Re-outfitting a 510 SS to table saw mode

[kas20amc02]

Hi everyone. I have a 1990s 510 Shopsmith I inherited from my Dad about 6 months ago. I cleaned and oiled it and have used the drill press a lot and have found it really useful. I would like to use the tablesaw. The blades are old and I want super sharp new blades to make it as safe as possible.

Do I need to buy 5/8 inch saw arbor (SS sku 555608) to make the machine accept the standard sized blades? A follow up question: what blade would you recommend for ripping cuts? I would like to re-saw some boards to make thinner lumber for a box(es). I also have a stand alone miter saw so I can cross cut with that if needed.

Thanks,
Karl

[kas20amc02]

This is the item:

https://www.shopsmith.com/product-page/ ... 20-510-505

[HopefulSSer]

If you want to use blades with a 5/8" center hole, then yes you would need that arbor. You machine would have come originally with a 1-1/4" arbor. You can get blades with that size hole from Shopsmith or from specialty sellers (Lowes and HD won't have them). Personally I think 5/8" makes more sense just because it gives you many more options.

As for a rip blade, that's mostly down to personal preference. I'd suggest reading a lot of online reviews before putting down your money. But generally speaking, any blade from a reputable manufacturer will be at least adequate for what you want.

And speaking of personal preference, I actually prefer to resaw on my bandsaw, not my table saw. Do you have a bandsaw?

[twistsol]

I bought the set of 3 Shopsmith brand blades (Rip, Combo and Crosscut) and the blades are oustanding and priced competitively with other brands of similar quality.

The picture is wrong but the link below is to the Rip blade and you woudln't need a different arbor for it.
https://www.shopsmith.com/product-page/ ... -thin-kerf.

[HopefulSSer]

I bought the set of 3 Shopsmith brand blades (Rip, Combo and Crosscut) and the blades are oustanding and priced competitively with other brands of similar quality.

The picture is wrong but the link below is to the Rip blade and you woudln't need a different arbor for it.
https://www.shopsmith.com/product-page/ ... -thin-kerf.

That's interested that they're promoting thin-kerf. I bought a thin-kerf (3/32") rip blade from made by Amana and have had a little trouble with it. If the board has some temper or internal stress, it tends to close up and grab the riving knife. I don't own a standard kerf rip blade (yet) but I feel like the additional 1/32" would help to alleviate that. But for that one issue the blade has been fine.

[chapmanruss]

If you are thinking about buying the Shopsmith 1-1/4" Arbor Hole Saw Blades, then today or tomorrow is the time to buy them. They are on sale. If you wish to go with 5/8" Arbor Hole Saw Blades, as has already been said, there are some great choices out there. Do keep in mind that there are two different length Saw Blade Arbors for the different models of the Mark tools. The original Mark 5 and the Mark V 500 with the original Table/Fence System use a shorter Arbor that will not work with the Saw Blade Guard set for the Mark V 510/505, 520, 520S, Mark 7, Mark 4 or the new 2025 Mark 5. All of those models take the longer arbors.

Hopefully the Arbor is the only item you need and you have the Saw Guard set. If not making through cuts the Riving Knife is a helpful item to have.

As HopefulSSer has suggested the Bandsaw can be a better option for resawing boards.

[kas20amc02]

Hi guys. Thanks for your responses.

I do have a bandsaw, but it is a tabletop Grizzly and not big enough for this work. I cheaped out on it. My mistake.

The arbor I linked is indeed for the 510+ models. I inherited two of the larger arbors.


I know there are a lot of options out there for blades but My Growth Rings YouTube video recommended the Irwin 40 tooth general purpose blade. Thoughts?


Many thanks!

[kas20amc02]

PS: I do have the complete and functional upper and lower saw assembly with knife as well.

[JPG]

If ripping is thy goal, a general purpose(aka combination) blade is not a good choice. Ripping requires very large(deep) gullets to carry away the swarf.

[HopefulSSer]

MyGrowthRings is an excellent source of info. You generally can't go wrong following Scott's advice. That said, I'm going to contradict him a little bit. A combo blade would probably be fine if you have a few 1x4 that you want to rip down to, say, 1x2. But as JPG says, if you're doing a lot of ripping -- especially resawing -- get a dedicated rip blade (ca. 24 teeth). And given how easy it is to change blades on the Shopsmith, I'd recommend getting 2 arbors -- have a rip blade on one and a crosscut blade on the other, and forget the combo blade. I don't own one and haven't missed it.

And if a Shopsmith bandsaw comes up near you at a reasonable price*, grab it! You won't regret it.

*Around here the going rate seems to be ~$125-$150, with outliers in both directions.