Well, I finally did it. I've been looking for a good, used Mark V for a few years, and bought a 510 off of Craigslist last week (good timing on getting these forums up and running for me -- thanks! ).
I've been cleaning things up, de-rusting the rails on the extension tables, and lubing & protecting everything. I started going through the alignment procedures yesterday, and found something disturbing -- the worktable is dented right next to the insert. I don't know how I missed that previously.
It looks like the headstock dropped onto it from the vertical position.
Spending another $172 on a replacement doesn't really fit into my plans; would it be possible to carefully hammer it out from the backside?
Thanks, and I look forward to more great discussions here.
Hmmmm,
If the dent is not interfering with the miter guage slot or sliding the workpiece, I would leave it alone. If it is a problem in cutting and sliding across the dent, I guess it may be worth a try to straighten it but you may make it worse than it is now.
You might find a replacement table from someone on the forums or Ebay is always a good place to find parts or used accessories.
If you can't solve the table dent problem, watch ebay. Just today there are several 510 and even a 520 table posted.
I saved big upgrading a 1954 Mark V to a 520, picking the big pieces up off ebay. You just have to be patient.
Whatever you do, don't bid without a current Shopsmith catalog on hand. Two days ago, I watched two boneheads bid a bag of dust collection bags to over $40. New they are just $10. This happens all the time. Guys bid more for a used item than Shopsmith will sell it for.
Again, be patient and know what the real price is.
In case you go the ebay route I just wanted to point out that a 510 table may not equal a 510 table.
I'm not sure of the differences other the looks but when you order an upgrade kit from a 510 to a 520 there are two listed. One is for "prior to 1986" and "1986 or later".
Maybe some one can explain the things to look for so you know what you have then make sure the replacement is the same type.
As a general comment, the table really needs to be flat and if the damage is such that it is not then I would vote to replace it. I would also look to see what other damage might have been done to the mounting and the tubes that support the table. If the headstock crashed down on it then you might have more damage then just the table top.
Thanks for the excellent replys. I found a complete 510 table on ebay yesterday, but I was too late to bid; I just missed it by a few seconds. It ended up going for $137. Not bad for something that's $586 new.
I'll keep looking though, since I'd rather replace it than potentially screw it up more by trying to fix it.
Depending on how deep the dent is, you might check with a local machine shop about re-surfacing the whole table. If the dent isn't as deep as the ribs, they can probably mill it flat again for a few bucks, or heat it up and straighten it.
If you just start whacking it with a hammer, it's probably going to crack.
I am speeking without seeing your table, but finding a machine shop, welding shop, blacksmith shop, that is someplace that has a hydraulic press with a skilled operator could go along way to pushing the dent out from the back side. Some of these guys can do almost magic. Good luck.
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