Restored 1955 Shopsmith

Wow…looks like it just came out of the factory. Do you have any before pics ??

-- Don S.E. OK

Didn’t take any before pics. Wish I had, but believe me, it was pretty sad looking. Thanks for the nice comment!

-- Chuck, chuckvosburgh.com

Oh no problem Chuck…I am the worlds worse about taking pictures…..there are so many projects I have done over the years…and no pics for them. I just like to see old machines redone like yours…and also see how bad the were before.

-- Don S.E. OK

That’s a fantastic restoration! Like Don said, it looks like it just rolled off the assembly line.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

Super nice, I cannot believe how good it looks for its age.

Chuck, I have one I bought new in 1981 and it didn’t look that good straight out of the box. Great job!!!

And I thought I had an OLD Shop Smith with it being 1984 model. It looks great real nice job in restoring it. For a tip I added a shelf on the bottom for some accessories I made out of 2×4 and 5/8 dowels it turned out to be a great addition. How did you come across this? I picked up mine from a widow that didn’t want it to go to waist by her son-in-law. Its a great tool I hope you have as much fun using it as I do with mine.

-- David '65

Looks great, I have one almost like it I got from my Dad, I use for my lathe and love it because of the speed control!

-- Woodisit

Epic/ Classic!!!!!!!! Blkcherry

really terrific job, looks great!

-- "That which has in itself the greatest use, possesses the greatest beauty." - Unknown Shaker

sweet, man. that’s WAY more effort i could ever imagine putting into it. I love what you did though – the paint job is fantastic, to say the least. the thing belongs in a museum now!

Now there a beaut!

-- I'm a wood magician... I can turn fine lumber into firewood before your very eyes! - http://www.woodworkersguide.com

Pretty as could be.

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon

Where did you come up with the colors they look great.

-- David '65

Heck, my shopsmith is older than that one. :)

I use a Shopsmith 10-ER as my everyday and only lathe. It predates the modern ownership of the company by a while.

A little oil, and it fired right up after sitting in storage for 20 years. My Father in Law “loaned” it to me, it was his fathers. He gets the occasional pen or bowl from me in return for using it as it was meant to be used.

They sure knew how to build them back then.

badger

-- "I'm just a simple man trying to make my way in the universe." -- Jango Fett

How does one handle the fragile balance of aggresive sandblasting and the fine touch of painting?

You did an excellent job of restoring that machine.
I had a new Shopsmith I bought back around 1967. I took it out to the boathouse and it got alot of use. The saltwater air was really rough on it and I had to constantly light sand it and steel wool it. Alot of wd40 also came into play.
Shopsmith has not changed the appearance over the years as far as I can see. I have a neighbor who has a Shopsmith that he has had for about 8-9 years and it looks like the same design.

-- Each and Every step of any project should be considered your masterpiece if you want the finished product to reflect the quality of your work. Greg Little

wow

Way to go, I’ve done restiorations and they are very time consuming, you did a great job.

-- Dan Wiggins

Enjoy working with it and do nice projects. waiting to see the results.

-- Eli Adamit, Israel

@ david65: Those are pretty close to the original colors. Krylon makes a really nice hammertone finish spray paint that works very well and matches the old school finishes of that time period.

@ PineInTheAsh: I sandblasted all the steel parts and bead blasted the aluminum parts since sand it too aggressive for soft metal. In the true spirit of Lumberjocks, my sandblasting cabinet is home made by my Dad :)

-- Chuck, chuckvosburgh.com

That is a super restoration. I have (among several others) a 1957 “greenie” like this one that I’ve shortened the tubes so that it’s just long enough to use as a disc sander & table saw, but I use it primarily to run a bandsaw & jointer. Although I rebuilt the insides, as needed (bearings in the motor & belts) I have not done the outside, although I actually have the very paint you referenced already bought. I’ve been debating diving into that project for a while now, but after seeing your results, I definitely gotta rethink that one. Yeseree (is that spelled right?) you’ve really got me interested now. -SST

By the way, there’s a couple of guys floating around the web that are great technical resources for the old machines. If you need any support, PM me & I’ll get you their info.

-- Accuracy is not in your power tool, it's in you

One of these days I’ll get around to refinishing mine as well! Your’s turned out really nice. I’d also like to see more of your dad’s sandblasting cabinet.

-- Bob Vila would be so proud of you!

Chuck thanks for the info. The one I have is its original color of a battleship grey Ill post some Pics one day.

-- David '65

Great job! I have 3 Shopsmiths under going renovation currently. 1953, 1956, 1982. Sometime this year SS is coming out with a new headstock that will incorporate and electronic speed control.

-- DaveH - Boise, Idaho - “How hard can it be? It's only wood!”

Chuck,
SWEET! I even like the new color combo.

One thing I did notice on the close-up is the little spring that’s under the switch is in front of the Speed Control Dial, while it should be under the dial. This is the Speed-Dial stop spring, which at approximately 3400 rpm stops the clockwise motion of the Speed Control Handle, and the counter-clockwise motion of the Speed Control Dial. Whenever you need to run the headstock over 3400 you depress the spring and then you can turn the dial to speeds within the 3400 to 5200 rpm range.

BTW, this spring was eliminated from the Mark V as it evolved over the years, but if owners of newer units ever remove the Speed Control Dial they will see the groove in the beak of the dial where the stop spring once ran.

Again, nice work. Scott

-- http://shopsmith-tool-hunter.blogspot.com http://gilliom-gil-bilt-tool-hunter.blogspot.com

Scott:
Thanks for the info! I appreciate you taking the time to let me know about that spring. That was the one part that vexed me when I put it back together because it just didn’t seem to fit right. Now I know why :)

-- Chuck, chuckvosburgh.com