Shopsmith Forums

Guys and (I will presume) Gals!

Back in the office this week has given me some space to reflect on circumstances regarding my recently acquired used MV.

So far, I’ve had a chuck that was stuck and a Gilmer broken.

The chuck issued is dealt with, but this Gilmer issue will require, I expect, a deft grasp of the workings of the machine.

Though I’d intended to do the work myself I’ve become concerned that I may make matters worse. When I opened the belt cover I took the time to peek around inside and it’s certain that, beside replacement of the belt, this machine could use a thorough cleaning and maybe other things yet unforeseen.

An ardent eBay user I’ve come across a guy name of Jacob Anderson who offers MV repair service at what seems a very reasonable rate to me. His feedback section suggests that his service is well regarded by those who’ve worked with him already.

QUESTION:

I’ve been quite impressed with the level of skill I’ve observed among the members here and very thankful for the help I’ve received from those who’ve helped me through the difficulties I’ve experienced so far.

SO … I’d like to know if anyone here has had any experience with Mr. Anderson and can offer opinions about his work and related costs?

It seems to me that though it will likely amount to me paying near as much to have him do all the work needed as it cost me to purchase the machine to begin with, in the end I should wind up with a MV that will perform at its peak capability for the duration.

What say you (if you can) …?
— Nervous Newbie

This site and the manuals have everything you need to do the job yourself. Why pay when you can learn about the machine while fixing it? No reason to be nervous. Pictures and patience plus this group will get the machine fixed in no time.

I agree with Holsgo.

We got your stuck chuck off didn't we? Replacing a Gilmer really isn't that bad. It's a great opportunity to thoroughly clean and inspect the machine and really learn the nuts and bolts of how it works which is all part of the fun.

holsgo wrote:This site and the manuals have everything you need to do the job yourself. Why pay when you can learn about the machine while fixing it? No reason to be nervous. Pictures and patience plus this group will get the machine fixed in no time.

Well… I appreciate the tone of the responses given so far. Very encouraging.

I guess I’ll gather whatever devices are required and give it a go.

The worst I could do is wind up in position of having to send it out anyway.


Thanks.

At the very least you can disassemble everything and send individual components for bearing replacement if you so choose. Watch the sawdust sessions. I had trouble getting them to play, google "Shop Smith Reborn" and there are mirror sites that have the videos.

terrydowning wrote:I agree with Holsgo.

We got your stuck chuck off didn't we? Replacing a Gilmer really isn't that bad. It's a great opportunity to thoroughly clean and inspect the machine and really learn the nuts and bolts of how it works which is all part of the fun.

Of course I regarded the chuck a matter of muscle with a touch of finess. On the other hand, gutting the headstock, basically &#8212]open the access hole “Some older machines don’t have an access hole … in that case drop the motor.”[/I]) One sounds like bada bing bada boom, DONE!; while the latter part of the statement sounds like “BE CAREFUL AS HELL!”

The way I can get about these things, could easily start off with a week of reading and rereading before I allow myself to feel in any way secure about diggin’ around inside the headstock. Believe me, when that belt broke and fell out I didn’t freak out, but I felt a lot less comfortable than I had moments before.

Still, I have been picking up steam so far as operating saws and what-have-you during the last few weeks, so I kinda believe that I might warm to the task more readily than I think.

>blech< I’ll just approach the situation with caution and try to make the right decisions when they need to be made.

beeg wrote:Personally I'd go with our own Bill Mayo. Bet he has one that is ready to go and can sell it to you.

LOL … Who knows, I may have to look into that.

joshh wrote:At the very least you can disassemble everything and send individual components for bearing replacement if you so choose. Watch the sawdust sessions. I had trouble getting them to play, google "Shop Smith Reborn" and there are mirror sites that have the videos.

Yeah … I can stand to take a little more patience viewing these.

Gotta admit, I can get annoyed when an instructor hems and haws or seems to lose track of whatever it is he’s supposed to be teaching you, or when they go back two steps to point out something that they missed telling you when it should have been told.

The reason it bothers me is because I often will follow the instructions ‘as they’re being presented.’ If it turns out I’ve moved something out of position that shouldn’t have been moved until something else was done I feel like I was instructed to do the wrong thing. Like, maybe they don’t know what they’re doing after all.

I’d noted something of that nature in one of the videos, and it didn’t make me feel very comfortable.

However, I have unbound faith in the straight-forward, plain-spoken voices of people in these forums. You all seem to present yourselves with admirable good common sense and always a touch of humor. In fact, even the humor is usually helpful in some way.

Alright, alright… I’ll just be patient and believe that the best will out.

It's not that bad.

Really. It's not.

I bought a '56 a couple of weeks ago with the intention of replacing belts and bearings, and leaving it at that: working but ugly. Had I done so I would be finished by now. Unfortunately I decided somewhere along the way that a few parts could use some paint. Oh, and these parts over here need some shine. Oh, and these parts...

You get the picture.

If you can manage to stay out of that black hole, you'll have it up and running in no time. Do you have most of the proper tools?