510/520 Accessory shelf

[edma194]

I’ve always been curious about the accessory shelf thing. They look cool, and very neatly organized. But given all the sawdust that I have to clean up from underneath my Mark V, even with dust collection, I would think that everything on the shelf would quickly get buried in sawdust.

That's what happened to me when I used the simple shelf. I considered some kind of cover attached to the bench tubes but just haven't used a shelf for a long time now and not interested in bending over that much any more.

[RFGuy]

What wisdom do you long-term users have to share? Is it truly useful storage, or is it more trouble than it’s worth?

Dennis,

I used it for many, many years, both on my Dad's 510, but later on my own 510. I only stopped using it because of purchasing the Shopsmith red storage cabinets to put underneath instead. I found the shelf to be productive as it kept main items handy and in easy reach. This is especially useful in a small wood shop like I have. How must dust accumulates on it is largely dependent on which operations you use your Mark V to perform. IF you have the lower saw guard adjusted properly and decent dust collection then tablesaw mode does NOT dump a lot of sawdust there, but some does accumulate over time. In contrast, do lathe work as an example and it will be covered quickly. I tend to prefer hand operated sanding over stationary tools, but I assume sanding on the Mark V would similarly leave a layer of sawdust on the shelf, but perhaps a bit more slowly than lathe work. Coincidentally, I have the same challenges with sawdust accumulation with my red storage cabinets. They are tucked under the Mark V a bit more, whereas the shelf protrudes to the front. With the drawers fully closed, sawdust inside them is minimal but does require occasional cleanout. Use an underpowered DC-3300 with the brush end attachment and cleaning around the Shopsmith accessories on the shelf is easy and about the only thing I worried about going up the hose was the drill chuck key. It really isn't that bad to clean UNLESS you have really good dust collection, then you need to be a little more careful of what goes up the hose IMHO. I really enjoyed the accessory shelf the entire time that I used mine.

[chapmanruss]

I made an Accessory Shelf patterned after the 520 version like the one shown in HopefulSSer's first post. I tried it for a while but removed it as I found it in the way for some of the work I do and then there is the cleanliness issue. This is just what didn't work for me, but others find the shelf useful. I will say it was a fun project to make.

I do not recall what the two holes next to the left end of the Fence are for. I would have to go out to the shop and find the Accessory Shelf I made to see if I even put in those two holes. The shop is still unorganized since we moved so it could take me a while to find it.

I did take note of the fact that HopefulSSer's original post has the Mark V 520/Mark 7 Accessory Shelf, but the later post of the diagram is for the Mark V 500 and 510. Looking at that diagram I have to wonder how well the different Mark V 500 Saw Guard sets fit on that shelf.

[HopefulSSer]

Looks like they've updated the shelves over the years. And of course if you're buying one you'd want to get the correct one for your machine. I'll be making one so I'll just customize it to my needs. The one in my original post looks like it will take the 500, 520, and 520 upper guard. Don't know about the lower

[chapmanruss]

HopefulSSer,

You said

The one in my original post looks like it will take the 500, 520, and 520 upper guard.

That makes me wonder if the opening by the Fence shown in the red circle below is for the different Mark V 500 Upper Saw Blade Guard ends to sit in.
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accessory shelf 520 circle.jpg (77.44 KiB) Viewed 2765 times

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Note the mounting for the upper Guard for the two more common Mark V 500 Saw Blade Guard sets below.
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505627 Upper and 505628 Lower Saw Blade Guards r.jpg (85.54 KiB) Viewed 2765 times

505875 V1 500 Saw Blade Guard Assembly 1980s r.jpg (102.66 KiB) Viewed 2765 times

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The odd shape of that hole in the Accessory Shelf may be for those two upper Guards.

[HopefulSSer]

It's certainty for the one in second photo. That's the one I have and the cutout I ended up make is very similar to the one circled. That's why I say the shelf in my original post will work with (at least some) 500s. Can't say about the earlier 500 guards