Cleaning the MARK V

Hands On Sept/Oct 80 (Revised 4/99)

No matter how long you’ve owned your Mark V, it needs a little tender loving care after every 10 hours of operation. This will guarantee trouble-free woodworking year after year.

Run you Mark V up to high speed, turn off and unplug it. Remove the screws holding the belt cover and slide it away from the headstock. Also remove the nameplate with a screwdriver. (This plate can’t be removed on 1953 and 1954 models – drop the motor instead.)

Clean the sawdust out of the headstock with an air compressor, vacuum cleaner, or tire pump. Check the belts for wear, then lubricate the motor shaft and sheave with two drops of 3-in-1 oil. To make it easier to see the oil hole in the motor sheave, separate the spring loops, two turns from the sheave, with a screwdriver. Turn the spindle until the hole in the control sheave can be seen and put two drops of oil in it. Replace the nameplate and the cover.

We can’t stress the importance of this service enough. Cleaning out the sawdust periodically will prevent your bearings from drying out. Oiling prevents damage to the speed changer. If you have trouble changing the speed, or your machine sounds a little noisy, the time to do this maintenance is now.