Shopsmith Forums

One of my shopsmiths is soon to be a dedicated drill press with short bench tubes and head stock reversed. I will have the tubes cut next week. I was originally planning on my MK V. That is the machine I have used in the past and it works pretty well. It also seems SS is not really supporting the short-lived MKVII, the inavailability of caster bushings being one of the reasons I am planning to send it to a new home(a home owned by a taller person or someone who doesn't need casters).
As a dedicated machine most normal caster options raise the machine up 3+ inches and that is a problem. As a dedicated drill press I think it may not be as much of an issue. I think there are reasonably priced mobile bases that will fit the smaller profile and drop the machine down to the ground also.
If convinced of some monumental advantage with the MKVII for this use I would be willing to try and make it work.

I don't know as muh about the MK VII as I thought. I thought it was manufactured by SS inc a decade or so before the MK 7. I read in another post it was manufactured in the 60s and 70s by another company and absolutely not supported at all by SS. I will send it on to a new home.

johnwilliamson062 wrote:I don't know as muh about the MK VII as I thought. I thought it was manufactured by SS inc a decade or so before the MK 7. I read in another post it was manufactured in the 60s and 70s by another company and absolutely not supported at all by SS. I will send it on to a new home.

A lot of good thinking there, but, it involves some value judgement. The Mark VII has many features that only when the Mark V was introduced(505/510) were included as 'improvements' to the Mark 5.

If maintenance and replacement part availability are a major concern the conclusion is valid.

Only you can determine correctly the tradeoffs as they apply to you.

I am biased in the opposite direction and am exerting considerable effort etc. to restore mine to full functionality.(granted over an extended time period).

I only suggest that you weigh the values as they pertain to your intended use very carefully.

If it is your intention to dedicate a shorty drill press then please just consider doing that with a Mark V. The Mark 5/V is more suited for that.

The advantage of a Mark VII is the gear rack that allows one to crank the head up and down. To move the head up and down on a vertical Mark V is a real job. That does assume your Mark VII has a usable gear rack. And of late there are replacements available from third parties. Mine does and I really like that feature.

cham-ed wrote:The advantage of a Mark VII is the gear rack that allows one to crank the head up and down. To move the head up and down on a vertical Mark V is a real job. That does assume your Mark VII has a usable gear rack. And of late there are replacements available from third parties. Mine does and I really like that feature.

When in drill press mode you can advance the quill against the table to raise the headstock, (put a scrap of wood between to avoid marring the table.) .

It works on my 10ER, should work for a Mark V too.

That is a good trick. Always a few extra 2X4s around.