Should I fix/upgrade/invest in my old Mark V?

[benjamin]

I received an old Mark V 500. It needs $250 in replacent parts, plus a new table, fence and saw guards. Is it worth it to upgrade it to a 520 or should I buy a cheaper cabinet saw and keep the Shopsmith for a drill press?

I have a Mark V 500 from 1972-3. It's one of the earliest from Shopsmith Inc. It was my dad's. He used it for 35 years -- mostly for framing, fencing, decks, and general remodel and homeowner work rather than precision woodworking or furniture making. The last 15 years or so it's been stored outside and it's gotten pretty rough. He recently gave it to me.

I am setting up a shop in a three car garage, sharing it with one car, storage, bicycles, and lawn and garden equipment. I could really use the Shopsmith for a table saw, and also in lieu of a miter saw, and for a drill press. However, I've got to do some repair by replacement on this one and I'm questioning whether it's worth it or not.

To get the model 500 back in shape, I priced out $250 of replacement parts. That will replace the very rusty and pitted way tubes, the stripped speed control, control sheave, the belts and some hardware. I have disassembled and thoroughly inspected the Shopsmith and I'm confident I would have a good running model 500 for that cost which I think is a good deal. Unfortunately, there's more.

The table on the model 500 is not the best, and this one is really rough. The fence and miter guage are really crusty and there are no saw guards. The 500-to-520 upgrade kit solves almost all these problems but for not less than $1050.

Now the proposition I'm looking at is spending just about $1500 to repair this Mark V and upgrade it to a 520 including freight costs. At that point it would meet all my table and miter saw needs, as well as my wood drill press needs. Referencing ads, this seems like a decent price for a used 520 though oftentimes additional accessories are available in used sales.

Still, it's a lot of money. For the same price as the 520 upgrade kit I could buy a new Craftsman cabinet saw with a cast-iron table and Biesemeyer fence -- the whole saw, not just the table. And with the rest, I could buy a drill press and compound miter saw. Those tools don't take a lot of room in addition to the table saw and space-saving alone wouldn't justify the Shopsmith's cost.

I like the Shopsmith. Can I be convinced that it's really worth upgrading? Or should I just fix the headstock and keep it as a drill press?

[charlese]

Hi, Ben! Although I can't answer your question concerning what you should do - That's entirely your decision - I can give you some additional things to think about.

A table saw and a drill press are only part of the major power tools a well equipped shop needs. I worked for years, and make quite a few projects with a small radial arm saw, a hand held jig saw, and a router. Very nice looking cabinets, picture frames and bathroom cabinetry. All of this was done in a space about the same as yours. Of course some hand tools, including clamps were also required. As I later got a woodworking 'bug' and wanted to make additional projects, I switched as soon as possible to a Mark V 510. I've never been sorry - and have added to the Mark V with other tools that enhance my woodworking experiences and joy, without requiring much additional space.

You have researched the costs of conversion of a SS 500 to a 520 and compared this to the cost of stand alones. You say there is plenty of room for these stand alones. This is a good thing! But if you ever want to add a bandsaw, a jointer, a bench planer, a belt and/or strip sander - where would you put them? In addition, where would you put a wood lathe so you could turn minor items like toys, bowls, pepper mills, candle sticks, finials, stair spindles, etc.

The Shopsmith 520 will allow you a lathe, disk sander, drum sander from the get go. These things are additional to the stand alones you have mentioned. As the need arises, you can add on the other tools mentioned in the last paragraph. If you want to do better woodwork you will definitely need a jointer.

The Shopsmith special purpose tools jointer, bandsaw, belt sander planer, overhead pin router as well as others can be stored in relatively small storage and can be rolled away to provide room for projects and other activities in your garage. I sincerely question if some of these added power tools can be efficiently located in your space without dedicating that space to the tools.

You can always add on to a Shopsmith 520. Stand alones will always be the same as they are when you get them.

I wanted to add - I have touched Biessemeyer fences at stores. I've found the tail of these fences deflect fairly easily. The Shopsmith fences for the 510 and 520 do not deflect! They lock at both ends.

[a1gutterman]

Hi benjamin,
Another thing about the SS is the variable speed capability. Something that is just not available with other machines. But the most important aspects that Charlese did not mention just may be the availability of replacement parts and the fantastic customer service!

[charlese]

You bet! Thanks for the additions, Tim!:) These two features should not be overlooked - They even bear repeating!

