Shopsmith Forums

Hello Everyone!!! First time posting on here. I'm a new ShopSmith Mark 5 owner. I used a ShopSmith for the first time in shop class back in 1987 and thought it to be such a cool tool even back then. FF to a year ago when I decided to own my own ShopSmith Mark V and I started looking for a vintage model. Well, two weeks ago, I made the find of a lifetime (to me at least) and found a 1956 Greenie ShopSmith Mark 5 in great condition at an estate sale and the folks selling it had no idea what they had on their hands. She hadn't been ran in 6-8 years and no one had thought to plug it in and try to see if it worked until I got there.

I asked if I could plug it in to see if it would run and was told that it was in perfect working order. I then asked them if I could see for myself before I purchased it and they told me once again that it was in perfect working order and that they didn't want to have to move the machine closer to the outlet as it was "too heavy and cumbersome" to move. Well, luckily I'm a powerlifter and moving it would not be a problem for me so I just grab it and scooted it over to the outlet and asked if I could plug it in. Needless to say, they about soiled themselves and then came clean about the fact that they didn't know if it would power up or not when plugged in. I then asked once more if I could plug her in and they hesitantly agreed. I told them that if I'm going to purchase this machine, I want it to be in working order...

I proceeded to grab the power cord and noticed that the cable was old AF and was deteriorating. I hesitated a bit and then plugged her into the outlet. I had made sure that the power was off and went back to her and flicked the power on and in just twitched and was sitting there humming. Next thing I know, it started to smoke a bit and I immediately shut her off. The young guy there said "oh, well, looks like its DOA, sorry sir, I can't sell something that is not in good working condition, so unless you want to take it off our hands, we are going to haul it off to the dump"...

I told him that I could try to see if I could fix it on my own and they said I could have it!!! I about soiled myself and remember telling myself in my head to be calm and just act non-schelant about it all and go grab the truck and load her up and just go... you will have plenty of time to scream and yell like a little girl while you are alone and in your truck heading back home!!!

So, I get her home and I know that it has to be a simple thing and that those motors are STRONG and dependable and there are many things from that era that are still going strong and that this isn't any different!!! I got her taken a part and noticed that someone at some point had made the ShopSmith cardinal sin of moving the speed dial (as I call it) when the motor was not on. I was able to get the motor to run and she is STRONG!!!

anyways... that is how I came to own my very first ShopSmith Mark 5. I don't know which model it is yet, just the year it was made (by the serial number) but I'm very much looking forward to tearing into her and seeing what I can do to get her to her pristine working condition and adding her to my woodworking shop.

I'm very excited to learn as much as u can while I'm here and seeing what she can really once she's put together properly and well maintained.

Cheers,


Big M

Enjoy your new tool. A Shopsmith is a simple mechanical tool that has few problems. Most of the problems are caused by the owner using it wrong, or "fixing" or "restoring" the machine. If left alone, they will run for decades troublefree.

Yes welcome!

FWIW a 56 Greenie is a MARK 5. Picky detail!

There is much here( as well as many folks) that can help thee.

Do not hesitate to ask ? There are NO dumb ?

ENJOY










"Little girl" named BIG M

Hi Big M,
Great find. If you need an Owner's Manual for it go to the Maintenance and Repair section for Shopsmith Large Format Drawings, Illustrations and More by Everett Davis. This will be one of the first three topics. In it you will find a wealth of information on the Shopsmith tools. Some are directly linked there and others are on “My Google Drive” with documents too large to be directly linked. Everett has become the Shopsmith historian by saving and restoring manuals and other documents. You will find restored digital copies of the first three owners manuals. Although they cover the 1954 to 1955 "A" headstock Mark 5's they can still be helpful. Just remember there are changes that have been made between the third manual release and your 1956 Mark 5. The most noteworthy change is yours has the "B" headstock. Depending on when in 1956 your Mark 5 was made will determine which edition of the manual will cover the exploaded parts diagram and parts list. This is what changed in the manuals, the operation remained the same except the discontinued high speed lock of the early units. There are more manuals to come as Everett has time. If you need the exploaded parts diagram and parts list I have them in jpg format but they are to large to post here and reducing them would make them less useful.

Awesome!!! Thanks all. soooo much info available!!! Holy smokes!!! Apologizing in advance for my yet to come questions. lol

BTW, my "screaming like a little girl" comment was because that is the last thing anyone would think when they see my 350# frame getting excited about anything. My daughters (4 of them) have taught me a thing or two about what that excitement looks like and I literally saw myself getting that giddy when I saw the Mark 5 in person. Now, the look on my wife's face when she saw me unload her off the truck was... well... lets just say that her excitement didn't quite match mine...

Big M

Welcome aboard!

Welcome to the forum. I am sure my husband feels the same way as your wife. But then again I do not understand his fascination with new cooking tools either. I am sure she will come around once you start making things on it. Just choose a few things that she has wanted to make for her.