Shopsmith Forums

DLB wrote:Welcome to the forum.
First thing would be to confirm that all parts are there, in the right order, and in the right orientation. The serrated sides of the two serrated washers should face the feed stop. So you have an inside flat washer, an inside serrated washer with the serration facing out, the Feed Stop (ring with measurements), the second serrated washer with the serration facing in, then the stop lock (wing nut). When assembled and snugged, you should see a gap between the Feed Stop and the Spring Housing, necessary for he Feed Stop to rotate freely.
Checking these should get us started, you may find the problem or eliminate possibilities. I think I've experienced this before and it had to do with the serrated sides facing the wrong direction in my case, but it was a long time ago.
- David

I think you have identified the problem I have no serated washers!

Those washers, in addition to being serrated on one side, are also keyed. You can see that in the link that JPG provided early in this thread but select Quill/feed 1 of 3, first pic shows them laying flat. Shopsmith is probably your best source, as they are a unique item. If that is a problem, Ebay has choices for a complete pinion assembly but shipping (whether itemized or included) is a bit high. You can try contacting one of those ebay sellers and see if they will sell you just a pair of serrated washers, which they can ship for much less.

The posts above are a good example of why it is important to get the correct Manual or Spare Parts List for your era of the Shopsmith Mark 5. Although this one was a minor difference of a washer. The exploded diagrams and parts lists printed in the first 6 Manuals and the separate Spare Parts Lists with the exploded diagrams that were printed separately from the Manual changed every time there was a change in the Mark 5. Most of the changes were in the headstock but others occurred too. The first three Manuals are restored and on Everett's google drive with more to come. There were at least a dozen Manuals/Spare Parts Lists in the 50's & 60's. Until Everett has the time to complete them all, or at least the ones we know of, anyone can ask questions here and someone will be able to help as shown above. I have original copies of most of the early Manuals/Spare Parts Lists to help.