Old shopsmith with a poorly replaced motor

[DLB]

Thanks Russ! Do you happen to know the length and diameter of the exposed part of the motor shaft? I am still leaning towards buying a used headstock, but I may be able to work with what I have.

There may be some variation among brands and how the spring is retained, but shaft is in the 4" neighborhood measured from the outside face of the exhaust air duct shown in Russ' pictures. Shaft is 5/8" and has a long keyway. It looks like you don't have a motor pan, and sounds like you'd also need a spring and the retaining hardware. That 'auction web site' often has motors complete with sheaves, motor pan, often a power switch and cord. I looked earlier and saw only 1-1/8 HP, which is an upgrade but pricier than 3/4 HP. Complete headstock is a good idea if you find one, the poly-V system is quieter and you can find one with a two-bearing quill if you want that. I've noticed shipping varies a lot on complete headstocks.

- David

[joneill4]

Thanks David. I'm not trying to split hairs, but I want to make sure we are on the same page. What do you mean by "keyway"? Do you mean that a Shopsmith motor shaft has a slot that accepts either a key that is shared with the sheaves or a built-in key in the sheaves? Mine has a long flat, so I don't think I can make the current motor work.

[JPG]

You need to get a complete ss motor with pulley etc. This assumes you have the motor pan(cover).

Your motor is NOT from SS.

[DLB]

Thanks David. I'm not trying to split hairs, but I want to make sure we are on the same page. What do you mean by "keyway"? Do you mean that a Shopsmith motor shaft has a slot that accepts either a key that is shared with the sheaves or a built-in key in the sheaves? Mine has a long flat, so I don't think I can make the current motor work.

It has a keyway that accepts a long key that is then shared with the sheaves. It is long because the 'floating sheave' moves in and out on the shaft with the spring compressing or expanding in response to speed changes. The two pairs of sheaves, Idler and Motor, function together as variable diameter sheaves to provide the variable speed function. I agree, your current motor won't support the variable speed functionality. Mark 5/V headstock motors are unique, this is one of a few custom features.

Here is a sample: https://www.ebay.com/itm/266256828555?h ... R-6I3LKLYg

This appears to have everything you are missing. If you zoom in on the second picture you can see the keyway (and key). It's a bit pricey but not ridiculous as it includes shipping, there are not a lot of complete motors right now that include pan, sheaves, spring, and hardware. Not an endorsement, or recommendation.

- David

[JPG]

Looks like a good solution to me!

[br549]

In addition to ebay, you might also look at Craigslist. And, when checking, also search for "Shop Smith" (spelled as 2 words) for possibly more results. You will also get results for anything with the word "Shop", but worth the effort. Here is one example of what I found by doing so by checking the Baltimore and nearby areas. Have no knowledge if this is in anyway a good deal or have any association or interest in the matter. Just sharing what another forum member (thunderbirdbat) has advised in the past about doing online searches.

https://richmond.craigslist.org/tls/d/h ... 02373.html

[chapmanruss]

Following David's suggestion, you would get a good Motor with the Motor Pan but nothing else. It is from a seller I have purchased from and trust.

My concern is will you need other parts to complete your Headstock. This would be a good time to evaluate the parts, especially the bearings, of your current Headstock. There are bearings in the Idler Assembly, Drive Sleeve Assembly and Quill. Do the bearings all turn freely and smooth? Another concern is had there been any modifications made to the Headstock casting to mount the non-Shopsmith motor that the picture doesn't show. Do you have the Belt Cover for your Headstock? Some of these issues could be corrected with a complete working Headstock. Complete Conventional Headstocks come up for sale regularly, often from those buying a PowerPro Headstock upgrade.

The other option may be to find a good deal on a complete Mark V in your area. If you are patient, you may find one for a very reasonable price that runs well (and even better after some maintenance - oiling) and is fairly complete.

br549 suggested

In addition to ebay, you might also look at Craigslist. And, when checking, also search for "Shop Smith" (spelled as 2 words) for possibly more results.

If you put Shop and Smith in quotation marks as "shop smith" you will get only listings that contain both words. Without the quotation marks you will get all listings that have either shop or smith in them.