Shopsmith Mark V (Mark 5) Information, Review and History

Don't get so excited with eBay prices that you pay more than the price of a new tool! See the photo at right for the current MSRP of the Shopsmith Mark V from http://www.shopsmith.com/.

Click here for Shopsmith Mark V Listings For Sale

Click here for Shopsmith Mark V HEADSTOCK listings

Click here for Shopsmith Mark V Repair Service and Service Videos

Watch a Shopsmith Mark V tablesaw being used to cut spirals.

So let’s talk about the Mark V.

When Hans Goldschmidt set-out to create his first multi-purpose tool in the last 1940’s he started with an analytical review of the features that power tools had in common. He noted that in most cases there is a spindle that spins, a support table for the wood and ideally a stand to support the wood at a comfortable position. From there he developed the concept of the first of the Shopsmith 5-in-1 tools the 10er. The 10er featured a movable spindle which in the tool world is known as a quill. This is a must-have feature for a drill press, but it’s unheard of on a table saw; so obviously the quill must be able to lock in place when a saw blade or other cutting tool is attached. An added benefit to having a saw blade on a quill is once the fence is in place, if a very fine adjustment is needed in ripping width, rather than moving the fence you simply move the blade! It’s very cool.

With the spindle being held horizontally for the saw function, and seeing that it’s a quill, why not use it for drilling horizontally? That’s not something the average home woodworker has available and it’s much more practical (also safer) than trying to balance a board on it’s edge on the drill press. In fact, with the exception of the jointer it’s always preferable to have a board resting firmly on one of its faces rather than on its edge, so horizontal boring is a excellent tool in the Shopsmith arsenal.

So Hans settled on the five tools that made the most sense to combine into one tool, knowing that it would still leave a few important tools off. He had an idea about how to remedy that, but those ideas would have to wait. After a few years of successful sales under his belt Hans went back to the drawing board to improve upon his original idea. That effort eventually led to the introduction of the Mark V (Model 500) in 1954.

The Mark V still featured the basic five tools which were present on the 10er; Table Saw, Lathe, Drill Press, Horizontal Boring Machine and a Disc Sander, but all of these functions were improved by the introduction of a unique and fully integrated variable speed control. While Magna did offer an optional speed changer for the 10er, it had exposed belts and was a bit hit and miss due to the lack of a speed indicator.

One of the best things Hans accomplished with the Mark V was he was able to integrate the novel “Add-a-Tool concept, which allowed the woodworker to add the other important tools that were not practical to integrate into the 5-in-1 tool itself, but were critical to certain woodworking tasks. These included a Bandsaw, a Jigsaw, a Jointer , a Belt Sander and an Air Compressor. When these tools were introduced they each set a new standard in the industry. In fact, I believe that the Shopsmith Bandsaw and Belt Sander are still heads and shoulders ahead of all the others in their class. Not too shabby for 50 year old designs!

The Mark V was substantially improved in the 1960’s with the introduction a more powerful motor (1 1/8hp) and an improved drive spindle on the quill. This was later augmented in the 1980’s by the addition of an additional bearing that helped stabilize the spindle during faceplate turning, sawing and drilling.

Also in the late 1980’s the Mark V got another MAJOR renovation with the introduction of the Mark V Model 510. This model is built upon the same base and headstock as the model 500, but everything else changed. The first issue was Shopsmith was determined to produce a saw guard that people would actually use. That meant that it had to be easy to install and remove; and it had to remain in alignment with the blade even if the blade is moved in the saw table slot due to fine tuning with the quill.

Shopsmith was also working on an updated version of the Shop Vacuum, which would later become the DC3300, so they knew that they would want to be able to capture not only sawdust, but also dust produced while using the disc sander, so one of the thing that would have to happen is the tubes that support the worktable would have to be spread further apart. Seeing that one of their goals was also to make a larger table, spreading these tubes would make a lot of sense . This new layout would necessitate a new carriage design, so while they were at it they resolved a little weird glitch in the Model 500 carriage design. To raid the table on the Model 500 you turn a handle counter-clockwise; where on the 510 you turn a large wheel clockwise. Much more intuitive, and the wheel was a very nice improvement.

A few more improvements that the 510 has over the 500:
The 510 has T-slot miter slots, a longer, taller fence with improved locking both front and read, a true riving knife, a much better table insert that continues off the back of the table, so there is no need to level the table inserts at the back, (If you own a 500 you know what I mean) and two "floating tables" which can be placed between the main table and the narrow support table, or even in front or behind the main table for supporting log rips.

In the late 1990’s Shopsmith further refined the Mark V with a new fence system that they mounted on the 510 table system. This tool was given the model #520. This fence in about twice as wide as the 510 fence, and even features two t-slot miter slots in the top and one on each face for the addition of fixtures, jigs, feather boards, etc. The extruded aluminum rails also allow the user to install a new direct-reading rip fence scale. These are two magnetic, stainless steel scales that attach to the fence rails for fast and repeatable rip adjustments. These must be adjustable because when the table is removed from the Mark V and later re-installed, it’s unlikely that the blade will end-up in the exact same position within the insert opening, so the fence in locked against the blade and the scale is simply re-set to zero.

In the end, if someone offered me my choice of any version of the Mark V, I believe I’d stick with the 510, though the 520 isn’t far behind. For me the fence rails are a bit too chunky on the 520, and the double-wide fence necessitates the use of the floating tables, which are just too many parts to have in play. But that’s just me.

