MARK V – MOUNTED OVERARM PIN ROUTER 555970 MARK V …€¦ · or other jewelry. Roll sleeves up above your elbows. ELECTRICAL REQUIREMENTS Follow the electrical requirements that

MARK V – MOUNTED OVERARM PIN ROUTER 555970

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MARK VMOUNTED OVERARM PIN ROUTER

555970

TABLE OF CONTENTSINTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................ 2SAFETY ...................................................................................................................................... 3TYPES OF ROUTER BITS ......................................................................................................... 8TERMS TO KNOW ................................................................................................................... 10OVERARM ROUTER ASSEMBLY ........................................................................................... 11ALIGNMENT AND ADJUSTMENT ........................................................................................... 16OVERARM PIN ROUTING OPERATIONS............................................................................... 18GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR BOTH TYPES OF OVERARM ROUTING .............................. 18ROUTER DUPLICATION USING SHOP MADE FIXTURES ....................................................20CONVENTIONAL ROUTING OPERATIONS WITH THE OVERARM ROUTER ..................... 30CARING FOR YOUR SHOPSMITH OVERARM PIN ROUTER ...............................................39MAINTENANCE ........................................................................................................................ 41TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE ................................................................................................. 42

555970 MARK V – MOUNTED OVERARM PIN ROUTER

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INTRODUCTIONShopsmith’s MARK-V Mounted OverarmPin Router can perform many jobs that arenormally intended for other tools . . . and itcan usually perform these operations muchfaster and with far greater precision and re-peatability than you could hope to achieveusing more conventional methods.

It’s called an Overarm Router because it op-erates with the rotating bit above theworkpiece rather than below it . . . providinga clear view of what’s going on at all timeswhile you’re cutting . . . unlike a typical routertable set-up where the bit makes its cuts onthe underside of your workpiece.

This approach also means that you won’tneed a costly, under-table router motor liftto help you make precise depth-of-cut ad-justments. With the MARK-V MountedOverarm Pin Router, these adjustments aremade using your Overarm Router’s QuillLever, just as you would when drilling holesor performing similar operations with a drillpress or your MARK V.

WHAT CAN I DO WITH THIS TOOL?Those who are familiar with Pin Routers of-ten believe that the only operation such amachine will perform is duplicate routing,This simply isn’t true!

In fact, Shopsmith’s Overarm Pin Router willperform any operation that can be per-formed with a typical router table. As a re-sult, you’ll soon find yourself reaching foryour Overarm Router for a multitude ofwoodworking operations, including:

• Basic straight-line routing operations• Routing decorative edges and surface de-

signs on straight, round or curvedworkpieces of all types, including furni-ture, cabinets, tabletops, etc.

• Cutting precision dadoes, grooves, rab-

bets, dovetails and other types of struc-tural joints

• Making all types of stopped cuts• Repairing furniture and veneers• Jointing the edges of workpieces• “Sawing” straight and irregular shapes• Drilling holes• Pin routing duplicate workpieces with

matchless repeatability

WHAT IS PIN ROUTING?Pin Routing is a simple operation throughwhich you can quickly and easily makemany duplicate copies of a particular projectand have each one turn out exactly the same.

In fact, prior to the introduction of CNC(computer numerically controlled) Routers,this was one of the primary processes usedby most furniture manufacturers when cut-ting-out odd-shaped project components.

In a nutshell, here’s how it works:

• A template or fixture is created by cutting3/8" deep grooves (1/4", 3/8" or 1/2"wide) that exactly match the shape of theworkpieces you’re making

• A straight router bit is then inserted intoyour router motor . . .which is mounted inthe Overarm Router

• A tracing pin (same size as your straightbit: either 1/4", 3/8" or 1/2") is insertedinto the Overarm Router’s Table Plate –and the pin and router bit are aligned per-fectly with one another

• A workpiece blank is temporarily attachedto the back side of the template containingthe pattern groove

• The template or fixture is flipped over(workpiece attached) and its groovedropped over the tracing pin

• The router is turned on and the bit low-ered into the workpiece while the groove

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is traced over the table pin, creating a fin-ished piece that’s exactly the same size andshape as the groove in your template orfixture

• Remove the workpiece, replace with a newblank and repeat the process above . . . asmany times as you like

Once you’ve made a template or fixture, cutout as many parts as you like, then set thetemplate aside until the next time you wantto make more of the same project. It will beready when you are.

We know that you’re eager to get started us-ing your Overarm Router, but please take thetime to read this manual before you begin.Then keep it handy for future reference.

OVERARM ROUTERSPECIFICATIONS:Maximum router motor HP.......................... 3 hpDiameters of router motorsaccepted (round motors only)................. 2-1/2" to 4"Throat depth (router bitcenterpoint to Way Tubes)* ......... 10-1/2" to 18-1/2"†Vertical motor travel (lever-controlled) ............ 3-1/2"Maximum workpiece thickness ............. Approx 11"‡Worktable size(laminate-covered MDF) .......18-1/2" d x 28" w x 3/4"Fence size (2) .......................... 13-1/4" w x 1-1/4" hGuide pin diameters furnished ...... 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2"Starter pin diameter furnished .......................... 1/4"Maximum router bit diameter (with insert) ...... 1-3/8"Maximum router bit diameter (without insert) ....... 2"Dust port diameter ....................................... 2-1/4"

* With a 3-1/2" diameter router motor. Distances willvary, depending on router motor diameter.

† Maximum dimensions, based on which set of fourArm mounting holes are used

‡ Varies, depending on router motor and bit used

SAFETY

WARNING

Read this safety section and completethe Assembly procedures BEFORE op-erating your Shopsmith Overarm PinRouter

Shopsmith’s MARK V-mounted Pin Routeroffers many built-in safety features. How-ever, the effectiveness of these features de-pends on you. Power tool safety requiresgood common sense, and misuse of thistool can cause serious injury.

To protect yourself from injury:

• READ, UNDERSTAND AND FOLLOWALL the information in this OwnersManual.

• Also, READ, UNDERSTAND AND FOL-LOW ALL the information in the Own-ers Manual that came with your routermotor.

• READ, UNDERSTAND AND FOLLOWALL the information in the MARK VOwners Manual.


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Throughout this manual, we list WARN-INGS, CAUTIONS, and NOTES. We advisethat when you come to one of these listings,please read and understand it fully. Theirmeanings are:

WARNING

A WARNING is given when failure tofollow the directions is likely to resultin injury, loss of limb, or life.

CAUTION

A CAUTION is given when failure to fol-low the directions is likely to result indamage to the equipment.

NOTE

A NOTE is used to highlight an importantprocedure, practice or condition.

EYE PROTECTIONAlways wear eye protection when you usepower tools. Use goggles, safety glasses or aface shield to protect your eyes.

• Goggles completely surround and protectyour eyes. Many goggles will also fit overregular glasses. Be sure your goggles fitclosely, but comfortably.

• Safety glasses don’t fog as easily asgoggles and can be worn all the time.Regular glasses normally have only im-pact resistant lenses. They are not safetyglasses.

• A face shield protects your entire face, notjust your eyes.

HEARING PROTECTIONProlonged exposure to high intensity noisefrom high speed power tools will damageyour hearing.

• Hearing protectors screen out certain fre-quencies and noise levels that can dam-age your hearing. For that reason, werecommend that you ALWAYS wear hear-ing protection when using your OverarmPin Router.

GUARDING FOR ROUTINGMost shop accidents happen to woodwork-ers who fail to follow instructions, or fail touse guards and safety devices. Althoughproper use of guards and safety devices of-ten requires additional setup, the protectionfor you and your family is well worth theeffort.

DRESSLoose hair and clothing which could be en-tangled in rotating bits are very hazardous.

• Tuck long hair under a hat or tie it up. Donot wear ties, gloves, loose clothing, ringsor other jewelry. Roll sleeves up aboveyour elbows.

ELECTRICAL REQUIREMENTSFollow the electrical requirements that ap-pear in the Owners Manual that came withyour router. Do not overload your electricalcircuits.

ROUTER MOTOR — OVERARMUse the following specifications required tomount a router in the OVERARM:


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NOTE

Customer Service representatives and Storepersonnel will help you select the propermotor.

• Use only UL Approved router motors.• Motor housing must be round, not square,

for router arm.• Motor must be 2-1/2" to 4" in diameter.• Motor power cord must be located so it

comes out the top section of the router.• Motor power cord should be securely at-

tached to the top of the Arm during op-eration with tape or rubber bands to keepit safely out of your way during routing.

• Switch must be located so that it can bepositioned toward the front of the Over-arm Router and be easily accessible dur-ing operations.

• You must be able to remove the handlesand base from the motor without remov-ing the switch.

• Motor must properly mount on the Over-arm Router so that base locating pins onthe motor housing do not interfere withthe router motor holding clamps.

• Motor must not exceed 3 hp.

SAWDUST AND CHIPSSawdust and chips can be a fire hazard andbreathing sawdust can be a health hazard.The sawdust from some woods is toxic. Tohelp protect yourself from sawdust:

• Attach your Overarm Pin Router to a dustcollection system to help capture flyingchips and debris.

• Or wear a close-fitting dust mask. Cleanor replace the filters in the mask regularly.Also, open a window or use a fan to ven-tilate your shop.

MOUNTING ROUTER BITS• Turn off and unplug the router motor be-

fore mounting router bits.• Follow the recommendations of the router

motor manufacturer as to the sizes andtypes of router bits to use.

• Make sure the router bit is secured prop-erly in the collet. Loose bits could workfree and cause serious injury. Insert the bitall the way into the collet and retract itabout 1/8" to avoid the transition betweenshank and cutter.

• If your using an arbor-style bit with inter-changeable cutters, be sure the cuttingedge is facing to the left when mountedon the arbor.

• Listen for chatter or signs of looseness atstart-up. If you hear, see or suspect prob-lems, stop the tool immediately, unplug it,and check the tool thoroughly. Correct anyproblem before proceeding. If you are un-able to locate the problem, you can con-tact your Shopsmith Service Representa-tive or store personnel for advice. Neveroperate the Overarm Router if it is notfunctioning properly.

• Keep bits clean, maintained and sharp.• Don’t try to make your own collet adapter

to hold different sized bits. Balance is im-portant at high speeds, so always buyappropriately sized collets.

GENERAL SAFETY RULESFOR POWER TOOLS• Know your power tool. Read the owners

manual. Learn its application and limi-tations as well as the specific potentialhazards peculiar to this tool.

• Ground all tools (unless double insu-lated). If tool is equipped with an ap-proved 3-conductor cord and a 3-pronggrounding type plug to fit the proper


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grounding type receptacle, the green con-ductor in the cord is the grounding wire.Never connect the green wire to a liveterminal.

• Wear proper eye and ear protection. Also,wear a dust mask.

• Keep guards in place. Always keepguards in working order and in properalignment and adjustment. Most injuriesoccur on unguarded power tools.

