Shopsmith Forums

Greetings all!

I have been looking at various posts over the last couple of years and appreciate all the info those wiser than me have provided. I got my first SS 510 a couple of years ago as I like others have limited space and like the ability to have a all in one package.

This past spring I bought a 4" Jointer which came with a few extra attachments like a belt sander, band saw, SS dust collector, and another 510. I did the usual maintain and clean up and got it running as well as could be reasonable expected.

Fast forward to this late summer and I went to lowes and saw a demo of a Mark 7. After seeing the demo and talking to another fellow who use to work for SS I bit the bullet and decided to upgrade the rougher motor et. al. to a powerpro headstock. I also ordered double tilt base, helper lift cylinder, Model 510 to Model 520 Pro Fence Upgrade, and larger casters for a total conversion to a Mark 7.

My question for the group is since about everything has to come apart to convert the 510 into a Mark 7 do you have any suggestions as to what order I should the upgrades to minimize assembling, then disassembling because I should have done something else first then reassembling again?

I plan then to convert the remaining 510 into a shorty so I don't have 2 full size SS taking up floor space.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Once you get your Power Pro Upgrade, read through the paperwork that comes with it to form the overall order for disassembly at the headstock.

Once it is off, you will have your base ready to do the double tilt mods which is again pretty well documented.

Look at your Lift Assist documentation to verify you understand it and I might save that piece for last. Just me.

I would do the Power Pro headstock upgrade, but before mounting it, put the Carriage for the 520 table upgrade on, then mount the upgraded headstock and test it to make sure it runs correctly.

Then I would do the 520 Table upgrade and a full alignment procedure.

Then I would go back to the Lift Assist piece.

That's just me.

I would reward myself with some Power Pro sawdust and shavings, then build out the 510.

Looking at what you had left over, I would then peek at eBay and find out what the bits and pieces left over are bringing and recoup some cash for wood!

Everett

number3456 wrote:Greetings all!

I have been looking at various posts over the last couple of years and appreciate all the info those wiser than me have provided. I got my first SS 510 a couple of years ago as I like others have limited space and like the ability to have a all in one package.

This past spring I bought a 4" Jointer which came with a few extra attachments like a belt sander, band saw, SS dust collector, and another 510. I did the usual maintain and clean up and got it running as well as could be reasonable expected.

Fast forward to this late summer and I went to lowes and saw a demo of a Mark 7. After seeing the demo and talking to another fellow who use to work for SS I bit the bullet and decided to upgrade the rougher motor et. al. to a powerpro headstock. I also ordered double tilt base, helper lift cylinder, Model 510 to Model 520 Pro Fence Upgrade, and larger casters for a total conversion to a Mark 7.

My question for the group is since about everything has to come apart to convert the 510 into a Mark 7 do you have any suggestions as to what order I should the upgrades to minimize assembling, then disassembling because I should have done something else first then reassembling again?

I plan then to convert the remaining 510 into a shorty so I don't have 2 full size SS taking up floor space.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Welcome to the forum. I would do the disassembly for the headstock replacement. Then since the headstock is removed, the disassembly for the double tilt. At this point I would do the caster upgrade since the legs are removed instead of having to turn the SS over. Reassemble in reverse order. The replacement of the rails and main table support tubes can be done either before or after the main unit is done. The lift assist needs to be done after the double tilt base replacement is complete. The directions are very easy to follow.

As mentioned above, the most important thing is to totally understand ALL the instructions.

Realize those instructions do NOT assume/include that other upgrades are being done at the same time.

Because of that, you will only realize time/effort if you develop your own instruction set(essentially the reason you asked).

I think the most obvious is to replace both the headstock and carriage simultaneously. Second would be the removal of the headstock and carriage prior to replacing the base castings for double tilt. Reinstalling the headstock/carriage would be done between replacing each base casting.

I would prop one end on a horse to remove the legs and then attach the legs to the new base castings before removing the original base castings and then attach the new castings. You would have to provide support for the way tubes when the original base is removed.

If you have the older version of the hinged base casting that has the set screws 'underneath', they need to be loosened first.

Full disclosure - I ain't done none of all this myself! , but that is the way I 'see' it off hand.

This is what I did. I had a 520 that I upgraded to a double tilt Power Pro. Follow the Power Pro and double tilt instructions. The Power Pro upgrade is just removing and replacing the Head stock. The double tilt instructions require removing the head stock so just follow the double tilt instructions and install the Power Pro head stock when you are done. The pictures show the procedure described in the double tilt instructions. Do the castor upgrade while the legs are off. Leave the table alone and use it as is to turn the machine over on. The spacer for the tubes is specified in the instructions when you replace the end castings for the double tilt. Once you get the machine upright with the head stock on you can do the 520 table upgrade. The last thing is install the lift assist. You see the lift assist in the pictures but I already had one before the upgrade. You should install it last.

Thanks! I appreciate all the assistance and the pictures are going to be very helpful.

Ok I was finally getting around to doing the upgrade and have a problem. I have installed the unit and got to the point where I balance the upper and lower belts and my powerpro will not run above 1800 rpm before shutting down. I have run it on both 110V and 220v circiuts and it will not run over 1880 rpm. I am not happy. Shopsmith is getting call tommorrow. Iam very frustrated.

Ok I was finally getting around to doing the upgrade and have a problem. I have installed the unit and got to the point where I balance the upper and lower belts and my powerpro will not run above 1800 rpm before shutting down. I have run it on both 110V and 220v circiuts and it will not run over 1880 rpm. I am not happy. Shopsmith is getting call tommorrow. Iam very frustrated.

Since my powerpro upgrade project is on hold until shopsmith gets back to me I went ahead and converted my other SS to a shorty. Taking 18 inches off the length makes a world of difference on where I can store it in my shop. The upgraded wheels is a big improvement in manuverability.

You have the most amazingly clean shop floor!