Visit www.PatentPlaceUSA.com and search "Shopsmith" to see a bunch of neat Patent Art Prints for Shopsmith tools!

Mike Young puts a Shopsmith Mark V Model 510 through "All The Right Moves".


Mike Young on the Shopsmith Mark V Lathe:


Mike Young once again uses a Shopsmith Mark V Model 510 as a Drill Press:


Mike Young on the Shopsmith Mark V Model 510 as a Horizontal Boring Machine:


A neat video of the Shopsmith Mark V changing modes.


Here's a series of videos demonstrating the Shopsmith Mark V

Ever Wonder What's Happening Inside Your Shopsmith Mark V?

The Shopsmith Mark V is a marvel of engineering. The speed control itself is utilizes what is known as a "Reeves Drive", which is a pair of variable pulleys which at the turn of a dial become either large or smaller. Milton Reeves received a patent for this style of pulley in 1897 (Image right from US Patent). This is the same variable transmission method used on snowmobiles (or is that snow machines?) and several small cars like the old Subaru Justy.

The Mark V actually has four pulleys. The upper pulley is part of what is called the Drive Sleeve Assembly. This is driven by a flat belt that is driven by a small pulley that is attached to the Reeves Drive. This part is called the Poly-V or Gilmer Sheave.

Side note: This set of pulleys is mounted on a stainless steel shaft (called the Idler Shaft) that is actually an automotive water pump bearing assembly! This same part is machined differently for use on the Shopsmith Bandsaw, the old Jigsaw, and several other tools.

The other half of this pulley is called the Control Sheave, and it is moved in and out on the Idler Shaft with the turn of the Speed Control Dial on the front of the Mark V.

This pulley assembly is driven by the lower pulley assembly which is mounted on a stainless steel shaft of the motor. (If you ever wondered why the Mark V is so expensive, it's because of the many fine details such as this.) This lower drive pulley assembly is made-up of two sheaves; one called the Fan Sheave, which is fixed to the motor shaft and in addition to driving the v-belt it moves the air around the inside of the motor pan. The other end of this shaft has the Floating Sheave, which moves in and out in response to the adjustments made in the pulley assembly above. If the upper pulley is opened (which in essence makes the belt drop deep into the pulley as if the pulley was smaller) the lower pulley sill snap shut, becoming in essence a large pulley. This explains why it is easier to increase the speed on your Mark V than it is to lower the speed. When you raise the speed you are opening the upper pulley and the lower pulley is closing under spring power. When you lower the speed you and pinching the belt in the upper pulley as you close it, while simultaneously wedging the lower pulley apart with the belt. This also explains why you can turn the Mark V speed dial faster with the Mark V off, but it is impossible to lower the speed with the machine off. You shouldn't do this either way, but if you do raise the speed with the tool off nothing will be damaged.

The Image of the Mark V is from 1962 when the motor was upgraded from 3/4HP to 1 1/8HP. You can tell this from the upper drive belt which is known as a Poly-V Belt on these more powerful units. Prior to the Poly-V the upper belt was a toothed belt known as a Gilmer belt which I mentioned above. The Gilmer belt had a problem which was also its advantage; It doesn't slip. No, really, it can't. The problem with this is woodworking power tools need something to slip, should the blade come to a sudden stop. The original Mark V had a special clutch that was inside the Drive Sleeve Assembly, but this was made of a clutch that was destroyed when the clutch is needed, which resulted in costly and time consuming repairs. When the larger motor was introduced Magna saw the need to change this drive to eliminate this weakness, so the clutch was swapped for the Pully-V belt, which not only has spectacular drive power, but can also slip if need be.

I've spent hundreds of hours with my hands inside these beauties and I have to say that they never cease to amaze me.

Here's a link to a pdf document that covers the replacement of the Gilmer and Poly-V belt on the Mark V.

There's always a few miss-named Shopsmith items...

Miss-labeled Shopsmith items for sale on eBay

Shopsmith Service, Repair and Replacement Headstock Information, Review and History

Don't get so excited with eBay prices that you pay more than the price of a new tool! The current MSRP of the Shopsmith Mark V headstock is $1604.24!

FYI: The current Mark 5 headstock will fit the Mark I, Mark II, Mark V model 500, 505, 510 and 520, and with a little modification of your way tube it will also replace the worn-out head on your Mark VII.

If you choose to purchase a used headstock there are a few things to know:

• From 1954 to 1960 the SS Mark V had a two-tone green paint scheme and contained one fewer bearing and also had a 3/4HP motor.
• From 1960 to 1963 the Mark V headstock was a two-tome gold/tan color. In 1963 the motor was changed to the current 1 1/8HP and one of the two internal belts was improved.
• From 1963 through 1967 the paint was smooth grey.
• From 1972 through today the paint is a pebble-grey.
• In 1984, beginning with serial #190000 SS added an additional bearing to the quill in response to pressure from Taiwanese knock-offs which featured this improvement and because it was a good idea.
• As you can see in the photo above, in 1991 the switch was moved a bit to the left (it used to be centered over the speed dial). This was done to meet Canadian safety requirements which specify that the switch cannot be covered by the tabletop. The switch also now features a removable "key", which if removed can prevent unauthorized use.

