Shopsmith Forums

A few days ago I picked up from Craigslist a 1983 model 500 that included:

Bandsaw with aluminum table
Jointer
Scroll saw (not the old jig saw)
Strip sander
Router collet and fence
Lathe chisels
Disk sander
Turning face plate
Lots of other accessories and plans.

I also had the additional benefit of meeting a gentleman that is retiring to Florida and when he saw that I was no re-seller, gave me a lot of extras.
The photos attached are from the Craigslist. I am now cleaning sorting and thinking about what new spares I may need to stock.

Great deal, especially with all those SPTs! Nice to see it end up in the hands of someone who wants to sue it, rather than part it out on E-Bay

Yea...that's a GREAT deal!

I personally would rather see every Shopsmith being used instead of going to one of the "Shopsmith Chop Shops" on Ebay. I think there was a Shopsmith reseller up around your part of NY. He did the best job of posting pictures of the items he sold by making them appear to be suspended or floating in air as I recall several years ago.

Looks like all you'll need is a planer (although I see on your personal profile you might have one) & a dust collector and you'll be in wood chip heaven! The Mark V you have looks to be in great condition as I see no rust and this
isn't your first rodeo.

The upgrade from a 500 to a 520 can be expensive. But you have pretty much what you'll need to create many things. You might stumble on another 510 for $150 without any SPTs. That would give you larger tables and other things. There have been some upgrades which you may or may not wish to upgrade to. I'm not sure if you have a single or double bearing quill. A Shopsmith can be simply a tool to be used or an obsession.

I see you've been a member for a long time, so I figure you have a pretty good idea of using a Shopsmith unlike someone buying & using one for the first time & will simply wait for what you find.

I would suggest you start by removing the belt cover and if you have a compressor, then blowing all the saw dust out and inspect the interior. Check the insulation on the power as some insulation dries out and ends up in the bottom of the motor pan. Most importantly you will want to lube the sheave shafts which is something many don't do. Be sure to inspect the speed control as they were made with potted metal and often wear down on break teeth. I'd recommend you replace the speed control with one with a steel gear sold by a guy on Ebay. I bought 3 of his knobs and can attest to his work. There are many threads you can read and learn all you need to know. I also bought a set of Jacob Anderson's DVDs and found them to be worth every nickel.

If you have any questions or see something odd, don't hesitate to come back and ask. Post pics if you can. It's always interesting to see what people end up with. I don't often see people scoring the strip sander and the scroll saw- good for you! Some get lucky & have Shopsmiths which are well maintained and others find rust buckets and somehow bring them back to life.

Shopsmiths are like a Forrest Gump box of chocolates… Some of them show no sign of any maintenance while others look almost brand new. A good indicator is if the seller knows how to turn the headstock on. Believe it or not I looked at one one time which the seller wanted $800- a 510 with a bandsaw and few other accessories and rusted. He didn't know how to turn the headstock on- a huge RED flag. His price was firm- he was a salesman. I wished him good look. He also had a DC-3300 and didn't know it was a Shopsmith item. Oh well.

Good luck!

Thanks for the advice and recommendations. This is not my first SS but I am still learning about them and you suggestions are very helpful.
I got to this while I was searching for a scroll saw, then the whole package appeared. I wanted the scroll saw to make some toys and I got a full shop.

Other than lacking time, I am itching to start playing with it. I still have a full time job in NYC so I have to balance hobbies and family in my spare time.

Regards