Saw arbor locks itelf onto spindle !

sawdust271 · Post by **sawdust271** » Tue Sep 11, 2012 12:02 pm

Aaargh! Last week I managed to lock my saw arbor/blade onto the spindle on my MK5, as the arbor setscrew must've somehow gotten loose.

After reading the (mostly) discouraging news I found here on what could be done, I decided to back off and try to be "reasonable" about the whole thing. I obviously had a burr form on the spindle that was preventing the arbor from coming off. Also, the lower saw guard was still in place, which made manuevering difficult.

After pouring some WD40 into the setscrew hole (the screw was loose and eaisly removable), I took a couple of large screwdrivers, and put them in place between the arbor and the knurled aluminum piece that sits on the spindle toward the motor housing. So, I had 2 points at which I could try to exert some pressure. The arbor was maybe 1/4" from the fully inserted position.

After a day of just occasionally using the screwdrivers as levers, the arbor began to move! I eventually got it off, and found a burr on the spindle, which I carefully filed down with a very fine file.

Back to normal! I think the "moral of the story" is to double-check the setscrew tightness on the arbor before every session of use, AND to take your time in trying to get the arbor off.

HTH

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Tue Sep 11, 2012 4:05 pm

sawdust271 wrote:Aaargh! Last week I managed to lock my saw arbor/blade onto the spindle on my MK5, as the arbor setscrew must've somehow gotten loose.

After reading the (mostly) discouraging news I found here on what could be done, I decided to back off and try to be "reasonable" about the whole thing. I obviously had a burr form on the spindle that was preventing the arbor from coming off. Also, the lower saw guard was still in place, which made manuevering difficult.

After pouring some WD40 into the setscrew hole (the screw was loose and eaisly removable), I took a couple of large screwdrivers, and put them in place between the arbor and the knurled aluminum piece that sits on the spindle toward the motor housing. So, I had 2 points at which I could try to exert some pressure. The arbor was maybe 1/4" from the fully inserted position.

After a day of just occasionally using the screwdrivers as levers, the arbor began to move! I eventually got it off, and found a burr on the spindle, which I carefully filed down with a very fine file.

Back to normal! I think the "moral of the story" is to double-check the setscrew tightness on the arbor before every session of use, AND to take your time in trying to get the arbor off.

HTH

Good Show. Patience with Perseverance almost always pays off.

billmayo · Post by **billmayo** » Tue Sep 11, 2012 5:18 pm

dusty wrote:Good Show. Patience with Perseverance almost always pays off.

Very true when working on a Shopsmith. I have found that some owners who have hammered on the saw blade or the sanding disk trying to remove the arbor from the quill have actually bent the quill shaft (greater than .002" runout). So no hammer on a saw blade or the sanding disk, only a "V" type pry tool like a screwdriver on both sides of the arbor end is one way to slowly force the arbor off the quill shaft without any deflection done to the quill shaft.

SDSSmith · Post by **SDSSmith** » Tue Sep 11, 2012 6:42 pm

sawdust271 wrote:Aaargh! Last week I managed to lock my saw arbor/blade onto the spindle on my MK5, as the arbor setscrew must've somehow gotten loose.

After reading the (mostly) discouraging news I found here on what could be done, I decided to back off and try to be "reasonable" about the whole thing. I obviously had a burr form on the spindle that was preventing the arbor from coming off. Also, the lower saw guard was still in place, which made manuevering difficult.

After pouring some WD40 into the setscrew hole (the screw was loose and eaisly removable), I took a couple of large screwdrivers, and put them in place between the arbor and the knurled aluminum piece that sits on the spindle toward the motor housing. So, I had 2 points at which I could try to exert some pressure. The arbor was maybe 1/4" from the fully inserted position.

After a day of just occasionally using the screwdrivers as levers, the arbor began to move! I eventually got it off, and found a burr on the spindle, which I carefully filed down with a very fine file.

Back to normal! I think the "moral of the story" is to double-check the setscrew tightness on the arbor before every session of use, AND to take your time in trying to get the arbor off.

HTH

Also, make sure that the right type of set screw is installed in the arbor. It is not uncommon to find cup type set screws in arbors from the used machines that I buy. These can dig into the quill shaft. Shopsmith puts flat tip set screws in accessories that attach to the quill shaft. The drive hubs on the auxiliary shafts should also have flat tip set screws.

holsgo · Post by **holsgo** » Tue Sep 11, 2012 8:41 pm

I had a poster from this forum bring a Shopsmith over for review. It had a saw arbor seemingly welded to the quill. I tried everything but in the end I was forced to a hammer and a steel bar. I can't imagine a new owner of a used machine facing what I saw that day. If he had no experience he would have moved along with a saw arbor permanently mounted to the quill. As I finally got it off I saw nothing, no burr, significant rust, nothing that would have welded itself in such a way. I cleaned the arbor with 300 sandpaper, cleaned the quill and all was well. But damn if that wasn't the strangest thing.

backhertz · Post by **backhertz** » Wed Sep 12, 2012 2:21 am

I bought a 510 on Feb forth. It looked great- complete Incra fence system, planer, jointer, and two other boxes of other stuff- blades, knives, arbors, etc. I thing buying the Incra Fence systemwas my rationalizing purchase if the 510. It gave me a second place- heastock powered and alot of other stuff.

