Shopsmith Forums

So after I got my recent super-buy I found out my Mark V 500 needed a lot of love. So far I replaced the headstock lock (last owner broke off the handle), reattached the belt (he tried to fix it himself i think and couldn't figure out how to get the belt on), lubed it (it was like a desert), tension-ed the poly belt, sanded down the waytubes, cleaned and waxed the lot of it, and now I am having trouble with the quill.

It seems to lack much recoil back into the headstock, it does to a point but gets stuck or needs some help to continue retracting. I tried to clean out what I could from the access hole, waxed the crap out of the actual quill and polished it up, and powder graphited (oh i made it a word) but it still has some trouble.

My overall goal for the thing is to cut down the lower waytubes and turn it into a dedicated drill press, so the quill having some spring to it is much desired. It just seems gummed up but I can't figure out where and the best way to clean it. Any idea where my issue would be?

Beave2012 wrote:Now I am having trouble with the quill.

It seems to lack much recoil back into the headstock, it does to a point but gets stuck or needs some help to continue retracting. I tried to clean out what I could from the access hole, waxed the crap out of the actual quill and polished it up, and powder graphited (oh i made it a word) but it still has some trouble.

My overall goal for the thing is to cut down the lower waytubes and turn it into a dedicated drill press, so the quill having some spring to it is much desired. It just seems gummed up but I can't figure out where and the best way to clean it. Any idea where my issue would be?

Here is i video that shows how to clean and reinstall the quill with the required tension on the spring.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZF1xvg6-NY[/youtube]

Awsome, Thanks for the video, easy enough and hopefully it should clear up that quill sluggishness right away.

Thanks again!

When you have the quill 'out', look at the keyway(groove) in the top and make sure there are no burrs on the sides or bottom of the groove. They can be removed by judicious filing. When reinserting the half dog set screw, be careful to not tighten it un centered(makes burrs on the side of the groove).

Hey thanks for the tips. Got it out, cleaned it to high heaven, waxed it on up and BAM! its slick as my 520 now.

Starting to really like this 500 now. Spent the last 3 days getting it cleaned up and now almost feel bad for this weekend when the tubes meet my hack saw to become a dedicated drill press. Keep thinking I should go shorty on it instead. Oh well, no room for that!

Only things left to fix on that 500 is a new speed dial and a lock handle for the table lift. Thing looks so pretty now though and runs great even after all the neglect of the last owner.

Wish me luck on this weekend's drill press modification. Thanks for the advise guys!

You will curse the decision to use that hack saw.

LOL that's what I am afraid of. However there is no way I could fit another full shopsmith in the workspace i have. Its half of a 3rd stall garage and I currently have 2 8' workbenches, a shopsmith (w/ bandsaw, beltsander, stripsander, & scroll saw), a SS jointer on the old power stand, a pro planer, a router table, a jet dust collector, and now another Shopsmith... I just dont have the room. I gave away my old cheepo benchtop bandsaw in order to make room for this as a drill press. So my only real choice is to hack saw off 2 16-18" tubes for a drill press, or buy a set... and it always seems cheaper for me to just buy another shop smith than buy parts.

Worse case however, I am keeping the "left over" parts of the tubes so I could eventually take it down, swap tubes, and make it shorty later on, but for now, this 500 shall become my drill press, and not a bad drill press for around 50 bucks in parts.

There might be another way. How about turning it into a wall-mount drill press? I haven't seen it done with a Mark V, but if you can convert one into a Shop Deputy, why not a wall-mount drill press?

Does anyone know how the Shop Deputy is fastened to the bench? Judging from the photo of the conversion kit, it appears that a few lag screws and fender washers will do the trick.

I think JPG was referring to using a hacksaw as your tool of choice in cutting the tubes. Use a sawsall or circular saw with a metal cutting blade, otherwise it may be a multi weekend project!

BuckeyeDennis wrote:There might be another way. How about turning it into a wall-mount drill press? I haven't seen it done with a Mark V, but if you can convert one into a Shop Deputy, why not a wall-mount drill press?

Does anyone know how the Shop Deputy is fastened to the bench? Judging from the photo of the conversion kit, it appears that a few lag screws and fender washers will do the trick.

I like it Dennis!

Looking at the 150 dollar "kit" of 2 short way tubes and some lags and washers (like you point out), it has to be fairly simple to mount. Maybe drill holes for the lags in the bases? I have room for my 500, but a wall mounted DP would be the berries .....