Shopsmith Forums

rrschlue,

If you can restore it that would keep your father's tools with you.

Thanks for posting the pictures. They tell us a lot about the condition. The rust is not that bad at all and should clean up fine. The Right-Side Frame has a little tracking damage as already noted but much less than my example. Since the belt is still on some things may be hidden. It does look like the Drive Sleeve Assembly is missing the Drive Sleeve (part number 502932) itself. That is available through the online parts catalog and would be less than replacing the entire Drive Sleeve Assembly if the rest of it is in useable condition. Check the bearings. The Drive Sleeve is a rubbery sleeve to give traction to move the sanding belt. The Idler Durm is bare metal. If the Idler Drum Assembly functions properly there is no need to replace it. If it does need replacing, try to get the entire assembly rather than individual parts. I refer to algale experience for that reasoning.

I did notice it has the Auxiliary Shaft Cover still. This item is commonly misplaced or lost.

Something I did not mention in my previous post is used parts for the Belt Sander come up much less often than parts for other SPTs like the Bandsaw or Jointer. Trying to get used parts could take some time.

Due to its age your Belt Sander may have an instruction label on the back side of the Back-up Plate. Removing rust from the Back-up Plate will cause the loss of the label. Newer Belt Sanders no longer have that label on the Back-up Plate so if you wish to replace it below is a PDF you can print out on 8-1/2" x 11" self-adhesive label paper. It makes three labels. It is a replica I made for my Belt Sander restorations.
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Thank you.
I could not remove the belt by loosing the idler drum. So, a utility knife did the job. Sometime in the past, it was dropped and bent the idler shaft. A new Idler Drum Assembly ($134.95) and Driver Drum Assembly ($135.95) are the parts identified for replacement. I will send some more photos of the interior.

rrschlue wrote: Sat Nov 23, 2024 4:31 pm Thank you.
I could not remove the belt by loosing the idler drum. So, a utility knife did the job. Sometime in the past, it was dropped and bent the idler shaft. A new Idler Drum Assembly ($134.95) and Driver Drum Assembly ($135.95) are the parts identified for replacement. I will send some more photos of the interior.

The Drive Drum is pretty simple to rebuild. The Sleeve is replaceable and available from SS, some have used a cut down inner tube. It has two ball bearings, readily available and easily replaced. Note that the bearings are metric except for a special 5/8" ID, so take care when ordering. Also note that sealed bearings might be a better choice than shielded, which at least some Belt Sanders came with originally. (I choose sealed bearings whenever possible anyway. But this is a particularly dusty environment with low rotational speed, to my understanding that almost demands a sealed bearing.) If the rest of it is good, DIY rebuild cost would be in the $30 range.

OTOH - Is the drum crowned? IIUC Shopsmith stopped crowning the drive drum a long time ago, asserting that the belt tracks better with only the Idler Drum crowned. I turned mine to take the crown out, but it was somewhat tedious. This is something to consider when thinking new Vs. rebuilt.

- David

Mine looked worse than that. I used a rust-oleum charcoal grey on it after media blasting and rust911 on the rest. I had a friend make some labels for it, they are not perfect, but pretty close. I have another friend turn down the drive platen for me.