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I have my father's MarkV that he purchased in 1979.I've been thinking abiut posibbly updating it.I would aprreciate any info,both pro and con,and whether to upgrade to a 510 or 520. Thank you.

stein wrote:I have my father's MarkV that he purchased in 1979.I've been thinking abiut posibbly updating it.I would aprreciate any info,both pro and con,and whether to upgrade to a 510 or 520. Thank you.

Welcome to these forums, stein!

Any upgrade (500 to 510 or 520) will only improve the function of the table saw mode.

When I bought mine in 1995, I bought it with the "new" 510 table system. I find it adequate for my needs and do knot plan to upgrade to a 520. That being said, I wood like to point out a couple of things:

1) I also have another table saw that I do most of my cutting on.

2) I plan on using the Mark V in table saw mode more, once I assemble my Incra Ultimate Fence.

3) Rick Davis (formerly a ShopSmith Traveling Academy instructor) told me that with the Incra set up on a 510 table system, there wood be little if any improvement to upgrade to a 520 table system.

4) Some here have had the opinion that the 520 table system is much superior then the 510 system. One member in particular has more then once denounced his 500 to 510 upgrade, but then praised his 510 to 520 upgrade repeatedly.

5) I think that if I acquired a Mark V 500, and I wanted to upgrade (which I wood definitely want to do), I wood choose to skip right over the 510 table system and go for the 520.

Another choice wood be to keep the 500 to use in other then table saw mode, i.e., use it as a sanding station or a "permenant" lathe, and buy a new Mark V with the 520 table system.

In drill press mode, I really appreciate the bigger table and fence with T-tracks on my 520 system.

Gary

Gary is right about the larger table and "T" track fence. You get that with either upgrade; with more "T" tracks on the 520 fence.

edit:You did knot say whether you have the 500 table system or the 505 table system. If you have the 505, you already have the larger table. I am knot sure if the 505 has the "T" track fence or knot.

skip the 510, go with the 520 or incra depending on your budget.

red

Welcome to the Shopsmith forum, we're glad to have you aboard!

I've been through upgrades to the 510 and later to the 520. If you upgrade to 510 you will get a larger table, connecting tubes, and two floating tables. I have found that these features vastly improved the machine, not only in saw mode, but also when set-up vertically as a drill press.

The new plastic upper saw guard will automatically align the riving knife with the blade and the anti-kickback paws make sawing much safer. The lower saw guard efficiently evacuates sawdust when connected to a dust collector. The quick adjust feature is also a nice adaption to your miter gauge.

I eventually upgraded to 520 because the fence is bigger, stronger, and has additional "T" slots on the sides. It is also easier to adjust it to be parallel to the blade and miter slots. In my opinion this fence is equal to the best of the aftermarket fences offered for other higher quality table saws.

Stein,
I also inherited my father's 500 also built in 1979. I have upgraded to 520 all the way around and am pleased. The cost was well worth the benefits. There is sufficient material available to explain the pros and cons, but I have made the switch and recommend you do so as well.

I guess I'm kind of fortunate because I have a 500 and 510, and my dad has a 520 so I have been able to sample them all. I got to help him with sawing a bit this weekend on the 520 and it was fantastic.

I injured my thumb on Friday night buying some lumber (dropped two sheets of 3/4 Birch near it) and turning my thumbscrews on the 510 were a huge PITA. I really enjoyed the 520's screw location, very easy (IMHO) to deal with. (My thumbnail didn't appreciate the motion on the 510.)

I need to find some adjustable legs, another 24" tube, and potentially the 5 foot tubes for mine. Someday . . . maybe I'll go to the 520 setup.

a1gutterman wrote:1) I also have another table saw that I do most of my cutting on.
...
Another choice wood be to keep the 500 to use in other than table saw mode, i.e., use it as a sanding station or a "permenant" lathe, and buy a new Mark V with the 520 table system.

Wow. I could not recommend buying a new MkV 520 for the table saw. At $3700 I would recommend a Powermatic, Delta, or SawStop Cabinet saw first. If you need a $3700 table saw, the 520 is not the choice. The SS is great for what it was designed for. With a full size cabinet saw, I'd have more capabilities than the SS can provide.

I'm not knocking my SS. It has allowed me to build many things. I was able to get started in woodworking without having the budget to buy all the machinery the SS provided. I can still do most things on the SS, but it takes more time and attention to the machinery. Still, I doubt I'll ever get rid of my MkV 500.