• Remove adjusting keys and wrenches.• Wear proper apparel. Do not wear loose

clothing, ties, gloves, rings or other jew-elry. Roll sleeves up above your elbows,wear nonslip footwear, and tuck longhair under a hat.

• Do not operate power tools if you aretired, taking medication, or under the in-fluence of alcohol or drugs.

• Avoid dangerous environments. Don’tuse power tools in damp, wet or explo-sive atmospheres.

• Keep work areas well lit, clean, and freefrom clutter.

• Do not force the tool. It will do the jobbetter and safer at the rate for which itwas designed.

• Use the right tool. Don’t force a tool oraccessory to do a job for which it is notdesigned.

• For direction of feed — ALWAYS feed theworkpiece into the cutter against the ro-tation of the cutter. NEVER feed theworkpiece into the cutter with the rota-tion of the cutter.

• Check damaged parts. A damaged guardor part should be properly repaired or re-placed before further use. If a strangenoise or vibration develops, immediatelyturn off the power, unplug the machineand correct the problem. Never operatea power tool that is not functioningproperly.

• Secure workpieces. Use clamps, fixtures,and other devices to hold workpieceswhen practical. It’s safer than using yourhands and it frees your hands to operatethe tool.

• Do not overreach. Keep proper footingand balance at all times.

• Turn off the tool and wait until it comesto a complete stop before removingworkpieces and scraps.

• Do not try to stop the tool by grabbingthe workpiece or any part of the tool.Turn off the tool and let it come to a com-plete stop by itself.

• Do not leave the tool running unat-tended. Turn power off. Don’t leave tooluntil it comes to a complete stop.

• Avoid unintentional starting. Make surethe switch is in the “off” position beforeplugging in or unplugging the tool.

• Disconnect tools. Turn off and unplugtools before changing accessories and set-ups, making adjustments, and perform-ing maintenance and repair.

• Do not stand or lean on the tool. Youcould fall onto the tool or it could tipover injuring you and/or damaging thetool.

• Maintain tools. Keep parts and toolssharp, clean and maintained according tothe Owners Manual.

• Make your workshop childproof. Usepadlocks, master switches or removestarter keys.

• Keep children away. All visitors shouldstay a safe distance from power tools, andwear eye and ear protection.

• Do not permit anyone who is inexperi-enced to use your power tools withoutsupervision.


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SAFETY RULES FOR THESHOPSMITH OVERARM ROUTER• Be sure to read and understand this entire

Owners Manual before using the OverarmRouter. Also, do not use the OverarmRouter unless you are sure it is assembledproperly, all safety devices are installed,and you understand the operations youare attempting to perform.

• Keep the guard in place and in workingorder. Always set the guard no more than1/4" above the workpiece.

• Keep your hands, fingers and other partsof your body at least 3" away from therotating bit.

• Use a push stick, push block, feather-board(s), miter gauge with safety grip,fixtures, or other safety devices to maneu-ver a workpiece into a rotating bit. If akickback occurs, these devices help toprotect your hands and fingers.

• Use only Shopsmith parts and accesso-ries on your Overarm Router. NEVER usenon-Shopsmith replacement parts or ac-cessories. They are not designed likeShopsmith parts. Using non-Shopsmithparts may create a hazardous conditionand will void your warranty. Follow yourrouter manufacturer’s recommendationsas to replacement of router parts.

• Do not rout second-hand lumber. If youhit a nail, screw, or other foreign object,you could be hit by pieces of metal orthere could be kickback.

• Do not “freehand” rout stock less than12" X 12" or equivalent.

• Support long boards and sheet materialswith a roller stand(s) placed 1' -4' fromthe worktable.

• Avoid taking deep cuts. With the excep-tion of single-pass dovetail cuts, limitdepth-of-cut to 1/4" for each pass whenusing bits up to 1/2" diameter in hard-

wood. Limit depth-of-cut to 3/8" for eachpass when using bits up to 1/2"diameter in softwood. When using bitsover 1/2" diameter, limit depth-of-cut tohalf the recommended depths for 1/2"diameter bits.

• Always use a fixture, fence, and/or starterand guide pins to help control theworkpiece.

• Always feed the workpiece against therotation of the bit, not with it. Otherwisethe bit will grab and throw theworkpiece.

• Keep a firm grip on the workpiece at alltimes and never hold the workpiece withyour hands in line with the router bit.

• Always clamp a straight piece of scrapstock to your worktable surface for usein holding your workpiece against thefence during straight-line routing opera-tions. Also use a long piece of scrap stockto feed a narrow workpiece underneaththe guard to complete a cut.

• Cut with the grain instead of against thegrain. You will get a smoother cut andthe operation will be safer.

• Avoid standing in-line with theworkpiece being fed. In the event of akickback you could be hit.

• Feed the workpiece slowly. Use extra carein routing workpieces that contain fig-ured grain or knots, as these may causekickbacks.

• When you are routing stock up to 10"wide across the grain, use a piece of scrapstock cut at a 90° angle to guide theworkpiece through the cut. Theworkpiece must extend 5-1/2" away fromrouter bit.

• When stop routing, always use stopblock(s) to control the length of cut. Fail-ure to use stop block(s) could cause thebit to grab and throw the workpiece.


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• When routing oversize stock, always useat least one push block to help controlthe workpiece firmly against the fence.

• Do not work with stock that is too smallor too large to handle safely; that iswarped, bowed or cupped; or that hasloose knots or other defects.

• Plan the operation before you begin. Ifyou are in doubt about how to completean operation safely, do not attempt it. Youcan contact your Shopsmith CustomerService Representative or Store person-nel for advice.

• Secure the router, overarm assembly,depth stop rod, depth control handle,worktable, accessories, safety devices,fences, and fixtures before turning on themotor.

TYPES OFROUTER BITSRouter bits come in a wide variety of shapesand sizes designed to be used at very highspeeds.

The part of the bit mounted in the routerchuck is called the shank and the roundedextension beyond the cutter on some bits iscalled the pilot. The cutting edge of the bitis called a flute. Router bits have one, twoor three flutes and the more flutes there areon the bit, the more cuts that can be madeper minute. A higher number of flutes re-duces the load on the motor and produces asmoother cut.

Quality bits are made of high speed steel,solid carbide or carbide-tipped steel. High

speed steel bits are heat treated for extrahardness and to hold keen cutting edges.Carbide bits (solid or tipped) are the finestbits available today. Although more expen-sive, they will outlast high speed steel bitsat a 15 to 1 ratio on softwoods and are highlyrecommended for use on hardwoods, plas-tic laminates, plywood and particleboard.

Router bits are generally classified into fourdifferent categories — grooving bits, edgecutting bits, panel bits and laminate and ve-neer trimming bits. (See Chart.)

CARE AND MAINTENANCEYou’ll enjoy longer use of your router bits ifyou make it a point to handle, use andsharpen them properly.

• Use your router bits only for the job theyare intended to do.

• Make sure the bit is mounted rigidly inthe collet.

• Learn to cut your workpiece at the properspeed to prevent heat buildup that cancause the loss of bit hardness.

• Between operations, set your bits in a safeplace where they will not fall or get hit.

CAUTION

Never use solvent on a bearing pilotedbit without first removing the bearing.

• After use, clean bits thoroughly.• Sharpen your bits with a small slip-stone

or oilstone with oil. Hone the face of eachcutter with light strokes in one direction.Never hone the outside edge because it re-duces the diameter of the cutter. Honeeach cutter edge with the same numberof strokes.

• If the cutting edge is nicked, take the bitto a professional sharpening service.


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TERMS TO KNOWIt’s important that you become familiar withall of your Overarm Router‘s functions andparts before you begin to use it.

The functioning parts of the Router Arm are:

1. Worktable – Made of a durable lami-nate-covered MDF (medium densityfiberboard) the Overarm Router’s Work-table mounts to your MARK’s Work-table in one of two ways:

Models 505, 510 and 520 – Mountsinto the right-hand Worktable MiterGauge slot with two sliding T-Nutsand setscrews.Model 500 – Mounts into the twothreaded Table Insert mounting

holes in your Model 500 MARK Vwith two buttonhead setscrews andwashers through the elongatedtravel slots in the Overarm RouterTable surface.

Two sets of threaded inserts are pro-vided in the Worktable surface for at-taching the two-piece Router Fence.

2. Guard Assembly – The clear guard pro-tects your fingers and hands, keepschips away from you and gives you aclear, open view of the surface beingrouted at all times.

3. Dust Chute – Your dust collection sys-tem attaches to the chute to help collectsawdust and chips.

BRASS GIB

DUSTCHUTE

T-NUT

WORKTABLE

MOTORBRACKETS

DEPTHSTOP ROD

DEPTHCONTROLHANDLE

CIRCULARTABLE INSERTS

TWO-PIECEROUTER FENCE

MOUNTINGBRACKETCLAMPS

WAY TUBEMOUNTINGBRACKETS

GUARDASSEMBLY

DOVETAILASSEMBLY


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4. Motor Brackets – Firmly hold anyround, hand-held router motor from2-1/2" to 4" in diameter. These dimen-sions are for the motor only (the routerbase is removed during operations).

5. Brass Gib – Adjusts with four Allen setscrews to eliminate side-to-side move-ment of the motor while allowingsmooth, vertical movement of the dove-tail slide.

6. Depth Stop Rod – Locks into any po-sition to limit your depth-of-cut duringoperations.

7. Dovetail Assembly – Moves up-and-down by means of a steel rack-and-pin-ion gear mechanism. The dovetail slideprovides 3-1/2" of vertical motor travel.

8. Depth Control Handle – Convenientlyraises and lowers the router motor. Asimple twist locks the handle in place.

9. Circular Table Inserts – Two provided:One with a 1-3/8" diameter center holeand an offset threaded insert for theStarting Pin (included) . . . and anotherwith a center threaded insert for thethree interchangeable Overarm routingGuide Pins (three included: 1/4", 3/8"and 1/2" diameters).

10. Two-Piece Router Fence – Adjustablealuminum Fences attach to the Work-table mounting holes with threadedplastic Knobs, Spacers and washers forstraight-line routing operations.

11. MARK V Way Tube Mounting Brack-ets – Upper and lower Mounting Brack-ets attach to the Overarm . . . then aroundthe MARK V Way Tubes with matingClamps, supporting the OverarmRouter above the Worktable.

12. Mounting Bracket Clamps – Clamparound the “back side” of your WayTubes with 3" long x 3/8" dia. socket

head capscrews, threaded into the holeson the back sides of the MountingBrackets.

13. SLIDING T-Nuts – Used to attach yourOverarm Router Table to your Model505, 510 or 520 MARK V Worktable.

OVERARM ROUTERASSEMBLY

WARNING

Your safety and the ability to use yournew Shopsmith Overarm Pin Routerproperly depends on your followingthese assembly and use instructionsexactly.

