Shopsmith 520 Pro Fence Adjustment needed

[fersidhe]

I have a MKV 500 with the 520 upgrade package. The levers on the pro fence tighten too much and I don't see anything in my upgrade documents about adjusting the tension on the levers upper and lower. I see the nylon locking nut in the rear but does it adjust locking tension on both levers?

[jsburger]

I have a MKV 500 with the 520 upgrade package. The levers on the pro fence tighten too much and I don't see anything in my upgrade documents about adjusting the tension on the levers upper and lower. I see the nylon locking nut in the rear but does it adjust locking tension on both levers?

That nut only adjusts the upper lever. There is another nut under the front of the fence that adjusts the lower lever. Also a little dry lube sprayed on the lever cams makes everything work great.

First lube the lever cams. Then adjust for the proper tension on both cams. After that, if they become "tight" just spray the lever cams with dry lube. The adjusting nuts are nylock so they should not move.

[fersidhe]

Ok, thanks! I will try that this evening.

[wa2crk]

I used theJohnson's paste wax on the lever cams on mine and that seems to work OK
Bill V

[algale]

Nice looking guitar in your profile pic, fersidhe! Please tell us more about it!

[fersidhe]

It’s just a Crafter mandolin (like an Ovation) that the bridge/saddle destroyed itself when I loaned it to a friend. (They did me a “favor” and restrung it with loop mandolin strings instead of ball-end guitar strings.) I recreated the bridge with my SS bandsaw and at the time my ‘54 Greenie. It was my first foray into fixing a structural component on an instrument and it seemed so complicated at the time! I bought as my quit smoking reward. I had the quitting jitters and it was something that I could work my fingers with. Still smoke free almost 15 years later.


Also, something, something, chaos theory... and I haven’t gotten into the shop yet. But I’m going to start with waxing when I do.

[algale]

It’s just a Crafter mandolin (like an Ovation) that the bridge/saddle destroyed itself when I loaned it to a friend. (They did me a “favor” and restrung it with loop mandolin strings instead of ball-end guitar strings.) I recreated the bridge with my SS bandsaw and at the time my ‘54 Greenie. It was my first foray into fixing a structural component on an instrument and it seemed so complicated at the time! I bought as my quit smoking reward. I had the quitting jitters and it was something that I could work my fingers with. Still smoke free almost 15 years later.


Also, something, something, chaos theory... and I haven’t gotten into the shop yet. But I’m going to start with waxing when I do.

I'm slightly embarrassed I thought this was a guitar and not a mandolin because I play both instruments (I rarely play mandolin anymore but it was the first instrument I learned). But with the single cut away guitar shape and small picture (I couldn't figure out the size or see the number of tuning pegs) I was fooled.

[dusty]

I have a MKV 500 with the 520 upgrade package. The levers on the pro fence tighten too much and I don't see anything in my upgrade documents about adjusting the tension on the levers upper and lower. I see the nylon locking nut in the rear but does it adjust locking tension on both levers?

It's been awhile since you first posted this question. I hope that you have already gotten an answer but just in case I am posting a link that should contain the answers. The procedure, short as it is, begins in paragraph 13. I am attaching a reference to a procedure that is available on-line here:

http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/productmanuals.htm

Scroll down to and click on: Mark V 510 to 520 Upgrade

The instructions are accurate though they are also vague. Thery sort of assume you already know how to do this task.

Hope this helps a lot. Using the Mark V with a fence that is not properly aligned can be hazardous to your well-being.

[fersidhe]

Thanks Dusty, I printed that off to take into the shop. I hate getting my original binder docs dirty and I can just print off the page(s) I want to take into my workshop. Awesome.

[fersidhe]

Thanks for the answers everyone, it's working great now. I backed off both nuts maybe 1/8 of a turn, waxed the fence, and then waxed the Shopsmith. I realized I've never waxed the trunnions, so I did that as well. Since I have a dark-ish garage I took a paint pen and highlighted the trunnions and the miter gauge so I don't have to stoop and squint.