Shopsmith Forums

first let me introduce myself, I'm Doug. I'm a Chief Quartermaster in the US Navy, currently stationed on board USS Normandy CG60. Before I deployed a couple months back, my brother convinced me to buy a Shopsmith (he's been trying to convert me to electrical tools for the last ten years, lol). so after looking around I found what I thought was a good one and I still do for certain reasons but went back and forth about returning it to the seller when they told me that the box with all the attachments was gone. so I ended up with a stand and a head unit. what made me keep it was, it also came with the jointer, band saw and planer attachments. I ain't gonna say what I paid for it, cause a lot of yall aint gonna like me if I do, ha ha, but I will say it was just a little bit more expensive than the band saw.

Now that that parts over with here's my thing. while I'm deployed I am buying the missing parts. and when I say missing parts, I mean everything. I got no way of attaching anything to anything, except I do have the chuck for the drill press / horizontal bore. any advice on what I should buy first? I bought the saw blade arbor and the fence already, figured you couldn't do anything if the wood wasn't cut down first. I was thinking the upper and lower guards next just for safety reasons. after that no clue. thanks for the help.

Welcome to the Forum. It would be helpful to know exactly what model Shopsmith you have. Some of the arbors/saw guards need to be matched to the model to function together as intended. Ebay is your friend. So is Craigslist.

I want to say it is a 510. everything I researched points to that.

"stand/head"

Tables(main/aux/floating) there?
Connecting tubes etc.?
Lathe tool rest?
Lathe tail stock?
Lathe centers

If you got a fence, I hope it is for a 510

Thank You for your service!!!

P.S. We here do not hate anyone for them getting a good deal!!! We celebrate their good fortune.

Hi Doug,
You think it is a 510 so we are talking a Mark V. That being said it is important to confirm which table system it has, a 510, 520 or the original 500. It is the Table Systems that are different between the Mark V models. As said already there are parts & accessories that are specific to certain Table Systems and we can help you with that later. Below is the original Table System now know as the 500. The extra slot near the edge was only done for a few years. Most Mark V 500's do not have that extra slot.
Below is the one you said you believe you have. Note the fence tubes and table inserts as you compare them.
Below is the 520 Table System and is also the table for the Mark 7.
Which is your Table System? The 510 and 520 Table Systems use a different upper & lower blade guard system than any of the guard systems made for the 500 model. It is the Blade Guard of the 510 & 520 that requires different Arbors, gennerally longer, than the 500 needs.

As was already said we all love a great deal and really like to see pictures of Shopsmiths. They are especially helpful identifying which parts you may need. Getting manuals for all the tools you now have will be very helpful. Check the Maintenance and Repair section here on the forum for Shopsmith Large Format Drawings Illustrations and More by Everett Davis for some information on your Shopsmith tools. He is one of our best Shopsmith Historians who is preserving and restoring documents and manuals about these tools. Shopsmith sells manuals for the Mark V's and the SPT's although they are mostly for the current models.

Sorry for harping, but ALL Mark 5's had the second slot.(At least until SS Inc. made new dies).

Also the Mark 5's were 9 inch saws.

P.S/ Excellent pix as an id guide.

JPG wrote,

Sorry for harping, but ALL Mark 5's had the second slot.(At least until SS Inc. made new dies).

I have restored two Greenie Mark 5's (1956 & 1957) and a Goldie Mark 5 (Oct. 1960), none of which has a second slot. I believe the second slot started in the 1960's which was a feature of the original Mark VII.

JPG,
I know your Goldie was made after 1961. Does it have the second slot?

You are correct that the original Mark 5's used a 9" blade and that size was limited by the lower saw guard shown below.
Doug,
Sorry we wander a little off topic sometimes but it is through sharing information we all learn more about these wonderful machines.

JPG wrote:Sorry for harping, but ALL Mark 5's had the second slot.(At least until SS Inc. made new dies).
.

Sorry mine does not 1955 Greenie here.

chapmanruss wrote:JPG wrote,

Sorry for harping, but ALL Mark 5's had the second slot.(At least until SS Inc. made new dies).

I have restored two Greenie Mark 5's (1956 & 1957) and a Goldie Mark 5 (Oct. 1960), none of which has a second slot. I believe the second slot started in the 1960's which was a feature of the original Mark VII.

JPG,
I know your Goldie was made after 1961. Does it have the second slot?

You are correct that the original Mark 5's used a 9" blade and that size was limited by the lower saw guard shown below.

Greenie first lower blade guard 1.jpg

Doug,
Sorry we wander a little off topic sometimes but it is through sharing information we all learn more about these wonderful machines.

When we wander, we often learn. So I looked at my greenie table and gee it does NOT have the second slot. Another goldie table from a trash pile has the second slot. Yes my 'OEM' goldie has the second slot.

I have not done much(anything) with the greenie table, so I had not noticed 'no second slot'.

I have not checked, but I suspect the MVII second slot is larger than the M5 second slot since the MVII is 10". I can vouch for a 10" blade in a Mark 5 goldie second slot being susceptable to 'milling' the table itself.

JPG

I have not checked, but I suspect the MVII second slot is larger than the M5 second slot since the MVII is 10". I can vouch for a 10" blade in a Mark 5 goldie second slot being susceptable to 'milling' the table itself.

What is the length of the saw blade table insert slot and the extra slot. I am guessing here but can you lower the table father down using the extra slot than you can using the regular table insert slot since the table may not "bottom out" until it hits the arbor. The table hits the top of the headstock when using the table insert slot. I measured the one saw blade table insert I have for the 500 tables and it's opening is 10 1/2" long. It is an extra from restoring Mark 5/V's and I do not know when it was made.