Power coupler

wrmnfzy · Post by **wrmnfzy** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 11:48 am

A couple of questions

1. What is the purpose of the spring in one end of the coupler. What would be the downside to removing it?

2. Is there a better coupler on the market?

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 12:48 pm

wrmnfzy wrote:A couple of questions

1. What is the purpose of the spring in one end of the coupler. What would be the downside to removing it?

2. Is there a better coupler on the market?

The spring 'ensures' that if some ding dong forgots to secure the headstock lock and it subsequently drifts away from the SPT being driven that the coupler will disengage from the headstock hub and remove driving power from the SPT. The SPT stops and continues to hold the coupler safely.

I would not remove it. I would go out of my way to replace the spring if it broke/came out.

What is wrong with it? I have my original from 1963. It still performs. Thought initially it was a piece of crap. How wrong I was!

Gene Howe · Post by **Gene Howe** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 1:48 pm

Ding Dong ALERT!
BTDT. More than once.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 1:53 pm

Gene Howe wrote:Ding Dong ALERT!
BTDT. More than once.

And just how did you think I knew so much about it?:D

joshh · Post by **joshh** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 2:01 pm

wrmnfzy wrote: 2. Is there a better coupler on the market?

There are love joy couplers that some have used. I was going to use them on my mini power station because they are so much shorter but I decided to go with the coupler used in the speed reducer. It's less than half the length. Cost is the same (it was 1/3rd this price until I posted about it on the forums awhile ago... The price jumped within hours of my post)

http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/item ... =Find+Item

*images borrowed from pieceseeker*

garys · Post by **garys** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 6:19 pm

The coupler is a good design. The spring might just save your life someday.