Shopsmith Forums

Good morning everyone. (depending where you live):D
I've been perusing used Shopsmith Mark Vs but we don't own a truck. (ex wife totalled two of my trucks so I'm a shadow of my former self, driving a Camry and Rav4 these days)
Is it feasible to dis-assemble the Mark V for transportation?

Thanks in advance for any advice.
John
P.S. How do they arrive from SS? assembled and crated or in pieces?

i have hauled two mark v's in a '05 toyota camry. only takes a 5/32 allen wrench and a 9/16 socket. takes less than 10 min. to break it down and get in the trunk. hauled the scroll saw and band saw in the back seat. bob

Bob, thanks for the speedy response and useful information.
I'll take those tools and maybe a trusty adj. wrench with me when I pick it up. (hopefully this weekend)

Pinky
In order to transport several SS Mk V's in the past I removed the legs.
Do this as follows;
get some saw horses that are slightly taller than the bench (lower) tubes.
Only leave the headstock and the table carriage on the way (upper) tubes and lock them in the center.
The lift one end of the machine and slide one of the saw horses under ythe bench tubes the do the same at the other end.
With the machine positioned at the right end of the saw horses roll the machine over so that it rests on the way tubes (MAKE SURE THAT THE HANDLE THAT LOCKS THE WAY TUBES IS LOCKED ) Then the legs can be removed.
Believe me that this easier than trying to crawl under the machine to remove or replace the legs.
With the legs removed it is very easy to carry the machine up or down stairs as it far better balanced this way and it will slide in the rear of most statio wagons or SUV's.
Bill

Bill, thanks for the info. After I left the house today I realized that I should have asked for the sequence of dis-assembly.
Thanks for catching my goof.

disassembly sequence of a mark v. pretty simple and straight forward. remove the tie bar, back the headstock lock counterclockwise until seated snuggly. remove the headstock. roll the shopsmith on it's side, (protect the finish with old towels, blankets or even the floor mats from your car). loosen the four bolts that hold the lower tubes and separate the unit. loosen the two set screws on the pivot end and remove the remaining upper tubes. the shopsmith will be in manageable pieces now. i place old towels and/or old blankets between the pieces when loading them in the trunk. it helps protect the finish and prevents the parts from rattleling all the way home. make sure you have a long 5/32 allen wrench as the set screws in the pivot end of the upper tubes are quite a ways in there. the seller always looks in amazement and will probably say "i didn't know it came apart like that". reassembly takes more time but you will "know" your machine intimately by then and have a better understanding of how it works., bob

back the headstock lock counterclockwise until seated snuggly

Very important point. Turn the headstock lock handle counterclockwise all the way until it stops and won't come loose- that way the way-tube lock wedges will stay in place. If they're loose, you'll have a devil of as time getting the h/s back on the tubes.

Don't forget a couple of 2 foot long 2x4's and 2x6's to brace the tubes when you pull the headstock.

BTW after I get the headstock off I flip the rest of the machine over and take off the legs, and if you are like me you will want to take a plastic jar or can along for the parts you take off. You will need a screw driver for this operation as well as an adjustable wrench. I personally save some of the cardboard boxes I get and use them as padding... so add a utility knife if you do that.

Ed

Thanks for all the advice, it is all appreciated.
I'm copying the post to take with me. It is a 3 hr. drive to get to the SS through the mountains, so I'd better go prepared. LOL
I'm sure alot of SS owners are surprised to see the machine taken so far down unless they have moved one themselves. Looking through the ads I would say most haven't since I see alot of ads saying that a truck is needed.
I can't wait to get up there Sat. morning.
I'd better get some things together.
Thanks again!
Pinkie