It's surprising to some how many improvements have been made over the years to things that are out of sight, but due to some smart folks at Shopsmith the Mark V just keeps getting better and better as the years go by.

Click here for Shopsmith Mark V Replacement Headstock listings Click here for Shopsmith 10E, 10ER Replacement Headstock listings Click here for Shopsmith Mark II Replacement Headstock listings (Very light activity) Click here for Shopsmith Mark VII Replacement Headstock listings (Very light activity)

On last link. Our analytical data shows us that we've had a surprising number of folks who have gone from our site and have purchased either Shopsmith Service instruction DVD's or Headstock service from one specific eBayer named Jacob Anderson. I have no direct contact with Jacob but have "known" him for years through a couple Yahoo groups relating to Shopsmith and Sawsmith tools, and based on his feedback (currently 100% positive from over 2000 buyers!) it looks like he's the real deal.

The current DVD titles from Jacob include:

"Repair your Shopsmith Mark V headstock"

"Tuneup & repair your Shopsmith Bandsaw"

Additionally you can even send your Shopsmith Mark V's headstock to Jacob for repair by purchasing the repair on eBay.

Here's a link to Jacob's Shopsmith Service items on eBay

If you've had any experience with Jacob's products or service please click on the comment link below and tell us about your experience.

Below is a very odd video from author Nick Engler on removing rust from Mark V tubes using potatoes!

Shopsmith Conical Sanding Disc Review

The Conical Sanding Disc (555435) from Shopsmith is a very cool accessory that is way more than meets the eye. The standard Shopsmith 12" sanding discs works great for end grain touch-ups, but it's rather useless for edge sanding. Why?
The proper way to edge sand with a disc sander on the Mark 5 (Model 500, 505 and 510) is to offset the fence with one of the set screws in the base of the rip fence. By slightly extending the set screw which is the furthest away from the disc, the back of the fence will swing slightly away from the disc. (More on this setscrew later)

When you run a board between the fence and the disc the sandpaper you feed the board from the rear toward the front of the table. This way the disc will only contact the board as the sandpaper is heading downward. Do this wrong and the disk will lift the board or worse.
OK, that's a safe method, but the problem is this cross grain sanding will leave some tenacious scratches on the edge of the board, and on thicker boards the edge will not be square.

Enter the Shopsmith Conical Sanding Disc. The first thing that this disc requires is the main table needs to be tilted 4 degrees into the disc. That makes sense, because of the disc is tapered 4 degrees away from the table at the top, in order to get a square edge you'd have to tilt the table to match. The next difference from the method described above is that you no longer need to offset the fence. This is one of the reasons the fence on the 520 doesn't have the setscrew mentioned above. (Don't forget, there's more to come on that)

With the table tilted and the fence locked squarely in place, when the board kisses the disc it will touch the abrasive at the center of the disc; right at the point where the disc is moving perfectly parallel with the edge grain! This neat little characteristic is also what allow the conical disc to be used for sharpening jointer and planer knives.

Click link to view Shopsmith Conical Sanding Disc for sale on eBay

Oh yeah, the setscrew.
One of the most common mistakes made by folks when aligning the fence on the 500, 505 and 510 Mark V's is that they use the setscrews in the base of the fence for alignment of the fence. These setscrews (in the case of the very early 500 units: setscrew) are used only for misalignment as described above. In fact, I've experienced a few of these setscrews that have fallen out, or moved forward due to vibration, and when the fence was brought into position they threw the fence out of alignment. So, I developed the habit of removing these setscrews and I temporarily relocate them to the two threaded holes in the top of the miter gauge protractor. This way I always know where they are when I need them, plus in the miter gauge they can be used to hold a miter stop block.

Shopsmith Bandsaw Information, Review and History

Don't get so excited with eBay prices that you pay more than the price of a new tool! The current MSRP of the Shopsmith Bandsaw is $599.99. (As of March 2021)

FYI, The Shopsmith Bandsaw is one of the best band saws on the market! You can power it on your Shopsmith 10er, Mark I, Mark II, Mark V, Mark VII, and even with the Sawsmith Radial Arm Saw! It can also be powered by what Shopsmith calls an SPT Stand (Single Purpose Tool), the Power Station, or the Crafters Station.

There have been a few minor improvements made to the SS bandsaw over the years; with the best yet most subtle being the move from bushings to ball bearings in the back-up positions above and below the table and in the auto-track system. Prior to this, the SS bandsaw would have to be oiled regularly to prevent it from screaming like a thousand fingernails on a blackboard. This upgrade is offered by Shopsmith for all old bandsaws, so don’t let the lack of this feature scare you off; and if the saw has a serial # higher than 97932 your saw already has this feature.

Another change came in the late '80s when SS introduced an “improved” table. I put “improved” in quotes because the improvement caused about as many problems as it solved. I was at a Shopsmith Store Manager’s meeting at Pinehurst, NC when this new table was unveiled, and after the initial, oohs and ahs one of the guys in the room said “Hey, it doesn’t look like it will lift into the drill press mode without hitting the table”. “No, that can’t be!” said the proud product manager. So one of the guys unlocked the base and BANG!, the way-tube tie bar smacked the bottom of the table! The product manager’s face went beet-red and the crowd busted out laughing. Oh well. SS introduced a set of extremely off-set tubes for users who miss the ability to leave the bandsaw in place when lifting the unit into the drill press, and all was forgotten. (Till now! Sorry Tim!)