NOTE

Reference numbers that appear in paren-theses following the part names correspondwith the numbers on the figures in this sec-tion and the exploded view in the Parts Listsection of this Manual.

TOOLS & SUPPLIES NEEDED:• 1/8" Allen wrench• 5/32" Allen wrench• 1/4" Allen wrench• 5/16" Allen wrench• 7/16" Open end wrench• Furniture or floor paste wax (do NOT use

car wax or spray furniture polish)• Mineral spirits• Fine file or emery cloth (optional)


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BEFORE YOU BEGIN . . .It’s a good idea to clean all major metal partswith mineral spirits to remove any dirt orgrease residue. Any burrs found on partsshould be removed with a fine file or emerycloth. If required, clean your router motoraccording to the instructions in its Owner’sManual.

Wax and buff the Worktable surface, apply-ing the wax sparingly, then buffing it outthoroughly. If you apply too much wax orfail to buff it out properly, the wax will mixwith the sawdust you generate, impede themovement of the Overarm Router’s partsand leave residue on your workpieces.

Remove all accessories from the MARK V’sHeadstock and prepare the machine as youwould for Drill Press operations. Remove theWorktable from the Carriage (this will makeit easier for you to raise the machine to ver-tical position).

Slide the Headstock all the way to the leftuntil it rests against the Way Tube Tie Bar.Tighten the Headstock Lock lever.

Position the Carriage so the distance betweenthe Carriage and the Headstock is about 15".Tighten the Carriage Lock Handle. Raise theMARK V into Drill Press position. NOTE:Shopsmith’s Lift-Assist Accessory will makethis task much easier.

WHICH MOUNTING HOLES ?Before mounting the Overarm Router to theMARK V, the two Mounting Brackets (11)must be bolted to the Arm of the tool withfour 5-1/4" long x 5/16" dia. socket head capscrews, washers and wing nuts (finger-tightonly at this time). Do not install your routermotor yet.

There are six pairs of mounting holes in theArm, providing a total of five mounting po-

sitions in the Brackets. For most operations,the 2nd and 3rd set of holes nearest the busi-ness-end of the Arm are used as shown inFigure 1. If you need more throat depth,choose the four holes that best suit yourneeds.

NOTE

When mounting, drop the capscrewsthrough the TOP of the Brackets and intothe Arm, with flat washers and wing nutson the bottom. This way, the bolts won’tdrop out of position when you remove thewing nuts and washers to change Arm po-sitions.

INSTALL THEDEPTH STOP ROD (6)Thread the 1/4"-20 wing nut onto the DepthStop Rod, then thread the Rod (with wingnut) into the threaded hole in the top of theDovetail Slide.

Once the Brackets are mounted to the Arm,use the Depth Control Handle (8) to “lower”your Motor Brackets (4) to the “bottom” oftheir travel in the Dovetail Assembly(7) . . . and unscrew the Depth Stop Rod (6)so it is all the way to the “top” of its travel.

Figure 1. Normal Mounting Position


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RE-INSTALL THE MARK VWORKTABLELoosen the Table Tilt Lock Lever, tilt yourTable to 90° (as you would when setting upfor Drill Press) and tighten the Lever. Installthe Worktable in the Carriage, slide it “back”until its edge is 3" from the Way Tubes.Tighten the Table Height Lock.

Place a piece of scrap plywood or cardboardon your table. With the Overarm Router’sDeflector (20) resting on your MARK V’sWorktable surface (See Fig. 2), position thesemi-circular cut-outs of the Brackets (29)against the Way Tubes. Hold the assemblyin position while you screw the two 3" longx 3/8" dia. socket head capscrews throughthe Clamps (30) and into the threaded holesin the Mounting Brackets (29). See Fig. 3.

Adjust the Overarm’s position so the DepthStop Rod Knob doesn’t collide with the endof the MARK V’s Quill when the Stop Rodis adjusted to its full “up” position andtighten the two large capscrews using a5/16" Allen wrench.

INSTALL YOUR ROUTER MOTORIN THE OVERARMRemove your Router motor from its base (seeinstructions included with your router.)Place the motor between the front and rearmotor Brackets on the Overarm until it bot-toms out against the Deflector (20) . . . thenraise it approximately 1/8" to allow forproper air circulation.

CAUTION

Always position the Router Motor so it israised about 1/8" off the Deflector to al-low for proper airflow and cooling dur-ing operation. Without this 1/8" clearance,overheating and damage to your routermotor will result.

Use a 7/16" open end wrench to tighten thetwo Motor Bracket nuts (See Fig. 4). Be sureyour router’s switch is located for easy ac-cessibility during operations . . . and that noneof the small lugs or other protruding partson the motor’s housing interfere with a good“seating” in the Motor Brackets. When posi-tioning your router motor, be sure its colletor bit locking nuts are accessible without theneed for additional motor adjustments.

Figure 4. Install therouter motor inthe Overarm.

Figure 3. Tighten the Clamp capscrewswith the 5/16" Allen wrench.

Figure 2. Attaching the Overarm Routerto the MARK V


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CAUTION

Over-tightening the Motor Bracket nutsmay cause damage to the motor and/orhousing of your router.

INSTALL THE REAR GUARD ANDDUST COLLECTOR ASSEMBLYInstall a flat washer over each stud of thefront Motor Clamp, and then slip the rearguard/dust chute with strip brushes ontothe clamp studs and secure with two moreflat washers and wing nuts. See Figure 5 forcorrect assembly order.

MOUNT THE OVERARM ROUTERTABLE ONTO THE MARK VWORKTABLEModel 500Remove the MARK V Table Insert. Use thetwo buttonhead Allen capscrews with wash-ers to mount the Overarm Router Table tothe MARK V Worktable by inserting themthrough the two elongated mounting holesin the Router Table and threading them di-rectly into the Model 500 MARK V Table In-sert mounting holes (See Fig. 6).

Models 505, 510, 520Use the sliding T-nuts and 1/4"-20 flat headmachine screws provided. Lay the RouterTable right-side-up on a flat surface in frontof you with the eight threaded insert holesaway from you. You will notice two pairs ofcountersunk holes in the Table surface, about7-1/2" in from the “front” edge of the Table(See Fig. 6). These are the holes you will useto mount your Overarm Router’s Table toyour Model 505, 510 or 520 MARK V’s Work-table.

For the majority of your conventional andpin routing operations, you will use the twoleft holes in each pair to mount the Table tothe “front” Miter Gauge slot in your MARKV’s Worktable. This approach will providethe maximum workpiece support in “front”of your Router bit and motor . . . and allowyou to use your Two-Piece Router Fence (in-cluded).

If you would prefer to have more workpiecesupport “behind” your Router bit and mo-tor, use the two right holes in each pair tomount the Table to the “back” Miter Gaugeslot in your MARK V’s Worktable. When us-ing this approach, the Table must be rotated180° and installed with the eight threadedFence inserts toward the “front” of the Table.

Figure 6. Use the left hole of each pairwhen mounting the Worktable on

Model 505, 510 and 520 MARK V’s formost applications. Use counterbored

slots for Model 500.

Figure 5. Overhead view of proper motorclamp hardware assembly order

(looking down from above).

FOR MODELS 505, 510,520

FOR MODEL 500


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WARNING

This set-up will make it impossible foryou to use your Two-Piece OverarmRouter Fence safely.

Position the two T-nuts in the “front” MiterGauge slot of your MARK V’s Worktable,near the two ends of the slot. Lay the Over-arm Router Table onto the surface of theMARK V Table.

Align the left hole in the left pair of coun-tersunk mounting holes in your Router Tablesurface over the outside (or left) 1/4"threaded hole in the left T-Nut. Insert a1/4"-20 flathead machine screw through thecountersunk Table hole and thread it into theT-Nut hole. Use a 5/32" Allen wrench to runthe screw down into the hole but do nottighten it at this time.

Slide the Router Table to the right slightlyuntil the left hole in the right pair of coun-tersunk mounting holes in your Router Tablesurface align over the outside (or right)1/4" threaded hole in the right T-Nut. In-sert a 1/4"-20 flathead machine screwthrough the countersunk Table hole andthread it into the T-Nut hole. Use a 5/32"Allen wrench to run the screw down into thehole but do not tighten it at this time.

Loosen MARK V Carriage Lock and raise theWorktable and Carriage assembly up on theway tubes to within 5" to 6" of the Deflectorbottom (20). Lock the carriage in place.

Extend the Worktable until the bottoms ofthe MARK V Table Tubes are flush with thebottom of the carriage, then lock the MARKV table into position.

CAUTION

Never operate the Overarm Router unlessthe Table Tubes are extending flush withthe bottom of the Carriage or beyond. Do-ing so will not provide adequate supportfor the Table and could result in damageto the machine.

For any operation where the cut profile issuch that the Router Bit extends below thetop surface of the Worktable, the Tableshould always be aligned so that its centerhole is aligned with the centerpoint of theRouter Bit.

CAUTION

Adequate Worktable Support iscritical for the best results.

It is recommended that you always usethe Telescoping Legs and ConnectorTubes that came with your Model 510 or520 MARK V to support the outer edge ofthe Overarm Router Worktable during op-erations.This is especially true if you’re workingwith heavier-than-normal workpieces – orif you have the Arm of your OverarmRouter extended far forward to provideadditional throat capacity.If you own a Model 505 AnniversaryEdition MARK V, you must purchase twoConnector Tubes (Part # 514439), twoTelescoping Legs (Part # 514529) and twoAdjustable Fittings (514620).If you own a Model 500 MARK V, a singleSupport Leg (Part # 555627) is availablefor your machine that attaches around thelip of the front edge of your Worktable.


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There are 2 Table Inserts (60/61), see Fig. 7).

• The one on the left in Fig. 7 offers a 1-3/8"diameter round hole in the center and abrass threaded insert at its outer edge fora Starter Pin. This insert is used for mostconventional, non pin-routing operations.

• The other features two brass threadedinserts . . . one in the center and another atits outer edge for a Starter Pin. This insertis used when performing pin routing op-erations.

Both inserts are installed in the OverarmRouter Table surface with three 10-24 x 3/4"machine screws, using a 1/8" Allen wrench.

BRINGING THE INSERT FLUSHWITH THE WORKTABLE SURFACEIt’s important to note that the OverarmRouter Worktable is made of MDF. . . an un-stable material that can fluctuate in sizebased on humidity and other factors. It’s alsoimportant to note that MDF is a wood-basedmaterial and holding exact tolerances whenmachining the Insert cutouts is virtuallyimpossible. For those reasons, we have pur-posely made the Insert cutout slightlydeeper, so the Inserts are sub-flush onceinstalled.

This approach allows you to make whateverminute adjustments may be required to bringthe Inserts to a flush position by shimmingthem with small pieces of masking or ducttape stuck to the underside of the Inserts oneither side of the mounting screw holes.Once the Inserts are flush, further adjust-ments shouldn’t be necessary.

