Hey, I'm Scott and I'm all about my Shopsmith tools. My father was the son of a cabinetmaker, who himself was the son of a cabinetmaker. In fact, our family name was Americanized to "Markwood" at some point to reflect our woodworking heritage. For 15 years I worked for the woodworking power tool company Shopsmith as a retail store manager and as what they called an "Academy Instructor", or essentially a private shop teacher. Since 1999 I have been a Corporate Trainer in the woodworking industry and continue to work in my shop whenever I can. This channel reflects my passion for woodworking, and particularly for tools, jigs & fixtures.
I'm typically posting two or more videos per week: One on a new topic and a mid-week video to respond to your questions, comments, and cheap-shots!
Hey, I know this is an old video but at the end you mention that you didn't care for the "new" 520 rip fence. I see in your more recent videos you have the 520 fence system on your Mark V. I'm just wondering what you didn't like about the 520 system at the time and what, if anything, changed your mind on the 520. I'm still using my dad's 42-year old Model 500 and was thinking of upgrading to either the Model 500 upgraded fence (with a front fence extension if I can find one!), the 510 or 520 fence system. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter if you have time.
@@user-jr9no9zk7l I still prefer the 510, but that one is in storage since our move two years ago. I like some things about each the 510 and the 520, so to me they are a wash, either is a vast improvement over the 500, primarily in the guards, dust collection and the overall table size.
@@kevinoestmann4644 It doesn’t have an official name, but someone called it my “dingus”, so I guess we’ll just go with it. I talked a bit about it here ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-sRbPM8BNZXI.htmlsi=g8s7tPD9ExEI0GQd
Thanks Scott! All of a sudden, my bandsaw blades would not stay on! I spent hours reading the manuals and looking around online. I tried your fix, it worked instantly! I owe you one!!!!
I have this jigsaw (second hand) but there doesn’t appear to be any spring tension. Is there a way to check on the condition of the spring? I could not figure out how to gain access.
@@johnrice4273 John, it’s the miter slot that would need to be adjusted. You could loosen the table and adjust the slot to match the drift, but then you’d have to change it for the next blade. I’ve gotten it close, but it’s only good for short cuts, like dowels.
Hi Scott, Just got a used 6" belt sander. It works with the old belt it came with. I want to change belts. I press the tensioning release and it clicks in no turning so I assume I'm at the zero point. If i depress the release and try to turn it ccw (direction of arrow) to release it will not turn no matter what. I don't want to force it and break something. I have put quite a bit of ccw pressure and nothing. I want to get the old belt off and replace with new one. Any advice? Thanks, Mike
@@mikekoski5384 Mike, hold the button down while rotating the knob. It may be gunked-up from years of use. Do you have an air compressor? If so, blow it out as best you can and keep trying. If all fails you may have to sacrifice that belt and tear into the sander with it off. Good luck and you’ve got this. Several people have done tear-down videos here on RU-vid. One by Jacob Anderson, on by Nick Engler and another by Geoffrey Baker. I’d encourage you to look them up. Scott
@@MyGrowthRings when you come back i hope you will do a deep dive on the molder - in contrast to the router function i believe the molder has some advantages suited to the (slower) speed range? I look forward to your wisdom!
Thanks for all you do Scott, love the history , I'm a noob with an inherited 500 (I think) and no attachments (yet at least) Since some folks are upgrading to the 520 system some 510 table systems are available on Ebay, ( I can't afford the 520 stuff) Any words of wisdom before I buy ?
As I have always maintaind there is nothing wrong with "old" tools! They maybe lacking modern tooling, but the older tools are easy to use (once you get to know there querks) & are proven to work, provided once you've cleaned them up & continue to keep them cleaned, they will more than probabley out live you!
