Lathe making sound but not spinning - help!

[jamesofthedrum]

Hi folks, I recently purchased an old ShopSmith Mark V. Very excited. I plan to use it mostly for the lathe function. That said, when I got home, I set it up and tried to turn a spindle. When I turned it on, it was way out of balance, so I fixed that. When I went to turn it on again, it made a noise like it was trying to turn, the quill rotated about half a centimeter, but then it stopped. Turned it on and off again - same thing. It sounds like it wants to spin, but for some reason it can't.

Any idea what's happening and how to fix it?

My only clue is that I saw in the owner's manual that you aren't supposed to turn the speed dial when the unit is turned off. I definitely did that when it was off-balance. Is that likely to have caused the issue?

I'd appreciate any help you can offer. Can't believe I broke this thing before I even got a chance to use it!

Thanks,
James

[garys]

Pull the left hand side cover and see what is turning and what isn't. That should tell you what is wrong. It is all simple pulleys and belts and should be easy to see.

[DLB]

Hi folks, I recently purchased an old ShopSmith Mark V. Very excited. I plan to use it mostly for the lathe function. That said, when I got home, I set it up and tried to turn a spindle. When I turned it on, it was way out of balance, so I fixed that. When I went to turn it on again, it made a noise like it was trying to turn, the quill rotated about half a centimeter, but then it stopped. Turned it on and off again - same thing. It sounds like it wants to spin, but for some reason it can't.

Any idea what's happening and how to fix it?

My only clue is that I saw in the owner's manual that you aren't supposed to turn the speed dial when the unit is turned off. I definitely did that when it was off-balance. Is that likely to have caused the issue?

I'd appreciate any help you can offer. Can't believe I broke this thing before I even got a chance to use it!

Thanks,
James

Yes, it's possible that this caused the issue. It's important to keep on-time to a minimum until you have resolved the problem. A motor like this that is trying to turn may, at some point, get too hot and fail. By turning the speed control with the machine off you probably got the motor belt in a bind in the moveable sheaves. Especially true if you tried to adjust it toward slower. If that's the case, you might free it just by turning the speed back where it was. Like Gary said, slide the belt cover off so you can see. I'd put a sanding disk on the spindle and try to only turn it by hand until it is free. Good luck, and welcome to the forum!

- David

[chapmanruss]

jamesofthedrum,

As garys and David have said it is likely the belt on the motor pulley stuck in the sheaves that is the problem. As suggested remove the belt cover and slide it to the left out of the way so you can see the lower belt. Also for this do remove the spindle you were trying to turn. With a sanding disk mounted on the spindle you will be able to use it to turn the upper assemblies of the quill and drive sleeve turning the upper belt and thereby turn the lower belt. If the lower belt slips on the Idler (mid shaft) pulley it it likely wedged in the lower, motor pulley. If you find this try turning the lower belt by moving it directly to free it from being wedged into the motor pulley. Pulling on the outer sheave of the motor pulley against the spring can also free a stuck belt. At this point only try turning the Speed Control Dial while turning the system with the sanding disk. The Speed Control works by opening and closing the pulley assembly on the Idler Shaft. If the system is not turning by the motor or manually by using the sanding disk the belt and pulleys will jam or worse break something. If you find the lower belt is turning including the motor shaft while using the sanding disk to turn the system then the problem may be the motor itself.