Attach the table insert with the 3 screws andthe 1/8" Allen wrench provided.

ALIGNMENT ANDADJUSTMENTRE-POSITIONING THE DEPTHCONTROL HANDLEIf the Depth Control Handle (40) is posi-tioned too far forward or backward for com-fortable operation, its position can bechanged. Here’s how. First, raise the depthstop rod, then loosen the depth controlhandle by twisting its knob counterclockwiseabout one-half turn.

Rotate the Depth Control Handle forward sothe Router motor is in its approximate cut-ting position (Typically with the Router colletapproximately 2" to 3" above the Worktablesurface.)

If the handle position is uncomfortable, re-position it by twisting the handle counter-clockwise about one-half turn . . . grasping theclutch and handle assembly. . . and pulling itoutward (to the right) to disengage it fromthe rack. Move it to a comfortable positionand push it back inward (to the left) to re-engage the rack and pinion mechanism.Twist the Depth Control Handle clockwiseto lock your height setting. If this is diffi-cult, loosen the setscrew (41) until the clutchand handle snap in and outeasily.

Figure 7. The two Table Inserts: Left insertfor common routing operations –

Right insert for pin routing.


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ROUTER BIT TO GUIDEPIN ALIGNMENTWhen performing pin routing operations, it’scritical that the Router Bit and Guide Pin bein perfect alignment with one another.

To check this alignment, insert a 3/8" diam-eter straight Router Bit into the collet of yourRouter Motor and tighten securely. Screw the3/8" Guide Pin into the threaded center holein the Overarm Router Table Insert. Lowerthe motor so your Bit is approximately 1"above the Guide Pin.

Use the base of the combination square (SeeFig. 9) to check Bit-to-Guide-Pin alignmentat three points 90 degrees apart. If the Bitand Guide Pin are not in perfect alignment,front-to-back and/or left-to-right Worktableadjustments will be required.

Front-to-back adjustments are made by loos-ening the MARK V Table Height Lock Knoband using the MARK V’s Table Height ad-justment handles or knobs.

Left-to-right adjustments are made onMARK V Models 505, 510 and 520 machinesby loosening the two 1/4"-20 flathead ma-chine screws that hold the Overarm Router

CAUTION

Before disengaging the Clutch andHandle assembly, always adjust the DepthStop Rod so it makes contact with the topof the Arm or hold the Dovetail Slide sothe Router Motor doesn’t drop and dam-age your workpiece or the Worktable.

ADJUSTING THE BRASS GIBThe tightness of the Brass Gib should be ad-justed so the Router Motor won’t slip anddrop abruptly when the Depth ControlHandle is unscrewed prior to re-setting yourdepth-of-cut.

If it does slip, the Brass Gib is set too looseagainst the side surface of the Dovetail Slide.To adjust the Gib, use a 1/8" Allen wrenchto tighten the four setscrews (26) uniformlyin small increments until the proper Gibpressure is achieved (see Figure 8). When ad-justed properly, the Depth Control Handleshould move the motor freely without any“slop” between the arm and the dovetailslide.

Figure 8. If required, use a 1/8" Allen wrenchto achieve proper Gib pressure.

Figure 9. Use the handle portion of acombination square as a gauge for

checking the bit-to-guide-pin alignmentat three points, 90° apart.


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Table to the MARK V Worktable . . . then slid-ing the table left or right and tightening thescrews once proper alignment is achieved.

On Model 500 MARK V’s, these adjustmentsare made by loosening the two roundheadmachine screws in the elongated slots to theleft and right of the Router Table Insert cut-out.

OVERARM PINROUTING OPERATIONS

SAFETY FIRST

WARNING

To protect yourself from injury, read,understand, and follow all the instruc-tions in the safety section before youoperate the routing system.

USING YOUR SHOPSMITHOVERARM PIN ROUTERThe information in this section of yourmanual will provide the basic understand-ing you’ll need to perform overarm routingoperations. To get the “feel” of your Over-arm Pin Router, it’s best to practice doingsimple work before you tackle more difficultoperations.

There are two ways to use this versatile tool:

1. As a duplication tool . . . for makingmultiples with fixtures or other guidingdevices

2. As an overhead routing tool . . . for per-forming common routing operationssuch as decorative edging, dadoing,grooving, mortising and creating othertypes of specialized joinery.

Before we look at each of the different typesof operations in-depth, let’s review some ba-sic Overarm Routing guidelines that applyto both approaches.

GENERAL GUIDELINESFOR BOTH TYPES OFOVERARM ROUTING 1. Installing the Router Bit . . . Always in-

sert the router bit all the way into therouter motor’s collet . . . then retract itabout 1/16" to 1/8" to avoid locking therouter collet on the transition betweenthe shank and the cutter of the routerbit.

WARNING

Always make sure the router bit is se-cured properly in the collet. Loose bitscan easily work free and cause seriousinjury.

2. Mounting your accessories . . . Depend-ing on the type of routing you’re doing,mount the pin insert, appropriate starterand/or guide pins, fixture, fences, and/or other safety devices to help youmaintain control of your workpiecesduring operation and avoid personalinjury.

WARNING

• Always use a starter pin, guide pin,fixture, fence, shop-made feather-board(s), push stick, push block orother safety device to controlworkpieces. Never freehand routstock less than 12" x 12" or equiva-


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lent size. Small workpieces can bevery difficult to control during op-erations without appropriate holdingand guiding devices.

• For overarm routing operations, theTable Insert must always be posi-tioned with the threaded brass starterpin hole to the left of the threadedGuide Pin hole or center hole(depending on which Insert you’reusing.

3. Setting your final depth-of-cut . . . Withthe Depth Control Handle unscrewedabout one-half turn, lower the routermotor by rotating the Depth ControlHandle counter-clockwise. Positionyour workpiece next to the bit and de-termine your final depth-off-cut. Tightenthe Depth Control Handle to lock themotor in position, then screw the DepthStop Rod downward until it contacts theOverarm casting. Tighten the wing nutto lock the Rod in position

WARNING

• Avoid taking deep cuts. Your depth-of-cut should typically be limited tono more than 1/4" for each pass whenusing bits up to 1/2" diameter inhardwoods.

• For single-pass dovetail bits, alwayscut a groove first, then cut the dove-tail profile in the groove.

• Limit your depth-of-cut to 3/8" foreach pass when using bits up to 1/2"diameter in soft woods.

• When using bits over 1/2" in diam-eter, limit your depth-of-cut to half

the recommended depths for bits lessthan 1/2" diameter.

4. Adjusting the Guard . . . Lower theGuard so it clears the workpiece by1/4", then tighten its wing nut securely.

WARNING

• Never rout without the Guard inplace

• Always position the Guard about1/4" to not more than 1/2" above theworkpiece surface.

5. Making your cut . . . Loosen the DepthControl Handle, raise the motor and re-tighten the Handle. Set the workpiecein position on the Worktable.Turn on the motor, loosen the DepthControl Handle and pull it forward tolower the router bit slowly into yourworkpiece until the approximate depthfor the first pass is reached.Tighten the depth control handle, thenmake your cut . . . ALWAYS movingthe workpiece counter-clockwise,AGAINST the rotation of the RouterBit.

WARNING

ALWAYS move your workpieceAGAINST the direction of the rotat-ing router bit and NEVER WITH therotation of the bit. Moving WITH therotation of the bit is referred to as a“climb-cut”, which could cause the bitto grab the workpiece, resulting in per-sonal injury.


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Re-position the depth control handle foreach additional pass until the finaldepth-of-cut is attained. Once you’vecompleted your final pass, loosen theDepth Control Handle, raise the motor,retighten the Handle and turn off themotor. Only when the motor hasstopped completely should you re-move and inspect your workpiece.

NOTE

The quality of your cut will depend onthree factors: (1) The depth-of-cut, (2) Yourfeed rate and (3) The condition of yourRouter Bit. Shallow cuts, a slow feed rateand a sharp Bit will always produce thebest quality cut.

AN IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUTROUTER MOTOR SPEEDSRouter motors operate at the highest speedsof any woodworking tools. For this reason,unsightly burn marks can often appearwhere the Bit meets the wood. This is espe-cially true with hard woods such as maple,cherry, oak, etc. which are best worked atslower speeds.

Here are three valuable tips for avoidingburn marks:

1. Always use sharp, clean bits. 2. Never attempt to make deep cuts in a

single pass. Taking multiple light passeswill always produce better results. Forbest results, make the depth-of-cut onyour final pass 1/16" or less.

3. Always work in a continuous motionwithout dwelling and don’t forget toraise the rotating bit from the workpiecebefore turning the motor off.

4. If your Router is a single speed model,consider purchasing a plug-in after-

market electronic router speed controldevice. Such devices are fairly inexpen-sive and allow you to slow your Routermotor down to the correct speed formaking smooth, burn-free cuts on eventhe hardest of woods.

ROUTER DUPLICATIONUSING SHOP-MADEFIXTURESIf you’re planning to make a large quantityof the same product, the fixture duplicatingmethod is best for speed and accuracy – andmaking your own fixtures to cut out andshape these products is easier than youmight think.

Fixtures are usually made from plastic lami-nate-covered materials such as countertopcut-outs for sinks. That’s because these ma-terials will hold up under continuous usemuch better than ordinary wood. Sink cut-outs are readily available at plumbing sup-ply houses, from contractors, at cabinetshops, or even at many home centers orhardware stores...and are usually very inex-pensive.

TYPES OF FIXTURESThere are three basic types of fixtures for pinrouting:

1. Screw-down fixtures . . . are the easiestfixtures to make, but require more timeto attach and remove your workpiecesthan clamp-in or profile fixtures Withthis type of fixture, screws (or nails) areused to hold your workpiece to the fix-ture.

When building a screw-down fixture, besure to position the screw holes so yourrouter bit will not cut into the screwsonce the workpiece is attached. The ex-


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ample fixture shown in Figure 10 willproduce two different sized oval pictureframes, one oval plaque and a rectan-gular picture frame with an ovalopening . . . all from a single workpiece.

CAUTION

Be sure to use screws to hold every pieceof stock that will be separated when youmake your through-cuts. If you fail to dothis, once these cuts are made, scrapstock could be caught by your rotatingrouter bit, causing a dangerous kick-back.This does not apply to the outside scrappiece that may be removed after youmake your first cut.

NOTE

When using screw-down fixtures for mass-production, it’s a good idea to use youroriginal fixture to make several more of thesame design. This way, you won’t be con-tinually removing and replacing work-pieces to make different types of cuts withdifferent profile bits.

2. Clamp-in fixtures . . . are best used whenthe outside profile of the product you’rebuilding is already cut, since any cut-ting on outside edges will damage theclamping device (See Fig. 11).In our example, we’ve used a clamp-infixture to cut out a coach lantern thatjust happens to have straight, squareoutside edges. This fixture features at-tached sides that form a perimeteraround your workpiece (protrudingabove the surface of the fixture, notquite as high as your workpieces willbe thick) . . . and uses a straight, woodenclamping bar on the left side that’sclamped down with thumbscrewsthreaded through ordinary drive-in T-nuts.