I owned my first Shopsmith in the 70's. I actually bought it new while also paying my way through college. Here's a quick summary that made me feel this is a great tool. 1. It's only tool that would fit in my second bedroom of a 2 bedroom first floor flat. So, that eliminates all other tool choices out there to have this much functionality. And, it was more than just 5 tools. I had the bandsaw, jointer, jigsaw and planer. Try to get all those 9 tools in any small workshop! 2. Variable speed. I liked the lathe feature and having variable speed is great. Most tools, especially back then, had complicated speed changes involving moving belts manually on pulleys. It's also great for drill press. 3. Motor. - The motor was powerful at 1 and 1/8th hp. Much stronger than other tools in this category. 4. Table saw - This was a bit of a mixed blessing but great for me. The tilting table is not the greatest for angle cuts. But, I literally never did that. But, because of the fixed arbor, the alignment for straight cuts was much better since the arbor never moved like cheap table saws that all used tiling arbor technology. So, for straight cuts, it was far superior. 5. Shared Table - One great feature of the Shopsmith is having the same table for other things. For instance, most smaller drill presses have a very small table. But, with Shopsmith, I can have bigger table with my fence and/or miter gauge to help align parts. 6. Breaking down large panels. The 6' width with extension tables allow you to cut large panels with good support. It's even better on newer units with more options for extension tables. 7. On a minor note, I did like that the tool came with two comprehensive books. I haven't seen any other tool giving you such information. And, it came with a decent set of safety add ons...feather board, push sticks etc. It was great for a beginner like me at that time. 8. Change overs were not that difficult. Usually just a minute or so. A small price to pay for having 9 tools at my disposal. Just having to roll around 9 different tools in a small shop would probably take more time. 9. Lathe was great with good capacity for spindles and bowls compare to other home machines. And, easy variable speed was great! 10. Safety was pretty good with nice saw guard and certainly one of the best miter gauges to come standard with a table saw. Most miter gauges are junk. This was rather good and had nice safety feature to hold down work with gripping technology. 11. Horizontal boring. I would never have justified or afforded a special machine like this. But, the Shopsmith made it easy and it was a great tool I found I used more than I expected. Ok, no other tool could do these things and most stand alone tools weren't as useful like other drill presses with small tables or lathes with less capacity and no easy speed control to mention a few.
Another great interview. I am going thru your video's and trying to learn the history of Shopsmith. This is inspiring me to want a tour of the company. This is coming from someone who does not get far away from Home. 😃
First off, I have been binging your videos for months now. Really appreciate all the time and effort you put into these videos. About 6 months ago I found a Shopsmith Mark V 500 w/ strangely (and the only upgrade having been done) a PowerPro Mark 1 headstock upgrade. An upgrade done by the original owner (the seller's father). Slowly I've been getting it up to date. I bought another Mark V 520 and have swapped all of the 520 parts over to the PowerPro Upgraded Headstock. I'm now at the point where I have to decide which old SPTs and Mark V parts are worth upgrading vs. trying to buy new versions of on the used market. Mainly I'm looking at the old jointer. It's got beat up knives, the old blade guard, and the old assembly. Is it worth it to spend the $300 to upgrade the assembly & featherboard/blade guard or should I look for a whole new jointer? Have their been more changes? It's hard to find iterative info about these things. There's a ton of parts and upgrades that I could do to the whole machine, but I have no idea where to spend my money. If you have advice about the jointer (or go-to upgrades in general as I have basically an orginal Mark V 500 just with the new 520 table), I would love to hear them. The Shopsmith is made for me, I work in a downtown loft space that is 8'x17' large. I am dedicated to making this the centerpiece in my shop and want it to perform as good as I know it is capable of.
@@FTGTapGod That is unusual that a model 500 has a PowerPro headstock, but lucky you! I really like the newer version of the jointer and pretty much insist on the dust chute and feather guard. Those alone can cost you more than a used jointer during the Summer. That said, as we get closer to Winter these tools become more valuable, so keep your eye o eBay, Facebook Market place and Craigslist. Scott
I agree that our system does protect the inventor could profit. Unless I'm mistaking the patent exclusivity has a relative short shelf life. Unlike words, art and music which have 40 or 99 year shelf life. Unlike patents on mechanical, pharmecuticals or operational processes people use words, art, and music quite often. Not so for the former patents mentioned. Buutt that is no excuse to put your purse so far ahead of safety.
Great video as always. I have been watching your videos since my First Shopsmith purchase of a Mark V. I knew I wanted a Duplicator once I seen one of your videos about it. I have one now. Thanks for sharing your Knowledge.👍
ShopSmith has very real weaknesses in the current market that were not there in the 1950s. Mainly the availability of small, cheap standalone tools, and the ShopSmith is not a machine for the impatient. They’ll need to find a way to speed up or simplify the changeovers. I get mildly irate when I have to go from TS mode to drill press. I usually grab my super cheap bench top drill press. It’s been frustrating to hear so many sales people gloss over deficiencies in the design and the oddities you run into. Just address them up front because Gen Z is going to research the crap out of a ShopSmith before buying one, and there are plenty of negative reviews out there. Also, get a sales person in their 20s who doesn’t look like they’d be right at home in a bingo hall with grandma. 😆
I recently bought a set of 5 shopsmiths with the multitude of attachments. All are in various states and need work/restoration. Any help is appreciated.
