Shopsmith Forums

SS says do not do it.

Good advice!

Now for the why.

We all know of the mashed teeth of the quadrant gear. That is caused by adjusting towards slow with the motor off, or, too rapidly with the motor on.

That be the obvious one.


Now about going towards fast.

Moving towards fast with the motor not running can be done without inflicting damage to the quadrant gear. However that potentially creates a different problem. The motor belt can get jammed between the control and idler sheave of the idler pulley.

I do not think anyone is fast enough to create this problem with the motor running.


All this is true as long as everything is lubricated properly and adjusted properly.

Crudded up movable sheaves create a new set of problems. Same with improperly set high speed limit.

Worn motor belt can also create new problems(dropping too low in either/both pulley.


Manually rotating the shafts while adjusting the speed control is ok as long as you do not force things when moving towards slow. Indeed it is the only way when the motor is 'incapacitated'.

An additional cause of belt jamming is moving the SS(turned off) with the speed set near fast. The open idler pulley can again allow the belt to drop enough to get jammed on power up.

That is thje reason for the adjust speed to slow before moving advice from CS. When 'always' set to slow before turning power off was de rigor, that was not necessary(it would always be at slow when off).



So you have two bottom lines!

Follow Dusty's advice and never do it.

Understand the possible consequences and act accordingly.


SS says never because they do not wish to explain it. Safe approach!;)

dusty wrote:If this removal from Blip is a permanent thing - it sticks.

I just hope that it is due to either some administrative oversight or a periodic update.

Admin: Please tell us that this is a temporary thing and that the videos will return.

Stinks, sticks, sucks.

I vote for the latter!:rolleyes:

JPG40504 wrote:Stinks, sticks, sucks.

I vote for the latter!:rolleyes:

So I don't type or spell all that well.

ryjonesacct wrote:So I can turn the speed to fast with the motor off? I thought that was a huge "no no" My father in law is suggesting we replace the two belts. Which belt are you suggesting I remove first? The poly V/ Gilmer belt? or the other one? I apologize for my lack of knowledge, but can you go into more detail regarding unwinding the motor belt from the sheaves without letting the floating sheave loose.

See the post above on this subject. #10

You have to remove the motor belt first.

Replacing the Poly-v/Gilmer belt is a major undertaking for a Newbe.

The speed control needs to be set to fast for a 'normal' belt removal.

If the belt is jammed, a more difficult procedure is required(if jammed, one cannot adjust the speed control to fast)[ya cannot rotate shafts manually].

I do not think replacing the belts will help, unless the motor belt is worn down to less than 1/2" wide at the crown.

Tension on the poly-v/gilmer belt is adjustable.


Again step one is remove the motor belt from the motor pulley. If the belt is jammed, you shall discover that while doing so. Once removed, you can concentrate on the motor all by itself.

enyoc wrote:If you post some pictures of the headstock, including the serial number plate, the forum can help you determine if you have a poly-v or a gilmer. (the gilmer is toothed)

These videos will give you a lot of basic knowledge on the subject:
http://www.shopsmithacademy.com/SS_Arch ... rn_Pt1.htm
http://www.shopsmithacademy.com/SS_Arch ... rn_Pt2.htm
http://www.shopsmithacademy.com/SS_Arch ... rn_Pt3.htm
http://www.shopsmithacademy.com/SS_Arch ... rn_Pt4.htm

EDIT: sessions 1, 2, and 4 are offline! that stinks! they were online last week. 3 is still good.

As of 07 Nov 2013 the videos violate the terms of service of bliptv.

Hope Admin can move these videos somewhere else, perhaps YouTube?

The Sawdust Sessions have been very useful to me as I do maintenance and also sold me not only on buying my 520 (albeit used) but also a number of accessories which I bought new from Shopsmith.

enyoc wrote:If you post some pictures of the headstock, including the serial number plate, the forum can help you determine if you have a poly-v or a gilmer. (the gilmer is toothed)

Here are some pictures I took last night, I can take better ones if you need them. I took them on my phone to show my Father in Law. I appreciate all your help and advice. So I am going to go forward with trying to move the speed dial to fast while I am manually spinning the sanding disk. And try to remove the motor belt. Once that is done I can turn on the motor to see if the belt was the problem is that correct?

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Wow just got through watching that 3rd video on the drive train. Very informative, and enjoyable to watch. I could use a few more close ups on it for the details, but still great resource. Anyone who can help identify if I have a Poly V belt or a Gilmer belt based on the pictures posted previously please let me know I'm going to place an order for them asap so I can get this thing running again. When I asked to borrow the ShopSmith from my Father in Law I thought it was in working order, so I have projects waiting. Thanks again for the insight and advice.

beeg wrote:Your Mark V is from 11 March 93. It looks like to me that the poly V belt is in the WRONG position. That's why ya have the fraying on the belt. Once ya get the speed turned to FAST, ya can walk the belt off the sheave.

So it is a Poly V belt and not the Gilmer? And I should probably replace both the poly V as well as the Drive belt right? After watching that Sawdust session video on the drive train I feel pretty good about tackling the job. Wish me Luck