove them from the bench or removing the bench legs. Some SUV's are big enough to load it without disassembling it also. I take off the table and other parts that normally come off during changeovers. It gets things out of the way and makes the unit lighter for lifting. If they have wheels it is easier. With the headstock locked at one end I lift the other end into the back of the van and slide it forward until the other end is next to the bumper. I then slide the headstock up to the other end that is already in the van and lock it. Finally I lift that end into the van and strap it down. Moving the headstock makes the end being lifted lighter and also helps the headstock clear the top of the opening of the tailgate door for Mark V's. If you have a pickup or trailer they are a good way to move them also.

If you have to take the bench ends/legs off have help loading and unloading it. Keep in mind some sellers are unable to help due to physical limitations. Taking the legs off the bench assembly of a Mark V requires removing 5 screws and nuts off each end. For that bring a slotted and Phillips screwdriver (average size) and an adjustable wrench. Hardware sometimes gets replaced over the years so it may not have the original hardware there. I have had slotted, Phillips and even hex head bolts there on Mark 5/V's I have purchased. I bring a 5/32" Allen Wrench for Mark V's to remove anything attached to the quill and spindle.

[DLB]

This one just popped up. Seems very reasonably priced for a 500 with Jointer:
https://austin.craigslist.org/tls/d/aus ... 91555.html

- David

[ehbowen]

Well, I'm now a Shopsmith owner.

Yes, I'm sure that I overpaid; the only special purpose tool he had was the bandsaw. In addition it had sat so long that the belts in the speed control had set up; it took a lot of patience and effort to get it to turn at all. The machine has never been oiled in 40 years by the looks of it; on the plus side it looks like it really hasn't been used more than a couple of times in those 40 years...no rust to speak of and finish overall is in good condition. And he seems to have almost all of the original accessories, although I didn't spot the lathe chisels unless they're under something else.

I gave him a frank assessment of the condition, but I also said that I was still interested in the machine and if he would accept it now I'd match the $700 offer he got the week before last. He decided to take it.

Yes, I'll post pictures soon...right now I'm worn out. I just got off working the graveyard shift, then driving 250 miles straight up to East Texas, breaking down and loading an unfamiliar machine (I've never even seen a Shopsmith in person before today), then driving 250 miles back home while trying to dodge protestors. I'm beat. See you all later.

[chapmanruss]

Congratulations on your new (to you) Shopsmith. Yes we would love to see pictures when you get the time. Since you said it looks like it hasn't had any maintenance preformed in 40 years it will be a good thing to start with. Remember we are here to help if needed.

[ehbowen]

All right now, got everything unpacked. Taking inventory, found one nice item neither I nor the seller had known about: a basic shaper attachment set with three cutters. Here's the basic setup (in my laundry room...I'll roll it out to the garage when I need room):

Shopsmith Mark V plus basic tools

Shopsmith Setup.jpg (85.29 KiB) Viewed 13382 times

Here's a closer shot of the headstock and carriage, with sanding disc installed. Note: The quill extension is very, very stiff; at first I thought it was frozen even though I released all locks. With a liberal dosage of penetrating oil and turbine oil I got it to move, with difficulty, but I'd still appreciate a pointer to tips for lubricating it properly:

Mark V Headstock & Carriage

Headstock-Carriage.jpg (87.37 KiB) Viewed 13382 times

Don't know if it's me, but I seem to have run into a limit of two attachments. To be continued...

[ehbowen]

Here's the bandsaw:

Mark V Bandsaw

Bandsaw.jpg (90.75 KiB) Viewed 13375 times

Looks like my photo problem in the previous post was related to a too-tall image; it was 1280 pixels but the limit is 1180. I resized it for here.

Top of the toolbox (which I purchased yesterday at Harbor Freight to store the stuff which was in 30 year old cardboard boxes)...saw guards, saw blades in top left drawer; sanding discs in top right:

Saw guards for Mark V, blades, sanding discs

Tools 1.jpg (76.17 KiB) Viewed 13375 times

Middle drawer of the toolbox; miscellaneous small items, some of which I have yet to properly identify:

Shopsmith miscellaneous tools/accessories

Tools 2.jpg (88.56 KiB) Viewed 13375 times

Bottom drawer of the toolbox; lathe tool rest, table slot for shaper, saw blade, and what looks like a support for a lathe center:

Shopsmith accessories and saw blade

Tools 3.jpg (70.32 KiB) Viewed 13375 times

Bottom shelf of the tool cabinet, with the shaper fence and a pulley cover for the bandsaw:

Shopsmith shaper fence

Tools 4.jpg (63.49 KiB) Viewed 13375 times

And, lastly, this tool cabinet has a nifty collection of holes in the side braces which are just about right to hold the lathe chisels. The two largest holes are a little too small for the two largest chisels, but a hand reamer ought to fix that:

Shopsmith lathe chisels

Lathe Chisels.jpg (54.55 KiB) Viewed 13375 times

Still on the wish list:
The mortise and tenon attachment package.
A lathe duplicator...I have a rail on my front porch which is rotting out, and I'd like to replace it with something decorative.
Down the road, a jointer.
Much further down the road, a Shopsmith planer. I impulse-bought a DeWalt DW734 benchtop planer on eBay last night, but eventually I'd like to have something better.

Well, I guess that gets me started. Time to make some dust!