Shopsmith Forums

So I'm an avid YouTuber and subscribe to all the big ones. My Growth Rings being one of them and he has a video on his members only channel that covers what some odd holes are for in the 520 table. I'm not a member and refuse to pay for stuff like that but it did get me to wondering... SS has a ton of gizmos that do all sorts of things and there are dips, dent, recesses, holes, protrusions and god only knows what else in every tool that I have no clue what they are for or why they are there.

I would love it if some of you lifers that have had your SS for years can share some of the interesting (less obvious) features that this magnificent tool has to offer.

KCollins,

There are 2 holes, besides the Table Insert opening, that are left of the Table Insert. Thay are for attaching the Shaper/Drum Sander Fence to the tabletop. The Shaper/Drum Sander Fence for the Mark V 510/505, 520 Mark 7 and Mark 4 is different than the one for the Mark 5/V 500 original table system and the one for the 1960's Mark VII. The pictures below show the Mark V 520/Mark 7/Mark 4 table first on its own and second with the Shaper/Drum Sander Fence in place.

_ .
It is helpful to know that the Mark V 510/505 uses the same Main, Extension and Floating Tables (no Floating Tables on a 505) as the Mark V 520, Mark 7 and Mark 4. It is the Fence and rails that are different. You will see differences between the early Main Table and the current ones. The Early Main Table had the ribbed surface completely across the table whereas the later Main Table has a smooth area between the Miter Slots as seen on my Main Table above. Early Tables were painted gray and the later ones painted black.

Even though the purpose of the 2 holes next to the Table Insert are for the Shaper/Drum Sander Fence that doesn't mean they could not be used for other purposes. Maybe attaching a clamp to hold work in place? Just a thought. It is the flexibility of the Shopsmith and the ingenuity of the user that makes this tool so versatile.

KCollins wrote: ↑Tue Oct 11, 2022 12:02 pm I'm not a member and refuse to pay for stuff like that but it did get me to wondering...

Agreed. Yeah, the paywall is a weird and interesting concept on YT in recent years, is it not? It is sad that Google's (YouTube) attempt to take monetization away from creators a few years ago has resulted in creators monetizing on crappy platforms like Patreon, OnlyFans, affiliate links, etc., etc. I certainly miss the "good ole days" when YT was "free" and I could just block the ads and see all of the content that I wanted.

That's awesome Russ thanks for the background on the two holes... Now a couple questions I noticed in your pix. First... The bolt that hare holding down the fence do they come with the fence or do you have to find your own?

and second... I noticed you have the magnetic rule for the 520 table... Another feature I'm not sure everyone knows about. That rule is adjustable and removable. Did that come with your table or did you have to buy that separate? And when you received it. Was it rolled up or flat? The reason I ask is because I know someone that claims it came with their Mark 7. But I did not receive it with my Mark 7 and I can't find in any of the product ads a magnetic rule. The little buger is spendy that's why I ask.

RF Guy... It seems like anything that starts off cool and free ultimately goes commercial. It's inevitable. Ebay... I loved eBay when it was joe schmow selling his used hand tools... Now Dewalt has it's own eBay store... Totally ruined in my opinion. YouTube is headed the same way if it's not there now. FB... another... I have more ads on FB then I do posts from my friends.

KCollins wrote: ↑Tue Oct 11, 2022 1:43 pm That's awesome Russ thanks for the background on the two holes... Now a couple questions I noticed in your pix. First... The bolt that hare holding down the fence do they come with the fence or do you have to find your own?

and second... I noticed you have the magnetic rule for the 520 table... Another feature I'm not sure everyone knows about. That rule is adjustable and removable. Did that come with your table or did you have to buy that separate? And when you received it. Was it rolled up or flat? The reason I ask is because I know someone that claims it came with their Mark 7. But I did not receive it with my Mark 7 and I can't find in any of the product ads a magnetic rule. The little buger is spendy that's why I ask.

