Shopsmith Forums

Yesterday my husband and I bought a used 510 that was in basically new condition, the owner said he had probably used it 10 times since he bought it in 98. I was beyond excited. We got it packed up, got it home and as we were pushing it to the back of the garage the entire main table snapped off. In our ignorance we had been pushing it on the main table and it busted the Table Bar and Tube assembly (ref. # 163, part # 514344 which of course is almost the most expensive part of the table.

So here is my question: I see a table right now for a 500 listed on ebay for $29.00. As far as I can tell the Table Bar and Tube assembly hasn't changed between models. Will it fit under the larger 510 table? After the money we just spent on this it makes me kind of sick to my stomach to shell out another $100+ for this one part. Thanks for your help, sorry for the long story, I think I'm still a little traumatized from yesterday.

Sorry but no. The table tie and bar assemblies are different. You need one specifically for the 505/510 or 520 tables. They are listed quit frequently on ebay but are not inexpensive.

Welcome to the forum, however. Hope we communicate again over more favorable conditions. DON'T Discard the broken pieces.

Welcome to the Forum! Dusty has already answered your question. I write to add that you should not blame yourself. I do not believe that the casting should have broken under the circumstances you described. Many of us have probably used the table to push the Shopsmith on its casters. Unless the wheels were frozen or you hit an obstacle it should not have snapped. Now, that's just my opinion but it might be worth calling customer service. Shopsmith had good support even for owners of second hand machines. Perhaps they will examine the casting to see if it was defective, in which case they might replace it. Might be worth a try depending on what customer service says.

EDIT: Incidentally, as further proof that pushing the Shopsmith by its table should not result in catastrophic failure under normal circumstances, here's a photo from Shopsmith used in advertising the new casters.

Ahh yes, but notice the direction!

I agree, let SS decide if faulty or ....

P.S. One other detail - there are two versions of a 510 table. Most likely you have the newer version.(no mouse holes in the front of the rails.

Welcome to the forum. You do not mention your location. Often you may be close to a member that may be able to help. I no longer sell on ebay but have several SS items still taking up space. It is against forum policy to sell here. A PM might be in order, Bob

Moving your Shopsmith by pushing/pulling on the main table.

I have proven to myself that this is the worst thing a Shopsmith user can do, even worst than turning the speed control on a non running machine.

I have aligned my Shopsmith as carefully as I could then moved the Shopsmith around my shop which has a smooth burnished concrete floor and checked my alignments. All were slightly changed.

I redid all alignments and moved my Shopsmith using only the way tubes or headstock and rechecked my measurements none had changed. Even after a month of usage with me moving the Shopsmith everyday there was no chance or such a small change that I over looked it.

I will admit I do use the Aux table from time to time and haven't found any ill effect, however I have tried to only use the way tube or headstock.

You can disagree but if you ever visit my shop and try to move my Shopsmith using the main table I will, with all respect, throw your butt out.

I can relate to that!

I would think it might also be advisable to talk to the seller. I think it is quite possible that something else happened to cause this and asking the previous owner might bring that to light. Keep in mind the honey rather then sour milk approach.

I got a strip sander off ebay and it had a broken bracket as in an example and when I let the seller know they ordered and had shipped to me that part. Now with ebay you do have some recourse via their policies so perhaps that helped but I think in my case the seller didn't know and wanted to make things right.

I'd also check for other signs of damage, just to be sure there is not more yet to be found, as a precaution mind you but still better to be safe.

Let me also welcome you to the forum! Keep us in mind for other shopsmith and woodworking questions and advice as well as sharing your projects and well just about anything else.

Ed

Let me clarify my remarks. I'm absolutely not recommending anyone move their Shopsmith by pushing on the main table in any direction -- because you are likely to muck up your alignment.

But I've never heard of anyone who broke a casting on the main table by using it to move the Shopsmith around. And yes, I have done it from time to time and I bet a lot of other members have too, even though it isn't a best practice.

Therefore the breakage seems unusual to me. If it were me, I'd let Shopsmith figure out if everything was ok with the casting or not. That's all I'm saying.

Ed in Tampa wrote:Moving your Shopsmith by pushing/pulling on the main table. I have proven to myself that this is the worst thing a Shopsmith user can do, even worst than turning the speed control on a non running machine.

First I've ever heard of this. Who knew?! There aren't many other good handles on a Shopsmith and grabbing hold of the main table seems natural. Maybe that's why I've never had any luck with my SS in table saw mode.