Shopsmith Main Table Router Table Mods
I recently saw a photo on the FB Shopsmith Owners Group, of someone milling the bottom ribs off of a Mark V Model 505/510/520 main table in order to allow it to accept a router base. Because I'm recovering from knee replacement surgery and don't have access to my shop at the moment I thought I'd share some pics of a similar router table and horizontal router set-up by a buddy of mine: Tom Newkirk. Tom used to work as the Academy Instructor and later, Store Manager of Shopsmith's Indianapolis, IN store. You can see that rather than mill the support ribs from the bottom of the table, Tom added a plywood sub-table that affords him flexibility in mounting the router to the table and the table to his Mark V using various mounting methods, as wells as some dust collection capabilities.
The keen-eyed among you have already noticed that Tom switched the table supports and trunnions from the main table to what used to be an end support table and replaced them with the support from the side support table. That means that the router table is adjustable in height but the table no longer tilts. Likewise, with the trunnions and supports for the main table now relocated to the smaller side table, Tom has created something akin to the Shopsmith Joint-Matic, but with the ability to angle the bit. In the bottom photo, you can also see the dust port that Tom added to the table, which does a fine job when the bit is totally buried in a slot mortise. (Think Festool Domino)
Tom is a sharp, wise businessman and one of the most inventive and resourceful guys I have ever met. Hey, "Tom Sharp" is another name from the past, but that's for another post.
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I recently saw a photo on the FB Shopsmith Owners Group, of someone milling the bottom ribs off of a Mark V Model 505/510/520 main table in order to allow it to accept a router base. Because I'm recovering from knee replacement surgery and don't have access to my shop at the moment I thought I'd share some pics of a similar router table and horizontal router set-up by a buddy of mine: Tom Newkirk. Tom used to work as the Academy Instructor and later, Store Manager of Shopsmith's Indianapolis, IN store. You can see that rather than mill the support ribs from the bottom of the table, Tom added a plywood sub-table that affords him flexibility in mounting the router to the table and the table to his Mark V using various mounting methods, as wells as some dust collection capabilities.
The keen-eyed among you have already noticed that Tom switched the table supports and trunnions from the main table to what used to be an end support table and replaced them with the support from the side support table. That means that the router table is adjustable in height but the table no longer tilts. Likewise, with the trunnions and supports for the main table now relocated to the smaller side table, Tom has created something akin to the Shopsmith Joint-Matic, but with the ability to angle the bit. In the bottom photo, you can also see the dust port that Tom added to the table, which does a fine job when the bit is totally buried in a slot mortise. (Think Festool Domino)
Tom is a sharp, wise businessman and one of the most inventive and resourceful guys I have ever met. Hey, "Tom Sharp" is another name from the past, but that's for another post. 
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