Shopsmith Forums

We are Cautioned not to tighten the quill lock with the quill removed from the headstock. It is stated that doing so "will damage parts".

What parts will be damaged and why? If those parts have been damaged, what are the resulting symptoms?

I don't want to take the quill lock mechanism apart simply to gain an understanding of this Caution but .....

Are there photos or drawings of the quill lock mechanism that someone could point me to. I must gain some insight or my curiosity will overcome and that usually is not good. The exploded parts views in the manual and/or the catalog just do not do this job for me.

How does the quill lock mechanism work?

Dusty,

I didn't know the best way to copy the posting, so here it is pasted, from Nick, around 7/12/07. This along with the exploded diagram should be helpful. Personally I am not sure what is at great risk for damage if tightening lightly without a quill in place....

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Rowdy, I talked with my factory snitches and they gave me several suggestions that may help you. First, let me explain how the quill lock works. When you tighten the handle (Part # 504176), it flattens a wave washer (#501631) and pushes against a sleeve (#501318). The sleeve pushes against a spherical washer (#501317) and the washer contacts the flat surface of a yoke in the head casting. As you continue to tighten the handle, the parts bind up or jam so they will not move. The spherical washer is jammed against the yoke, the sleeve is jammed against the spherical washer, the wave washer is jammed against the sleeve, and the handle is jammed against the wave washer, and the assembly ceases to move. (The leg bone is connected to the thigh bone; the thigh bone is connected to the hip bone...) As these parts become immobile, the pinion shaft (#501312) onto which the handle is threaded also become immobile and will not turn. This prevents the quill from moving and locks it in place.

If any one of the parts in this line up is worn or missing, the quill will not lock and creeps back into the headstock. Furthermore, too much tension (or too little!) on the spring that retracts the quill could also be the source of your problem.

First adjust your spring tension:
1. Turn off and unplug the Mark V. Slide the headstock and carriage to the right (toward the base mount) as far as they will go and lock them in place in the rails.
2. Remove the nameplate to expose the access hole in the back (opposite the speed dial) of the headstock. Some older machines do not have an access hole. If this is the case, remove the screws that hold the motor pan and lower it to rest on the lower way tubes.
3. Using an awl, remove the putty or lead that plugs the screw in the top of the headstock. Remove the allen screw.
4. Extend the quill so it disengages from the pinion gear. Pull it out of the headstock, but DO NOT let go of the quill feed lever.
5. Slowly let the quill feed lever rotate to unwind the spring and release any tension on it.
6. Wind the spring up again, rotating the quill feed lever 3 full turns.
7. Insert the quill in the headstock, engage the pinion gear, and let the spring retract it into the casting.
8. Extend the quill one or two inches and replace the allen screw in the top of the headstock. Make sure the groove in the quill is facing up and tighten the llen screw so it holds the quill in its extended position. Let go of the quill and carefully loosen the screw. When the quill snaps back into the headstock, the screw is properly adjusted.

If that doesn't help, the most common cause of the problem you describe is that the wave washer is missing. Remove the quill lock handle and insure that there is a wave washer (also called a spring washer) between the handle and the sleeve on the pinion shaft.

If the wave washer is present, it's also possible that the threads inside your handle or on the shaft have been damaged. This may be preventing you from tightening the handle completely. This is rare, but a headstock with this problem came in for repair just a few weeks ago. If the threads on the shaft are damaged, you may be able to restore them with a thread file. If the threads inside the handle are damaged, you'll have to purchase a new handle.

If the quill still won't stay put, the problem is a worn sleeve or a worn spherical washer.
1. Turn off, unplug, and remove the quill as decribed in steps 1 through 5 above.
2. Remove the feed stop handle and the serrated washer behind it.
3. Remove the depth stop dial, the second serrated washer behind the dial, and the flat washer behind the second serrated washer.
4. Pick out the putty that plugs the allen screw on top of the boss where the spring housing is mounted and remove the allen screw.
5. Push the pinion shaft toward the quill lock so you can remove the sleeve.
6. Tilt the pinion shaft up slightly to prevent the spherical washer from dropping off and pull the pinion shaft out of the headstock from the feed lock side.
7. Inspect the sleeve and the spherical washer. (The sleeve should be 2" long or better. The one I miked was 2.006".) If there is evidence of any wear, replace the parts.

With all good wishes,

Thank you Chris. This is a good explanation. There are no miracal parts - it appears this is being done simply with friction.

The Caution against tightening with the quill removed still has me baffled.

I believe that inside of the headstock, there is an aluminum sleeve that is part of the headstock casting that the quill slides through. I think this could be distorted or broken if the locking assembly is tightened without the quill in place. At least that is my thought about your question.

I had to tear my quill feed assy apart because it was binding up. I learned two things quickly: 1) Don't turn the quill spring the wrong way when rewinding the tension. I accidently did this because the quill was not in place and I forgot which way to turn the feed handle in order to retension the spring. The spring came unhooked and bent the end of it. 2). When you remove the quill pinion shaft, it is very easy to lose the washer inside the headstockthat the instructions says not to let fall off. Of course that is just what I did. Then it is not easy to figure out how it all goes back together. I finally figured it out with some help from SS. Moral of story; If you do remove the quill feed lock and pinion shaft, pay close attention and make good notes about how the parts are oriented.

Thanks John! Sounds like one of my operations - "make mistakes and learn":D It is a good thing to post errors, and how the error was made. Hopefully, we all can learn from them!