Old is Gold

Shopsmith Mark V - 1955

Old is Gold...or in this case, green, gray, brown, and red. The colors of vintage Shopsmiths evoke pleasant memories, warm feelings, and a call to simpler times. No doubt, modern Shopsmiths have improved the user experience bigly. But, like vintage cars vs modern models, there's something appealing about the look and feel of classics even though new ones are safer, more convenient, and easier to use.

This website is not intended to make negative comparisons. We are not suggesting that the craftsman's choice of old or new is superior or inferior to another's choice. Indeed not. It remains a matter of preference. We are, however, committed to representing those vintage machines as a viable and worthwhile tool. Here are just some of the benefits you will find here:

• Detailed specifications and photographs of vintage machines, particularly the "Greenies", my personal favorite.
• Serial number lookup data to help you identify your model.
• Manuals, parts diagrams, and sales literature you can download
• a step by step record, including videos of the restoration of a 1954 model Shopsmith, owned by myself.
• Owner pictures of vintage Shopsmiths, restored, original, and everything in-between.

So, welcome aboard! Be sure to sign up for our mailing list to be notified whenever new content is posted.

Inch by Inch...

It's an old adage whose accuracy has ensured its survival through the decades. I saw an ad on my local Facebook marketplace for a free Shopsmith. The listing explained that the owner just wanted it out of his garage.

I immediately replied saying I would gladly take it. He, the owner, messaged back that someone else had claimed it first and was coming that next day to get it. If he failed to come to get it, he went on, he would contact me so I could have it.

I heard nothing so I assumed the unit had been picked up. Well, over a month later, the lister messaged me asking if I still wanted it. I immediately said yes and arranged pickup that same afternoon. When I backed up to his garage, I was shown a pile of parts (see the pics below). Now, to be honest, I've built several classic cars and reassembled a room from a pile of lumber with nothing more than a hand-drawn diagram identifying pieces of wood marked with a sharpie.

So, this didn't look too bad. There are lots of parts diagrams, manuals, videos, and Facebook groups for help, encouragement, and answers. After unloading everything in the garage, I set about sorting the many pieces and parts to know what was missing and what to do next. More about that in the next post.

Prepping metal parts for paint and protection

On a machine 65 years old I had to deal with rust, old paint, and damage. The bare metal parts like way tubes, the axles for the casters, and the hinges had to be derusted and protected against rusting again. Here's what I did.

For painted parts, if it is a relatively flat panel like the legs of the frame, old paint can be removed with a wire wheel. I used a stiff wheel for the cast parts but a softer, brass wheel for the sheet metal. Be careful on sheet metal parts. It is really easy to scratch the surface which then must be filled. I used a glazing compound you get at auto parts stores, a very fine and fluid compound the spreads on easily, fills minor surface defects and sands smooth. In order to get a professional finish, the fill-and-sand process will probably need to be repeated several times. I found more scratches after the first coat of paint which meant redoing the affected area.

Cast parts like the headstock and some frame pieces have deep curves and recesses. A wire wheel mounted in a drill will remove paint from some areas but others are too deep to reach. If you have a sandblast cabinet, you could remove paint there but I didn't have one. I don't like harsh chemical strippers so I used Citri-Strip which can be found at Lowe's, Home Depot, and places like them. It is slow but it doesn't dry out so I left it on overnight. The paint came right off. Wash the parts thoroughly and let them dry.

Bare metal parts like axles and fasteners can be derusted with a wire wheel, which I did use for many parts. But for the smaller pieces, I used white vinegar. I put them in a plastic bin and poured in enough vinegar to cover them all. Plan to leave it overnight.

Once you remove them from the vinegar bath, you'll probably need to remove the residue with a wire brush. Then, rinse in clear water, dry them, and immediately coat them with wax. I use Johnsons Wax. I live in southwest Florida. For most of the year, it is humid. For several months it is very humid. I made the mistake of not coating with wax immediately and left the parts over the weekend. By Monday, they had begun to rust again.

If you use Rust-oleum's Hammered paints, it is self-priming. I found it easier and faster to paint most of the parts by suspending them from a wire. That way I could paint all surfaces at one time. I had to be careful to not paint when the humidity was above the paint manufacturer's recommended level. Let them dry according to the instructions on the can. The end result can be seen below.

Polishing the way tubes

The tubes on this unit were really rusty. Not pitted and flaking, but rusty nonetheless. Faced with the task of derusting with chemicals or using abrasives or finding replacements, I decided to use abrasives.

I bought several sheets of wet/dry sandpaper, the type typically used to prepare cars for paint. Starting with 80 grit for the worst areas and moving up to 800 grit for the final polishing, I dreaded the task of hand sanding. But I dreaded using chemicals even more.

Then, I got an idea.

I have another Shopsmith so I bought a 1 1/2" expansion plug in the plumbing department at Lowe's. This fits inside one end of the tube. I replaced the bolt that came with the expansion plug with one about an inch longer so it would tighten in the chuck in the headstock. You can rig up an electric drill to do this if you don't have another Shopsmith or lathe.

Then, I had a length of heavy cardboard tube leftover from a replacement sliding door track. The way tubes fit perfectly inside the cardboard tube. I made a jig that would fit into my Workmate. I tightened the expansion plug in one end of a tube, tightened it in the chuck, and put the other end into that cardboard jig. 

Running the motor on its slowest speed, I used successively finer grits of wet/dry sandpaper and gradually polished them. They are not perfectly polished like might have come from the factory. They are, however, very much presentable. As with all bare metal parts, seal them with Johnsons Wax.

Before and After

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

And one more, before (actually, this is "during the restoration"
:

And the finished product: