Just inherited a 1956 Mark V...

[Trisk]

Hello all, I just inherited a 1956 Mark V from my father-in-law, who had inherited it from his uncle, but never used it. I'm told it's been sitting unused since at least 2004, and possibly much longer. It's in good physical shape, but a quick test run produced a sound like a coffee grinder. I took the name plate and the belt cover off and oiled the shafts per some instructions I found online, and now it sounds less like a coffee grinder, but it's still loud and seems to run rough at the lower end of the speed range.

I've never used a ShopSmith before, so I'm not sure how loud it's supposed to be - it's just under "I need to put on headphones before testing it" level. Does that seem normal for a machine of that vintage?

Anything else I should check?

Thanks!

[ERLover]

First welcome here, and you are at the right place. First in this forum there is all the maintenance info/videos you can imagine. Parts are still available from SS, AKA The Mother Ship.
Sounds like a bearing, you have what is known here as a greenie, color scheme. A good machine, I have one. Many knowledgeable people here, warning, all with egos.LOL That loud, a bearing, I think, bought a later version used, screamed like a banchie at higher speeds, motor bearing. Good thing these machines are user friendly to work on. Dont turn the speed dial unless running or turning spindle by hand.

[wa2crk]

Trisk;
These machines are inherently noisy. There are a lot of moving parts inside that catch a lot of air and also move along some shafts so a lot of noise. This is only if they are compared to other non Shopsmith machines. You will be able to get a rough idea of the type of sound and the loudness by looking at some of the Sawdust sessions. At the beginning the moderator runs the speed up so you will hear a typical machine.
Now for the rest of the story. If this were my machine I would go through it from soup to nuts just to make sure everything was OK.
You did the right thing by lubing it, now do it again it has been a long time not to have had a drink of oil. You can't over oil it.
Non use for a long time is not good for bearings. Also the belts can dry out or take a "set" after a long time of non use.
Can you add your location to your profile? You never when there will be an owner near you who would be able to lend a helping hand.
Bill V
And by the way I do not have an ego. I am perfect.

[ERLover]

@Wa2Crck>And by the way I do not have an ego. I am perfect.
Not to mention by your Avatar, possible a retired police officer!!!!!!!!

[ERLover]

I think by my SS and non SS machinery, that your noise is excessive. I dont know what yours is, but I have been around it all my life. I know when it is not right, and my greenie after a rebuild, new belts and power head bearings, motors was fine is noisy at high end rpms, just machine/air movement, but not whine/squealing. Only you can determine that.

[jsburger]

@Wa2Crck>And by the way I do not have an ego. I am perfect.
Not to mention by your Avatar, possible a retired police officer!!!!!!!!

Kind of like us military guys, huh!

[oldiron]

Welcome to the forum!!! No ego here either...... Just a good ole shopsmith lover and as some will admit about their own-self, Might have a slight case of OCSD....

Oil goes a long way with these machines. When I acquire one of these, I try to oil as much as possible before firing it up.

As already mentioned, You may need some new bearings and may have some "belt set". If you have oiled everything well enough, run the machine for a little bit longer and see if the noise lessons anymore...

If you need new bearings, You need new bearings. So give it a little more run time and see if the extra oil along with the belts being stretched out and warmed up some, make any difference...

Mike

[ERLover]

Egos we dont have any Egos!!!!!
All you need to over load your brain is here, then ask here.
http://shopsmith.com/ss_forum/maintenan ... t5092.html

[ERLover]

OMG, where is Charlese???? OCSD, Orange County Sheriffs Department!!!!

[Trisk]

Thank you for the responses, I've been watching some of Jacob Anderson's videos on YouTube and I have a feeling the bearings need to be replaced. I saw someone selling a set of bearings and drive belts on eBay for $150, is there a place to get a set of bearings cheaper than that? The drive belts look to be in pretty good shape, it's got one of those Gilmer tank tread belts on it.

I don't know if it's showing on my profile or not, but I live in Peculiar, MO, just south of Kansas City.