Shopsmith Forums

Hello guys,

Yes I have been posting already but I have yet to show you guys my Shop Smith so here it is. I hope to take it apart and rebuild it and make sure it is in the best possible condition I can get it to before using it. I found it at a Garage sale and it was only $200. So I believed I had made a good purchase.

I have been wanting a shop smith for years but could never afford it then I seen this one and jumped at the chance to get it. What I did Not know is it was a Mark VII. When I found out it was not really a Shop Smith I was upset but now I am over that after finding this and many other forums over the past week.

I must say I am seriously thinking about buying more of these babies and trying to fix them up it seems like I have Buck fever but in this case the good thing is the season is always open!

http://photobucket.com/Shop_Smith_VII

You probably got your $$$ worth WITHOUT the Mark VII! If it IS functional, all the better. If it has problem(s) correcting them CAN be difficult(not impossible).

Your most serious concern is the 'plastic' speed control cam. They have a habit of 'melting' and are irreplacable(not readily available). Any other 'unique' mark VII parts requiring replacement will require either 'making them yourself' or find a used one(difficult). This is not to 'rain on your parade, or diminish your enthusiasm but to help you understand your position.

It looks to be in good condition and hopefully ALL of the last paragraph was unnecessary.

Good Luck, Keep us 'posted':)

BTW It IS a ShopSmith, Just not a Mark V or 5 or 10/ER.

Hello there, Poppi! What a fascinating collage of photos! Wow! you must be a bit overwhelmed with anticipation and excitement.

It really looks like you bought a bargain worth of parts along with your Mark VII. As said earlier, the Mark VIIs have issues that forced them to become almost extinct. But there is hope! You may be able to find some rare working parts, if you need them. Here is a site that talks about all things Shopsmith. http://shopsmith-tool-hunter.blogspot.com/ There is a short paragraph about Mark VIIs about 60 % down the page.

Best Wishes, and I know the folks on this forum will try their best to help with any issues you may run u against.

I've posted this before but you might find it a good read.
http://books.google.com/books?printsec= ... #PPA114,M1

Ed

Poppi,
That is a good looking ShopSmith Mark VII. Some rust apparent, but that should be easily handled. The photo you have labeled "planer" is actually a jointer. You can plane with it - carefully. There is an excellent thread now in process that discusses the jointer in some detail.
Dick

dickg1 wrote:Poppi,
That is a good looking ShopSmith Mark VII. Some rust apparent, but that should be easily handled. The photo you have labeled "planer" is actually a jointer. You can plane with it - carefully. There is an excellent thread now in process that discusses the jointer in some detail.
Dick

Yes your correct it is a jointer and I made the mistake of calling it a planer. Your right but it probally becuse i was thinking of the planer that I have just read about.

I only know of a couple of Mark VII "issues". The first is the tendency of the speed control cam to melt under duress. That could have been cured with a switch to a cam made of aluminum or brass etc. instead of plastic.
The second is the plastic rack gear getting brittle and breaking. Again a change of material would have cured it.
Does anyone know of any other Mark VII specific problems?
They were designed to be a major improvement over the Mark V. My son (grown) was in my shop this week and I was telling him about some of the features of the Mark VII (I gave him a nice Mark V Greenie a couple of years ago). As I talked about those features I had to wonder if a re-designed Mark VII would be better than a 530? That "L" shaped extension is just cool especially the way it will slip into the edge of the main table as well as the end mounts.
I have an extra Mark VII speed control cam (locked in the safe) and have considered making a brass or aluminum one. I have also thought about making a rack gear out of brass or aluminum.
I have given thought to just re-designing the speed control so it would work without the cam. "There is more than one way to skin a cat". If I could do that then I would use it more. As it is I tend to avoid using it just because the possibility of melting the cam is always in the back of my mind.
I initially just bought it as a collectible.

Hi Shop_Smith_Poppi,

In picture 14 that "smaller sanding disk" is really a lathe faceplate, but it does knot look exactly like the current 6" SS model 505591. It looks like all your pictures are mirror images???

That unknown housing in picture 17 looks like a bell cover. Wow! you got a lot of saw blades!

Picture 19 table plates might be for dado or even molder applications. The center one for saw blade or sanding disk maybe.

Picture 20 is the Joiter guard.

You already know that 23 is the jointer.

With the main two problems identified by farmer, you might be able to have the problematic parts machined out of more durable materials BEFORE they fail you.

Have fun with it!

a1gutterman wrote:Hi Shop_Smith_Poppi,

In picture 14 that "smaller sanding disk" is really a lathe faceplate, but it does knot look exactly like the current 6" SS model 505591. It looks like all your pictures are mirror images???

Yeah.. i found that out after i had posted those pictures what it was in a different thread or maybe on Ebay don't remember.

Noticed that as well I took these pictures with my Laptop inboard cam. It was not easy holding and trying to bend my next around to see the alignment of the cam and then hit the enter button at the correct time.

I will look into the setting of my cam and figure out how to change the mirror setting back to the way it should be.

Also i am already looking into a way to set up my laptop so the taking pictures with it is not so hard. Just so you know my camera or I should say my wife camera is broken and that is why i did not use it. Some one ( not gonna mention names here) drop it while taking pictures of his first grandson!

a1gutterman wrote:That unknown housing in picture 17 looks like a bell cover. Wow! you got a lot of saw blades!

Yeah i was thinking the same thing but I am not sure where it goes still. Any Ideals?

a1gutterman wrote:Picture 19 table plates might be for dado or even molder applications. The center one for saw blade or sanding disk maybe.

Thanks for the information on these I was going to look them up and now I know where to go to do so.

a1gutterman wrote:Picture 20 is the Joiter guard.

Yes I said planner guard didn't I.

a1gutterman wrote:You already know that 23 is the jointer.

Well I did before as well. But, then I'll go with it as it has been played out.

a1gutterman wrote:With the main two problems identified by farmer, you might be able to have the problematic parts machined out of more durable materials BEFORE they fail you.

Yeah I read that some where before I am concerned about it as well but it looks as if the previous owner took very good care of this SS VII. I am not as worried about it as some would be. probably just my nature to be that way as I am for the most part easy go lucky with most things.

How ever I have looked at the gear and it is made of plastic as has been mentioned by others before. (never a doubt of that in mt mind just a observation.) And considering the the way it looks to be built and the reason it is designed that way it is to me at least.

I just do not see how one would build one out of brass or aluminum and do so keeping the flexibility of the original design? But then maybe a more ridged version would be better though I am not sure how reliable it would be on the matter of speed changes and so forth. (Possible new question for a new thread?)

a1gutterman wrote:Have fun with it!

I hope to and thanks to all of you for your posts and information.

Poppi:

Tell me(us) how you got multiple quotes into one reply.