Shopsmith Forums

Hi everyone,
New to the forum here and have owned a Shopsmith Mark V for only a few years now. Mainly, I got it because I needed a bigger disc/belt sander combo and picked up the Mark V on Facebook Marketplace for less than they were selling just used disc/belt sanders. Plus it also gave me a decent lathe for my very limited size shop. I'm really impressed with how well these things are made! No wonder my late father had wanted one so much!

Okay, so here's the problem...
I am wondering if anyone has any experience horizontal boring BIG and DEEP holes? I want to drill holes into pieces of logs, sometimes clear through, sometimes stopping part way. And by big, I mean holes that are 2"-4" or more in diameter and anywhere from a minimum of 4", up to 18" deep. They don't need to be perfectly centered or straight for my application, as long as it isn't too far out of alignment.

Because of the big diameters, I'm considering using self-feed bits that are rated for drill presses and use an extension after I reach the limit of the bit by itself. Maybe even drilling a smaller pilot hole as a guide, so they don't stray too far off center? The self-feed bits are aggressive enough, so the holes can be done relatively quickly too.

Because this will be something I want to be able to do a lot, I'd like to come up with a setup that would be somewhat easy to switch over to without too much hassle.

While I won't need it as often, I'd also like to be able to do this centered in pieces bigger than 5" in diameter, but the table saw will only go low enough to allow for about 4 3/4" diameter stock. So I'm even considering picking up another used table saw assembly and trying to replace the table itself with some kind of double V-Block clamping system?

So I'm wondering if anyone has done anything remotely crazy like this?

thecreaturecomforts,

Welcome to the Shopsmith Forum.

That's not a request I have seen before. It should be possible except for not exceeding the limitations of the Mark V. I am not sure how much you would gain, if anything, trying to use a second Table set up customized for this. I can picture different ideas in my head but not sure how well they could work in actual practice. That's one of the fun things about the Shopsmith tool is how versatile it is. A bit more may be gained by making a fixture that sits on the Way Tubes. It could rest against the Carriage and with a "V" shape could have shim boards to adjust for the diameter of log being drilled. As for bits, personally I would use regular not self-feeding bits so I could control the speed of the drilling.

Yep, I've done something at least as crazy! For more on that, and some ideas on how to fixture rough logs for machining, check out this tree-cookie jig thread.

My gut-level feeling is that you'll need a Shopsmith speed reducer to drill holes of that diameter. I have one, and it works well with large Forstner bits.

I've never tried a self-feeding drill bit in a Shopsmith. But after thinking about it, it could possibly help solve the hole-depth challenge. Use the quill feed just to get the hole started, and then turn off the motor. Now unlock the headstock, lock the quill feed, turn the motor back on and let the drill bit pull the headstock along the way tubes.

That all assumes that the drill bit and/or extension is long enough. And also that the drill bit can clear the chips from a deep hole, without being backed out occasionally. That last requirement brings to mind auger bits, as used with a manual bit & brace, but I don't know if they're available in sizes that large.

I don't like to use self-feeding bits. Any drill bit can wander, it gets worse the longer the bit is, and a self-feeding bit can wander before you are aware of it. If that doesn't create a problem for you then you might as well go for it. I do think a speed reducer is a good idea if you don't have a PowerPro that can run as low as 250RPM.

Here are some rough ideas that you might consider for larger diameter logs.

Build a jig/table with two ledges, on opposite sides and ends of the table board, one could be one-by board, the other will need to be larger and able to hold at least part of the weight of the log. : With the Shopsmith in the down position, move the table towards the right end and tilt it to 90 degrees, as if you were going to put it into vertical drill press mode. Now put your jig on the table with one of the ledges on the upper edge of the SS table, the lower one will be used to hold your log. You didn't specify the length and weight, but you might also need adjustable supports for one or both ends. Hopefully with the table height adjustment you can get the log positioned where you need the hole, although you probably want to set the height without the log due to the weight.

Now you can start drilling. If it were me, I'd probably be moving the headstock back and forth as I need to go deeper and retracting to clear chips or to add an extension.

chapmanruss wrote: Mon Mar 31, 2025 12:24 pm thecreaturecomforts,

Welcome to the Shopsmith Forum.