The old cast iron table was glass smooth and had two intersecting miter slots. One was used with the miter gauge for feeding wood into the blade in cross cuts. The other slot allowed for a miter gauge to be used as a fence. I loved this feature because it allowed you to adjust the fence quickly to compensate for inevitable drift; and once it was adjusted the fence could be moved closer to or further away from the blade without losing the drift setting. One negative part o the original table was the sacrificial aluminum table insert, which on many of the saws dropped a little too deeply into the table recess. They also would pop-out mid-cut and would get caught in the blade.

Side note: The ad shown at right was run in 1958 when Magna launched a complete line of stand-alone tools. The ad is purposely printed askew to stand-out in a magazine of same-looking ads. Worked for me! Click the pic to Biggie-Size it.

The new table was much larger than the original cast iron version, and for weight, reasons were now made from aluminum. After the introduction of the Mark V model 510 with its large ribbed tables, someone in product development decided that ribs were cool, so the new table featured ribs. Apparently, the same guy who forgot the check for way tube clearance didn’t stop to think that cuts on a BS aren’t always straight across the table like those made on a table saw, and the bad news was that the edge of your stock is constantly catching on the ribs as you make tight curves! After a few years SS made a change to the mold and filled-in a large circle around the removable insert. The new table has only one miter gauge, but it’s finally a T-slot that accommodates the 510 miter gauge bar, and it also has a neat patented feature that allows the user to tighten the slot if it wears over time.

Speaking of the insert; the new aluminum table has small screws under the insert that allows you to fine-tune the fit until the insert is dead-on level with the top of the table, and the insert also snaps into the recess with two retaining springs. Now the insert stays put when you tilt the table, and it doesn’t fly across the room whenever you remove the BS from your Mark V. This insert is a little tricky to remove and insert because it has two pop-rivets that have to be slid into place just-so, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes second nature.

Two more features of the new table are optional, but in my opinion, not really. One is a fence, which adjusts for drift and locks firmly into place. Originally it only locked on the rear of the table, but now it locks both front and rear. The other item is a neat little table extension that can also hold a silly circle cutter. Pass on the circle cutter if it’s an extra expense, but the little support is very handy.

A dust chute was added as an add-on and to install it you had to cut or drill a large hole in the cover and bolt the flange and elbow into place. After a few years, Shopsmith realized that this should be a standard feature, so they modified the mold and added an integrated port into the cover.

What started out as a user-suggest modification became a standard feature just a few years ago. Many of us drilled a small hole into the upper left-hand side of the cover so we could insert the 5/32” Allen wrench (AKA: the “Shopsmith Toolbox”) into the tension adjuster to lower the blade tension as we left the shop, without needing to remove the cover. Shopsmith was under pressure by Canadian law to change the way they attached the cover. They had to make it impossible to remove the cover without the use of a tool, so they removed the knobs and added more 5/32” hex-drive bolts. This made accessing the tension adjuster a total pain in the butt, so SS added the aforementioned access hole, and to make re-tensioning possible they also cut a window into the front so you can see the tension gauge. You can clearly see this little plastic window in the photo above; as well as the new cover-locking bolts and the built-in dust chute.

Speaking of the tension gauge: about once a year every woodworking magazine in America publishes an article by an author like Mark Duginski who walks the reader through a bandsaw tune-up and introduces concepts like co-plainer wheels and how to properly crown the tires on those wheels. The problem is none of these techniques are applicable to the Shopsmith Bandsaw! I highly recommend that you review the original patent for this saw (available through the link below), and you‘ll learn about how this saw is unique and I believe superior to all other bandsaw designs in this class of tools.  More on this in a separate post.

Click here for Shopsmith Bandsaws For Sale on eBay

Watch a Shopsmith Bandsaw being put to use in an unorthodox way by yours truly in the video below.


Here's a neat tip on how to increase the capacity of your Shopsmith Bandsaw


I told ya you could twist the blade on the Shopsmith Bandsaw!


Did you know you can slow your Shopsmith Bandsaw down for sawing plastics and metals?


A great tip for stacking Shopsmith feather boards for resawing on the Bandsaw


Chicks Dig Wicked-Awesome Bandsaw Skills


In this video, I used the Shopsmith Bandsaw to resaw and to shape the table legs and cut the top round.

Shopsmith Jointer Information, Review and History

Don't get so excited with eBay prices that you pay more than the price of a new tool! The current MSRP of the Shopsmith 4" Jointer is $587.00.

At only 4" wide the Shopsmith jointer is small by comparison to today's Chinese imports, but it just about lives full-time on my Mark V and for me is irreplaceable even though I now also own a large jointer too. The inventors of the Mark V were smart enough to know that the jointer would be needed while sawing, so while the upper spindle is spinning around 3500rpm the lower drive spindle that drives the jointer is spinning 1.6 times faster at 5600rpm.

As for its size, ask yourself how often you'll be jointing boards that are thicker than 4" and you'll see that 4" is wide enough for all but face-jointing. Just like the Shopsmith Bandsaw, the inventors of the SS jointer took a fresh look at the tool and came-up with some unique features that have proven the test of time. Some of these innovations are:

• One captured handle is used to loosen and tighten the fence tilt as well as for locking the fence in the proper place over the blade. Why move the fence? As you use a jointer the knives will begin to dull, so when you need to make a final pass on your stock you can move the fence to the sharpest point on the knives. In my case, I like to move the fence to the back of the jointer if I know the wood I'm jointing has the potential to nick the knives. For example, even though I do this rarely I do occasionally find the need to joint a piece of plywood. The glue line on the ply is murder on the knives, so for this, I'll slide the fence over to the far right and leave the left side pristine.