I'll let Russ respond, but I just wanted to give my perspective. That stainless steel ruler is supposed to come with any Mark V (model 520) or Mark 7 machines as far as I know (unless SS changed things). I upgraded from a 510 to a 520 table system and it took multiple tries to get a non-bent (not destroyed) stainless ruler from them. Mine came rolled up in a plastic bag, I believe, but the problem is it came in an order with other items that damaged it inside of the box during shipment. SS did replace it, but it is a pain and could have been avoided with a little more care in packing the shipment to begin with. Now, here is the problem. That ruler is always getting hit by one of my fingers when I move the fence throwing it off. The problem is that the magnetic strip on the 520 rails is too weak and should have been a rare earth (stronger) magnet material. This combined with the fact that the ruler is only 0.2mm thick and slightly wider than the 520 rail/magnetic strip is why it pops off so easily. I would really like to use mine more, but the weak forces holding it in place make it almost unusable for my needs. Many forum members here don't like it and don't use it (at least when I have brought it up in the past). However, if I could get mine to stay in place, I do believe I would use it for cuts that don't need as much precision, i.e. working with 2x4's and house construction type activities, not furniture building. I think this ruler is a really nice feature of the 520 system and have been meaning to try to purchase some better magnetic tape in an attempt to get the ruler to better stay in place so I can use it more.
JMO.

P.S. The ruler is what you call a semi-rigid ruler in the industry, I believe. It is thin metal sheet so it comes rolled up from SS, but it must be undamaged because it has to eventually lay perfectly flat in order to be useful.

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KCollins wrote: ↑Tue Oct 11, 2022 1:43 pm That's awesome Russ thanks for the background on the two holes... Now a couple questions I noticed in your pix. First... The bolt that hare holding down the fence do they come with the fence or do you have to find your own?

and second... I noticed you have the magnetic rule for the 520 table... Another feature I'm not sure everyone knows about. That rule is adjustable and removable. Did that come with your table or did you have to buy that separate? And when you received it. Was it rolled up or flat? The reason I ask is because I know someone that claims it came with their Mark 7. But I did not receive it with my Mark 7 and I can't find in any of the product ads a magnetic rule. The little buger is spendy that's why I ask.

If you buy a machine or a 520 table upgrade from SS the rules are included. A few things to note however. When the 520 upgrade was first introduced there was no magnetic strip on the rails and the rulers were not available. Later the 520 rails were upgraded with the magnetic strip and the upgrade kit came with the rulers. So if you buy 520 tables used they may or may not have the magnetic strip.

The rip scales (rulers) are available from SS separately here...

https://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/cat ... pgrade.htm

That's the thing jsburger. I didn't know I was supposed to have one so I received my Mark 7 and then long after my 90 days realized I should have this ruler. I'd like to have it but I seriously doubt SS is going to go oh let us send you one now even though your warranty is over.

KCollins wrote: ↑Tue Oct 11, 2022 2:31 pm That's the thing jsburger. I didn't know I was supposed to have one so I received my Mark 7 and then long after my 90 days realized I should have this ruler. I'd like to have it but I seriously doubt SS is going to go oh let us send you one now even though your warranty is over.

I would still contact SS and see what they say. SS tries to do the right thing. I know calling or e-mailing customer service can be a pain sometimes, but SS has always come through for me and many others on this forum. I would just explain to them that you didn't receive it and you only just learned about it. I have had quite a few shipping and Fedex woes associated with SS orders, but SS has always made them right in the end. Just wish they would pack things better to begin with. However, I purchased a replacement part (worm gear for pork chop speed control) like 1-2 years ago and then a few months later they sent me a brand new (2nd) part and told me that there was an issue with the batch of parts that they sent my order from. I was pleasantly surprised that they did this because I had no idea there was a machining or tolerance problem with the original part they had sent but they alerted me to it and replaced it!!!

I watched part of the Woodshop Nerdery M7 unboxing video and his included at least one of the scales: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi8m2YtT4Co It is shown around 3:38. So I agree, the answer is: included. I don't love unboxing videos, but as a relatively new owner of an M7 you should probably watch his and possibly a sequel. Tom had a lot of quality concerns with his M7 and SS later replaced it. Unfortunately I don't think all of his concerns made it to either video, but I presume there were some serious quality issues in play before someone decided to replace the whole thing.

I was in the habit of using the quill feed to micro-adjust blade position long before we had a scale option, and these two things don't work well together. As a result I don't use the scales and very rarely use a ZCI. I got a kick out of Mike Young's video on making ZCIs because he commented about using the quill feed micro-adjustment technique to make them. You can use the technique to make them, but you'll ruin the ZCI if you use it with them.

- David