Shopsmith Forums

Chad wrote: Fri Mar 18, 2022 6:37 pm A SS Sawsmith 2000 (with casters and the short Excalibur fence system, that will be headed to North Carolina)

Congrats! Did you get 48" rails?

Excalibur was a Canadian company, now out of business, and their assets have been sold. Nobody seems to have picked up the product line. The designer of the Excalibur fence left the company to form another one called Exaktor making versions of the same products from Excalibur. The Excalibur system was well known, I spot ads used fences and rails from time to time, although I haven't seen any rails longer than 3 feet for sale. Some of their stock and upgrade kits for specific machines hung around for a while but seem to be all sold out now.

They don't make the fences or rails anymore but you're still gonna love having that saw!

edma194 wrote: Fri Mar 18, 2022 7:31 pm

Chad wrote: Fri Mar 18, 2022 6:37 pm A SS Sawsmith 2000 (with casters and the short Excalibur fence system, that will be headed to North Carolina)

Congrats! Did you get 48" rails?

Excalibur was a Canadian company, now out of business, and their assets have been sold. Nobody seems to have picked up the product line. The designer of the Excalibur fence left the company to form another one called Exaktor making versions of the same products from Excalibur. The Excalibur system was well known, I spot ads used fences and rails from time to time, although I haven't seen any rails longer than 3 feet for sale. Some of their stock and upgrade kits for specific machines hung around for a while but seem to be all sold out now.

They don't make the fences or rails anymore but you're still gonna love having that saw!

Sorry Ed, it's the shorter of the two. I played around with it, before loading it up. I had never used one. I was surprised, it seems like a really solid fence system! Except when the fence was clamped down in the large gap between the tables.

p.s. I'm not the owner. SOMEBODY you and I know that lives in North Carolina was the buyer... Wink, wink.

Wow, jpdalton, she's beautiful! My belt cover is 95% intact, but every time I touch it, it seems to crack a little bit more. I also don't have the "tailstock" attachment, so I need to keep an eye out for one on eBay. Scott

Wow time to catch up on some comments.

JPG,

There is not a notch in either of the Extension Tables I have for the two Mark 2's I own but there are scratches where the Tailstock part has been mounted in the past. Using collars on the Extension Table posts would not work since they would need to be moved so the Extension Table can match the Main Table's height for different operations.

John,

The Sanding Disk for the Mark 2 was the same 12" aluminum one used for the Mark 5. My two Belt Covers seem to be a bit brittle possibly from age and due to the thin plastic they are made out of. Possibly why yours was easily broken during transit. I agree the Mark 2 is "a quaint nostalgia piece" and the one I keep will be more for show than use.

Chad,

I believe it would be better to use the Mark 5 Tailstock instead of the clamp on thing that the Mark 2 comes with. I'll have to try both once I get mine restored. I believe the cost would have increased had they used the Mark 5 Tailstock for the Mark 2.

There is a Depth Stop for the Quill on the back side of the Headstock and has a 3" range. It uses the Shopsmith "Toolbox" 5/32" Allen Wrench to lock it in place with a set screw. Again a cheaper way to do it as was many of the things done on the Mark 2 like the use of threaded lever handles for locks. Not even the nicer Knobs with threaded studs the Model 10's used. The most interesting feature I find on the Mark 2 is the way the Headrest separates to tilt up into the Drill Press position. Think new Mark 7's double tilt feature for the Headrest end.

Scott,

Both the Belt Covers I own have some damage and they seem to want to break more when I touch them. My current plan is to CA glue some thin plastic strips on the inside to back up the broken areas and then fill from the outside with plastic putty. For the really bad one I may add some even thinner plastic sheet to the outside to reenforce the area before painting them. One challenge I am having is finding a paint color to match. I may use the same Verde Green Hammer Finish Paint I will use for the rest of the Mark 2. I would prefer to use a color that matches the original plastic color. Yours being the later gray Mark 2 will be easier to match paint colors to if you repair your Belt Cover.