As an alternative to this side clampingmethod, the clamp could just as easilywork from the top of the fixture, as longas your clamping device won’t interferewith your cuts.

3. Profile fixtures . . . are used for shapingedges only, such as candle sconces or thetops of picket fences (See Fig 12). Thistype of fixture features protruding screwor nail tips which help hold theworkpiece in position in the fixture and

Figure 10. A typical screw-down fixture(lower left) — and the projects made with it.

Figure 11. A typical clamp-in fixture andthe project made with it.


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keep it from sliding around while youmake your cuts. To seat the stock in aprofile fixture, just position it properlyand tap it gently with the heel of yourhand or a non-metallic mallet to seat thescrew or nail tips.

AN OVERVIEW OF PIN ROUTINGWITH FIXTURESThe basic principle of all Pin Routing fixturesis the same, no matter which style of fixtureyou decide to use, with one difference:

• With screw-down and clamp-in style fix-tures, a template is first cut and guidedagainst the Table Pin, while the router bittransfers the design to the laminate sideof the fixture. This process creates the fix-ture grooves that will guide the Router Bitas it cuts your duplicates.

• With profile style fixtures, the cut-outtemplate IS the fixture.

The basic, four-step Pin-Routingprocess, in a nutshell: 1. Make a template in the shape of your

desired finished piece. 2. Use the template to cut the grooves in

the laminate side of your fixture 3. Attach a workpiece blank to the oppo-

site side of the fixture

4. Trace the grooves you cut in step twoover the Table Pin, transferring your de-sign to the workpiece

Now, let’s review the specific procedures formaking the various types of fixtures and us-ing them to duplicate your projects.

HOW TO MAKE SCREW-DOWNAND CLAMP-IN FIXTURESThe fixture-making process is really quitesimple. Here’s the step-by-step process:

1. Make a Template – Start by tracing afull-size pattern for your project onto apiece of 1/2" thick solid (without voids)plywood or MDF.

Why 1/2" thick? Because the screw-inPins that you’ll be routing against (andover) are 3/8" high and the templatemust be thicker than the height of thepin to allow for free movement.

Cut out your shape carefully with aBandsaw and/or Scroll Saw. Keep out-side of your cutting lines at all times.Always leave a small amount of mate-rial that you can sand down to its exactshape when you’ve finished with adrum sander or your choice of sandingdevice.

Alternative MethodAs an alternative to making a templatefrom scratch, you can also use an exist-ing item as your fixture-making tem-plate. In our Figure 13 example, we’vescrewed an existing awards plaque toour fixture blank.

With the item attached to the particle-board side of your fixture blank, traceit against the table pin to form thegrooves in the laminate side of your fix-ture (See Fig. 14).

Figure 12. A typical profile fixture andthe picket fence top made with it.


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2. Cut out your fixture blank – As men-tioned, fixtures should be made of alaminate-covered material, such as 3/4"thick sink cut-outs. Be sure to makeyour fixture blank about 4" longer and4" wider than your finished project, soyou have room to grip your fixture andstill keep your hands well out of harm’sway.

3. Mount your template to the fixtureblank – Mount it to the non-laminate-covered side of your fixture blank. Cen-ter the template in the fixture and usescrews or nails to hold the templatefirmly in position. Be sure to put screwsor nails through each segment of thetemplate and don’t forget to counter-sink all screw or nail heads to keepthem from marring your Router Tablesurface.

If there are to be multiple grooves inyour fixture (such as those in Figure 10),be sure to leave adequate space betweenthe template segments for your GuidePin to ride in while you make yourfixture.

Figure 13. Using an existing item(in this case a plaque) as a template

for making your fixture

Figure 14. Guide the edge of your existingitem against the pin to cut a matching

groove in the laminate side of your fixture.

WHY MAKE A GROOVED FIXTURE?The question is often asked...

”Why should I cut grooves in a fixture instead of just screwing a template to one side ofthe fixture, the workpiece to the other, and guiding my template against the Table Pin,as I would when making the fixture?”

The answer is simple. When guiding your fixture against a Table Pin, you must con-stantly maintain a steady pressure against the Pin at all times. A momentary lapse inconcentration can easily result in a cut going outside your desired shape. As a result,against-the-pin routing is always a slower, more risky process than dropping the fixtureover the Table Pin.

When routing over a Table Pin, the Pin is captive in its groove and cannot go outsideyour desired shape unless the fixture is raised off the table surface, releasing the Pin fromits groove. Over-the-Pin routing allows you to move more rapidly through the cut, withlittle fear of slip-ups that could ruin your workpieces.


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For most applications, we recommendusing a 3/8" diameter Guide Pin.

IMPORTANT: The distances betweenyour template segments must remainexact, all the way around its perimeter.Any variations here and your fixturewill not function properly.

4. Set up your Overarm Router for fix-ture-making – For most projects, we rec-ommend using a 3/8" Guide Pin and amatching 3/8" carbide-tipped straightrouter bit. Align the Pin and bit exactlywith one another as shown in Figure 8.Adjust the Overarm Router’s DepthStop Rod to make a cut 7/16" deep(remember . . . the Guide Pins are 3/8"high). Lower your see-through Guard toabout 1/2" above the fixture surface. At-tach your dust collection hose to theport.

5. Cut the outside groove first – With therouter motor turned off, position yourfixture blank on the Overarm Router’sTable...laminate side up and templateside down. Move the outside edge ofyour template forward until it rests sol-idly against the Guide Pin.

Turn on your router (and dust collec-tor) and slowly lower the rotating bitinto the top of your fixture. Lock theDepth Control Handle into position andmake an initial cut about 1/8" deep. Ro-tate your workpiece slowly and cau-tiously in a counter-clockwise direction(Against the rotation of the bit) – beingcareful to maintain a steady, even pres-sure against the Table Pin at all times– until you’ve completed the first 1/8"deep pass.

Repeat the process above two moretimes, until you’ve created a guidegroove in the laminate side of your fix-ture that’s 7/16" deep.

6. Cut all remaining guide grooves – Fol-low the same procedures outlined instep #5 above. Remove the templatepieces from the particleboard side of thefixture.

7. SCREW-DOWN FIXTURES – Drillyour mounting screw pilot holesthrough the laminate side of your fix-ture, being sure to countersink yourscrew heads well below the surface.

CLAMP-IN FIXTURES – Attach sidesaround the perimeter of your fixture(protruding above the surface of the fix-ture, but not quite as high as yourworkpieces will be thick). For durabil-ity, use oak, maple or similar hardwoods for the sides and clamping bar.Before attaching the side you select tocontain your clamp-down thumbscrews,insert ordinary drive-in, threaded T-Nuts from the INSIDE of your framepiece. Cut a straight, wooden clampingbar to fit inside the perimeter. Once as-sembled, tightening the thumbscrewswill press the clamping bar against theblank workpiece, holding it in positionwhile you cut out your shape. See Fig-ure 15.

Figure 15. Construction of a typicalclamp-in fixture


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8. Save your fixture-making templates –Set your templates aside in the eventyou need to make more fixtures or re-place one that has been damaged.

HOW TO MAKEPROFILE FIXTURESProfile fixtures are used for shaping the out-side edges of workpieces only. In our picketfence example (See Fig. 12), the protrudingscrew or nail tips and sides hold theworkpiece in position during operations.

Here’s the simple, three-step process:

1. Cut the profile shape – In our example,we selected a piece of 3/4" thick, lami-nate-covered sink cut-out for our fixturebase that was the same, exact width asour fence pickets. Make it a minimumof 18" long, if possible to provide ad-equate support for the workpiece. Weused a bandsaw to cut out the profiledshape on one end of our fixture . . . thensanded the edges smooth with a drumsander.

2. Attach fixture sides, if practical – Sinceour fence pickets will have straightsides, we were then able to attach 8"long side pieces to the fixture, being sureto keep them away from the shaped areaso they won’t interfere with the routerbit while we’re making our cuts. Makethe sides out of an appropriate hard-wood such as oak, maple, hickory orash.

3. Install holding points – Use 8-pennynails or 1" long drywall screws withsharp points...driven up through thebottom of the fixture, so they protrudeno more than about 1/4" above the sur-face. We prefer screws because theywon’t drive back out when you tap theworkpiece down onto the fixture.

If you’re able to include sides on yourfixture to help hold your workpiece, youshould only need two or three holdingpoints. If your workpiece is odd-shapedand sides are not an option, you mayneed more holding points. Be surescrew or nail heads are countersunkbelow the surface of the fixturebottom.

NOTE

If you’re planning to make a large quantityof any project, it’s often a good idea to makeseveral identical fixtures. This is especiallytrue if you’ll be using different shaped routerbits to cut out your shape, form decorativeedges and cut sliding dovetails, grooves, da-does or rabbets using different bits.

This way, you can have several componentsmounted in their fixtures and make a num-ber of cuts with the same profile bit, in-stead of frequently changing from bit-to-bit.

HOW TO USE PINROUTING FIXTURESRouting over a pin with ascrew-down fixtureAs we’ve explained, with a screw-down fix-ture (See Fig 16), your workpiece is securedto the non-grooved (particleboard) side ofthe fixture with screws. The fixture is thenflipped over and the grooves (in the shapeof your intended finished piece) in the lami-nate side of the fixture are traced over theGuide Pin.

This process transfers your design exactly tothe workpiece you’ve mounted to the oppo-site (or particleboard) side of the fixture.


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Screw-down fixtures are the easiest type offixture to use and generally take less time tomake than clamp-in fixtures. As shown inour example, they can be used to duplicatesuch things as award or tole paintingplaques, round or oval picture frames andsimilar items.

If you’re making a large quantity of dupli-cate products, assembly and disassemblytime can be reduced by using needlepointutility screws to eliminate starter holes, anda power screwdriver or variable speed re-versible hand drill with a screwdriver bit todrive them into position.

This approach may not work and pilot holescould be required if the screws are near theedges of your workpieces. And remember . . .making several identical fixtures also willspeed up large quantity production time.

NOTE

In our plaque example, by adding an addi-tional groove to the fixture (see brokenlines in Figure 17) and making the overallsize of the fixture larger, you can actuallyform three projects from a single piece ofstock .

(1) A square picture frame with a plaque-shaped opening.

(2) A plaque-shaped picture frame with aplaque-shaped opening.

(3) A smaller plaque for tole painting ordecoupage.

Step 1: Screw the appropriate sized guidepin into the center hole of the Router TableInsert and align it with the same sized routerbit, as explained previously.

Step 2: Drop the fixture groove over theTable Pin, turn on your router motor, andset your final depth-of-cut so the bit justbarely breaks through the surface of the par-ticleboard side of your fixture. Turn off yourrouter motor.

