I first saw a Shopsmith in a friend's father's garage years and years ago. From when I first set eyes on one and learned what they were and about, I really wanted one. A couple of years ago, one popped up at Home Resource where I live, a building and construction reuse store and community hub - they are an Instructables member's dream warehouse. It was for sale for $225, and looked like it had been left outside a bit with lots of rust and corrosion. When we plugged it in to test, it tripped the circuit breaker and wouldn't really turn on - so the price was knocked down to $200. I felt confident I could rebuild it and get it back to its former glory - and it's been a wonderful learning journey to do so! I'm publishing this Instructable to give confidence and a few resources and tips to anyone else who's interested in doing so.

For context, a Shopsmith is an interesting tool to have - it's basically a Transformer and swiss army knife of shop tools, with the ability to change between a few different tools: table saw, drill press, disc sander, lathe, and horizontal borer. You can also add additional attachments like a bandsaw and belt sander. All is powered by a headstock that has a motor and "gears" to change the speed of the output spindles for different uses. What's great about them is if you have a small shop space, you don't have to buy all of the above tools - it's 5-8 tools in one! Changing up between them takes a little time and practice, but for what you pay you get a lot of value. Read on for how you can take an old one off Craigslist and get it in tip-top shape.

This Instructable is entered into the Fix It Challenge.

Supplies

You will need a number of various tools for this project. You don't need many power tools, however. I used all of the below plus lots more.

Mallet/hammer
Screwdrivers - both phillips and flathead
Pliers and vice grips of various sizes
Wrenches and socket sets
Wire strippers and various electrical fittings
Drill and/or angle grinder with wire cup wheel
Bench grinder with wire wheel
Steel wool and sand paper/emery
Spray paint and primer
Degreaser or solvent
Grease and oil and Johnson's Paste Wax
Paper/cardboard
Gloves, safety glasses, ear protection, dust mask
A variety of replacement parts, depending on condition of your machine
Time and persistence

Step 1: Determine Your Shopsmith Model and Do Research

Shopsmith has been around a long, long time, so there are a number of variants out there. The original Shopsmith is very old and there are few parts and resources out there for refurbishment. The Mark V, kinda the 2nd iteration, has been around the longest and there is lots of information, replacement parts, etc. out there. I highly recommend this version. My Greenie unit is from 1955 or so, and it's amazing that parts made for the same version in like 1985 still are mostly compatible. The Mark 7 is the newer version, you'll likely not need to do much in the way of refurbishment if that is what you have, and will probably need to get newer parts directly from the Shopsmith website. They sell parts for the Mark V to this day, which is great!

To help identify yours, see this page on Shopsmith's website. This Instructable will focus mainly on the Mark V since that's what I have and is the most serviceable and inexpensive to refurbish. I would stay away from the original version if you come across one, it may not be worth the effort and time to dig into from what I've heard from friends.

As with any project of this magnitude, you'll want to do your research. These resources were invaluable in my quest to fix up this amazing old beast, looking through them will give you a good idea about what's involved and provide more details than I can reasonably include in this Instructable:

Jacob's Shopsmith Repair Parts Store - This was my go-to for all of the replacement parts such as bearings, belt, switch, etc. This guy has an amazing set of videos linked from his website as well as on YouTube. Pro tip: go to the website, there are several videos listed there that are private YouTube videos - he had a paywall for those links previously, but has since released them for free and they have a lot of great, specific info. He used to repair headstocks as a service, but has since retired. As of this writing you can still get replacement parts kits from him, which is where I would recommend purchasing them.

My Growth Rings with Scott Markwood on YouTube has some great info on general Shopsmith use and trivia. This guy used to work for them, there's a lot of info to be had there and his videos are entertaining

The Shopsmith Forums - I don't spend much time on the forums but there are some good tips and ideas there. Good place to go to ask questions.

eBay - My unit was missing a few pieces, there is a very active markeplace for Mark V parts on eBay. You'll need to verify what you need and do research, but parts can be had for almost anything you need to repair a Mark V from the ground up. There is a lot of inter-compatibility between older Mark V models and newer ones, but you'll want to measure, inspect and really scrutinize whether something will or will not work for your machine. It's a good source for upgrade parts as well.

