Mark V tripping breaker

[dsinsley]

Hello,

Been a long while since I have been on here. I finally got around to getting my ShopSmith Mark V back together. I had to replace the control sheave and pork chop. I got everything back together and it appears to be turning freely by hand. Now not really having much experience with them and not really knowing how freely it spun before, I can't really judge how free spinning it should be. But it is in no way tight enough that I wouldn't think it would power up.

I got it back together with the speed control in the fastest position. When I plug it in and flip the switch it seems to me to take an excessive amount of time to spin up, maybe a two seconds, and if I can get it to full speed before the breaker trips it seems to pulse. but I can't really describe it because it doesn't do it but for a second and then trips the breaker. subsequent starts trip the breaker almost immediately.

Now I am trying to only run it off a 15 amp breaker. Should I be running it off 20 amp.There is an obvious overdraw of amps and I assume that is why I am hearing the pulsing as well as tripping the breaker. I have considered this for my larger power tools anyway. But before the speed control broke I was able to run it off this circuit. Do I have something going on in the machine that I did wrong? I had it completely torn down including the quill out of it. The one thing I did mess with was the tension on the Poly V belt. I loosened it to the point of being very loose, able to push the belt with my finger about 1/2 and inch. This did not help in the slightest.

Devon

[ERLover]

If in the fastest position when starting it draws more amps then if in the slowest position, try that and see if it makes a difference.

[JPG]

At 'fast' the start current surge lasts significantly longer.

You did not mention whether it had anything mounted to the quill shaft, but a steel sanding disc has considerable inertia that will greatly extend the ramp up time.

The 'pulsing' I do not have an answer for. Rate?

A loose poly-v belt may be a cause or set in the belts.

Try starting at slow. Manually rotate the pulleys as you lower the speed setting.

[dsinsley]

Great guys,

A simple fix is the best fix. I turned the speed down manually turning it to the slowest setting and snugged up the Poly V belt where it should be and gave it a spin. It fired up as it should have. Ran the speed control through a few cycles and no breaker tripping and no pulsing. Sounds great and runs smooth.

I did not having anything attached to the quill shaft so I still have to run it with implements but I feel much better about the way it ran.

This brings up another question, can you over speed these things. I have the speed stop set so that the end tooth on the worm gear is just about to leave the end tooth on the pork chop. In other words all teeth are still engaged. This leaves the end of the worm gear about 1/4 inch from touching the spring on the pork chop. But it seems to run way faster than it did before.

[charlese]

Glad you got it running! Also happy you tightened the "V" belt! But the high speed setting is not determined by the pork chop. The high speed setting is determined by the height of the drive belt in the motor sheaves. About 1/8" from the top of those sheaves is about right.

Go to the Repair and Maintenance section of this forum and download the first link of the new owner information. Go to page E6 and find instructions for Adjusting the High Speed Setting.

[dusty]

I read into your post that the Shopsmith has been inactive for awhile. If that is the case, I highly recommend lubrication and I would let it run for a few minutes to take the set (if there is any) out of the belts.

A good many of the members will disagree with me on this but you do not need a 20amp service for your Shopsmith if it is otherwise in good working condition. I have been running on a 15amp breaker for many years and I do not routinely turn mine down to slow speed for turnoff.

Your 15amp service, however, may need some attention. In the main breaker box, tighten down all of the lug screws that secure the wires in the breaker box. A loose connection on the wires that serve your Mark V outlet could be the cause of the breaker tripping.

About once a year a routinely do this to all of the breakers. Don't ask me why, but I frequently find some of them looser than I left them.

Welcome back to the world of saw dust and glue.

[dsinsley]

Glad you got it running! Also happy you tightened the "V" belt! But the high speed setting is not determined by the pork chop. The high speed setting is determined by the height of the drive belt in the motor sheaves. About 1/8" from the top of those sheaves is about right.

Go to the Repair and Maintenance section of this forum and download the first link of the new owner information. Go to page E6 and find instructions for Adjusting the High Speed Setting.

I have that downloaded already and will make the adjustment before using it. Thanks for the advice. Also The only reason the Poly V belt was loosened was to see if I was inducing a bind. I knew I needed it tightened and had originally had it tight.

[dsinsley]

My ShopSmith was down for about a year. Between needing parts and other life adventures I just didn't get around to getting it fixed. I did lubricate everything as I put it back together. I waked the slides, the quill and the shaft that the Control sheave slides on. As well as a light oil on all of the bearings.

As for the 15amp thing I knew it should run on that. I t had for about 4 months or so before it blew up. I also run the table saw on it so I knew it should work. I do want to switch to a 20amp since more than one thing is run off that circuit. Or a better option is to dedicate a circuit for the shopsmith and my table saw.

Thanks everyone for the help. It will be nice to have the shopsmith back in operation. You will never realize how much you rely on it until you don't have it. I have other tools (table saw, chop saw, router, etc) but man I was crippled not having a drill press which is the main thing I use my shopsmith for and also not having a lathe.

[dsinsley]

OK new problem. After determining that this thing was going way to fast I have a new issue. Once I manually spun everything to the slow position I was able start and run it. I ran it several times up and down the speed range but it was going way to fast. That led to me the answer here that I needed to do the high speed adjustment. Well I haven't been able to get that far. As I try to adjust the speed, either under power or by hand it binds up. It started to smoke the belt. Then it was so tight it could spin at all when I try an turn it on. I can manually pull on the lower sheave and separate them and loosen the belt but as soon as I try and start it it will run and I can see it sucking the lower sheave in making, everything tight again and start to smell the belt.

What gives?

[dsinsley]

I think I figured it out. The eccentric bushing had come loose from the shaft that holds the Poly V Belt so that was able to slide in and out messing with alignment of the Poly V belt which had jumped a tooth on that said shaft so it was riding against the sheave. I took that all apart again and tightened the Allen screw back up fairly tight so that the bushing and shaft shouldn't move but also not so tight as to not allow the bearing to move easy. I then tightened the Poly V Belt back up and in the right alignment. Got it all back together and all appears to be working correctly.

Now I have began again on the high speed adjustment. Now I have no tachometer. So the directions say to run it up to where the belt is about 1/16 to 1/8 from the outer edge of the sheave. I have done that and it is at about the half way point between those two. It is between S and T on the dial. I have to keep reading but that's where I am with it.