I have great news. After almost a year of being in pieces in my shop my ShopSmith is back in action. Yesterday I finally got it back together and running. Man I sure missed not having a drill press or lathe. I still have to put it through a few paces to get it tuned back up and ready to start flinging saw dust.

I really cant’ wait to get to turning again. Up first will be to buy a piece of cast acrylic rod to turn into a stack for the little logger. I was going to do it by cutting and bending and soldiering brass but that is a little out of my wheel house. I can turn one instead much easier. might even use it as a blank for casting them.

But Devon, a stack is supposed to made of metal. And how is ya gonna learn new skills, iffn ya doesn’t try new thangs?

David Maynard said:

But Devon, a stack is supposed to made of metal. And how is ya gonna learn new skills, iffn ya doesn’t try new thangs?

Welllllll since the rest of my loco is plastic I don’t think making the stack out of plastic will hurt. As to learning new skills I am actually really enjoying soldering and doing the metal work. However for the stack I have a very clear idea of what I am looking for and without some proper tools I don’t think I can achieve it. I don’t have a great way to cut, bend, or roll sheet metal. So for now I think turned acrylic. If its any consolation I have never turned acrylic.

Devon,

Did you service the Shopsmith yourself or send the headstock out? My 40 year old unit is screeching some and needs attention. I’ve been looking on the 'net at folks who go through them and rebuild.

Tom

Tom Bowdler said:

Devon,

Did you service the Shopsmith yourself or send the headstock out? My 40 year old unit is screeching some and needs attention. I’ve been looking on the 'net at folks who go through them and rebuild.

Tom

…

Tom, It’s not that hard to rebuild the head stock. I re-built most of my Mark 5 that I had since 1957. There is a link if like to look in to it. They’ll give you a break down on parts need in a kit also.

https://shopsmith.com/service/index.htm

Devon Sinsley said:

I have great news. After almost a year of being in pieces in my shop my ShopSmith is back in action. Yesterday I finally got it back together and running. Man I sure missed not having a drill press or lathe. I still have to put it through a few paces to get it tuned back up and ready to start flinging saw dust.

I really cant’ wait to get to turning again. Up first will be to buy a piece of cast acrylic rod to turn into a stack for the little logger. I was going to do it by cutting and bending and soldiering brass but that is a little out of my wheel house. I can turn one instead much easier. might even use it as a blank for casting them.

…

Glad you got it back running again, Devon. Mine was down a few yr’s ago and boy did I forget how much I missed it on building Garden R.R. stuff.

There great tools to have, but can take some time to set up on some jobs.

Tom I completely stripped the headstock and cleaned and serviced it as well as replaced several of the components. One of the best aspects of these machines is their unchanged simplicity. Join the ShopSmith forum

http://www.shopsmith.com/ss_forum/

and check out the ShopSmith Acadamy

http://www.shopsmithacademy.com/Academy_Home.htm

especially their sawdust sessions on ShopSmith Reborn its a 4 part series that walks you through the majority of how to rebuild one. There are also Youtube videos. Its easy to do. The forum will help you diagnose the problem of screeching but that is usually a belt?

Now with all that said I have an issue. I was having a problem with overspeed and have not yet performed the High Speed setting. It started to smoke a belt so I still have a bit of work to do

I got the Shopsmith running like a Swiss watch. All in all the head stock rebuild went well. They are such easy simple machines. I can’t wait to put it to use on a certain piece of Cypress that is soon to be in the mail.

I’ll have to get you over to tune up my Shopsmith.

Steve Featherkile said:

I’ll have to get you over to tune up my Shopsmith.

Gladly Steve,

now that I have done one I am a pro. . .(http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif). They really are pretty easy and I have the manual and there are some great videos on the subject so we can’t muck it up to bad. Is yours a MK V, MK VII, 10ER ? Is it running?

It runs, but I’m worried about the bearings. Its from the 50’s, my mother bought it for my dad when I was ten or so. I upgraded the motor about ten years ago, so that’s OK. I upgraded everything else at the same time. I’ve never been satisfied with its setup, though.

Steve,

Sounds like you have a Shopsmith Mk V Greenie. I inherited a Shopsmith 10ER when my grandfather passed in 1960. It was purchased about 1949 or 1950, when Monkey Wards had the Magna franchise. That’s the one with the three-step pulley. About 1953, the variable speed version came out as a true Shopsmith with the Gilmer drive (looked like a tank track) and painted green.

I kept the 10ER for quite a few years and gave it to my brother-in-law. About 1977 or 1978, I bought a new Mk V from Battel’s Hardware at the L.A. County Fair in Pomona. Still have it.

I needed a drill press to do some work on my 1/8th scale locomotives and rolling stock, so I decided to roll out my old Shopsmith. It had not been run in about 18 years and I was concerned about the bearings and the belts. I called Battel’s Hardware and they do repair and upgrades to Shopsmiths. It was well worth it to have the technician do the work considering the parts alone for a rebuild of the headstock was about $160 (all new bearings in the headstock and quill and all new belts and clean and install new bearings in the sheeve drive plates. I took the headstock down to the store for repair. My wife and I went to lunch and came back and everything was completed. Ran beautifully. The total for this was $195 and guaranteed for 18 months. The old machine is being used a lot now.

Glad to know that Battles is still in business. I am the second owner of one purchased there in 1955. Love the machine, but it never cuts two pieces of wood to the same size!