Instructables member DavidD163 posted in the comments below that Nick Engler's resources at the Shopsmith Academy, especially the Sawdust Sessions, are a very helpful resource - thanks, David!

Step 2: Plan Scope of Refurbishment and Dig In!

Now, get started with determining all you need to do with your machine. Are you just going to do some cosmetic work and the guts of the machine are okay? Plug it in and see if it works. Note that the very first thing you'll learn about these machines is to rotate the dial to the lowest speed every single time. This dial changes the gear ratio between the motor and quill, if you turn it off in a high gear the startup current for the next time you turn it on is pretty high and will likely trip the breaker. Try using the machine and see what parts are missing, broken, damaged, etc.

Use proper safety procedures and common sense. This is a power tool with a saw blade, drill, sander, etc. that was designed before modern safety practices were built into machines. Mine from 1955 has no guard for the saw on the bottom, for example - a safety hazard if you are not paying attention or know what you are doing. Whenever you operate, never put your fingers near the rotating saw blade or sanding disk, make sure those things are properly attached to the shaft and tightened, and keep your long hair or hoodie strings tucked away so it doesn't get caught and sucked up in these pieces.

For my machine, it was pretty old and fairly well-used - I decided to dig into the headstock first and replace all bearings, belts, grease and repaint. If it's old and the belts are stiff and bearings noisy, it's easiest to replace them all at the same time when you have the thing apart. Get it working and then focus on the stanchion legs, way tubes and some other pieces that are cosmetic but allow you to use the machine. If you're tearing apart the headstock completely, budget a couple of weekends or many weeknights for sure. If you're just repainting some cosmetic elements, that won't take nearly as long and is a lot less involved.

Step 3: Take Apart Headstock and Clean and Assess Parts

Since I was planning full refurbishment of mine to make it functional as well as beautiful, I disassembled the entire headstock, cleaned all parts, repainted the surfaces, and re-assembled with new bearings, belts, and some miscellaneous items. To take apart the headstock, you'll have to remove from the machine. See this helpful video from Jacob's Repair Shop, it's not too hard to get off. Turn the knob on the headstock that allows it to slide along the tubes, then slide off the end. This is helpful to have a friend to hold one or the other part so you don't drop things! Sawhorses or a low work bench can also be of help.

On my machine, all had a patina of corrosion that I wanted to remove for smooth operation, beautification, and longevity. See above for some photos. It is always amazing to me what you can do to restore such things with some time and abrasives. For steel parts like the quill, chuck, and threaded rods you can use the wire wheel on your bench grinder to take off the corrosion, then take some of those green scrubbies from 3M (Scotch pads) or steel wool and some light oil like Tri-Flow and rub it until it's shiny. For the painted parts, you don't want to take out the nice paint in the grooves unless it's really bad. I used the green scrubbies and steel wool and some oil to remove the corrosion, then polished with Mother's metal polish. It shined them right up while still keeping the embedded paint!

As you are taking apart, assess the condition of pieces and think about how they work and what might need to be done to either repair them or if you need to replace. Again, eBay is your friend here if you need replacement. For example, the "quadrant" - the piece that drives a worm gear to move the conical greaves for changing the speed - the teeth on mine were mis-shaped from some joker that owned it previously who tried to force things instead of lubricating or assessing the problem. I thought I might have to replace, but spent some time with a triangular file and was able to mill the teeth back into a shape that made them mate properly with the worm gear. As you disassemble, refer to the Jacob's Repair videos linked above for detailed teardowns - they were very useful as I went through this process, I won't replicate all of that valuable information in this Instructable as his videos are quite extensive. Take photos of things as you disassemble like I did here so that you know what goes where when you put it back together.

It's fascinating to learn how these machines work. I especially like the greaves gear system - what an interesting way to get variable speeds for the head stock!

Step 4: Remove Old Paint, Clean, Repaint

If your paint is in okay shape, you can skip this part. Mine was in rugged shape and needed some attention so that it will last another 65+ years! I decided to repaint with a sparkly green paint and silver sparkly paint that I picked up at the auto parts store. To repaint, you'll want to remove all functional parts and get down to the aluminum casing and steel covers. I took my angle grinder and wire cup wheel and removed all the paint. A small wire brush works well for those pesky little corners and crevices. It's important to remove all of the paint and get to the bare metal. Take some time with steel wool/scrubbies as well. Use caution with the wire wheel on angle grinder - safety glasses, mask, gloves!

