Shopsmith Forums

Tom,

The 6" Belt Sander will work the same as the Bandsaw and other Special Purpose Tools (SPT's) on the Mark VII just as it would on a Mark V. Do remember most SPT's are made to run only in the forward direction powered by the Headstock. With the 6" Belt Sander you can have a very versatile sanding station. With the sanding Disk on the Quill end and adding a sanding drum to the Belt Sander's auxiliary shaft you can sand all kinds of shapes and sizes.

The Bandsaw is pretty straight forward. If the upper bearing seems "dry" it is not a sealed bearing and need periodic greasing. The lower wheel bearing is sealed. The Guide bearings if they are the older style Bronze Bushing Back Up Rollers and not actual sealed bearings can be replaced using the Bandsaw Backup Roller Retrofit Kit which can be found in the Shopsmith online catalog. The Bronze Bushing Back Up Rollers need regular oiling and tend to squeal a lot. The tricky part of aligning the Bandsaw is the Upper Blade Guide Assembly. Check the Bandsaw service page (link below) for the current manual, parts list and other reference material. Once cleaned and serviced you will have a great Bandsaw to use.

https://www.shopsmith.com/service/bandsaw/index.htm

edma194 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 01, 2023 10:35 am Hi MichiganTom,

Just gonna say your Mark VII looks like its in very good condition. I hope to find one some day, I sed a couple of opportunities in the past, planning to jump on the next one available at a decent price, and close enough to go pick up. Hope I can find something that looks as good as yours. Seems like the plastic parts were the Achilles Heel of that machine, but apparently metal replacements are available. I really like the general look an design of the Mark VII, don't know why Shopsmith hasn't put together a center pedestal stand that can replace the conventional Shopsmith legs.

Hope you have loads of fun with your machine!

Ed,
While looking for pieces/parts I noticed another Mark VII for sale on market place in Ohio, $400, I see your in New England, just thought I would share. Looks a bit rough but..

Thanks Russ,

I've seen a few videos on the bandsaw, looks pretty straight forward. The guides are in reasonable condition, delaying much else until it gets a bit warmer in the shop, 4 degrees today.

MichiganTom wrote: ↑Fri Feb 03, 2023 8:43 am Ed,
While looking for pieces/parts I noticed another Mark VII for sale on market place in Ohio, $400, I see your in New England, just thought I would share. Looks a bit rough but..

Yeah, Ohio is a little to far away. Pretty much by the width of Pennsylvania. Then comes the condition/price ratio, $400 should get a fairly good machine, maybe dirty or a little rusty, perhaps missing some parts, but otherwise in working condition. Of course inflation is hitting everything, including tools which clearly haven't increased in value over time, but everybody's dollars have decreased in value, so I'd expect prices of everything to rise.