Shopsmith Forums

Dusty, you are an early riser for someone on your time zone!!! Or is it to beat the heat?? Nephews did the same thing as you described here, (senerio).

rbursek wrote:Dusty, you are an early riser for someone on your time zone!!! Or is it to beat the heat?? Nephews did the same thing as you described here, (senerio).

I am an early riser and there are several reasons for that. Beating the heat is but one of them. My favorite time of day is just before sun rise which is when I have my first cup of coffee each day while sipping that coffee and watching the desert (my small back yard with critters) come alive.

JohnSWA wrote:I turned the speed higher for the 4x4 and it quit shortly after backing off hoping for the rpms to catch up. After that, the blade just stopped with the motor still running.

I am rereading the thread. I may have just answered the question regarding your speed setting.

Is the speed dial now set for something just below saw speed and is this the setting at which the upper shaft quit turning.?

Best time of the day, in the desert, other then 5pm.

Thanks for the info! I set the speed to fast as the manual required. This was of course with the motor not turning. Obviously I have a lot to learn. I'm leaning towards a sheave issue. Its all apart as shown in the earlier pic. Not exactly the same as my unit is a 500 model. Thanks for the info and please keep it coming!

John, good thing is that these machines are so simple, and such good videos and expertise here, that you can do it(fix) yourself, just an inconvience, good time to change belts or bearings if needed. Bet you wont do that again!! Turn it I mean without running.

JohnSWA wrote:Thanks for the info! I set the speed to fast as the manual required. This was of course with the motor not turning. Obviously I have a lot to learn. I'm leaning towards a sheave issue. Its all apart as shown in the earlier pic. Not exactly the same as my unit is a 500 model. Thanks for the info and please keep it coming!

Yes, I realize that. However, this is the beauty of the Shopsmith. While there are differences, the major mechanical details are very, very similar. With regards to the sheaves, until you get down into the minutia, there are no differences.

BTW I don't see a pic that shows your unit all apart.

I'll take a pic when I get home. I'm pretty sure I damaged something as it's difficult to turn the speed dial and it looks like the mechanism under the lower sheave is binding when turning the dial.

JohnSWA wrote:I'll take a pic when I get home. I'm pretty sure I damaged something as it's difficult to turn the speed dial and it looks like the mechanism under the lower sheave is binding when turning the dial.

If you are entering into a tear down phase, take the speed dial back to the "high Speed" setting. Use the sanding disk to do this with NO POWER applied.

You need to be in the high speed configuration to get the motor belt (v-belt) off. You need the motor belt off to work on the sheaves. If you are at this point, I would suggest dropping the motor. Doing so gives you unobstructed access to the innards. You will soon be a seasoned Shopsmith owner.

Fear not. This is not an uncommon position to be in. Many users fail to respect the fact that the speed dial should not be turned with the drive shaft idle. Yes, there may be some damage but it will not be catastrophic nor will repairs be real costly. Not cheap but not earth shaking.

STOP, dont force anything, especial if not turning by hand or motor. Until you find the problem.