Once you are to the bare metal, you'll want to clean it off really well. I use bike degreaser or Xylol, any solvent like denatured alcohol will work too. Take some blue shop towels and wipe down with a solvent, taking care to keep it clean. Once you are down to the bare metal, you'll want to think about all the places you don't want paint. Inside where the quill will go, the way tubes, etc. I used some foam packaging to fill these spaces, tape them off, etc. Just make sure you're not getting paint in places that will see wear and need to slide smoothly.

When you feel you are ready to paint, I highly recommend primer. Any primer meant for spray paint should work, I've come around to Rust-Oleum Rusty Metal Primer. Prime a coat or two, then do at least two coats of your main color. I also added a clear coat, but that's not necessary. Use a high-quality spray paint for best results. The cheapest stuff is not going to hold up on a tool like this - the automotive paint I chose worked just okay, were I to do again I would pick a different variety (but the sparkly metal flakes in it are lit!). Allow to cure for a few days before reassembling - I did the headstock repainting in the cold winter, it took several days for the paint to fully harden when it was about freezing in my garage so take temperature and humidity into consideration when painting.

Step 5: Reassemble Headstock and Test Operation

Once you've cleaned up all the parts and painted, it's time to put it back together! As you do, replace any worn bearings, add new grease, and ensure proper lubrication. I also replaced the electrical switch with a nicer one that came with my kit from the repair vendor. I like teflon grease such as Super Lube synthetic grease with teflon for greasing the internal components. It's available at most hardware and auto parts stores, it has a wide range of temperatures that it retains its viscosity. Also, that same company makes a dry film lubricant that is good for lubricating the shaft where the conical greave gears slide. This is nice in this application vs. a wet lubricant as it attracts less dust and sawdust and such. Again, see the linked videos in the resources step for specifics on some of this process.

As you do this I recommend placing a piece of foam or a pad down on your bench so you don't scratch up your new paint job! I placed on my bench, re-assembled and then tested. Make sure everything is in good working order before you reinstall on the rest of the machine. They are slightly noisy machines and motors, but if it's making a bunch of racket that could mean your bearings are shot. Ensure the dial moves relatively smoothly - remember again to always put on the lowest speed setting before powering off. Move the quill up and down to see if its operation is smooth and there's no paint inside.

Note that the old versions come with a 3/4 horse motor. This is fine for my use, but if you're looking to upgrade I *think* you can put the newer, 1-1/8 hp motor in the old versions without too much difficulty. Look around on eBay for these more powerful motors.

Step 6: Optional: 3D Print Some Replacement Parts

Many used Shopsmiths come with some missing pieces. For many components, you'll have to go on eBay and find the correct part. There are some common pieces that you can replace with a 3D printer, however, if you have access to one of those. I designed a grease guard fitting as shown above for retaining grease in the quill in the interior of the machine. The STL file is in this step, also see Thingiverse. This is helpful in keeping dust out of the grease inside the machine in this area, mine was cracked from age.

If you are attaching things like the bandsaw or belt sander, you can 3D print a coupler for much cheaper than is available to purchase. Note that this piece is meant to break apart if the attachment seizes, so print with lower infill and something like PLA to ensure this happens! Here's my preferred version on Thingiverse. This goes on the opposite size of the quill, there's a little metal round cap with grooves in it. You'l want to detach your attachments when using the main function of the machine - don't run the bandsaw while also trying to use the table saw or you'll overwhelm the motor.

If you have the bandsaw attachment, you can print the insert that goes near the blade. See this file on Thingiverse.

Shopsmith Greaseguard Mark I.stl
Download View in 3D

Step 7: Re-Attach to Base and Enjoy or Refinish Base

Once you've verified operation of the headstock, place it back on the base in the reverse operation of the process you used to remove it. Again, find a friend for help and it will go much quicker and is safer for you and the machine. At this point, unless there are some very rough parts on your machine otherwise it is good for use. For my machine, I did this process and have used it extensively since fixing and refinishing the headstock. It looked a little mismatched having the nice clean paint job on the headstock and the old paint on the base with rusty tubes - follow along below to refinish the other parts of the machine in a cosmetic fashion. The Fix It Challenge inspired me to document and share the previous steps and fully finish this project in a way that brings the machine back to its former glory! Don't re-install the headstock if you are going to refinish the base.