Mine is an 80’s version. I believe it is the same as yours Gary. I have never used it as a table saw nor am I likely to ever use it as such. I have a table saw. But as a drill press/lathe/sander its great. I will soon be using my band saw once I get the coupler. I think the end on my band saw is wrong. I think its supposed to be different from that on the machine so that the coupler only goes on one way. I will have to verify that.

Dick,

as to it not cutting wood the same twice I am wondering why that would be. Is your quill bearing still good or are you getting excess play in it that is allowing the blade to wobble. Other than that there should be no reason for that that I can think of. Nothing should move. Also I would suggest the two bearing quill to reduce play. I don’t have one yet but that is on my list.

For $195 I would take it in. If that’s all new bearings and belts and a tune up that’s pretty good. I am not sure we have a local repair shop.

I did not do new bearings. Mine were in great condition as were my belts. Mine got a good cleaning and a new speed control system. Someone before me must have changed the speed control without it running. Because mine exploded only a few uses after I bought it.

Steve one of these days I will wander over and take a look at it. Set up is a piece of cake. there really isn’t much to it.

I have 2 jewerly boxes to be made, and I just cannot get motivated to do them, like tonight I should be cutting wood and here I sit. Alway wondered about the Shopsmith how good they are, I will have to watch for one now

Pete,

Let me say this about the ShopSmith. There are people who love them and people who don’t love them. The people who don’t love them compare them to individual stand alone machines. People who do love them love the fact that they do not need stand alone machines.

They will likely never compare to there standalone counterparts. You can easily buy better equipment. But if your a casual wood worker of have limited space/funds then they are great because you get so many machines for the price of one.

They are a quality product, well built, and easily maintained and upgraded. They have so many attachments it boggles the mind and since the design is relatively unchanged most attachments from 50 years ago readily fit on a machine made 10 years ago. I don’t like it at all for a table saw. The table is small and the blade does not tilt, instead you tilt the table. That a pain. Other than for small projects I will likely never use it that way. The older ones make decent drill presses but had a single bearing quill (arbor shaft that goes up and down) so has some slop. The newer ones use a double bearing and are very tight tolerance and as probably as good as most any others in its price range. Old ones can be upgraded to double bearing quill easily. As a lathe I love it but requires a special adapter to attach various chucks but that isn’t a big deal. It makes a great disk sander. I have the band saw but haven;t used it but seems like a decent machine. That’s the limit of my experience.

Another issue as a single machine is the need to be a project planer. Since you have to set up the machine for each operation you don’t want to keep going back and forth. This is the chief complaint. But the space that five machines takes up is huge compared to the shopsmith and cost a heck of a lot more.

If you want one go to Shopsmith academy (link above) and they have a buyers guide on the sawdust sessions I mention. Make sure you get a good one. One last major note. The 10ER is not adaptable nor are its attachments interchangeable with the Mark V/VII. Unless your really into vintage powertools avoid the 10ER. Nothing wrong with it but it is not a “shopsmith”

Gary Armitstead said:

Steve,

Sounds like you have a Shopsmith Mk V Greenie. I inherited a Shopsmith 10ER when my grandfather passed in 1960. It was purchased about 1949 or 1950, when Monkey Wards had the Magna franchise. That’s the one with the three-step pulley. About 1953, the variable speed version came out as a true Shopsmith with the Gilmer drive (looked like a tank track) and painted green.

I kept the 10ER for quite a few years and gave it to my brother-in-law. About 1977 or 1978, I bought a new Mk V from Battel’s Hardware at the L.A. County Fair in Pomona. Still have it.

…

Question, Dave A.

Do you know when the color changed on the Mk-5? I got mine from Monky Wards down town Sacramento around 1963,64. It was Brons/ Brown metillic color ( ser # 371407 ) and had 3/4 hp motor that I later on changed out with a 1hp. Also, a few years back did a upgrade kit on the head stock. Didn’t really need it, but we did it anyway.

Mine look almost same as yours except I see you have the Shopsmith Band-saw. Mine came with a Yuba Band-saw. They look the same.

Boy… ours have been moved from Cal. to Oregon to Wash then back to Cal. in our last 50 or so year. “Ya-- and we are old too.”

If taken care of, they seem to last a long time.

I had to laf that in Hi School around 1948, our School and our next door neighbor had one of first one out and I could not see this going anywhere with all the work to set up a job with. To us and my wood shop teacher, this was a sissy mach. Sure has changed a lot.

http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/serialnumber.htm

Link to Shopsmith serial numbers and manufacture date.

http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/toolhistory.htm

Link to major changes to Shopsmith over the years

Noel, This link might help you with information about your Shopsmith.

http://www.shopsmith.com/other_machines.htm

Gary Armitstead said:

http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/serialnumber.htm

Link to Shopsmith serial numbers and manufacture date.

http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/toolhistory.htm

Link to major changes to Shopsmith over the years

Noel, This link might help you with information about your Shopsmith.

http://www.shopsmith.com/other_machines.htm

…

Thanks for the help Dave.

By going by your information from Shopsmith link. I had check the Owners Manual that came with it to see where my ser. nbr came in at. My Mark5 is a odd build. New in 1964 and the manual that came with it was printed in 1956.

Kind of odd to use the same manual in 1964/ 65. I know it was brand new when I had to pick up the Mk-5 boxes at the M.Wards whrs. Then try to get it in my Ford Galx station wagon.

Going by the Ser # it was built around 1964. Not sure why the color change of Brown metallic , but still was built by Yuba Power Products, Inc. for Monkey Wardie.

Anyway its a great tool to work with over all of these years and still going strong.