• Most jointers have an adjustable front and rear bed. You raise and lower the front bed to expose more or less of the blades to remove a set amount. I usually have mine set to remove 1/16". The rear bed on most jointers also moves up and down to allow you to line it up with the blades whenever you change them for a freshly sharpened set. The SS jointer doesn't need an adjustable rear bed because the inventors patented a unique cutter head that allows you to accurately position the knife's level with the fixed rear bed. You'll notice that several companies sell knife setting gauges because all jointers except the SS jointer have goofy knife holders which can cause the knives to shift left, right, up, or down when they are being tightened. Worse yet most jointer knives can come loose if they aren't properly tightened. The SS jointer knives are ground in a wedge shape, and they are locked in place with an opposing wedge. If the capscrews which hold the wedges in place are even lightly tightened, centrifugal force will cause the knives to hold tight against the locking wedges. I'm not explaining his well, but most importantly this design is just plain smart.

• Ever wonder if the piece you're thinking of jointing is long enough to safely joint? A little-known feature of the SS jointer fence is that it has two bumps cast into the top. If your board fits between the bumps it's too short to joint.

• The current SS jointer features an improved guard which is called a feather-guard. It combines a guard that can be set to limit how much of the cutter head can be exposed and a feather board that helps to keep the board held tightly against the fence. If your SS jointer has the older cast aluminum "pork chop" type guard it can be easily retrofitted with the new feather-guard by purchasing the feather guard retro kit from Shopsmith.

• One last recent improvement to the SS jointer sounds a little gross, but the motive is pure and the results were very effective. A few years ago SS increased the diameter of the cutter head and increased the size of the knife locking wedges in order to tighten-up the spaces that can cause injury if an operator happens to get their hand too close to the running cutter head. Again, this is available as a service part, but I'm not prepared to go to this extreme. My feather guard keeps me at a safe distance, and my fear of injury handles the rest.

Click here for Shopsmith Jointers For Sale on eBay

Here's a neat tip on how to increase the bed length on your Shopsmith Jointer

Shopsmith 6" Beltsanders Information, Review and History

Don't get so excited with eBay prices that you pay more than the price of a new tool! The current MSRP of the Shopsmith 6" Belt Sander is $587.00. (As of March 2021)

FYI, The Shopsmith Beltsander is one of the best on the market! You can power it on your Shopsmith 10er, Mark I, Mark II, Mark V, Mark VII, and even with the Sawsmith Radial Arm Saw. It can also be powered by what Shopsmith calls an SPT Stand (Single Purpose Tool), the Power Station, or the Crafters Station.

I'm impressed at the genius of this design, which not only utilizes the same water-pump bearing Assembly that is used on the Mark V and Bandsaw, but it actually features two short sections of the same tube that we used for the waytube and bench tube on the Mark V! Because these two sections of the tube are hidden from view and are only 7" or so long they allowed Magna to make use of bent or scratched waytubes. Clever.

It has a thumbwheel for making quick adjustments in tracking and an auto-tension using that works like a charm. Watch out that you don't allow this to spring when the belt is off for changing, but even if you do this is easy to reset by following the instruction in the owner's manual.

There have been a few changes over the years to the SS Belt Sander:

• Originally the Belt Sander featured a 1 1/4" dust port, but in 1987 ShopSmith changed this to accommodate 2 1/2" hoses used by ShopVac and others, including the Shopsmith DC3300. This dust port is available as an upgrade retro kit for around $20, so don't let the small port discourage you from purchasing an older unit.

• For many, many years following the formation of Shopsmith Inc. in 1972 they continued to make the SS Belt Sander with the old Magna castings. You can see the "M" logo cast into the side of these units up until the tooling finally wore-out in the late 1980's and was replaced by the Shopsmith logo. Over the years SS stopped sanding the paint off the Magna "M" and added a Shopsmith sticker to the side of the unit.

• For a period of time, Shopsmith had a batch of Beltsanders that just wouldn't track properly. I don't know the serial # range, but the problem was someone decided that it would save money if they used the same aluminum drum for both the drive drum and the idler drum. Now, the drive drum is perfectly cylindrical with a rubber sleeve glued to it, while the idler drum is bare aluminum with a slight crown. The genius who made the call to use a single drum had the crowned drum covered with rubber for the drive, so just like a Delta bandsaw, the belt was supposed to track in the center of the two crowned drums. The problem with this plan is that bandsaws have bearings that help to keep the blade on, but belt sanders don't. So, if by some chance you have one of these bastard sanders be aware that the drive drum can be easily replaced.

Click here for Shopsmith 6" Belt Sanders For Sale on eBay

Fitting Drawers with a Shopsmith Belt Sander with Nick Engler and Jim McCann

Shopsmith Strip Sander Information, Review and History and a CRITICAL TiP!

