Shopsmith Forums

I'm not sure what the stud looks like, but my '57 Greenie does not have a spacer and I don't think it has the stud. It wasn't new when I got it, however. After using it that way for decades I'm not completely sold on the spacer, it sometimes conflicts with the way I do things. I have one on a 520 and I have left it on to see if I started liking it, but I really don't.

All Mark 5s have the spacer ring. 3/8" see below(early greenies)

The stud was a model 10 thing. see below(early greenies).

The double notched spear was a Mark VII thing.

As you know Everett has been working on restoring all the pre Shopsmith Inc. Mark 5 Manuals. I have many of the original manuals he is using. Below is a section of the parts diagram from the 5th Manual we believe is from October 1955. Note the stud in the center of the carriage backed by a nut to lock it in place, similar to but shorter than the Model 10's. This was the same for previous manuals but changed to the spacer ring by the next manual (Oct. 56) I have.
Part Numbers
P6327 - Screw - Headless Set 5/16-18x3/4
P1409 - Nut - Light Jam 5/16-18

I have restored 2 Greenies. The first was made about June in 1956 has the stud spacer. The other made about a year later has the spacer ring. Both of these were made during the time I have only estimates for the production dates.

I was having second thoughts about what I said above when I looked ar Danimal's modified greenie carriage(stud and nut). Later I remembered MickyD's greenie that was busted there due no doubt to a not very gentle collision between the carriage and the headstock.(think raising to vertical after neglecting to lock the headstock! ).

So I be corrected. Learn(re) something every day.

One of the things I enjoy about this forum is we are always learning from each other. Given the choice between the stud or spacer ring I would choose the spacer ring having seen both. It does make me wonder if the spacer ring would have saved MickyD's Greenie from damage.

chapmanruss wrote:One of the things I enjoy about this forum is we are always learning from each other. Given the choice between the stud or spacer ring I would choose the spacer ring having seen both. It does make me wonder if the spacer ring would have saved MickyD's Greenie from damage.

Oh I think the localized force exerted by a ring to the stouter area of the carriage around the way tube bore would be orders of magnitude less than that exerted by the stud/nut on that thin web when the stub is impacted by the high inertia headstock.

Interesting story about my spacer ring. I bought my 510 (now a full up 520 MK 7) new from Woodcraft back in about 1994. I never realized what the spacer ring was truly for. For a number of years I just thought it was a protection bumper. I always aligned the table slot to blade manually. Then the light came on and I realized that it was supposed to align the table slot and blade automatically. Probably from a comment here. Mine did not, it was just a little too narrow. Probably about a 1/4". I still have it so I will have to check. So I called SS and they sent me a new one which is on the machine today. That was about 2 or 3 years after the initial purchase.

jsburger wrote: . . . For a number of years I just thought it was a protection bumper.

GEE I wonder where on this earth you acquired that misconception. IIRC you had a lot of company around here!

JPG wrote:

jsburger wrote: . . . For a number of years I just thought it was a protection bumper.

GEE I wonder where on this earth you acquired that misconception. IIRC you had a lot of company around here!

I probably missed it in the manual that I did not read thoroughly enough.

jsburger wrote:

JPG wrote:

jsburger wrote: . . . For a number of years I just thought it was a protection bumper.

GEE I wonder where on this earth you acquired that misconception. IIRC you had a lot of company around here!

I probably missed it in the manual that I did not read thoroughly enough.

Actually I was accusing some long time members here of propagating that misconception a long time ago.