What do I have here?

[Unclemac]

Hello,

My name is Chris and I am new to the forum. I have just inherited my Grandfather's Shopsmith. See photos.

I found a serial number cross reference and it appears to be built in 1956.

I am assuming it is a Mark 5? I've seen "Greenie" mentioned on here as well and I'm just wondering if someone could let me know a bit about what I have. I do remember my Grandfather bought it in the early to mid 70's.

I'm just working on cleaning it up, lubricating it. It seems to run well other that the speed control binding in spots.

Any help would be appreciated.

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[everettdavis]

Start with the first two posts always at the top of this forum.

That will help you find what you need.

Welcome to your new family!

Everett

[wa2crk]

Hey Unclemac welcome to the fun and frolic.
I tappears that you have a early "Greenie" which should have a Gilmer drive and a 3/4 HP motor. The band saw appears to be a much later acquisition.. Nice thing about Shopsmith is the the newer accessories will still fit the older machines.
If the speed control is hard to move in some ares of rotation I would suggest lubricating with low viscosity machine oil (non detergent) . It may be necessary at this time to to take it apart and do a thorough cleaning to remove oxidized oil and check all of the bearings. All information is available right on this site.
Also the early models did not have the oil holes in the sheaves. These can be drilled while the machine is torn down. Giv it the proper maintenance now and you will pass it down to your great grand kids
Bill V

[JPG]

Relax Unclemac - You have a 'later' greenie with a "B" headstock. That means the missing holes mentioned above are actually present.

It likely has a 'Gilmer' drive. Not bad, but not the same as later versions.

The quill, drive sleeve and idler sheave are different(still available).

The stiff/sticky spots are likely caused by a worn(slightly mangled) quadrant gear(porkchop). Do realize it is 'stiff' adjusting towards slow if done too fast.

Welcome to the forum, and that is a nice looking Mark 5.

P.S. It IS possible that the drive has been upgraded to the newer poly-v drive.

[Unclemac]

Thanks guys for the information. I've spent the past week going through all of the info listed in the top couple of posts. Wow, I can't believe all of the info. on here!

So I looked inside and there does seem to be some wear on the porkshop teeth. They have rounded grooves on the first 5 or 6. It does have the oil holes on the sheaves, so I oiled them (the one under the spring was a real treat) and the gears on the speed control. It moved a bit easier, bu not entirely smooth. I am assuming I will need to replace the porkchop.

Yes, it does also have the Gilmer drive. I will just leave that unless it becomes a problem. Is there a big advantage to upgrading it?

All in all, it's in fantastic shape considering it was built in the 50's. I always knew that they were quality tools but not to this extent.

Thanks again guys and I look forward to participating in this forum!

Chris.

[JPG]

The porkchop teeth get mashed. Judicious filing can relieve the binding. A good thing to look for is spreading of the legs that support the tension pin the porkchop pivots on. If spread, come back for a 'fix'.

The cause is too aggressively adjusting the speed towards slow(or insufficient lubrication of the floating sheave(hole under the spring)).

[dusty]

A thread that covers this well.

http://shopsmith.com/ss_forum/viewtopic ... ol#p200592

Don't jump too quickly to replace the porkchop. Run the speed control up and down while noting where it becomes difficult to change. If the porkchop is the cause, the teeth that might be causing that will become obvious.

[ERLover]

UncleMac,
you have the best of the best here, most likely better then anything from SS customer service, plus the Threads here on Maintenance and rebuild/repair Threads.
Some of these guys use them during the day, then eat dinner and sleep with them.
Yes you have a Greenie, 3/4hp motor, on the tag there is a serial #. This is there list of them with year and month made.
http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/serialnumber.htm

[ERLover]

Uncle Mike,
My first SS was a greenie, used, I think it is a much better build SS other then the goldie, the graylings went down hill except for the motor HP up grade and belt drive. Based on used graylings I have bought used and bearings have gone out on.
I have 3 ERs with original bearings and one for my nephew the same and all original bearings and motors and run fine.
I think in some ownership change things got cheap with the graylings.
http://songofthegreatlakes.com/ssmarkvevolution.htm

[Unclemac]

So, I have attached a picture of the porkchop gears. I should have taken it before I greased it, but you can see a bit of rounding.

I did however notice that the bottom sheave was not moving in and out when I adjusted the speed. I hadn't noticed before, but only the top one was moving. I gave it a few light taps with a rubber mallet after oiling it again. When I turned it back on, I was able to get a lot faster top speed, and the speed control did turn easier.

I think I'm in good shape now. I will just keep the shafts well oiled and the porkchop greased.