Don't get so excited with eBay prices that you pay more than the price of a new tool! At the time of this post, the current MSRP of the Shopsmith Strip Sander is $389.00. (As of March 2021)

FYI, The Shopsmith Stripsander is one of the best on the market! You can power it on your Shopsmith 10er, Mark I, Mark II, Mark V, Mark VII, and even with the Sawsmith Radial Arm Saw! It can also be powered by what Shopsmith calls an SPT Stand (Single Purpose Tool), the Power Station, or the Crafters Station. It can be used for sanding in tight spaces, and is AWESOME for sharpening your lathe tools and knives!

The strip sander does have one accessory which is for sharpening. It allows you to guide lathe tools through the sharpening and honing steps. It's a bit hard to see in the second photo, but note that when this accessory is mounted on the strip sander that it then must run in reverse. That means that on a Mark V you are driving it with the quill side of the Mark V not the SPT hub on the backside. Imagine yourself in the middle of some spindle turning when you realize that you need to sharpen your skew. Now you must remove your work, your spur drive center, and your tailstock. Mount your new drive hub, your strip sander (which hopefully has the sharpening jig in place), and sharpen your skew. Now, reverse that and you're ready to go again. Oops! You dropped your skew! Do you get my drift? On the current Mark V and Mark VII with a PowerPro headstock or on a Crafter's Station, you can run the motor in reverse, so this isn't an issue.

One final critical tip: There have been a couple versions of the 2" idler wheel; one made from aluminum, the other from plastic. If your sander has the plastic version, make sure they are greased. They will run forever with a thin coat of bearing grease on the axle and re-greasing every once-and-a-while. They will melt in about 20-minutes without the grease! If you get a strip sander with wobbly, plastic idler wheels, replacement wheels are available from Shopsmith.

Click here for Shopsmith Stripsanders For Sale

Here's a video showing the Shopsmith Strip Sander being used for sharpening Plane Irons

Here are a couple pics from the 1988 or '89 annual Manager's Meeting when the Strip Sander at the new aluminum bandsaw table were introduced. The gentleman in the green and white striped shirt conducting the demo is Tim Silvers, the product manager for the sander. The meeting was conducted that year at the Carolina Hotel in historic Pinehurst, NC.  I think I tell the story elsewhere on this blog about what happened during this demo when they demonstrated the bandsaw table... that's a funny story.

Shopsmith Speed Reducer and Speed Increaser Information, Review and History

Don't get so excited with eBay prices that you pay more than the price of a new tool! The current MSRP of the Shopsmith Speed Reducer is $372.53. The MSRP of the Speed Increaser is $479.99. (Updated Feb 2021)  These two tools went extinct for a couple years and the used prices went through the roof! FYI, You can use the Shopsmith Speed reducer on the Mark I (For Disc Sanding and Lathe Turning only), and on the Mark II, Mark V, Mark VII for Sanding, Turning and Drilling! The Speed Increaser can be used for Shaping and Routing on the Mark I, Mark V Model 500, 505, 510, 520, and the newest Mark 7. 

And yes, you can power these with a PowerPro headstock, but I wouldn't suggest taking the Speed Increaser above the designed 5200 max RPMs or you will damage the plastic friction plate.  The Speed Reducer mounted on a PowerPro headstock would have a new low speed of 36 RPMS! 

Click here for Shopsmith Speed Reducer and Speed Increasers For Sale Ya what more? OK, here goes... Did you know:

• The Shopsmith Speed increaser was inspired in part by the Snapper lawnmower company (US Patent #US4498552)
• The Shopsmith Speed increaser contains two common parts that you wouldn't suspect: A 3 3/4" faceplate (Yes, a faceplate that you'd use for turning) and a water pump bearing assemblies like the one found on the Mark V, the Shopsmith Bandsaw, and several Shopsmith tools.
• There is a thin plastic disc on the above-mentioned faceplate that must be occasionally replaced. Its life can be extended if you make sure to turn the speed down before you turn your Mark V off (It doesn't need to go all the way down to slow though) and make sure that it's running at full speed before your plunge the wood into the cutter.
• Even though it will raise the speed to 10,000rpm's, keep in mind that this is still half the proper speed for a router bit. That said this is just right for shaper cutters because they have three cutters as opposed to two, and they are usually a larger diameter than router bits. This makes their tip speed much faster than a smaller dia. router bit.
• The Shopsmith Speed Reducer is an amazing device that contains two Poly-V belts, four pulleys, and five bearing assemblies! 

Most people don't know that the Shopsmith Speed Reducer can be used to drive the Shopsmith Bandsaw at slow speeds for sawing plastic and metal? Watch this video to see how.

Here's a video I did of a DIY speed reducer:

I've posted a couple videos using the Shopsmtih Speed Reducer. In this one I use it for powering a Shopsmith SPT (Bandsaw) at slow speed, as well as drilling with a large Forstner bit:

In this video I use it to do some slow-speed faceplate turning of a large maple bowl:

Shopsmith Jigsaw and Scroll Saw Information, Review and History

First off, don't get so excited with eBay prices that you pay more than the price of a new tool! The last known MSRP of the Shopsmith Mark V-Powered Scroll Saw was $897.99. The Shopsmith Free-Standing Scrollsaw was $897.99 in early 2008, but neither are currently in production.

Most folks don't know that there have been two models of Jig Saws sold under the name "Shopsmith"; One for the original 10er, and later one made to be powered by the Mark V and Sawsmith Radial Arm Saw.