I was so excited to just use the machine that I got to this point of repairing the mechanical issues and repainting the headstock and then used it for years. It's satisfying to use the same machine to cut, sand, and drill the same piece of wood, and once you get used to the changeover process it is not that big of a deal - not much longer than setting up the separate machines for a project.

Step 8: Refinish Way Tubes

Okay, chances are if you need to repaint the bottom parts of the machine the steel tubes that hold it all together and allow the headstock to slide side-to-side are very rusty. In scanning the forums I came across a couple of good ideas which I consolidated and made for a really quick way to make these look so much better and remove all the rust. You can't just run a wire wheel over these - it won't remove the rust evenly and will also make them no longer round.

First, remove the tubes by unscrewing the two bolts on either side that clamp them into the stanchions with a metal bar. See the Jacob's Repair Shop videos for some walkthrough steps, once you have removed the headstock it's pretty straightforward. I made a T out of 2x4 scraps that were the right size to support things while removing. Get a friend to help if you're uncomfortable with doing this alone, it's a big machine so use some common sense.

The easiest way to refinish by far would probably be to put them in a lathe...or another Shopsmith. I didn't have either, and feel that even the lowest speed setting on the Shopsmith for this might be a bit scary. I opted to set up a kind of cheater lathe to effectively sand and remove all the rust.

Very simply, the tubes ride on two cheap rubber wheels you find in the caster section at the hardware store - they're like $5 apiece and are about two inches in diameter. You don't want wheels that swivel. Attach them to a board with enough room in between for your tubes to ride. You'll also need some freeze plugs - they are in the plumbing section, I found mine at Ace. I measured the tubes to double check, a 1-1/4" plug worked for the upper tubes, 1-5/8" for the lowers. You just need one of each.

Install the freeze plug into the end of a tube. Mount your drill as shown above - this worked well clamped to my work bench. If your drill is nicer than mine and the variable speed is a little more smooth, you can lock it in place with a zip tie or strap at a comfortable speed for sanding but I found it worked fine to just pull the trigger. Get a 1/2" nut driver and chuck it up in the drill. Then place it on the nut of the freeze plug and put the other side of the tube in the wheels. If all is set up right, the tube should spin freely when you start the drill.

I used some emery sheets - 50 then 80 grit worked well to remove the rough stuff, then 150 grit, then green scrubby/Scotch pad, and finally steel wool. I use oil when sanding metal like this - I like Tri-Flow, things like WD40 work okay too. Your emery will clog up, but a quick scrub with a wire brush will clear it out and it's good for another go. I finished half of each tube with all four different abrasives, then swapped the freeze plug to the other side of the tube and repeated. Once I got it all shined up, I polished with steel wool and some Johnson's Paste Wax - get some of this if you don't have it, you can use on the tubes in the future to keep them from getting rusty as well as the table. It's great to keep any tool from getting rusted! I also added Boeshield T9 inside the tubes to keep them from rusting - LPS3 or similar will work.

I was amazed at how fast this went and the final product - I didn't think this would really come back so shiny! There's some pits and such that I couldn't get out, but on the whole they look amazing.

Step 9: Strip Paint From Stanchions and Perform Caster Maintenance or Upgrade

Now disassemble completely the stanchions - there's a top piece on each side that unbolts easily, and you'll want to disassemble each of these castings as well for painting. On my machine, the caster assembly was always a pain and one of them was broken. You can either get replacement upgrade casters or a whole assembly with new, smooth casters. I opted for the new assembly. I highly recommend this upgrade - my machine would barely move over the smallest crack in my garage and took a lot of force to move. It didn't help that the assembly was a bit broken and some of the hardware was missing or loose. The upgraded casters are a really nice way to make this already mobile machine even more so. I have to pull mine out to even use it, so making that less of a chore was worth the extra money to me.