Did the deed on a different brand without the benefit of factory tools. All I had to rely on was what Naval Aviation Corrosion Control taught me: Three methods of cleaning include heat, mechanical, and chemical. I think my task was accomplished using a lot of WD-40 for cleaning, and soap and water to clean off the WD-40. Your tutorial makes it look easy. Thank you'
Well I'm not going to blame you for this one but I will say you were convincing enough that I have three in negotiations. I am also in talks for something bigger, heavier, currently in idaho and made by Fox...(reeobee)
Scott, great "reminder" video for all of us, who through the years of woodworking, become a bit complacent and/or too comfortable with the equipment. The 5-point check has saved me many times... We get in a hurry, we get impatient, it is just a simple cut...real quick...OUCH! At the end of the day, I hear my grandfather's words...RESPECT THE MACHINE...
Sorry Scott ... general questions in the wrong place 😢 ... I haven't looked in to your great channel in a while! 1. Is there an aftermarket tailstock which conforms more to standard lathe configurations? Like including sliding adjustment, a crank/lock and a morse taper? 2. What product would you suggest for removing rust from the ways and polishing them before applying that paste wax from a few videos back? Thanks Scott! John 🇨🇦
@@johnallport9565 Hey John. No, I haven’t seen another tailstock of the MkV. I have a prototype of an interesting mod of the stock tailstock, but it was never put into production and didn’t offer much additional functionality. I suggest Evaporust for the rust removal and ScotchBrite and elbow grease for polishing.
@@MyGrowthRings Thanks Scott ... Evaporust it is!! Surprised no tailstock with greater functionality! With all those units with identical ways, it seems like a no-brainer ... maybe I'll look at scrap lathes and see if a good tailstock can be converted. Cheers!
I was given a 500 a week or 2 ago but it didn't come with any attachments but I have a dead center and a spur , no tool rest so this was good info since I will probably try getting that first. Thanks for all you do brother !
Still rocking my BT3000! I shopped Lowe’s and Home Depot till I got one to give me a discount. I have the fence rail extension and leg kit with a Rockler router plate in the resulting table. I had the folding out feed table but gave it away after finding a cabinet to use instead. I have 2 extra tables (or whatever they are called) as well as the miter slot add-on that installs to the left of the blade. I have a jigsaw permanently mounted to one of the tables. I also have but have never used the extra long miter table fence. It might be 2 or 3 feet long. The saw has never let me down. I recently bought new clamps for the sliding table just in case. Add in the VHS tape which is rather funny these days and it’s a full meal deal.
@@lasermike2147 Nice! My old BT3000 had the longer fence rails and the support legs which supported the forever-warped air hockey table. I sure wish I had been able to hold on to that old saw, but this one will do.
Nice presentation and comparisons. Nifty for the hobbiest with very limited shop space. I have a few of the 1940's vintage Barron made out of Detroit. Bargain buys from ebay. Ironic but the company promoted 5 tools in 1, like Shopsmith. Made of robust steel, the shank is stepped. Easily found replacement carbide tool cutters and or to sharpen.
I remember the Barron. I don't care for how exposed the cutters are on it, but I'd bet that Wagner took a close look at it when they were inventing theirs.
The Ryobi BT3000 was my first table saw. Amazing saw with incredible accuracy, and it could do a full 3.5" depth of cut. It was a little underpowered, but it was a 115V AC saw. It also had one of the best fences in woodworking. It also came with a Freud blade in the box. It's a shame they stopped making it
I love the BT3000 features I have almost bought one two or three times haha! I have wanted one for years simply for the sliding table but always went against the decision because the riving knife shims are so finnicky and I don't want to mess with them haha! One thing nice though, there are actually tons of parts and there are even 3rd party manufacturers that are making replacement parts for them and upgrades for them too. It's a great system and would love to see it modernized a bit with newer motor and safety features because it's got all the great things a small shop needs. The router table built in, sliding miter table, the modularity it's a fantastic system I just with it was revisited and polished up a bit, it'd definitely be a hit now days.
Hello and thank you for all of your videos! I just picked up a Shopsmith Belt Sander and it appears to be the same model that you have in this video. I ordered an owners manual from Shopsmith, but I believe it is for a newer version that includes a dust port. I assume and hope that is the main difference and I am encouraged by your comments on this sander.
Great video! I almost bought the BT3000 shortly after it came out, but the person at the home center told me that it was highly inaccurate and that I should not waste my money. I now regret that decision. I have often wished that Shopmsith would make something like this sliding table to attach to the main table of the 510/520. Perhaps your video will inspire them.