Likewise, there have been two Scroll Saws. (Three if you include the short-lived SS mounted Hawk from RBI, shown at right).

One scroll saw was made to be powered by the Mark I, Mark II, Mark V Model 500, 505, 510 and 520, as well as the Power Station, Crafters Station, and an STP Stand. The other is a self-contained Free-Standing unit with integrated Variable Speed.


By the way, we utilized the motor and speed control from a Shopsmith Free-Standing Scroll Saw to power our famous Six Cheese Nacho Cheese Fountain which is shown on our blog: http://cheese-fountain.blogspot.com/

Click here for Shopsmith Jigsaws For Sale

Click here for Shopsmith Scroll Saws for Sale

A few helpful links: 

🟢 If you are looking for a good 3' X 5' Anti-Fatigue mat: https://amzn.to/2RZirJS 🟢 While the scroll saw isn't currently in production, they are available on eBay: https://ebay.us/JczluJ

Why Magna? Shopsmith Jigsaw Ad from 1958

Now, this is a cool old ad! In the late 1950's Magna Power Tool Corporation was trying to reach out beyond the Shopsmith Mark V owners with an appeal to DIYers who preferred stand-alone tools. The Jigsaw shown in this ad, like the Magna/Shopsmith 4" Jointer, 6" Belt Sander, 11" Bandsaw and the Sprayer could be mounted on either the Mark II or Mark V, or as it was shown here it could be mounted on one of two motorized stands called SPT stands. (SPT = Single Purpose Tool)

The stand shown here had a 1/2 HP motor and could accommodate the same retractable casters that were used on the Mark V. The second stand that Magna produced is be shown in my Shopsmith Table Saw post, and could accommodate two SPT's, or as shown in the Table Saw post, a tilting arbor saw and a jointer.

This stand is no longer available in the current Shopsmith line, but the single SPT stand is still made.

If you click on the pic to Biggie-Size it, you'll be able to get a better look at the little silhouettes. Notice that among them is a lathe and a drill press. I have some info on these that I'll share soon, but in the meantime, if you happen to have one of these I'd love a picture of it.

Find Shopsmith Jigsaws for Sale on eBay

Shopsmith 12" Pro Planer, Mark V mounted Planer and Portable Planer Information, Review and History

Most folks don't know that there have been three models of 12" sold under the name "Shopsmith"; One was made to be powered by the Mark I, Mark V Model 500, 505, 510 and 520, and the Mark VII, and can be fitted to a SPT Stand. This tool was offered with a manual crank for feeding the lumber through the tool, but that option didn't last for long.  Later this unit was made available with a feed motor.  Next came the self-contained Free Standing unit with integrated Variable Speed known as the Pro Planer. 
Finally came a private label Taiwanese 12" portable planer, which was essentially a knock-off of the successful Ryobi and Delta portable planers, and was remarkably similar to the first version of the Jet JWP-12.  These were sold during Shopsmith's "Woodworking Unlimited" phase in the early to mid 1990's.

The photo at right was posted in Instagram by user @the.shutter.up.studios and shows a very early Mark V-mounted planer which has been converted to a stationary planer through the addition of the motorized stand upgrade. Note the table hight adjustment wheel, which was shortly replaced by a crank.

As of July 2020 the Mark V mounted 12" Planer is still in production by Shopsmith and has an MSRP of $1590.00. The Pro Planer is no longer in production. 

Click here for Shopsmith Pro Planer and Mark V mount Planer For Sale on eBay

Watch this video for Shopsmith Pro Planer Maintenance tips


Planing on a Shopsmith Pro Planer



Sadly the Shopsmith Pro planer is now out of production.
Among other things, the company who manufactured the variable speed drive motor, Von Weise, required a much higher volume commitment than what Shopsmith was able to maintain, so the two Shopsmith Planers have been retired.  I've heard from some folks who have purchased used SS planers and who have experienced breakage of the plastic drive gears, only to be told by the folks at Shopsmith that they had to purchase an entirely new motor.  This is the case.  You do have another option: contact Von Weise directly at their web site: http://www.vonweise.com They'll need some numbers off your motor to get you the correct gears, but they'll only set you back $6 or so.  In fact, you'll probably pay more in shipping than the cost of the gears.    

This is the first time I've done this on this blog, but I'm going to make a recommendation that if you can't find the SS planer at a reasonable price, or if it is out of reach of your wallet, that you consider the DeWalt 13" DW735 Heavy-Duty 13-Inch Portable Planer. This planer is available for less than $900 (Under $600 for reconditioned) and has features that rival stationary planers in a semi-portable design. I'll blog a bit more about this, but for now, if you are in the market for an excellent planer at a great price, take a look at the DW735 at Tool King. Click the link below and search "DW735".

Click here to see the DW735 and DW735R for Sale on eBay.

Click here to see the DEWALT DW735 15 Amp 13-Inch Benchtop Planer
on Amazon.com

Shopsmith Lathe Duplicator Information, Review and History

Don't get so excited with eBay prices that you pay more than the price of a new tool! The current MSRP of the Shopsmith Mark V Lathe Duplicator is $598.99.

