Shopsmith Forums

Hi all. I did it. I got a shopsmith!! then all of the sudden I got another one. I am very excited because my dear Norwegian Woodworking Grandfather had a beautiful Mark V and I always wanted one of my own.
So I talked my wife into the prospect and found a clean '82 Mark V for $500 on Craigslist with a pristine newer model Bandsaw. The only downside was he was missing most of the accouterments. So I spotted a 1960's Greenie for sale on Ebay within driving distance starting at $1 and it came with all the accouterments and a joiner and belt sander. I ended up having to go to $100 bucks but I think it was worth it. So now I am looking at two Shopsmiths in the Garage and the wife is looking at me like I have a diminished mental capacity. Anyway I want to get both headstocks tuned up and upgrade to the dual bearing setup. I would eventually want to put a power pro but cant justify the $$$$ right now. Any suggestions on DIY vs ship it off to a service Tech?
(I am excited about restoring the Greenie it has lines like a old chevy and I want to do a similar "Greenie" color scheme with pin striping!!)

Hi hbviii! Welcome to the forum! To answer your question, by all means Do It Yourself. This way you will truly learn all about the simple drive system in the Mark V. No more mystery.

There are plenty folks here on the forum that will jump at the chance to answer any questions you have. Just ASK!!! Photos help!! Don't be shy about asking what you think may be stupid questions, because there just aren't any.

P.S. Nice lookin' machine in your avitar and photo.
Don't forget to use the search function on the forum. There you might find answers to questions you haven't asked.

Absolutely you should DIY! Then, if you find you can't get it back together properly, you can send it off in a pre-disassembled state, just to save the guy some labor

Kidding aside, it's a great way to learn the inner workings and see what parts need maintenance, and how to get to them / perform said maintenance. With a bit of patience and a lot of reading, you'll get through it and be better off for it.

Good luck!

PS: When you are removing and reinstalling bearings, it'll really help to have a bearing puller. If you don't already have one, Harbor Freight has an inexpensive kit, or you can use the loaner tool service at an auto parts stores; you actually pay for it, but they refund the full price when you bring it back.

Have any of you done the dual bearing upgrade? Is there any machining involved?

I am wanting to do it in both. Do I need to convert the Greenie to a Poly V drive first?

hbviii wrote:I am wanting to do it in both. Do I need to convert the Greenie to a Poly V drive first?

Converting from a gilmer drive to a poly v will COST ya about $500.00. I believe that Bill Mayo has 2 bearing quills for the gilmer drive. So contact him, it wood be MUCH less expensive that way.

You really don't need the 2 bearing quill. (Not worth it IMHO). My '55 is single bearing and I don't have any issues at all.

Rehab them both yourself,
Make the greenie a shorty and use it as a power station.

Welcome to the fun.