520 upgrade

[AEA]

I know the fence on the 520 is larger, but is it worth the price of the upgrade from the 510?
I bought a PowerPro headstock but my old headstock (1992) is in great condition and been well maintained so I couldn't just get rid of it, plus I have other attachments that would be handy to be powered up separately. I was looking at the shop deputy, but I found an entire main frame on e-bay for a little less. One thing leads to another. So naturally I bought another carriage and a main table for a 510, then an extension table that came with the tubes, two floating tables and telescoping legs. Now I have basically two 510s sharing the miter gauge and fence.
I've been pondering upgrading one to a 520 but not sure if it is worth the cost.
I've been happy with the accuracy of my 510.
Any thoughts?

[chapmanruss]

Your question is a tough one.

I know the fence on the 520 is larger, but is it worth the price of the upgrade from the 510?

Many here like their 510's and are happy with them. I have a 520 which was my father-in-laws and my first Shopsmith. I have a 505 but never used it as a 505 and it is completely upgraded to be a Mark 7. As you say you have been happy with the accuracy of your 510 so why change. Other than the rails and fence the 510 and 520 work the same and use the same accessories. Having two with the same table and fence system has advantages. One example is you can use the extension and/or floating tables from both machines on one for larger setups. Something I have done with the 520 and M7.

[edma194]

I concur that it is better to have the same fence and table system on both machines to make the parts interchangeable. There's probably one machine you would use the extra tables on more than the other. I do wish the fence was on an angled extrusion like that, but with care it hasn't been a problem. I don't know if the 520 fence adjusts more readily than the 510 fence, the difficulty in alignment came up in another thread. I do like the Excalibur fence on my Sawsmith which just has two 5/32" set screws to align it.

Anyway, my usual thought pattern on something like that is to look at what else the money could buy. You can buy a lot of nice tools for that kind of money.

[RFGuy]

Welcome and congrats on the PowerPro upgrade. If you are interested there is a good thread below discussing the pros and cons of the 520 fence system versus the 510 or 500 ones. Good opinions on both side of the fence (pun) with regard to whether to upgrade or not upgrade. I think for some of us, our 510 fences were persnickety straight from the factory, but others have had little or no problems with their 510 fence. For me, the 520 fence upgrade greatly enhanced my Mark V and was worth every penny. My Dad still has the 510 fence system on his Mark V and couldn't be happier with it...so if your 510 fence is working well then I would only consider the 520 upgrade if you want the added capability of it over the 510. For example, it might be kind of hard to install Jessem's stock guides or certain jigs to the 510 fence, but the 520 fence has more space and heft for installing these.

https://www.shopsmith.com/ss_forum/main ... 22342.html

https://www.shopsmith.com/ss_forum/wood ... 22171.html

[AEA]

Thanks for all the feedback. I checked out the other thread. I think I'll stick with my 510 for now. I haven't had to readjust it since I last aligned it two plus years ago. So I'll be content with my two 510s and spend the money I save on wood. Hardwood is rarer than gold in Northern Nevada.
Again, thanks for the opinions, you saved me some money.

[AEA]

RF Guy: I appreciated your "fence" pun. Well played.

[garys]

It makes sense to stick with the 510 for now. I had no idea it's so hard to find Hardwood in Northern Nevada...

https://domyessay.onl

Just run out of your door to the nearest hardwood forest and cut down a couple of hardwood trees.

Oh wait, there are no hardwood forests in the western half of the US. The eastern half owns all that nice wood. Last time I passed through Nevada, I didn't see anything but sand, and that makes lousy woodworking projects. Those of us in the western half of the US just have to accept that we need to buy our wood from a commercial supplier. Look around your area. You might have a good supplier right near you that sells that nice eastern hardwood.

[AEA]

Well garys, we have some juniper trees that get as big as 3" in diameter, and Mountain Mahogany maybe 4".
The one thing we have here is lots of sage brush. Kind of hard to think of a project for it.
Our nearest hardwood supplier is Salt Lake 4 hours plus from my house.

When my wife and I were at a family reunion in North Dakota, I don't recall many trees there either.

Merry Christmas to you and yours!!!

[RFGuy]

What about Hughes Lumber or Franklin Building Supply? Maybe they are closer and have what you need...

Hughes Lumber:
Address: 6646 Taft Ave, Elko, NV 89801
Phone: (775) 778-1579

Franklin Building Supply:
Address: 1335 W Idaho St, Elko, NV 89801
Phone: (775) 753-8550

[AEA]

Franklin didn't have much the last time I looked, not even as much as Home Depot, its been a while (years) since I've been there. I've never even heard of Hughes Lumber, or Taft Ave. I'll check it out
Thanks RF Guy,
and a Merry Christmas to you and yours also.