I do wish you luck in finding the Tailstock part for yours. I only recall seeing one for sale in all the time I have been watching for Shopsmith stuff. Mark 2 stuff doesn't come up for sale very often and when it does it is someone parting one out and even then these common missing parts are not something usually found for sale. Because of their differences to the Mark 5 other parts like the Lathe Tool Rest, specifically the post and the Mark 2 Miter are not easily found if you did not get one. A Mark 5 Miter will work as a replacement and may be more desirable having the angle stops and bar lock not found on the Mark 2 Miter.

Below is a picture of the second Mark 2 I purchased. It is currently disassembled and I am working on its restoration along with my first one I have shown in the bottom picture.

_ .
Not all the items they came with are shown in the pictures.

Russ, I think using a Mark V tailstock is the best for true lathe work. I suspect that mine will continue to just be part of my personal museum!

Russ, I went back and looked at the photo again, and now I see that set screw for the depth stop quill lock. That seems like a worse, or at least much cheaper design than what the 10E & 10ER has.

Is a MK 2 main table and rip fence the same as a model 500?

Chad wrote: Sat Mar 19, 2022 4:02 pm Russ, I went back and looked at the photo again, and now I see that set screw for the depth stop quill lock. That seems like a worse, or at least much cheaper design than what the 10E & 10ER has.

Is a MK 2 main table and rip fence the same as a model 500?

NO and NO. Similar in some 2ways, but much cheaper. The rip fence is smaller. The main table the same. Different rip fence rail on the front.

All that said, the trunion is essentially the same but the mounting tubes have no gear rack.




P.S I totally agree the M5 tailstock is vastly better.


p.p.s. Ya no notch merely mark made by a PO. I stand corrected(again).

I don't intend on using the Mark 2 I keep but it will be part of my personal museum too. I don't imagine I would ever be doing a project that I would actually need it for since I have all the other Shopsmith tools. My 10E S/N 1077 and when restored S/N 1076 will be "museum" pieces too. I would use one or both of them before using the Mark 2.

The Mark 2 has a shorter table depth than the Mark 5 original table system and the fence rail is different. The front fence lock on the Mark 2 is different than the one on the Mark 5. The fence and base are a single casting and not separate pieces like the Mark 5 Fence. Both Mark 2 fences I have each have a small chunk missing from the edge of the base part and both in the same spot. Probably from being dropped. The castings are thinner and both fences have a crack in the fence face. On one Mark 2 the table fence rail is damaged near the end. Again, probably from being dropped. That and a crack in the carriage, at a table post hole, makes that table system unusable so I am replacing it with a Mark 5 Table and Carriage for the one I sell. I feel a plus for the person buying it to use but a minus if it is to be their "museum" piece too.

I have found it interesting comparing how the Mark 2 was made having restored and worked with model 10's and Mark 5/V's. It was truly a less expensive option to have the 5 functions of the Mark 5 but made some definite sacrifices for that. Everything about the Mark 2 has a "cheaper" feel to it than the Model 10's and the Mark 5. Having them and taking them apart you really do see that. Thinner castings that break easier and a "cheaper" bench system that can bend easier. One thing I have that will help make the bench legs more sturdy is the Retractable Caster set I have for mine. It is the same set used for the Mark 5 but is shorter. To use a Mark 5 set you would have to shorten the width about an inch for it to be correct. Another non-standard thing about the Mark 2.

One big thing that jumps out at me about the Mark 2, and correct me if I'm wrong here, is the lack of a speed changer, or the option of a speed changer. Even the 10's had that as an option. Or was it eventually standard equipment?

Chad wrote: Tue Mar 22, 2022 3:47 pm One big thing that jumps out at me about the Mark 2, and correct me if I'm wrong here, is the lack of a speed changer, or the option of a speed changer. Even the 10's had that as an option. Or was it eventually standard equipment?

There was actually a Powr-Kraft branded machine (made by Magna or Yuba) that was a Mark 2-like system with variable speed. One was being offered in the Midwest a few months ago, and I saved some pictures from the listing.