1) variable speed for all tools attaching to the headstock and 2) Wonderful personal assistance form Shopsmith and the continued availability of parts/upgrades.

[brown_hawk]

I would add that in the space you describe, you will want your tools on wheels so that they can be moved around. Don't forget to include those in your calculations.

The rest has been covered, especially the variable speed.

Hawk

[solicitr]

Another option, which may or may not appeal to you, is just to replace the table, miter gauge and fence with used 500 parts, which are available very cheap (leftovers from upgrades).

[BigSky]

Just because it was your dad's, I am inclined to tell you to keep it and to do what is necessary to bring it back into a safe and reliable configuration.

You sound as though you have researched this quite well and know what the cost associated with the various options are. But you didn't mention the fact that right now Shopsmith has an offer to evaluate your headstock for less than $70 (plus round trip s/h) and give you a price for complete renovation.

Maybe you want to evaluate that option as well. What it would give you, if you have them do the repairs, is a warranted headstock.

As far as the upgrade to a 520 goes, I think that depends on whether or not you use your 500 enough to justify the expenditure. I would be inclined to go for the whole thing - I love my Shopsmith. More important, I have faith that I will be able to maintain the SS for many years to come due to the Shopsmith customer service policies and availability.

With a retrofitted headstock - you would have those same guarantees.



PS I tried to send the link but I don't know how. Here is part of the email that I was able to copy and paste.

• Call Customer Services to receive a Return Merchandise Authorization Number and package information.
• Ship your Headstock to Shopsmith. If you like, we’ll send you a FREE loaner Headstock to use while yours is being repaired. If so, you can use the loaner headstock packaging to ship your Headstock to us for the Tune-Up. Shipping costs (both directions) are the customer's responsibility.
• We’ll evaluate your Headstock and notify you of its condition and what may be required in the way of additional repairs (if necessary), including costs…before any work begins.

$62.85 for the evaluation.

[kd6vpe]

Everyone has brought up very good points. What I see here is you are going to use the garage and the SS only needs on AC outlet vs. several for the standalone another expense to think about. I also love my SS

[kalynzoo]

Given the size of the shop, similar to mine, a 3 car garage with shared usage, the SS makes a great working platform. If it's in the budget I would vote for the new unit. The ease of conversion of my 510 from one process to another is enough to support my enjoyment of SS products. I gave my kids most of the stand alone tools, giving me more workroom in the shop/garage.

[Ed in Tampa]

...Still, it's a lot of money. For the same price as the 520 upgrade kit I could buy a new Craftsman cabinet saw with a cast-iron table and Biesemeyer fence -- the whole saw, not just the table. And with the rest, I could buy a drill press and compound miter saw. Those tools don't take a lot of room in addition to the table saw and space-saving alone wouldn't justify the Shopsmith's cost...

Benjamin

You have gotten a lot of good advice on your Shopsmith. Let me make a few comments on a the Craftsmen saw.

First are you aware there were three models of that saw when it was first introduced. They discontinued one model. Since Sears didn't make the saw how long do you think it will be until the standard answer is "We can replacement parts" ? I suspect if sales don't pick up Sears will discountinue one or both of the remaining models.

Second while there is a lot of hype on the various forums about these saws however they are inferior in construction to "real cabinet" saws, inferior construction to premier "contractor type" saws and really inferior to your Shopsmith.
Everyone harps on the fact they have cabinet mounted trunions but totally ignore the fact that whole structure that supports the saw arbor is made from multiple pieces. The pieces that mount in the trunions are cast, into which steel tubes are pressed on which the actual arbor support is suspended. This is either a press fit, a clamped fit or a pinned fit. All of which will eventually allow movement.

Look at a Unisaw or Powermatic and you will see this structure is a one piece casting.

With the multiple pieces the whole thing flexes as you crank the saw blade over to a bevel, this racking heels the blade. Every time you crank the blade over to bevel and back to 90 degrees you change the alignment of the blade to the mitre slot/table. Back before many contractor saw manufactures corrected this problem people complained that contractor saws wouldn't stay in alignment and blamed the table mounted trunions. In fact the problem was the multi piece structure used to support the arbor. Delta finally included instructions on how to adjust for this problem.

I would advise you to stick with your Shopsmith but if you decide to buy a saw check out how the arbor is supported between the trunions. If it is multi piece structure look for another saw.
Ed