Shopsmith Forums

iaokie wrote:Ok I'll keep looking for a replacement and maybe I can find one by the time I get everything checked,cleaned and painted
What would the good price be on this cam if I can find one ?

Whatever the current owner needs to cause him to part with it! They really are very scarce.

The missing chunk is about at the saw-joint speed position. An epoxy that will adhere to the cam might work. I am guessing the cam is nylon, and adhering might be a problem.

iaokie wrote:Ok I'll keep looking for a replacement and maybe I can find one by the time I get everything checked,cleaned and painted
What would the good price be on this cam if I can find one ?

Others are suggesting $30-$50, which seems pretty low to me. Remember, If you are buying a cam, you are effectively killing another machine in doing so since they are so rare. As a result, you are forcing a machine to be a parts machine. Also, its the most common part to be broken on the mark VII machines.

Here is a thread about having cams made:
http://www.shopsmith.net/forums/showthr ... t=mark+cam
Looks like there was talk of machine shop making some.

I bought two working machines (one nicer than the other) and another with a missing speed control and a few other missing headstock bits and pieces someone had butchered a very crude exterior motor mounting on the back of that one and put a common motor on it.
I pulled that headstock and put a Mark V Gilmer drive headstock on it and parked it under a window as pretty much of a dedicated lathe (my Frankensmith).
The best Mark VII is sitting over in an opposite corner of the shop and will see some use especially specialty use like if I ever want to use it as an under table shaper /router since that is one of its strong points. It will not get constant use. The second running Mark VII is sitting out in the middle of the shop waiting to be moved out to a storage building. I just decided that I had too many units in there especially since I have several stand alone tools. I am guarding that best Mark VII cam and hoarding the cam in the second one.
None of the three had an intact plastic rack gear but I won't bother to make one, at least not now. It might be handy to raise and lower the headstock when tipped to the left and used under the table but there is more than one way to skin a cat.

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robinson46176 wrote: None of the three had an intact plastic rack gear but I won't bother to make one, at least not now. It might be handy to raise and lower the headstock when tipped to the left and used under the table but there is more than one way to skin a cat.

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Just curious if anyone has ever found a commercial replacement for the Rack Gear...mine is intact. But in Arizona who knows for how long.

Would a MkV headstock fit a MkVII?

Yes...including the powerpro

jm51 wrote:Would a MkV headstock fit a MkVII?

Yes... including but not limited to the powerpro.

jm51 wrote:Would a MkV headstock fit a MkVII?

Yes, in fact shopsmith suggests this on their site. Also, if you are handy, you could adapt the mark VII motor and switch to the mark V, thus getting the speed reversing without the hassle of the cam fragility.

That might be the better choise for me too
After more disassembling It's not looking good
Apparently the cam I had was an extra heres what I found inside
Power supply wires are rock hard and some are bare
The sheave looks ok but the end where the bearing fits into has a piece missing
Looks like the fun has just begun