Shopsmith Forums

Is the mark II a good machine anything I should know
Thanks
Ron

woodartist81 wrote:Is the mark II a good machine anything I should know
Thanks
Ron

A Mark 2 was a transitional(between the ER10 and the Mark 5) Model. It shares most dimensional attributes with the Mark 5/V but is driven similar to the 10ER(belt/pulleys with varying diameters and MANUAL changing to change speed). It was intended to be a low cost alternative. It is considered to NOT be as 'good' as a Mark 5/V. I do not know the reason for the negative opinions(I have never been in the company of one). I do NOT think it has a method of driving a jointer at an appropriate speed(IF at all). I am not sure if SPT's are mountable/drivable.

Sorry, That is about all I know about them!

Are there parts for that model and does anyone know if there is a yahoo group for them

woodartist81 wrote:Are there parts for that model and does anyone know if there is a yahoo group for them

Like the 10ER, SS Inc. does NOT support it. There may be some parts that are available, but only because they are the same as used in later models.

Yahoo I Dunno!

I know I paid $50 for mine. Runs well enough to be used as my sanding machine. Hook my disc sander and my strip sander with success. I believe I could hook my bandsaw too but there's not enough poop in the motor. Also good place to store various SS things on the table as well as the other end. Have used it for various other minor SS thing that I don't recall in this heat at the moment. If it's cheap, get it. Or not!

I know this is about 16 years late of a response but just want to add that I still have my dad's Mark 2 and still works great, although I'm considering replacing motor and quell bearings if I can find the parts. I may dismantle it and search for bearing by bearing numbers stamped on the bearings or go to a bearing company and ask their help to match. I did make some fixes on the table which adjusts with a push screw crank and cap. Over the years, it became very wobbly - loosened thread in the carrier and worn well in the table. I rounded the well and mounted a homemade "steel" piece with the appropriate threaded hole on top of the carrier where the aluminum hole was. That really improved the stability. Eventually, I replaced the table and carrier with the Mark V version and gave the original Mark 2 table to a guy in Pasadena, California who repairs Shopsmith machines. He's been great to talk with about the machines and to get used parts from. I also bought a used Mark V that had been left outdoors for years. The carrier bars were badly rusted and it was in generally poor condition. I completely reconditioned it (new bearings throughout, belt, switch, paint, and brought the very rusty carrier bars back to near new shine by placing them in a PVC tube with rust remover for a couple of days, then spun them using the Mark 2 lathe set up as I polished them with steel wool and 3M scouring sponge. As far as the Mark 2, I remember going with dad to Montgomery Ward around 1957 to buy it. I was only 7 years old. Dad used it with great success - as a saw, sander (3" drum and 12" disk), router, joiner, drill, lathe, and more. I still use the Mark 2 and hope to have it and the Mark V go to one of my kids someday.

Since this topic has been resurrected and was originally posted prior to my joining the Forum I thought I would chime in with information I have about the Mark 2. I own two Mark 2 tools, one restored and the other waiting (still) to be restored. Below is my restored Mark 2

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This is information I have previously posted in other topics about the Shopsmith Mark 2

1958 to 1960 Mark 2 (5-in-1)

Introduced in December of 1957 by Magna Power Tool Corporation. This unit was made at Montgomery Ward’s request and sold primarily by them. It was not made to the same quality standards as the Mark 5 and was a lower cost alternative while still providing the same five functions. It has an 8” saw blade capacity instead of the 9” saw blade of the Mark 5 at the time. The Mark 2 uses a ½ HP or optional ¾ HP motor while the Mark 5 had a ¾ HP motor that later changed in early 1961 to a 1-1/8 HP motor. It uses two 2-step pulleys (a 2”/3” and a 3”/4”) to change the 7 speeds much like the Model 10E and 10ER instead of the variable speed of the Mark 5. The Way Tubes are shorter at 48” long. An interesting feature of the Mark 2 is the Headrest which is a pin-able version of the Base and Arm which functions much like the newer Mark 7 Double Tilt feature. It has lower quality locks to hold the headstock, carriage, etc. in place. They work like the locks found on the Model 10’s but are made of lower quality materials and finish. It has an extra saw blade slot on the main table (a feature added to the Mark 5 in the 1960’s and 1970’s). Some Mark 2’s have round metal bench tubes while others have rounded top rails made out of wood to connect the bench ends and legs together. It could be purchased with or without the bench. Instructions included making your own wood bench. The Miter looks similar but is different than the Mark 5’s as it has no angle stops and a shorter bar without the lock to hold it in place in the table slot. It has a narrow step shape extension table that creates its own fence and serves as the tailstock with a small block attachment. There are very few individual parts that are interchangeable with the Mark 5. The Mark 5 Headstock will fit on the Mark 2 frame. Even the table system can be changed to the Mark V or 7’s. The Mark 2 can also hold and power Add-a-tools later known as Special Purpose Tools made for the Mark 5/V’s and Mark VII/7’s. It has only one hub for powering SPT’s so different length posts may be needed for some SPT’s. It started out with the “Greenie” colors and later changed to gray.

At the time of its introduction the Mark 2 was priced at $179.90 (less bench and motor) compared to the Mark 5 at $329.50. The Bench legs with tubes cost $19.95 and the ½ HP motor was $34.95 making the total for a Mark 2 to be comparably equipped to the Mark 5 at $234.80 and still considerably less than the Mark 5.

The Mark 2 works more like it’s a Model 10 trying to look more like a Mark 5.

