Shopsmith Forums

You can replace just the bearings.
..,
These are pressed on bearings so a puller to remove them and a way to press them on are needed. Does not require a Press and can be done with simple tools.


Thanks Russ. Much cheaper than replacing the entire cutter head. Can you point me to a post ...

I think the bearings on my Shopsmith jointer cutterhead are going out. This is a jointer I purchased new in 1984.

When I spin the jointer input shaft by hand there is a soft but audible noise and a dragging feel. Can I replace just the bearings or do I need to buy a whole new cutter head assembly?

Is the blade clean? A buildup of pitch can slow cutting quite a bit.

Yes. I suppose I could measure the shaft OD of the new assembly and compare it with the old shaft OD as well as the ID of the old bearing inner race. I suspect the wear is on the shaft.

Respectfully, I think you are reading too much into the motives behind the recently announced Shopsmith machine rebuild service option. Repair parts are still available for those of us who prefer to maintain our machines ourselves. It appears you are a newcomer to this forum. Do you have a Shopsmith?

The inner bearing appeared to be fine. The bearing portion of the loose outer bearing also looked good but I can’t confirm the ID was in spec.

I sent an e-mail to Shopsmith Support asking if this was a defect and received a reply from Jim McCann who advised my idler shaft assembly was not defective, just worn out. He said the idler shaft is not hardened like the drive shaft above it. He noted that while the upper hardened shaft has a ...

Glad you received your order. I had recent issues as well but it turned out I just needed to be a little more patient. Elizabeth at Shopsmith told me that there had been a disconnect between their order tracking system and the actual shipping info. She was apologetic about conflicting info I ...

Elizabeth answered the main number when I called a few days ago with a technical question. I e-mailed customer support at her suggestion and received a reply from the man himself, Jim McCann. I'd say they are well on their way to being back in business.

I ordered an idler shaft assembly from Shopsmith on February 26 and received it on March 6. After I placed the order the Shopsmith online order status showed as “Confirmed” but “Awaiting shipment”. Today, March 10, I received an e-mail from Customer Support saying my order had just been shipped. I ...