Shopsmith Forums

Looking for advice/comparison on piecemeal upgrade vs new purchase. I have a Model 500 with bandsaw and other minor accessories. The devil is in the details. Not sure what will have to be changed (saw arbors, etc) to get to the Mk 7.

Mark 5, Mark V 500 arbors will work with the Mark 7, but will not auto register to the slot. Newer(longer) arbors can provide that. i.e. New arbors are preferable, but not required. Getting a new Mark 7 lets you keep the 500 as a backup....

There are a lot of changes needed to go from a Mark V 500 to a current Mark 7. FYI, you cannot change a Mark V to a Mark VII from the 1960's. Enough of the name differences. JPG is partially correct about the arbors. Arbors for the Mark 5/V aka 500 are shorter and as such cannot be used with the Saw Guard of the larger Table System for the Mark V 510/505, 520, 520S, Mark 7 &4. It is the Saw Guard of the other Mark models that require longer Arbors and the Sanding Disk hub to be able to use the Saw Guard. You can use the longer Arbors and Sanding Disk Hub on a Mark 5/V with the original Table System, but they will not auto register to the Table Slot. Longer Arbors may cause Saw Guard interference for the Lower Guard on some of the different ones made for the original Table System.

Upgrading a Mark V 500 to a Mark 7 would require the following:

500 to 520 Table/Carriage/Fence system upgrade ($1849.00)
Double Tilt Upgrade ($549.95 but requires the table upgrade too)
Power Pro Headstock ($2794.00 for a ready to install complete Headstock)
$5192.95 to buy the upgrades new from Shopsmith. Note the Black Friday sale currently has free shipping on everything including a new Mark 7 which is $5494.

In addition, some accessories will no longer work with the Table upgrade like the Shaper Fence for example. A new Mark 7 includes some of the needed accessories to do under and over table Shaping and Routing.

STPs like your Bandsaw will work with your upgraded to a Mark 7.

Hopefully I haven't forgotten anything but may have. If so, others will correct me.

Where do I find the complete list of the full MK 7 kit? Things like number and types of sawblades and harbors. Also interested in using standard sawblades with the Mark.

You can find the information on the upgrades I listed in my previous post here on the Shopsmith website under Upgrades. The Table System upgrade is now listed as 500 to Mark 7. For the Double Tilt Upgrade, it is at the link below. It will require you to do the Table Upgrade first to fully use it.

https://www.shopsmith.com/product-page/ ... mark-v-500

Another resource would be to download the PDF of the Mark 7 Manual available here on the website under Learn then Manuals and Instructions.

Since my previous post the prices have gone up for the Headstock.

You can do a bit at a time. When I upgraded my Mark V 520 to a Mark 7, I did the DIY Power Pro (mine is gen 1) upgrade first followed by the Double Tilt Upgrade at a later date. Already having a 520 I did not have to do the Table System Upgrade.

As for using 5/8" Arbor hole Saw Blades you would need Arbor 555608.

Thank you! I was considering the upgrade route a few years back, but the store shut down when I got to the point of having money. Now, I like the idea of keeping the 500 as a secondary machine.