Working on a Mark VII, with help from this community!

[thedovetailjoint]

I recently received a 1965 era Mark VII from my brother-in-law, and while it needs work I am thrilled to have it. After receiving the word that it was on its way from MN I set to work searching the Shopsmith Forums for info, and boy, I was not disappointed! Thank you so much for all the great info that you’ve all so freely shared here! Thanks especially to Everett Davis and JPG for your excellent documentations shared here.

I have been familiar with the Mark VII since my days of working at Shopsmith, and I even owned a spare headstock, which I gave to my brother-in-law 15 years ago just in case he needed it, but even that was returned to me with this unit.

I’ve just posted a video on YouTube with a quick (and incomplete) walkthrough, and I look forward to sharing more as I begin the restoration.
Check out that video here: https://youtu.be/bWtzLXbNopE

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[JPG]

IIRC the MVII did not have a 1 1/8 hp motor. My recollection says 1.0 hp. WRONG It WAS 1.125 HP!!

You might want to point out some of the MVII things that preceded the 510...

The 10" disk sander will mount reversed and will fit into the saw insert.

[thedovetailjoint]

IIRC the MVII did not have a 1 1/8 hp motor. My recollection says 1.0 hp.

You might want to point out some of the MVII things that preceded the 510...

The 10" disk sander will mount reversed and will fit into the saw insert.

Thanks for chiming in @JPG! My MVII has a 1 1/8HP motor, so perhaps there was a change at some point?

It never occurred to me to flip the disc over! Did Magna sell abrasives specifically for the conical disc, or was there any addition prep of the abrasive disc suggested prior to mounting to the tapered face? The current conical disc has the large center hole and slot to prevent the paper from buckling.

You are right, soooo many of the MVII features are echoed in the 510, and that would make a fun topic to share. Great suggestion.

What is your favorite feature or function?

Scott

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[JPG]

Favorite feature: Reversible rotation.

The BIG center hole in the conical disc precludes adhesion to the flat center area and buckling due to both that AND the conical shape.

I do not know if Magna America sold discs for it but have read references to it.

Other features I like are the larger table/rip dence(and clamp) and the extension table attached to the main table.

Something I do not like is the lower positioning of the drill press. Ok for shaping/routing.

Truth be told I have YET to use it much. Still some unfinished refurb.

P.S. I like the shallower taper on the conical disc. I have used it on my Goldie.

[chapmanruss]

JPG,

If I recall correctly when we talked about the 10" double sided Sanding Disk we determined it is about 2 degrees instead of the 4 degrees the current 12" Conical Sanding Disk has.

Scott,

I look forward to seeing more about you Mark VII.

I don't know anything close to what JPG knows about the Mark VII but the few Vent/Serial Number Plates I have seen ranging from 401261 to 407630 all say 1-1/8 HP Motor. Farmer has the lowest serial number at 400078 I know of and maybe his has a 1 HP Motor. Needing a shaft out of both ends of the motor for the addition of Dust Collection required a different motor than the 1-1/8 HP motor the Mark 5 was using. Scott did say in his video that there were some changes making the earlier Mark VII different from later ones.

[JPG]

My measurements reveal about 3.3° and about 1.2° respectively. Always square em up.

My motor HP 'recollection' is likely flawed!

[JPG]

For sure!!!

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[thedovetailjoint]

Scott did say in his video that there were some changes making the earlier Mark VII different from later ones.

I still have a lot to learn, but some of the changes that took place over the years were (in no particular order)
- Foot added to each end to connect the front and back “rails”.
- Cam lock/height crank replaced with a wheel-shaped crank with wing nut-type lock. (Note close-up in shaper photo)
- Flip-over carriage lock was replaced by 1/4 turn 510-style cam lock
- Grey paint is either smooth or “pebbly”.
What am I missing? Some of these changes can be seen in the articles and ads for the product over the years. First article published in 1963, patent applied for in 1964, patent granted in 1966.

1964 Magna American Shopsmith Mark VII ad

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Close up of shaper function on 1966 Magna American Shopsmith Mark VII ad

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1966 Magna American Shopsmith Mark VII ad

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1965 Magna American Shopsmith Mark VII ad

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[thedovetailjoint]

Based on this photo, posted by r_mack1969 in 2014, it looks like Magna American changed the carriage lock before they adopted the hand wheel for height adjustment.

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[shipwright]

I just found this thread because I’m trying to guess the age of the Mark VII I just picked up. It is remarkably intact but is curiously missing the ID vent plate. I’m guessing that it is a later model because it has all the mods above.
Tie bar on feet… check
Hand wheel table lift …. check
Cam lock table lock …. check
The paint was pebbly
Anybody want to guess the year?