I needed a headstock to do a DVR upgrade and this was it. I had 3 headstocks totally disassembled in my basement & wanted a whole one do the mod on. All looked to be in good shape. Did the upgrade and then spent Monday with Wes trying to make the loud noises go away. I had #9 of the first 10 headstock DIY kits shipped in Aug 2010.

Well, one thing bit. Some one had taken the flat quill guide screw and substituted it with a standard set screw. In reassembling,I simply tightened te set screaw and backed it off 1/8th turn. That ended up causing a bur.

So most of the day I work with Wes and nothing were tried to include touching up some internal parameters had any effect on the noise. WEs was going send me an new idler assy but then we listened some more & the decision was made to bring the headstock to Poe Ave. One of the first things checks was the quill- it wouldn't extend. I hadn't tried. It turned to have a regular set screw instead of a guild- doh! I had never completely remove the screw, but just loosened it. Had I removed it, I would of immediately noticed something was wrong.

Once back at Poe Avenue, the entire headstock needed to be rebuilt for various reasons, and finally all three DVR motor parts- motor, control electronics, and display keypad and then voila! This head stock was running a smooth as DVR ProwerPRo culd run. Then during the FEDEX shipping process, the idler shaft got knocking to the headstoc to where one of the bearing was almost sticking out of the split eccentric. The belts look be be 20 degrees after I pulled the belt cover off. Had I attempted to but the hobs back on, I would have seen the lower jointer hub would fix as there was nothing to grab on. Drat FEDEX!

So it went back to Poe Ave. This time when it was shipped, I had a plastic hub protector (a Canadian safety requirement) put on which protected both shafts. I also like it because it keeps my fingers from being banged around by the high spinning hubs. Oh get this.- with the wheels up and running the DVT at high speed, the entire Shopsmith would vibrate across the subfloor. After all that repair and I swear I can set a glass of water on the headstock and it won't spill over since I received the headstock back from Shopsmith. The Shopsmith guaranty/warranty is something Shopsmith takes pride in.

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Wed Sep 12, 2012 7:54 am

backhertz wrote:I bought a 510 on Feb forth. It looked great- complete Incra fence system, planer, jointer, and two other boxes of other stuff- blades, knives, arbors, etc. I thing buying the Incra Fence systemwas my rationalizing purchase if the 510. It gave me a second place- heastock powered and alot of other stuff.

I needed a headstock to do a DVR upgrade and this was it. I had 3 headstocks totally disassembled in my basement & wanted a whole one do the mod on. All looked to be in good shape. Did the upgrade and then spent Monday with Wes trying to make the loud noises go away. I had #9 of the first 10 headstock DIY kits shipped in Aug 2010.

Well, one thing bit. Some one had taken the flat quill guide screw and substituted it with a standard set screw. In reassembling,I simply tightened te set screaw and backed it off 1/8th turn. That ended up causing a bur.

So most of the day I work with Wes and nothing were tried to include touching up some internal parameters had any effect on the noise. WEs was going send me an new idler assy but then we listened some more & the decision was made to bring the headstock to Poe Ave. One of the first things checks was the quill- it wouldn't extend. I hadn't tried. It turned to have a regular set screw instead of a guild- doh! I had never completely remove the screw, but just loosened it. Had I removed it, I would of immediately noticed something was wrong.

Once back at Poe Avenue, the entire headstock needed to be rebuilt for various reasons, and finally all three DVR motor parts- motor, control electronics, and display keypad and then voila! This head stock was running a smooth as DVR ProwerPRo culd run. Then during the FEDEX shipping process, the idler shaft got knocking to the headstoc to where one of the bearing was almost sticking out of the split eccentric. The belts look be be 20 degrees after I pulled the belt cover off. Had I attempted to but the hobs back on, I would have seen the lower jointer hub would fix as there was nothing to grab on. Drat FEDEX!

So it went back to Poe Ave. This time when it was shipped, I had a plastic hub protector (a Canadian safety requirement) put on which protected both shafts. I also like it because it keeps my fingers from being banged around by the high spinning hubs. Oh get this.- with the wheels up and running the DVT at high speed, the entire Shopsmith would vibrate across the subfloor. After all that repair and I swear I can set a glass of water on the headstock and it won't spill over since I received the headstock back from Shopsmith. The Shopsmith guaranty/warranty is something Shopsmith takes pride in.

Drat Fedex! I don't think so. I would place the most blame on inadequate packing.