To do an upgrade to the larger diameter wheels whether you replace the assembly or not, you'll need to drill the caster attachment holes a bit higher than they are stock. When you buy the upgrade kit from Shopsmith, they provide a paper template. You can also get a jig for an extra like $20, but all it is is a bar with holes drilled in it in a specific orientation. I transferred one of the template spacings on to some random piece of steel flat stock, then bolted on to each stanchion and drilled the new holes. This was much better, and I feel more accurate than using the paper template. Didn't take much longer and in fact probably saves some time, and works the same as their $20 jig that does the same thing. Do this step before stripping and painting if you choose to perform this upgrade.

To remove all of the crusty paint, rust, and other things from your pieces it's much like refinishing the headstock. I attacked the thing with a wire cup wheel and angle grinder. Use eye protection, ear protection, wear a mask and heavy gloves - those things are no joke and throw a bunch of tiny wires all over the place. I find it's the quickest way to remove old paint from something like this. For the crevices, a dremel works okay, or small wire brush, or green scrubby. Also, some places work well to have the paint chemically dissolved - Xylol or acetone or maybe denatured alcohol are good here. Use a carbon respirator for these chemicals and painting if you have it, or good ventilation. Don't do it near an open flame, and use nitrile/latex gloves.

I spent a good chunk of a day removing all the paint and doing the way tubes, but had time for a bike ride in the middle so I guess it wasn't too bad. Take your time, get as much paint off as you can - better prep means better finished product.

Once you've laboriously removed all the old paint, take some solvent like those mentioned above and a shop towel and wipe down. This removes all the dust and grease to make a better surface for paint adhesion. Use caution - you may or may not know this, but solvent-soaked rags can self-ignite. Place in an airtight bag or better yet metal trash can with lid to avoid them accidentally catching on fire.

I filled the holes the same way as with the headstock - bike shipping foam chunks cut into circles.

Step 10: Prime and Paint

Just like with the headstock, I primed and painted all the stripped lower pieces. I found a really nice primer that I like - Rust-oleum Rusty Metal Primer. For old machines like this where you can't get all the rust and pits out, it smooths over that very well and has the added benefit of a bit more rust protection. Also, pro-tip: those spray-paint attachment handles are very nice for larger paint jobs like this. You get more control over the paint, and your finger doesn't get all covered in paint and cramped up after pressing the nozzle. I like this thing a lot and have used on several restoration projects similar to this one, they seem gimmicky but actually work pretty well.

Once your primer dries, flip any pieces and paint anything you missed. Do light coats and keep moving the paint can - with good practice you won't have any runs. I let mine cure for the recommended 48 hours, then painted with the sparkly green paint. It was exciting to get all of that rust and old paint off to make the whole thing smooth and sparkly!

Step 11: Reassemble and Get It Dirty!

Once your paint is cured it's time to put it all back together and get it all dirty and scratched up! I took the opportunity to replace the hardware with new, stainless bolts, nuts and washers. I used nylok nuts, much more reliable over time with the vibrations of the machine. I attached my new casters to the stanchions first. See this video from My Growth Rings, it convinced me of the benefits of the new ones and has some great tips about replacement.

Once you get the casters on, the stanchions will balance upright and make it easier to bolt the castings on top. Get both of these together, then put the way tubes back into on - they extend just past the clamp bar, if you put all the way into the casting it will be too short! You'll have to mess with the length of the whole unit so that the upper tubes will clamp and release properly - get the bottom way tubes attached, but leave things loose so that you can make these adjustments. Add the carriage for the table back on, then the headstock. Again, having help with this step makes it safer for you and the machine.

I noticed just how much smoother the headstock and carriage slide on the tubes since I refinished - an incredible difference that makes operation so much smoother!

Now that your machine is back together and all pretty, it's time to put it to use. It was very rewarding to refinish this machine so that it will be usable for all of the projects I have lined up. I can honestly say that the hardest part was refinishing the headstock - some of the components were really worn out and took a lot of time to bring back to life. Much of this project was elbow grease and patience with the wire wheel and steel wool/oil to remove the patina of rust all over everything. Working over the base and way tubes only took about two weekend days and a couple of quick nights of painting. The headstock took quite a bit of time and tinkering to get operational, but it works a charm.

These are durable, high-quality machines and will provide years of operation if properly cared for. They are very serviceable, perfect for those in the Instructables community that are motivated to make and fix all manner of things. I hope this Instructable will help you tear into your machine and get it in tip-top shape. It's entered into the Fix It Challenge, wish me luck!