Upgrading a 500 (1985)

[franknsled]

Hi everyone. This might get long so please bear with me.
I bought the afore mentioned SS and was very excited. Had no idea this existed. I got it home and saw that it didn't have the upper and lower saw guards. So I immediately got on the web and started looking. Low and behold Ebay had a host of SS parts! I ordered the guards and added the lower carriage. That's when I found out all parts are not interchangeable. When I installed the lower guard (according to the manual) I found that the saw blade would hit the inside of the guard before it was far enough on to fully engage the flat spot on the quill. And the lower carriage holes for the table are wider than the parts I have. I would like to upgrade to the 520 table and extentions for the better fence but the price is prohibitive as I'm in Canada and the exchange rate is 40%!! I don't know if I can trust the ebay sellers to tell (or even know)if their parts will fit me 500 or not.
Any help and suggestions are greatly appreciated. I want to start using this machine but I don't want to lose body parts!!

[JPG]

So keep thy body parts away from moving parts with teeth.

[br549]

Welcome. The history, nomenclature, and various versions of Shopsmiths can be a bit daunting to anyone, but especially to someone new to Shopsmith.

There are many forum members here willing to share their knowledge. My best advice is to read, read, and then read some more.

In the Maintenance and Repair Forum, there are a few threads that always stay near the top ("Stickies"). I have found the one started by Everett Davis entitled "Shopsmith Large Format Drawings, Illustrations and More" to be very informative. He has restored many of the older manuals and documentation, and his Google Drive is linked with many helpful articles and tips.

And, we like pictures. If you add pictures of what you have, you will get more help than you thought possible.

[chapmanruss]

franknsled,

Welcome to the Shopsmith Forum.

As has already been said there have been a lot of changes through the years. The Mark V 500 was originally the Mark 5 introduced in 1954. The original Table/Fence/Carriage System became the Mark V 500 when the Mark V 510/505 was introduced in 1985. The design of the new larger Table system of the 510/505 required a change to the Upper and Lower Saw Guards. This also included the need for longer Arbors, etc. From your description I would guess that is the Saw Guards you now have. There have been three different Saw Guard sets made for the original Mark 5/V AKA 500 Table system plus an upgrade to the last one. Pictures of what you have would be helpful to determine what you have and what you can use.

When you said,

I don't know if I can trust the ebay sellers to tell (or even know)if their parts will fit me 500 or not.

that is true. Some sellers are very knowledgeable about the Shopsmith parts they are selling while other don't seem to have a clue. I see evidence of that all the time in eBay listings.

A few years ago I started the Topic Shopsmith Mark 5 What When and Where at the link below, which covers a lot of information about the Mark 5/V through the years. You may find it helpful. On page 5 of the thread, I show pictures of the different Saw Blade Guard Sets.

viewtopic.php?t=24963

Lastly to add to the confusion over names of the Shopsmith Mark tool models last month Shopsmith again began selling what they are now calling the Mark 5. It is the recently discontinued Mark V 520S with a new actually old name. The original Mark was introduced in 1954 as the Mark 5 and eventually in 1985 became the Mark V 500. So many Marks, so much confusion.

I could go on and on, but it would be best for you to ask questions and receive answers to help you out. Remember to include pictures to better show what you are referring to.

[JPG]

Then there was the 'original' Mark VII which had both Mark VII and Mark 7 badges---And --- the recent addition of the current Mark 7.

[franknsled]

Thanks for the replies guys. And the links. I have some reading to do! And pictures will be on tomorrow.

IMG_0093.jpg[/attachment This is as far as the guard goes on the quill. [attachment=5]IMG_0094.jpg

The second pic shows where the arbor sits . Notice that the blade is touching the guard and the arbor is NOT far enough on the quill.

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IMG_0098.jpg (43.28 KiB) Viewed 1657 times

Pic 6 shows that the arbor is barely on the quill

IMG_0098.jpg (43.28 KiB) Viewed 1657 times

pic 7 shows the blade touching the guard.

[franknsled]

Could I just go with the 555608 arbor? Its longer and 5/8". looks like I need some new blades anyway.
Could I just add the front and rear rail assemblies to my Mark 5 (500) table so I can use the better fence?

[franknsled]

So keep thy body parts away from moving parts with teeth.

Words to live by!

[DLB]

Could I just go with the 555608 arbor? Its longer and 5/8". looks like I need some new blades anyway.
Could I just add the front and rear rail assemblies to my Mark 5 (500) table so I can use the better fence?

Your pictures show a 'Model 510 and on' lower saw guard, compatible with 510, 505, 520, Mark 7, Mark 4. But not compatible with your Model 500. Changing to a '510 and on' arbor would make the arbor and saw guard compatible, but it still would not be compatible with your table system. (You would not be able to mount the upper saw guard, I doubt that you could even position the main table.)

The least expensive solution is to find a used upper and lower saw guard for a Model 500 table system. There is more than one version. Mostly from reading the experiences of others, I know to warn you to ensure the upper and lower guards are compatible with each other and ensure all parts are included. Upgrading the table system would be great but is pricey as you know.

- David

[chapmanruss]

franknsled,

The compatibility or lack thereof between the Mark V 500 original Table System and the later models has already been covered. Your pictures show exactly the problem trying to use a shorter Arbor for the 500 with the Lower Saw Guard of the other Mark models. It simply doesn't work.

It is common to find parts with used Shopsmith Tools that do not go with that particular model or even non-Shopsmith parts. It is uncommon to have, as in your case, the later models Saw Guard Set with a Mark V 500. That has me wondering if your Mark V has the original Table System or was upgraded to a later Model Table System. That would make having the shorter Arbor with the later Saw Guard set more likely. The pictures you posted showing the Arbor/Lower Saw Blade Guard issue are great but not shown yet is the Table System you have. Below are pictures of the three Main Tables for the Mark models.

The first is the Mark V 500 AKA original Mark 5.

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mark V 500 table views 2.jpg (14.39 KiB) Viewed 729 times

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The Main Table above happens to be from a 1960's or 1970's Mark 5 with the extra Table Slot not found on all early Mark 5 (1950's) and Mark V 500 (1980 or later) tools.

Below is a Mark V 510/505 example and is a later one. Early ones had ribs all the way across the Tabletop. It has the round tubes for Fence Rails.

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mark V 505 510 table views.jpg (23.13 KiB) Viewed 729 times

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The Mark V 520, 520S which also includes the Mark 7, new Mark 5 & the discontinued Mark 4. The Fence system changed to the Pro Fence with extruded Aluminum Rails and a wider Fence. The Table itself is the same as the Mark V 510/505 model.

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mark 7 mark V 520 table views.jpg (23.14 KiB) Viewed 729 times

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Something to know is the only Mark models currently being sold is the Mark 7 and starting last month (and possibly for a limited time) the new Mark 5.