New Owner to 2 Shopsmiths

[Ciggy]

I recently discovered the existence of Shopsmiths. They are a perfect size to fit into my workspace, so I am going all in. I was "lent" a 500 from a friend for an undetermined amount of time. It had a fair amount of rust and the speed quadrant was basically destroyed. I went about removing the rust, cleaned and lubricated the motor, and replaced the speed quadrant. It was missing a fair amount of accessories, so I was constantly searching the used market (no disc sander, lathe attachments, or band saw). I was able to find a 510 on Facebook for $50! It came with the band saw, ProTable, jointer, and a lathe tool rest. So far, I am blown away in the improvements of the 510 versus the 500; it is quieter, larger table, and actual dust collection ports. At this point, I will be returning the 500 but borrowing some of the accessories. I have a few questions for this community, so I can get the most out of my 510.

1. I do not have a lathe tailstock. Do all Mark V's use the same Tailstock? I see a few that have different hole patterns.
2. Is it worth buying the disc sander assembly from Shopsmith? I do believe I would get use out of it.
3. I have a 4" ShopFox dust collector. Could someone share a recommendation for a port adapter that would work well with the table and band saw ports?

[edma194]

A 510 with a bandsaw and joiner for $50 is a fantastic deal. Tailstocks are all interchangeable. You will want a 12" sanding disc, it is one of the best features of a Shopsmith.

[chapmanruss]

Ciggy,

Welcome to the Shopsmith Forum.

Congratulations on the great find.

As Ed has already said

Tailstocks are all interchangeable.

All Mark 5/V's be it a 500, 510/505, 520, 520S, Mark 7 or Mark 4 all use the same Tailstock which has been basically the same since the introduction of the Mark 5 in 1954. There is a Tailstock that looks a little different which is from the Mark VII from the 1960's but has the same spacing. I'm not sure what different hole patterns you are seeing.

As for the Sanding Disk you will want the 12" steel Sanding Disk with the longer hub made for the 510/505, 520, 520S, Mark 7 and Mark 4, The steel Sanding Disk with the shorter hub is for the Mark 5/V 500 as is the Aluminum Sanding Disk and those will not work using the lower Saw Guard for dust collection.

The dust collection ports on the Lower Saw Blade Guard and the Bandsaw are standard 2-1/2" diameter.

That is one very bad looking Speed Control "porkchop" you are showing there. Did you replace just the "porkchop" or the whole assembly? If it was just the "Porkchop" replaced how are the other parts "fitting" together. Excessive play may have caused that damage and if not corrected will happen again.

[BobCoates1953]

If you have a face plate it is easy to make a sanding disc. I have one that I made from old counter top (plastic top) attached to the face plate with screws. I then used rolled (6") strips glued to counter top. Works well when I flatten one side of segmented rings.