At some point it was sold with a Wards Powr-Kraft label replacing the Shopsmith logo/serial number plate. That model also had a variable speed pulley system.

The following pictures show some of the differences of the Mark 2. The first is the pin-able Headrest.

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Below is the Extension Table followed by the Tailstock attachment the clamps on the Extension Table.

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Below is the Miter. Notice the bar has no locking set screw. It does not have angle stops either.

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It came with its own 5/8" Saw Blade Arbor. It is different from all other Arbors made up to that time and since.

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Russ, amazing upgrade to your Mark II. Did you replace bearings in the motor and quill? If so, how did you find the replacement parts? Thanks. Mario

Mario,

The first picture in my previous post shows the Mark 2 I have already restored. It is all Mark 2 parts as it came from the factory with the Bench and 1/2 HP Motor options without any upgrades except the Retractable Caster Set. I was able to find a Mark 2 Caster set as these were apparently not very common. They look and are mostly the same as the Mark 5 Retractable Casters but have a shorter Drive Rod and Tie Rod. Having the Castor set also provides more stability to the legs.

The Headstock on my restored one is not the original Headstock that came on that tool. I found a replacement because, as seen in the picture below, someone had cut holes to mount a household light switch instead of replacing its original power switch. There were also numbers "stamped" in the logo/serial number plate I didn't like. Because of this the identity (serial number) changed to the replacement Headstock's serial number.

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I don't recall if I needed to replace any of the bearings and some or all were in good shape still. Even though everything is functional I don't plan on really using this Mark 2 as it is more of a museum piece for me. I have a lot of Shopsmith tools dating back to the very first ones available for use. Your idea of going to a Bearing company to find replacements should get you needed bearings for it. I have done that for a Mark V set of bearings. The one Drive Sleeve Bearing with the snap ring groove may be more difficult to find if it needs replacing.

A word of caution that you are probably aware of already - the castings are much thinner than those of the mark 5. They are more susceptible to damage. I have found replacement parts or have repaired parts for ones damaged to be able to have the two complete Mark 2's I have. The second one awaiting restoration. These include bent Legs, cracked Carriage, broken Belt Cover, bent Extension Table, damaged Fence and a bent Main Table Fence Rail. Many times, parts are missing from being damaged and discarded. The Belt Cover is commonly missing from these tools.

For anyone using a Mark 2 as their primary 5 in 1 tool I would recommend replacing the Table/Carriage assembly and/or Headstock if/when needed with Mark 5 ones. This will likely be cheaper than trying to find actual Mark 2 replacements. It may be cheaper to buy a complete used Mark 5/V and discontinue using the Mark 2. For anyone with a Mark 2 missing that Tailstock part that clamps onto the Extension Table (shown in my previous post) you can use a Mark 5 Tailstock.

Russ, thanks for all the info. The "household" switch was probably a bad idea by the prior owner. It's not really rated for a motor even though it probably worked. I did upgrade my Mark 2 with a Mark 5 table, extension, fence, miter gauge. My original fence and miter gauge cracked. I fixed them as best I could and gave them along with my Mark 2 table to a guy who repairs Shopsmith machines. The table screw crank was loose and unstable, so I installed a threaded piece of metal above the threaded hole in the carrier and improved the shape of the well the crank sits in under the table. This really helped. I also installed a new 12-gauge chord. My original plastic belt cover deteriorated as plastic does over time. I made a new one out of sheet metal which is much better. The Mark 2 is as noisy as my Mark 5 was before I replaced "all" of the Mark 5 bearings. So, I'm quite sure the Mark 2 bearings need replacement. I did find a set on eBay, but they came with a quill (I don't need) for about $180. I believe I can get bearings for under $50, but I need to disassemble the machine first to be sure of what I need. Other than noisy bearings, the machine runs great and does everything well.

There's quite a story behind the machine. Hope you don't mind my sharing it. My dad wanted it, often dreaming about it as he scanned magazines and drew sketches of furniture he wanted to make. However, mom wouldn't allow it fearing he'd cut his fingers off. So, one day in 1957 when I was about 10 years old, I was with dad in his tool room helping him saw wood. It was slow and frustrating. He and I got a brainstorm. We thought we could convert his grinder into a table saw. So, we put a 7" blade on it and installed the grinder inside an old cabinet so that the blade would protrude through a slot on the top. Dad started cutting wood with it. It made a lot of saw cutting noise. Mom heard it from the kitchen and came running out to see what was going on. Dad's tool room was adjacent to the porch just outside the kitchen door. The tool room's door was paneled glass. We locked the door so mom couldn't get in. She stood outside looking in through the glass yelling "turn it off, you'll cut your fingers off." Dad kept cutting. I was on the inside of the door looking out to mom saying to her, "Let him buy his Shopsmith and he'll turn this saw off." After a bit of back-and-forth, she gave in. We quickly got in the car and drove to Montgomery Ward to buy it. For the next 44 years until about 4 years prior to his death at 91 years old, he made some of the most amazing furniture, some with inlays and artwork. He used all the attachments he had (lathe, disk sander, drum sander, planer, router). Much of his work was made from scrap pieces. For example, when my brother-in-law, John, returned from Vietnam, dad used the walnut from the case John's belongings were shipped home in to make a couple marble top table with tapered legs and inlays. Over the years, mom grew to realize dad really needed the Shopsmith and recognized that it was much safer than the table saw we made. She saw the smile on his face every time he used the machine. She and all of us offsprings were blessed with so many nice things he made with machine. We still cherish those pieces. Mom passed away at 101. Like you, I want to keep dad's beloved Shopsmith in the family.