Step 3: Attach your workpiece to the fixture

Step 4: Drop the fixture groove over theTable Pin, turn on your router motor, plungeyour rotating bit into the workpiece about1/4" and start moving your fixture (withworkpiece attached) in a counter-clockwisemotion until you’ve completed your initialcut in the first groove.

Step 5: Repeat the process for each groovein your fixture.

Figure 16. Routing with a screw-downfixture.

Figure 17. Getting multiple projects froma single workpiece.


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Step 6: Remove your completed projectfrom the fixture, attach a new workpieceblank and repeat steps 4, 5 and 6.

NOTE

• Apply a coating of furniture PASTE waxto the Guide Pin, the bottom of your fix-ture and the insides of the grooves toease the movement of the fixture throughyour cuts. Be sure to buff out the wax andnot leave blobs in the grooves that couldmix with sawdust and inhibit proper fix-ture movement.

• When guiding the fixture over the pin,always move in a counter-clockwise di-rection, against the rotation of the bit andmaintain a steady force against the samegroove wall (push in against the innerwall — or pull out against the outer wall)throughout your cut. Don’t let the fixtureshift from wall-to-wall against the GuidePin.

Routing over a pin witha clamp-in fixtureWith a clamp-in fixture (See Fig 18), yourworkpiece is secured to the non-grooved(particleboard) side of the fixture by a mov-able clamp bar. The fixture is then flippedover and the grooves (in the shape of yourintended finished piece) in the laminate sideof the fixture are traced over the Guide Pin.

As with a screw-in fixture, this process trans-fers your design exactly to the workpieceyou’ve mounted to the opposite (or particle-board) side of the fixture.

Clamp-in fixtures take longer to make thanscrew-down fixtures and function much likescrew-down fixtures, except that theworkpiece is clamped into rather thanscrewed to, the fixture. As a result, they of-fer the advantages of greatly reduced

workpiece insertion and removal times andnot damaging any surface of the workpiece.

Clamp-in fixtures are best for projects whereonly internal cuts are made and two oppos-ing sides of the workpiece can be left uncutand used to clamp against. (The clamp andfixture could be designed to follow a profileof a workpiece.)


Step 2: Drop the fixture groove over theTable Pin, turn on your router motor, andset your final depth-of-cut so the bit justbarely breaks through the surface of the par-ticleboard side of your fixture. Turn off yourrouter motor.

Step 3: Clamp your workpiece firmly to thefixture.

Figure 18. A typical clamp-in fixture.


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Step 4: Drop the fixture groove over theTable Pin, turn on your router motor, plungeyour rotating bit into the workpiece about1/4" and start moving your fixture (withworkpiece attached) in a counter-clockwisemotion until you’ve completed your initialcut in the first groove (See Fig. 19).

Step 5: Repeat the process for each groovein your fixture.

Step 6: Remove your completed projectfrom the fixture, clamp a new workpieceblank into position and repeat steps 4, 5and 6.

Routing against a pin usinga profile fixtureOur example profile fixture shown in Fig-ure 20 is used to cut the shaped tops of fencepickets. Similar fixtures could be used for thetops of wall sconces, shaped fence or porchrail balusters and similar projects. You caneven make double-ended fixtures, with a dif-ferent design on each end.

Blank workpieces can be inserted and re-moved from profile fixtures very rapidly andthey’re usually much easier to make thatscrew-in or clamp-in fixtures because theyrequire no template (they are the template)and have no grooves.

However, this lack of guiding grooves meansthat you must be certain to maintain a con-stant, steady pressure against the edge of thefixture throughout the routing process. Amomentary loss of concentration could ruinyour project and result in personal injury.

Here’s the 4-step process for using a profilefixture:


Step 2: Position the workpiece on top of thefixture with its tip either flush with or pro-truding 1/8" beyond the end of the fixtureso the router Guide Pin will engage the fix-ture before the router bit begins cutting theworkpiece. Tap the workpiece firmly with amallet or the heel of your hand to “seat” itproperly in the fixture.

Step 3: Cut one side of your profile. Onceagain, it’s important that you be careful tomaintain a constant, steady pressure againstthe Guide Pin throughout the cut.

Step 4: Rotate the fixture and cut the oppo-site side of your profile. Remove theworkpiece and repeat the process with allsubsequent workpieces.

Figure 19. Routing with a clamp-in fixture.

Figure 20. Construction of a typicalprofile fixture.


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Cutting decorative internal and externaledges using a fixtureFigure 21 shows a finished plaque, still at-tached to its fixture. Only the top surface ofthe edge was cut.

Step 1. Set your router bit to produce thedesired depth-of-cut. To do this, use yourfixture to cut out a practice sample of yourfinished product. Be sure it’s the same thick-ness as the finished piece you plan to make.Use this practice sample to make a few cutsuntil you achieve your desired profile.

NOTE

When using a fixture to guide yourworkpiece through decorative edging cuts,you can alter the profiles produced bychanging to a Guide Pin that’s smaller thanyour groove and/or changing the side of thefixture groove you guide against.

During operation, it’s important that you al-ways guide your fixture against the sameside of the groove throughout your cut. Ifyou’re using the outside edge of the groove,you must pull against the Guide Pin as youmake your cut. If you’re using the insideedge of the groove, you must push againstthe Guide Pin as you make you cut.Remember . . . changing groove sides in mid-cut will alter the profile of the cut and ruinyour edge.

Step 2. Cut the edge. The routing methodused is similar to routing against a pin. Re-member to always move the fixture againstthe rotation of the bit, and keep the samewall of the groove against the Guide Pin atall times. Usually, only two passes are re-quired to achieve the final depth-of-cut. It’sOK to make about 75 percent of the cut onthe first pass, and the balance on the second.

Cutting decorative surfacefeatures using a fixtureAn unlimited variety of attractive surfacedecorations can be created by guiding an ex-isting (or additional) groove in your fixtureover a Guide Pin, such as our Figure 22 ex-ample of cutting a V-groove in the surfaceof an oval picture frame.

Since the entire bit is in contact with theworkpiece while making surfacing cuts, youmust always use a Guide Pin that’s the samesize as the groove in your fixture for safetyreasons. As a result, the profile of your cutis controlled entirely by altering the depth-of-cut of the bit. Decorative surfacing cutscannot be made with a piloted router bitunless a straight bit is used first to form agroove that the pilot can ride in.

Figure 21. A plaque with externaldecorative edging completed. We useda 1/2", non-piloted core box bit to form

our example edge.

Figure 22. Using a V-groove bit to cuta decorative surface feature in an

oval picture frame.


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CONVENTIONALROUTING OPERATIONSWITH THE OVERARMROUTERThe Shopsmith Overarm Pin Router is alsowell suited for more ordinary routingoperations . . . functioning in a very similarfashion to more conventional under-tablerouter set-ups. There are a few differences:

• With the Overarm Router, your rotatingbit is almost always in plain view, provid-ing an added measure of accuracy.

• Changing your depth-of cut (and seeingyour change as you make it) is a muchsimpler matter with an Overarm Router.For maximum efficiency, under-table rout-ing requires a special router lifting device.Such devices often expensive, adding acouple of hundred dollars to the cost of arouter table.

• The improved visibility of your work-in-process also makes forming stopped cuts(such as travel slots, grooves, dadoes andmortises) much easier and safer with anOverarm Router.

ROUTING AGAINST A TABLE PINAgainst-the-Guide-Pin routing is usuallyperformed with a non-piloted router bit – ona workpiece with irregular or rounded edgesthat cannot be guided by the Fences. That’sbecause the job of the pilots (solid or bear-ing-types) on piloted Bits are to control yourlateral depth-of-cut . . . and the profile they’remaking.

Since non-piloted Bits have no pilots to con-trol their lateral depths-of-cut, you must relyon Guide Pins to control this for you. Sometypical against-the-Pin operations includecreating special rabbet cuts (usually withstraight bits or slot cutters) and making deco-

rative cuts with non-piloted profile Bits.Here’s the step-by-step process.

1. Set up your Overarm Router, followingthe “General guidelines for overarmrouting” on page 18 in the front sectionof this Manual.

2. Once you get started, always set yourdepth-of-cut to make your first passvery shallow. Doing so will give you farbetter control over the accuracy of yourcut, since the rotating bit is much lesslikely to grab or pull your workpiece offyour planned profile when your cuts areshallow.

NOTE

In some cases, your lateral depth-of-cutmust also be adjusted to produce the pro-file you desire. With straight-edged work-pieces, this can be accomplished by slid-ing your guiding Fence in or out. With ir-regular-shaped edges, just change the sizeof the Guide Pin you’re using.

3. Screw the appropriate sized Guide Pininto the threaded hole in the center ofthe Pin Routing Table Insert and tightenit securely.

4. Position the Table Insert as shown inFigure 23 and screw the 1/4" Starter Pininto the threaded hole just to the left ofthe center hole in the Plate. Tighten se-curely. When installing the Table In-sert, the Starter Pin must always be po-sitioned in the Insert so it is to the leftof the Guide Pin.

5. Prepare to make your cut. Lower theRouter into the position and lock it se-curely. Turn on your Router motor. Rest-ing the edge of your workpiece againstthe Starter Pin, ease it gradually into therotating bit to start your cut. Continue


31

moving your workpiece into the bit un-til the edge of your stock also makescontact with the Guide Pin.

Once contact is made with the GuidePin, move the workpiece around andaway from the Starter Pin, maintainingcontact with the Guide Pin at all timesuntil you’ve completed your cut.

Re-position the Depth Control Handlefor each subsequent pass until your de-sired final depth-of-cut is reached. Onceyou’ve completed the final pass, loosenthe Depth Control Handle, raise theRouter, re-tighten the Handle and turnoff the Motor. Only when the Motor hasstopped completely should you removeand inspect the workpiece.

USING PILOTED BITS FORDECORATIVE EDGINGCutting decorative edges on workpieces withpiloted bits is a common operation for ahand-held router. With this operation, the Bitpilot controls your lateral depth-of-cut, whilethe vertical depth-of-cut is controlled by theplunge mechanism of your hand-held router(in the case of plunge-style routers), or bychanging the height relationship between therouter motor and its base through someother method.

With the Overarm Router, the process is al-most identical . . . with two differences:

• First and foremost, with the OverarmRouter, your hands are used to grip theworkpiece instead of the router motor.This provides improved visibility of thecut and allows you to rout the edges ofworkpieces that may be too small oroddly-shaped to grip properly withclamping devices.

WARNING

NEVER attempt to work with a smallpiece of stock less than 12" x 12" or thatputs your hands closer than 3" fromthe guard.

• And secondly, with the Overarm Router,your stock is supported by the Worktable,while your vertical depth-of-cut is con-trolled with micro-precision by the up-down action of the Arm.

