Shopsmith Forums

As mentioned before there are currently two Shopsmith 5/8" Arbors. One, part number 555608, is longer for the Mark 7 and Mark V 520, 510 & 505 that have the larger table system and is needed to fit their lower blade guard. The other is shorter, P/N 555321, for the original Mark 5 and Mark V 500 table system. I recommend you get this one for your Mark V 500. Using the arbor made for the original table system like yours makes set up simpler as the carriage stop and blade guards are designed for it. If you have Lower Blade Guard P/N 505628 the longer 5/8" Arbor P/N 555608 will put the blade just outside the guard unless it has the width extension. I do not know if there is any problem using the later Mark V 500 Blade Guard assembly P/N 505875 with the longer Arbor P/N 555608.

I agree with the thin kerf blade for your SS. As far as brands go with any of the better quality brands. I am using Tenryu blades and am very happy with the results. As far as the arbor size you can order a blade from any major manufacturer and they will bore the larger arbor size for the SS. Also many sharpening services have that capability. If you go the sharpening service route be sure and check them out first. A good idea is to go to a wood worker supply store and use their service. They generally have a lot of sharpening done on high end blades and their provider is usually very good. A saw blade is not the place to save money. Go with a major brand like Tenryu, Forest, Amanda etc.
Paul

I just stumbled into a learning cycle on this myself.

I had bought my SS used and it came with 2 saw blades of unknown origin/condition. The inked information had been rubbed off over use...so I figured I'd put a new blade on the system and chose the SS combination blade #555958.

I was down in the shop this morning getting ready to mount it on the arbor when I realized the blade bore is 1 1/4" whereas both my saw arbors are 5/8" ... sigh.

I'll probably just get a SS 1 1/4" arbor to have anyways, but is there some good reason why these things come in different bores?


b

bainin wrote:I just stumbled into a learning cycle on this myself.

I had bought my SS used and it came with 2 saw blades of unknown origin/condition. The inked information had been rubbed off over use...so I figured I'd put a new blade on the system and chose the SS combination blade #555958.

I was down in the shop this morning getting ready to mount it on the arbor when I realized the blade bore is 1 1/4" whereas both my saw arbors are 5/8" ... sigh.

I'll probably just get a SS 1 1/4" arbor to have anyways, but is there some good reason why these things come in different bores?


b

Well, this is Doug Reid's take on it:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlDvcH75I78[/youtube]

I run a Forrest blade (1-1/4" arbor) on my Shopsmith and couldn't be happier with it, but of course there are lots of opinions on saw blade manufacturers and arbor sizes...

Thanks so much ! I'll buy into Doug's story

bainin,

Make sure you get the correct Arbor for your Shopsmith as explained above.

I've used a Freud 50T combo blade since I got my SS back in 1987. I have a thin kerf ripping blade but for general purpose use it flexes too much. For cross cutting it's not needed and makes the cut rougher. Thin kerf is great for manufacturers. Less steel and carbide saves them $$.....

If a 5hp Delta Unisaw uses a 5/8 arbor that's good enough for my Shopsmith. Lowes sells Dewalt and Marples because it makes them more $$. I bought a Dewalt blade for my Dewalt SCMS and I'm disappointed. Thin and flexy, it's cuts aren't nearly as nice as my thicker Delta on my old mitre saw. I won't sharpen it, just replace it with a Freud.

Well I purchased this arbor from SS

555130 1-1/4" Saw Blade Arbor (for MARK 7 and MARK V Models 520,510 and 505)

to go with the SS blade I have sitting here. Hopefully it is the correct set.

b

RFGuy wrote:

bainin wrote: Well, this is Doug Reid's take on it:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlDvcH75I78[/youtube]

Doug Reid claims the first 10" saws came out in the 50s. He's wrong. Delta Unisaw came out around 1939 with a 10" blade and a 5/8 arbor. Unisaw is a commercial saw, not a hobbyist rig.

If you want to constrain your saw blades to 1 1/4" it's not my business. Just don't think you've increased performance by using it. All you've done is limited your choices and upped your cost.

P89DC wrote: Doug Reid claims the first 10" saws came out in the 50s. He's wrong. Delta Unisaw came out around 1939 with a 10" blade and a 5/8 arbor. Unisaw is a commercial saw, not a hobbyist rig.

If you want to constrain your saw blades to 1 1/4" it's not my business. Just don't think you've increased performance by using it. All you've done is limited your choices and upped your cost.

I agree...I don't know if there is much, if any benefit to running the 1 1/4" arbor on a 10" blade versus the 5/8" arbor (at least based on my own limited observations with each arbor size). I believe commercial blades often don't jump up to this larger arbor size until 12" and above here in the US. However, in the UK, I believe they typically run 250mm blades with 30mm arbor sizes (1.18"), so there must be some engineering calculations behind the choice to go to a 1.25/1.18" arbor size on a 10" blade. Maybe these are just over-engineered, but since multiple saw manufacturers appear to have gone this direction, there must be more to it than just pre-existing tooling dimensions.

Just curious if any of the esteemed forum members here might know some of the history behind this decision by Shopsmith on the 1-1/4" arbor size and could share it with us. Any recorded or verbal history passed down on Shopsmith's decision here?