Most folks don't know that there have been two models of the SS Lathe Duplicator; The first version used Uni-Strut for the horizontal template support on the top of the unit, like the one in the photo at right. A few years back SS made an improvement to the unit by incorporating a custom extruded aluminum "I-Beam" member, that made adjustments and fine tuning a breeze! This later version is the one I would buy. This unit was designed to fit the Mark I, Mark II, Mark V Model 500, 505, 510 and 520. I used this great accessory to turn about a hundred custom rosettes for a "This Old House" type show in Dayton called "The House on North Main Street" and it worked like a champ!

Click here for Shopsmith Lathe Duplicators For Sale

Another video of the Shopsmith Lathe Duplicator being used for freehand turning.

Shopsmith DC3300 Dust Collector Information, Review and History

Don't get so excited with eBay prices that you pay more than the price of a new tool! The most recent MSRP of the Shopsmith DC3300 Dust Collector is $599.99, though it has now been replaced by the new and improved DC6000.  

Most folks don't know that there have been two models of DC3300 Dust Collector sold by Shopsmith; The original was very successful but had two slight problems that SS was later able to address: The unit was loud due to a metal body and metal diverters inside that all the dust and wood chips impacted on their way to the bag. The second issue was the impeller was prone to breakage. You can bear this out by looking at the list of "Most Frequently Purchased Service Parts" on SS's web site. If you happen to have one of these older units and it begins to develop a Whump-Whump-Whump" roar, you should look into replacing the impeller. It's a quick install and the replacement part comes with excellent installation instructions. Anyway, the newer (current) version of the DC330 has a plastic body and can be easily identified by the relocation of the on-off switch from the back of the unit to the top of one of the legs. Either way, this is a great Dust Collector.

The DC3300 generated 330CFM of air movement, which the DC6000 promises 600CFM. Because it has yet to hit the streets I can only surmise that it accomplishes that feat by switching from the prior 1/2HP induction motor with a universal motor. I'll report back when I know more. 

Click here for Shopsmith DC3300 Dust Collectors For Sale

Get the most from your Shopsmith DC3300 Dust Collector by keeping the guts clean

Shopsmith Router Arm (AKA: Router System, Pin Router) Information, Review and History

There have been several iterations of the Shopsmith Overarm Pin Router. It began life as the Bryco/Shopsmith Pin-Router (505825) with no guard, no dust collection, a simple plywood table and the router motor was held in place with two hose clamps. (See photo #1 above) This version of the Shopsmith Router Arm was shown in the Mar/Apr 1980 issue of Hands On! Magazine for $495 w/o router motor, $595 with 1 1/2hp Milwaukee router motor. Who was Bryco? Bryco was a company owned by Norman "Norm" Bryden, a cool old fellow who was full of ideas. I met him in the Shopsmith showroom in Dayton back around 1987 and learned then that he was the inventor of the pipe cleaners and "Softy" bits that I used as a pipe smoker. He also developed a cool little mount that held a router motor at an angle for routing a mitered edge profile in plywood to accept a hardwood edge. I'll have to see if I can find more details, but I digress... 

Generation one was replaced around 1982 after Shopsmith purchased the rights to produce it themselves. On generation Two (505806) the motor was clamped firmly in place by a purpose-built v-block mount and also featured a clear plastic guard. This version was sold for a time then it was retired. This version sold in 1982 for $395 w/o router motor, $595 with 1 1/2hp Milwaukee router motor.

In 1987 a new version (555254) was introduced and featured guards, dust collection and for the first time included a tall metal stand. (Photo #2) This version also featured a terrible wooden fence, which most folks promptly tossed, and the entire tool was made in Taiwan. This version was introduced at $399 w/o router motor.

In 1989 this tool was retrofitted with a great new table which incorporated a smooth laminated surface, an extruded aluminum fence which accommodated the then-popular original Incra Jig, and it now featured a bonus router table insert for use as a standard router table! This version was re-christened the Shopsmith Router System and the item number was changed yet again to 555413. In 1989 the Router System continued to sell for only $399! After a few years it too was retired.

There is one more variation on the Router System: Shopsmith sold the stand and table-top as a Router table, and an upgrade kit (515702) that upgraded the router table to a complete Router System. I understand that few of these were sold, so if you have a table and need the router arm upgrade, snatch it up if you ever see on for sale!

The old units will pop-up on eBay at a rate of one-two per month, and they tend to sell in the $200-500 range, depending on whether there are routers or bits included, the overall condition, and the copyrighting skills of the seller. I’m not kidding about this last point. I've seen pristine SS tools go for next to nothing because the seller didn't bother to talk about the tool. In other cases I've seen worn-out tools sell above the current retail because the seller was a wordsmith! (The Ron Popeil fan in me has to respect that on some level.)

Around 2007 the engineers at Shopsmith (Hey Dave and Jim!) developed a new generation of the pin router that now mounts exclusively on a Mark V Multi-Purpose tool. (Photo #3) I got a sneak preview of this tool about a year before they introduced it and asked them why they weren't offering it for sale yet, and was told that they would wait until they perfected a lift-assist unit, which would make it easy to lift the Mark V into the drill press position with the headstock way at the top of the way tubes. They introduced this lift around 2005.  This "new" router arm has now been discontinued, presumably since the Mark 7 with the PowerPro headstock is capable of routing. (Sort of)

(Originally Published Jan 2008, Revised Aug 2020)

Click here for Shopsmith Router Arm/Router System/Pin Routers For Sale (Very light activity)

The video below shows a Shopsmith Router Arm being used to make parts for a cheese fountain.