Piloted router Bits come in two styles: 1) Bitswith solid steel pilots . . . or . . . 2) Bits with aball bearing pilot.

When making cuts with a piloted Bit, yourup-down depth-of-cut — and the numberof cuts you’ll have to make to form thecomplete profile — can vary, based on twofactors:

• The amount of stock that must be re-moved to produce the profile you want.If you’re forming an edge on thick stock,you may not be able to cut a full profileall at once without workpiece burning ortear-out. In these cases, you’ll have tomake more than one pass . . . l owering theArm with each subsequent pass until theprofile you desire is achieved.

Figure 23. Use the Pin Routing Table Insertwhen routing against a pin.

STARTERPIN

GUIDEPIN


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• The hardness of the stock you’re cutting.If you’re working with hard maple, oak,ash, cherry, hickory or other tough stock,it may be necessary to make two or threepasses to produce your full profile with-out burning or tear-out.

Performing these operations is basically thesame, whether you’re cutting an externaledge or an internal edge.

External edges 1. Set up your Overarm Router, following

the “General guidelines for overarmrouting” on page 18 in the front sectionof this Manual and install the Bit of yourchoice.

2. With your router motor turned off,move the workpiece next to the Bit andadjust your up-down depth-of-cut

NOTE

In some cases, your lateral depth-of-cutmust also be adjusted to produce the pro-file you desire. In the case of a bearing-pi-loted Bit, this is accomplished by chang-ing the size of the bearing. Most Bit manu-facturers offer a variety of bearing pilotswith the same I.D. (internal diameter) anddiffering O.D.’s (outside diameters). Witha solid-piloted Bit, the lateral depth-of-cutcannot be altered.

3. Screw the 1/4" diameter Starter Pin intothe threaded Starter Pin hole in the PinRouting Table Insert and tighten it se-curely.

4. Move the workpiece away from the Bitarea, turn on the motor and lock every-thing in position to make your first pass.Resting the external edge of yourworkpiece against the Starter Pin, easeit gradually into the rotating Bit to start

your cut. When the Bit pilot contacts theworkpiece edge, gradually rotate theworkpiece off the Starter Pin and con-tinue to move the workpiece against therotation of the bit, pushing steadilyagainst the Bit Pilot, which now servesas your guide. (See Figure 24). If a sec-ond pass is required, repeat the proce-dure until the desired profile isachieved.

Internal edgesTo decorate the internal edges of projects, fol-low steps one through three, as outlinedabove . . . then move to step four below.

4. Move the workpiece away from the Bitarea, turn on the motor and lock every-thing in position to make your first pass.Resting the internal edge of yourworkpiece against the Starter Pin, pullit against the Pin. Maintain a steadypulling force against the starter pin un-til the Bit pilot contacts the workpieceedge, then move it gradually off theStarter Pin and against the rotation ofthe Bit, as its pilot takes over as yourguide. If additional passes are required,repeat this procedure until the desiredprofile is achieved.

Figure 24. Cutting a decorative externaledge on an oval picture frame using a

solid pilot router bit.


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USING NON-PILOTED BITSFOR DECORATIVE EDGINGThis method is basically the same as fordecorative external or internal edging witha piloted Bit. However, since these Bits haveno pilot to control your lateral depth-of-cut,you’ll have to rely on a Guide Pin (of asmaller diameter than your router Bit) tocontrol this for you.

One half the difference between the GuidePin diameter and the outside diameter ofyour router Bit will be your lateral depth-of-cut.

If using a smaller Guide Pin fails to producethe desired results on a piece of scrap stock,set the machine up so the Guide Pin and theBit are offset about the same distance as thelateral depth-of-cut you want.

Re-position the edge of the workpieceagainst the Guide Pin, turn on your routermotor and gradually move the workpiecefrom the Guide Pin into the Bit, taking a verylight pass as first.

NOTE

Since the bit and Guide Pin are not in per-fect alignment during this operation, it’simportant that you always keep theworkpiece in the same plane throughoutthe cut. If you begin by feeding the stockinto the Bit from a position in front of theGuide Pin and end by feeding the stockinto the bit from a position to the left orright of the Guide Pin, you will changeyour lateral depth-of-cut and not achieve asmooth, consistent profile. It’s a good ideato make some practice cuts before attempt-ing this operation on an actual project piece

When forming decorative edges on straightworkpieces with a non-piloted Bit, use yourOverarm Router Fence to control your lat-eral depth-of-cut. If you’re working with

round workpieces, build a special V-shapedFence like the one shown in Figure 25below.

MAKING RABBET CUTSRabbets are edge or step cuts for such thingsas the inside back edges of picture frames(See Fig. 26).

This method is basically the same as cuttingdecorative internal edges using a pilotbit . . . except . . . a large diameter straight Bitand a Guide Pin are used.

The following equation will help you deter-mine the size Bit and Guide Pin to use forproducing a rabbet of a specific size.

Figure 25. A shop-made, woodenV-shaped Fence like the one shown here

is used for edging round workpieceswith non-piloted router Bits.

Figure 26. Cutting a rabbet in the back sideof a round picture frame.


34

Bit dia. minus Guide Pin dia. 2

For example: A 3/4" diameter straight bit mi-nus a 1/4" diameter Guide Pin equals 1/2".1/2" divided by 2 equals a 1/4 wide rabbet.

STRAIGHT-LINE ROUTINGTo perform straight-line routing, you willneed to use the two-piece aluminum Over-arm Router Fence that came with your ma-chine.

This fence can be used for decorative edg-ing of projects as well as for jointing theedges of workpieces for assembly, makinggrooves, dadoes, rabbets, stop cuts and otherjoints in straight workpieces.

The position of the fence is determined byits intended use. If your operation calls forremoving the entire edge of a workpiece, itis important that the outfeed side of theFence be moved forward to provide ad-equate support for the stock after its edgehas been removed (See Fig. 27).

If you’re not going to be removing the en-tire edge of the workpiece, attach a one-pieceshop-made face to the two-piece face; or ad-just both sides of your two-piece Fence sothat they are exactly in-line, with no offset.

NOTE

Your Overarm Router Table contains eight#10-24 threaded holes in its surface to ac-commodate the included Router Fence. Italso includes four #10-24 x 1" plastic Knobs,four plastic Spacer/Bushings and four #10Washers for attaching the Fence to theTable.

CAUTION

If you’re using a Bit with a pilot, the pilotmust be behind the plane of the Fence’scontact surface in order to prevent inter-ference with the leading edge of theworkpiece.

Follow all “General guidelines for overarmrouting” on page 18 in the front section ofthis Manual for installing and aligning yourrouter Bit and Guard.

Turn on your router the motor and feed theworkpiece from left to right, maintainingpressure against the Fence and Bit through-out the cut.

= rabbet width

Figure 27. When removing the entire edgeof a workpiece, the two halves of the

Fence must be offset (A). When removingonly a portion of the edge, the two halves

of the Fence must be perfectly alignedwith one another (B).


35

WARNING

Depending on the size of yourworkpiece, you may have to use a pushstick (see Fig. 28), push block (see Fig.29) or Feather Board(s) (see Fig. 30) inorder to keep you hands at a safe dis-tance when feeding the workpieceagainst the Fence and Bit.

NOTE

For some operations, you may need to use afeatherboard to hold your workpiece downto provide additional accuracy and safety. Todo this, you will need to build a verticalFence extension with a 3/4" wide groove toaccommodate the Shopsmith Featherboard(see Figure 30).

Figure 28. Straight-line routing usinga push stick.

Figure 29. Cross-grain routing usinga push block.

Figure 30. Straight-line routing usingfeather boards mounted to wooden

fence boards and push sticks.

ENDVIEWFACE VIEW

LEFT FENCE BOARD

5/32" DIA. x 5/8" DEEP HOLES ONBACK FACE FOR #12 SCREWS ANDWASHERS. ALIGN MOUNTING HOLESWITH FENCE SLOTS.

CUTTING GROOVES AND DADOESGrooves are cuts made with the wood grain,while dado cuts are made across the grain.Both of these straight line cuts must be per-formed using a Fence.

Grooves 1. Set up your Overarm Router, following

the “General guidelines for overarm

routing” on page 18 in the front sectionof this Manual and install the Bit of yourchoice.

2. Install the two-piece Overarm RouterFence, as described in the straight-linerouting section above. For this opera-tion, both halves of the Fence should beinstalled in perfect alignment with oneanother.


36

3. Select and install the appropriatestraight router Bit and set your depth-of-cut. It’s best to make a trial cut in apiece of same-sized scrap stock first, to“prove” the location and depth of yourcut, before cutting your actual work-piece. Adjustments to the position ofyour groove can be made by movingyour MARK V Worktable in and out.Similar adjustments can be made for cre-ating odd-width grooves (or dadoes) bystarting with a Bit that’s narrower thanyour intended groove or dado, then mov-ing the MARK V Worktable in or out towiden your cut.

4. Turn on your router motor and feed theworkpiece from left to right (against therotation of the Bit), maintaining a steadypressure against the fence during the cut(See Fig. 31).

DadoesThe dado-cutting process is identical to theprocess for cutting grooves, except that youwill need to make a wood back-up block tohold the workpiece perpendicular to theFence and guide it through the cut. If yourcut is to be 90° to the edge of your

workpiece, be sure your wooden push blockhas a 90° corner.

Place one of the block’s 90° edges against theFence and the other against yourworkpiece . . . then use the block to push thestock through the cut, as shown in Fig. 32.

NOTE

If you’re planning to cut a dado that is tobe at an angle other that 90°, you’ll need tomake a push block with one corner cut atthe same angle as your intended dado.Then, position one edge of that corneragainst the Fence and the other against yourstock as you guide it through the cut.

WARNING

Always use push sticks, push blocks,and similar safety devices to keep youhands out of harm’s way when mak-ing your cuts.

Figure 32. Cutting a dado acrossthe grain with a wooden pusher. Guide

stock against the Fence.

Figure 31. Cutting a groove with the grainby guiding it against the Overarm

Router Fence.


37

Making stopped cutsusing the FenceA stopped cut is any cut made in aworkpiece that does not go completely fromend-to-end or from side-to-side. Some ex-amples of stopped cuts include mortises,travel slots and similar cuts. If your projectcalls for square-ended cuts, the rounded endsleft by routing will need to be squared witha chisel once you’ve finished.

Start by following steps one through threeoutlined above for cutting grooves and dadoes.

4. Limiting the length of your cut. Markyour workpiece where the stop cut is tostart and end. Clamp a stop block or awooden handscrew clamp onto theFence to limit the length of your cut. Ifyou’re using a stop block, position theblock above the worktable so that thesawdust will not be trapped at the sideof the stop block (See Fig. 33). If the cutis to be in the center of the workpieceand the workpiece is short enough, usea stop block to limit the travel at bothends.