That's not a request I have seen before. It should be possible except for not exceeding the limitations of the Mark V. I am not sure how much you would gain, if anything, trying to use a second Table set up customized for this. I can picture different ideas in my head but not sure how well they could work in actual practice. That's one of the fun things about the Shopsmith tool is how versatile it is. A bit more may be gained by making a fixture that sits on the Way Tubes. It could rest against the Carriage and with a "V" shape could have shim boards to adjust for the diameter of log being drilled. As for bits, personally I would use regular not self-feeding bits so I could control the speed of the drilling.

Thanks Chapmanruss,

Good idea, but only problem with a setup that would lay on the carriage, is that might be difficult to center a log. That is what I liked about maybe using an extra table assembly, which has built-in height and tilt. I could remove the table itself from the rest and turn it into a custom jig. Without the table, I would have more room for bigger logs.

BuckeyeDennis wrote: Mon Mar 31, 2025 12:29 pm Yep, I've done something at least as crazy! For more on that, and some ideas on how to fixture rough logs for machining, check out this tree-cookie jig thread.

My gut-level feeling is that you'll need a Shopsmith speed reducer to drill holes of that diameter. I have one, and it works well with large Forstner bits.

I've never tried a self-feeding drill bit in a Shopsmith. But after thinking about it, it could possibly help solve the hole-depth challenge. Use the quill feed just to get the hole started, and then turn off the motor. Now unlock the headstock, lock the quill feed, turn the motor back on and let the drill bit pull the headstock along the way tubes.

That all assumes that the drill bit and/or extension is long enough. And also that the drill bit can clear the chips from a deep hole, without being backed out occasionally. That last requirement brings to mind auger bits, as used with a manual bit & brace, but I don't know if they're available in sizes that large.

LOVE this! Great setup! The self-feeding bits I'm looking at are rated for drill presses, but I've actually cut grooves in an auger bit to downgrade the aggressiveness before. Which worked great.

And yeah, my first thought was long auger bits also, but I can't find any big ones either (Biggest one I have personally is 1-1/2").

I'm not familiar with the Shopsmith speed reducer, but I'm intrigued. I'll have to look into it.

edma194 wrote: Mon Mar 31, 2025 1:21 pm I don't like to use self-feeding bits. Any drill bit can wander, it gets worse the longer the bit is, and a self-feeding bit can wander before you are aware of it. If that doesn't create a problem for you then you might as well go for it. I do think a speed reducer is a good idea if you don't have a PowerPro that can run as low as 250RPM.

Yeah, I'm worried about the bit might wander, so I thought it might help if I'd start with a smaller diameter and work my way up?

roy_okc wrote: Mon Mar 31, 2025 4:09 pma,
Here are some rough ideas that you might consider for larger diameter logs.

Build a jig/table with two ledges, on opposite sides and ends of the table board, one could be one-by board, the other will need to be larger and able to hold at least part of the weight of the log. :

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With the Shopsmith in the down position, move the table towards the right end and tilt it to 90 degrees, as if you were going to put it into vertical drill press mode. Now put your jig on the table with one of the ledges on the upper edge of the SS table, the lower one will be used to hold your log. You didn't specify the length and weight, but you might also need adjustable supports for one or both ends. Hopefully with the table height adjustment you can get the log positioned where you need the hole, although you probably want to set the height without the log due to the weight.

Now you can start drilling. If it were me, I'd probably be moving the headstock back and forth as I need to go deeper and retracting to clear chips or to add an extension.

I think I understand your jig idea, but I feel I need to be able to REALLY clamp the log down and secure it tightly while drilling. So I think I need to be able to secure it from both ends.

thecreaturecomforts,

I was suggesting using the Carriage as a bracing point when I said,

It could rest against the Carriage

A fixture made to rest on the Way Tubes would need to be braced somehow against lateral movement.

A lot of other interesting suggestions have been posted too.

As BuckeyeDennis suggested, a Speed Reducer would be a great benefit for those larger holes. It has a 7 to 1 reduction which would bring the RPMs of a conventional Headstock down to 100 RPMs from its lowest speed of 700 RPMs. That is slower than the lowest speed of 250 RPM' for the Power Pro Headstock. The picture below shows a Speed Reducer mounted on a Mark V.

_ .
When using the Speed Reducer in Drill Press or Horizontal Boring Mode the Speed Reducer is not clamped in place to the Way Tubes. This allows it to extend and retract with the Quill.

Both the Speed Reducer and the Speed Increaser have been discontinued so it would have to be found on the used market.