Shopsmith Forums

Success! JPG, I followed your advice and bent the legs of the pork chop to try to make the alignment better. The gears look like they align better, but the force required to turn the speed control handle is still not as uniform as I think it should be. It turns easily thru about half the range and then gets harder as it gets slower. Maybe, it will "break-in", hopefully without breaking.

I put the part with the worm gear in a vice and used heavy duty electrician pliers to apply the pressure to the legs a little at a time. It seemed to be easy to control if done in small increments.

Like others have mentioned, it's hard to understand why SS used aluminum instead of steel, or other sturdy, metal. Oh well, in current vernacular,"It is what it is". So we have to deal with it.

Thanks JPG and others who helped me with this.

Bill

billparker wrote:Success! JPG, I followed your advice and bent the legs of the pork chop to try to make the alignment better. The gears look like they align better, but the force required to turn the speed control handle is still not as uniform as I think it should be. It turns easily thru about half the range and then gets harder as it gets slower. Maybe, it will "break-in", hopefully without breaking.

I put the part with the worm gear in a vice and used heavy duty electrician pliers to apply the pressure to the legs a little at a time. It seemed to be easy to control if done in small increments.

Like others have mentioned, it's hard to understand why SS used aluminum instead of steel, or other sturdy, metal. Oh well, in current vernacular,"It is what it is". So we have to deal with it.

Thanks JPG and others who helped me with this.

Bill

Repetition? Yes!] meant the quadrant gear teeth[/B]. not the worm gear!:o


If there is a high spot where the porkchop binds against the worm gear, judicious filing of the worm gear teeth that are binding may help.

I had this problem with the last 'new' porkchop I installed. A very small amount of interference causes it to get stuck.

Thanks, for the clarification. As it turns out, I had not filed the worm gear or the quadrant. I'll try that now.

Bill

billparker wrote:Like others have mentioned, it's hard to understand why SS used aluminum instead of steel, or other sturdy, metal. Oh well, in current vernacular,"It is what it is". So we have to deal with it.

Bill

The Speed Control Housing is not aluminum, it is an alloy metal (pot metal maybe). Even the clones machines used the same material except their legs tends to break, not bend like the Shopsmith legs. I have some outstanding steel and aircraft welders try to weld/braze the Speed Control Housings without success. Also, tried many ways to strengthen the legs without success. The "replace roll pin with bolt" change has been very successful and seems to prevent any future leg bending and damaged quadrants.

If anyone is interested in this change, send me (annbill.mayo@comcast.net) your address for a free allen head bolt, 2 star washers and nylock nut. I will send pictures with the instructions at that time.

As an alternative to replacing the roll pin & squeezing the legs together, I have done 2 different procedures with success that will not involve bending or breaking the legs.
In both, I first move the pork chop back & forth on the roll pin to see the position that the gear/worm operates smoothly. It's usually with the porkchop all the way to one leg or the other. I then, in method one, drive the roll pin out of that leg just far enough to slip a small washer into the gap to take up the wear space & then drive the roll pin back. (I haven't figured out how to put in a photo here to show that, but will email one to anyone who's interested, or someone can show me how to put a pic here, too, I suppose).
In method two, I take a washer with a hole just a tad bigger than the roll pin diameter, (same size works for each procedure) use a tin snips to cut out a section (making it "C" shaped) with the cutout being just wide enough to allow it to be slipped over the roll pin, then I crimp it just enough so it won't slip off the pin & doesn't distort the washer. With this method, you don't have to drive out the roll pin, but you putz more with the washer.
I figured #2 out first, but then discovered that it was easier (for me, at least) to drive out the pin & leave the washer intact.
No worries about breaking the legs, and I've had one of my machine & several friends machines running a long time with no issues.
. If the teeth aren't too badly distorted, I'm able to just leave them. If they're more worn, I've been able to (up to now) gently file flat on top & run a small triangle (saw sharpening) file between the teeth to re-shape. Then a gentle wire wheel to take off any burrs. I've not yet had one that was too far gone, where I couldn't do that.
Wow, I hadn't planned to rattle on this long. Hope it was helpful.

Add the screw and nut and you have a better solution. The roll pin gets loose and tends to wobble. The holes in the legs are sloppier than the bore in the quadrant, so all the wear is in the leg holes.

Yes the washer is 'safer' than trying to bring the leg back to 'normal'

I haven't noticed, at least on the ones I've done, that the roll pin hole has been sloppy in the legs. It's always been a tight fit on re-assembly, although the "c" shaped ring approach where I don't mess with the pin would work if you're worried. Actually, once you've got the washer snipping down, that way is really quick.

trainguytom wrote:I haven't noticed, at least on the ones I've done, that the roll pin hole has been sloppy in the legs. It's always been a tight fit on re-assembly, although the "c" shaped ring approach where I don't mess with the pin would work if you're worried. Actually, once you've got the washer snipping down, that way is really quick.

The roll pin is a 'squeeze' fit to the quadrant casting bore. The leg holes are a loose fit. The roll pin rotates in the leg holes as the quadrant moves.

The screw with star washers to prevent the screw from rotating allows the quadrant to rotate on the screw shaft. Much more reliable due to increased bearing surface. This is why a screw with full shank size on the head end is preferred to a fully threaded one.

For future reference only!;)

I suppose I'll have to try one that way. The expanded bearing surface certainly makes sense. I've just been a little paranoid about breaking a leg. When I spoke w/ Bill M before I tried the washer thing, I asked if he ever had a leg break & when he said yes, not wanting to take that chance, I looked for another way.
I suppose since you're not pulling the legs in very much, the chances of a break are remote.

trainguytom wrote:I suppose I'll have to try one that way. The expanded bearing surface certainly makes sense. I've just been a little paranoid about breaking a leg. When I spoke w/ Bill M before I tried the washer thing, I asked if he ever had a leg break & when he said yes, not wanting to take that chance, I looked for another way.
I suppose since you're not pulling the legs in very much, the chances of a break are remote.

I like the washer approach!!!:)

I just think the screw is an improvement over the roll pin.]ain't broke[/B]'!