If the piece is longer than the Fence,screw a suitable extension board to theFence . . . then clamp the second stopblock to that extension board. Anotheroption for long workpieces is to clampyour stop block directly to yourworkpiece so that it will limit your cutby engaging the edge of the RouterTable.

5. With the router motor turned off, posi-tion the workpiece so the bit will be atyour starting mark.

6. Turn on the router motor, lower it intoyour stock, lock it firmly in position,then move the workpiece against the ro-tation of the bit and through the cut un-til it contacts the stop block. If your cutis to be deep, multiple passes will be re-quired.

Repairing furniture and veneersAnother handy use for your ShopsmithOverarm Router is the repair of damagedfurniture and veneers. This is accomplishedby routing out the damaged area, making aplug to match and then gluing it into therouted area.

1. Install the two-piece Overarm RouterFence, as you would for any straight-line routing operation, positioning thefaces of both Fences in perfect alignmentwith one another.

2. Select a straight router Bit that’s largerin diameter than your damaged area iswide. If the damaged area is wider thanany of your Bits, plan on making mul-tiple passes.

Figure 33. Making a stopped cut for a mortise.


38

3. Rout out a slot. To repair damage suchas that shown in Figure 34, rout out arounded-end slot that’s longer andwider than the damaged area (See Fig.35). Set your depth-of-cut to be only asdeep as the damaged wood. If you’rerepairing a surface defect on a veneer,cut only to the depth of the veneer.

4. Make the plug. Tape a piece of tracingpaper over the slot and pencil an out-line about 1/16" larger all around thanthe slot to allow for sanding your plugto size. Transfer the outline to a piece ofthe same species of wood. Try to matchthe wood grain as closely as possible.

Cut out your plug with your Scroll Sawor Bandsaw. If your slot has to go allthe way through your wood (as in the

case of our thin panel cabinet door), youcan turn the damaged piece over anduse a pencil to trace around the outlinedirectly onto your workpiece . . . ratherthan using the tracing paper approach.As with the tracing approach, youshould cut your plug about 1/16" largerthan your routed slot.

5: Sand the plug to size. Use a DiscSander to sand around the edges of theplug with your MARK V Worktabletilted to about a 2° angle so it will betapered slightly and smaller at the bot-tom than it is at the top. Start by sand-ing it to within about 1/64" of your pen-cil line. Be careful! If you sand it toofar, you’ll have to make the plug overagain (See Fig. 36).

Stop frequently and test the plug forsize to see if it fits. Continue sandingthe edges of the plug until it drops intothe opening and its top surface restsflush with the surface of the item you’rerepairing.

6. Install and finish the plug. Glue theplug into position. If necessary, use glueor plastic wood to fill in any voids onthe backside of your restored item leftby the plug’s taper. Use a test stickmethod to stain or finish the plug untilit matches the original item perfectly.

Figure 34. A damaged area on acabinet door.

Figure 35. Rout a slot to remove thedamaged area.

Figure 36. Cut and sand a plug to fit.


39

STRUCTURAL JOINTSThe versatile Shopsmith Overarm Pin Routermakes easy work of forming all the jointsyou need for structural framework- withgreater accuracy and finer precision thanmost other tools. Here are some examplesof the joints that can be formed with theOverarm Router (See Fig. 37).

CARING FOR YOURSHOPSMITH OVERARMPIN ROUTERAs is the case with all Shopsmith tools, yourOverarm Router is designed to deliver yearsof reliable service with a minimum of main-tenance. However, like any other power tool,it performs better and safer if you maintainit properly.

WARNING

Always turn off and unplug yourrouter motor before you begin anymaintenance procedure.

Before you begin any maintenance proce-dure, be sure that the motor is unplugged.Then remove the router Bit and any otheraccessories, Fences or fixtures that aremounted on the Overarm Router.

CLEANINGAs you work, sawdust will accumulate onthe Overarm Router and this residue can af-fect its performance. We suggest that youclean the Overarm Router and motor fre-quently with your shop vacuum. Usebrushes on all surfaces and crevice tool at-tachments to get into the tightest spots.

Figure 37. Structural joints that canbe formed with the Shopsmith Overarm

Pin Router.


40

After vacuuming, clean all major metal partsof the Overarm Router (except the routermotor) with mineral spirits to remove alldirt, grease, and any built-up wood pitch.

Use a clean, slightly damp cloth to wipe allresidue from the Guard and Worktable.Clean your router motor as instructed in therouter owners manual.

WAXINGAfter a through cleaning, wax and buff theOverarm Router’ Worktable surface. Applythe wax sparingly, then buff it thoroughly. Ifyou apply too much wax or don’t buff itthoroughly, the wax will mix with the saw-dust, impede the movement of parts, andleave residue on the stock.

CAUTION

Do not wax or use solvents on plasticparts.

RE-ALIGNING AND RE-ADJUSTINGProper alignment and adjustment of all ma-jor parts of your Overarm Router are essen-tial for good woodworking results. Checkthat:

• The Depth Control Handle works prop-erly

• The Dovetail Slide moves freely withoutbinding

• The router motor holds its position whenthe Depth Control Handle is unscrewed

• The Worktable slides forward or backwardwithout side play and locks securely in po-sition

• The router Bit and Guide Pin (if beingused) are in alignment.

If any part of the Overarm Router requiresalignment or adjustment, follow the proce-dures in the Overarm Router’s assembly,setup & alignment, and adjustment sections.

STORING YOUROVERARM ROUTERIn normal use, regular cleaning, lubricatingand waxing will prevent the ferrous parts ofthe Overarm Router from rusting. However,if the machine is to be stored for an extendedperiod or under unusually humid or corro-sive conditions, spray all ferrous parts in-cluding pins, bits and accessories with a rust-inhibiting light oil. Remove this oil with min-eral spirits and re-wax the Overarm Routerbefore using it again.

ADJUSTING THE BRASS GIBIf you find that your router motor fails tohold its position when the Depth ControlHandle is released (unscrewed), adjust theBrass Gib, following the instructions in theAlignment and Adjustment section of thisManual.


41

MAINTENANCEThe maintenance intervals listed here arebased on normal operation and assume thatyou will be careful not to abuse your Over-arm Router. Obviously, if you work the unitunusually hard, you’ll need to maintain itmore often. If an unusual noise or vibrationdevelops, turn off the motor immediatelyand check to see what could be causing theproblem. Do not operate the routing systemagain until you have corrected the cause ofthe unusual noise or vibration.

As needed: Have your router Bits sharp-ened.

Every 5 hours of running time: Clean theOverarm Router thoroughly. Check align-ments and adjustments. Check tightness ofall critical hardware.

Every 6 months or as needed: Clean andwax the Overarm Router

To estimate running times, use this rule:

The average woodworker will use powertools only 10 percent of the total time spentin the shop, at the most. You may not useyour Overarm Router as much as otherpower tools. If you work in your shop for25 hours, you’ve probably logged less thanan hour of running time on your OverarmRouter.


42

Problem Possible Cause Solution

TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDEProblems with your Overarm Router usually have simple solutions. Under normal use, you shouldrarely have to service the Tool. Most problems can be corrected by simple maintenance, alignment,adjustment or a change in your work habits. This Troubleshooting Guide has been developed tohelp you diagnose and remedy any problems which may arise when using your Shopsmith Over-arm Router.

Poor quality cut Depth-of-cut excessive Reduce depth-of-cut on each pass

Feed rate too fast Feed workpiece into the bit at a slower rate

Router bit dull Sharpen or replace bit

Overarm or motor loose, Tighten Overarm on MARK V Way Tubes, Gibscausing “wobble” or Router Motor Clamp

Workpiece “burning” Dull Router Bit Sharpen or replace Bit

Motor running too fast Slow down your variable speed Router Motor orpurchase an electronic motor speed control forsingle-speed Routers

Guide Pin and Router Router Table – to MARK V Tighten screws – re-align Pin & BitBit work out of alignment Table mounting screws loose

Table Insert loose Tighten Table Insert - re-align Pin & Bit

Arm Clamps loose Tighten Arm Clamps around MARK V Way Tubes– re-align Pin & Bit

Motor Clamp and Guard loose Tighten Motor Clamp and Guard - re-align Pin & Bit

Depth Control Handle won’t Loose nut (44) on left side Tighten nut (44)hold position when tightened of Clutch Shaft

Poor seating surface on Unscrew Depth Control Handle from Clutch Hub andControl Handle examine seating surface at end of Handle shaft. If

surface is rounded, file a new, FLAT seating surfaceon end of Handle shaft.

Dovetail Slide sticks or grabs Brass Gib adjusted too tightly Loosen Gib adjustment setscrews (26)

Depth Control casting Ball Plunger (41) screwed in Unscrew Ball Plunger in quarter-turn increments untilwon’t release too far – or defective casting releases from and engages groove in Depth

Control casting shaft, replace Ball Plunger if defective.

Walls of your cuts are Worktable and Router Bit are Adjust MARK V Worktable“stepped” not perpendicular to one another

Router motor overheats Motor too close to Deflector (20) Loosen motor and raise to allow 1/8" clearancebetween bottom of router motor and Deflector

Overworking motor Stop and allow motor to cool

Taking too heavy a cut Reduce depth-of-cut

Feeding stock too rapidly Slow down your feed ratethrough the cut

Depth-of cut changes while Bit loose in Router motor Tighten Bitmaking a cut Router motor loose in Motor Tighten Clamp, by tightening nuts (7)

Clamp (1 & 9)


43

How to Order PartsTo order replacement parts, first consult the PartsList. Then write or call for current price informa-tion.

How to Return PartsShould you need to return the equipment, callCustomer Services for packing and shipping in-formation.

Customer ServicesWhere to Write — Send inquiries to:Shopsmith, Inc.Customer Services3931 Image DriveDayton, Ohio 45414

Email — [email protected]

Where to Phone — Shopsmith maintains toll-freetelephone numbers during normal businesshours.

For service call:1-800-762-7555 (Continental U.S., Hawaii, Alaska,Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands)

To place an order call:1-800-543-7586 (Continental U.S., Hawaii, Alaska,Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands)

When you write or call, tell us your CustomerNumber and the Date Code of your equipment.(Your customer number appears on the invoiceand the mailing labels of the literature we sendyou. The date code is stamped on the equipment.)

Please write the numbers in the space providedhere.

Customer No. _____________________________

Date Code ________________________________


446530 Poe AvenueDayton, OH 45414-2591

845556 Rev. A 6/05©2005 Shopsmith, Inc.

All Rights ReservedPrinted in U.S.A.

The contents of this publication may not be reproduced either in whole or in part without the consent of the copyright owner.Shopsmith ® is a registered trademark of Shopsmith, Inc. Patents pending on the design of the Shopsmith Overarm Router.

– NOTES –

Documents

MARK V – MOUNTED OVERARM PIN ROUTER 555970 MARK V …€¦ · or other jewelry. Roll sleeves up above your elbows. ELECTRICAL REQUIREMENTS Follow the electrical requirements that