New (old) Shop Smith owner

[idcook]

Thanks for all the encouragement! I live in Lawrence KS, if that helps. I hope I can find the basics, such as belts, etc. for this 1956 machine. I have not been able to do anything with it yet, it's so cold around here. I feel I need someone to look at it and tell me what to do at first so I don't mess anything up. Supposedly it has been tested and it works. It DOES have the jointer on it, which weighs about as much as the rest of the thing. If this machine will last me, I'll invest in it. I do have some Johnson's paste wax around here somewhere. It's pretty clean, but I'll fuss with it a bit when it warms up some.
I'll get some pics up directly.

Yes this is a greenie.

If you’d kind of like to have someone in the room with you when you start, someone who can be pestered again and again until you feel at ease taking a step, via personal experience I stand by this man.

There’re many here among us who are entirely reliable sources of step-by-step information. I don’t know if any of them offer videos but, for me, along with the urging and a few catcalls here in the forum, I found these discs extremely helpful.

Believe me, teacher, this is ridiculously easy.

However you go about it, the only advice I can offer in advance is to maintain organization and take photos as you proceed. Sorta like leaving a trail of breadcrumbs to help you get back to where you started… but better.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/Repair-your-Sho ... 2336e8e448

[teacherman]

12 gauge is rated for 20 amps so that is what I use for power cords and I also use 12 gauge wire when rewiring the motors.

There was a sign on it that said it should be rewired for safety. So does the coating on the motor windings break down? I can imagine that happening. I'll have a look.



One thing confusing is the little plastic power coupling, the white tube with a spring in it. Seems it should have two springs, but maybe not. Also, there are four output shafts, with two different profiles, I suppose I need to find a video of starting one of these up from scratch, and then start asking questions.

Thanks for the support; I hope to be able to contribute back once I get going on this.

[teacherman]

I may be getting ahead of myself, but will an old greenie support a bandsaw, and if so, how big is it for resawing and such?


I did order the instructional disc set, that should help me a lot.

[reible]

If you have 14Ga you are fine. In fact if you check the current cord is more then likely either 16 or 14 Ga. In fact all newer shopsmiths (since 1973) are 14Ga cords. If you think you want to go with 12Ga you could of course do that but it is not needed. The exception to this would be if you are making a 100' long cord or something odd like that, then heavier wires might be needed.

Ed

That was the plan. Is 12 necessary, or would 14 do? I have both, so no big deal. I bet the original is a 16.

[reible]

You will have to look at the wiring inside the machine and all the way into the motor to see if the insulation is still viable. If it crumbs off then it needs to be replaced or new insulation at least.

The plastic coupling has only one spring. If you look at the ends you will see that one has 4 teeth and the other 5. The spring is on the end with the 4 and that is the end that goes on the headstock. The end with 5 is for SPT such as the bandsaw/scroll saw/jig saw etc. The part that fits on the headstock will always have a 4 to match and have a 5/8" hole. The part that fits on the STP will always have 5 and will have either a 5/8" hole or a 1/2" that matches the shaft of the SPT.

Hope this helps.

Ed


[quote="teacherman"]There was a sign on it that said it should be rewired for safety. So does the coating on the motor windings break down? I can imagine that happening. I'll have a look.



One thing confusing is the little plastic power coupling, the white tube with a spring in it. Seems it should have two springs, but maybe not. Also, there are four output shafts, with two different profiles, I suppose I need to find a video of starting one of these up from scratch, and then start asking questions.

Thanks for the support]

[reible]

Yes the bandsaw will fit. There have been a few versions of these but one of the great things about a shopsmith is that machines from the 50's, 60's, 70's and even today's models can still use the same SPT's, like wise the other way around.

In general re-sawing is limited to about 6", a few people have made some modifications and gotten slightly more but not a lot. There is no kit to make it bigger. It is a nice bandsaw however, but it is different then most saws on the market so you need to adjust it differently then them. I've been very pleased on how it resaws, especially with a nice resaw blade. If you just have to have 14" of capacity you will have to look else where.

Ed

I may be getting ahead of myself, but will an old greenie support a bandsaw, and if so, how big is it for resawing and such?


I did order the instructional disc set, that should help me a lot.

[skou]

[quote="teacherman"]
One thing confusing is the little plastic power coupling, the white tube with a spring in it. Seems it should have two springs, but maybe not. Also, there are four output shafts, with two different profiles, I suppose I need to find a video of starting one of these up from scratch, and then start asking questions.

Thanks for the support]

That power coupling was designed that way, on purpose. If it was to fail, the spring would push the remainder away from the power hook-up, so nothing SERIOUS would happen. The spring end always goes on the headstock.

(Some of these guys have been dealing with these for so long, they overlook the simple stuff, that saves fingers. It's always been my opinion, once you know the "why," the "how" makes more sense.)

steve

[billmayo]

If you have 14Ga you are fine. In fact if you check the current cord is more then likely either 16 or 14 Ga. In fact all newer shopsmiths (since 1973) are 14Ga cords. If you think you want to go with 12Ga you could of course do that but it is not needed. The exception to this would be if you are making a 100' long cord or something odd like that, then heavier wires might be needed.

Ed

I find the 14 ga power cord is all that is needed and is excellent as it will handle 15 Amps without the wire becoming hot. All Shopsmith motors use 14 or fewer Amps once operating. I have been using 15' 14 ga power cords (big box stores) and cutting the female end off for many years. I actually cut about 18" off the end of this cord to use as replacement power wires for the motor leaving me with about 12' of power cord outside the headstock and 18" inside the headstock for the ON/OFF switch. I strongly recommend using a 12 ga extension cord if one is needed. I do not see any need or requirement to use a 12 ga power cord on the Shopsmith. I have used a 50' 12 ga extension cord to plug in the Shopsmith 14 ga power cord for a few weeks until electric could be extended to that area without any problems.

[teacherman]

Thanks so much for answering my questions! I will try to get out there today and start fiddling with it. I'll likely wait till the DVDs come before I tear into it. I am looking forward to using this cool machine! It really looks to not have been used much, and being older than I yet in better shape than I is pretty darn cool.

[dusty]

Thanks so much for answering my questions! I will try to get out there today and start fiddling with it. I'll likely wait till the DVDs come before I tear into it. I am looking forward to using this cool machine! It really looks to not have been used much, and being older than I yet in better shape than I is pretty darn cool.

You say that you are going to "tear into" your new machine. The only advise that I would give at this point is "don't fix it if it ain't broke".