Shopsmith Forums

The quill shaft turns easily by hand and no he did not open the motor right up...he just did some testing on it while it was running with his testers....and said the motor is just like new ...

[img]http://C:\Users\Joanne\Pictures\Mark's%20Camera\2013-01-14[/img]

Here's the picture.

markflow wrote:Here's the picture.

Tis a Mark 5 Gilmer 'Greenie'. Definitely an old one, but not a Mark V.

It should have a 3/4 hp motor.

Did the motor have a start 'relay' mounted on the back end?

Do you know what brand the motor is? It may be a Franklin, A GE, or an A.O.Smith(?).

Did you find an oil hole on the control sheave hub and the floating sheave hub on the motor shaft?

Since the motor runs 'coolly' with belt off, and the shafts turn freely, we have a mystery.

At this point I would hook up the belt again and start over. The older models came with a recommendation to always turn the speed control down to slow prior to turning the power off. That shortens the time it takes the motor to start when turned on. Manually set the speed control to slow before starting it up.

It is possible that a combination of 'details' led you to the breaker tripping.

The following is a list of some of those things.

Breaker defective.(overly sensitive to trip)
Shopsmith NOT the only thing fed by the breaker.
An extension cord between the receptacle and the power cord.
Motor start switch or relay not connecting/disconnecting start winding.
Excessive mechanical load.
Poor connection of the power cord plug to the recepticle.
Motor internal loose/poor connection.
Power switch not making properly.

i.e. anything that restricts power at startup and anything that prevents the motor coming up to speed rapidly and anything that prevents the motor start circuit from kicking out once it is running.

This is not an exhaustive list, but the more likely culprits.

See, this is what makes this one of the best forums on the internet. A new guy has a problem and now has several true experts trying to solve what is most definitely a mystery ailment.

My vote is for a short somewhere. I would guess that the tripping of the breaker is at an almost random interval. I would also suggest that the power cord is a very likely suspect. I haven't bought a used SS yet that didn't need the power cord replaced, even though the machine was running well. Invariably the cord is fried near the motor connections. Or it is shorting near the switch.

Can't wait to see how this one is resolved.

Hi the motor is a A.O.Smith and had the started switch checked and it was working properly....going to try and change the breaker and then the power cord and then the switch to start with ....thanks everyone for the info this is definately an awesome site and yes its a 3/4 hp and it does have the start relay on the end

markflow wrote:Hi the motor is a A.O.Smith and had the started switch checked and it was working properly....going to try and change the breaker and then the power cord and then the switch to start with ....thanks everyone for the info this is definately an awesome site and yes its a 3/4 hp and it does have the start relay on the end

If it has the external start relay, then there is no start switch.

The start relays can be somewhat unreliable as they age over a half century.

Tis possible that the relay was not 'picking' and opening up the start circuit when the motor was overheating.

Keep stopping/starting the motor at a slow speed setting(assuming it then will run without tripping the breaker).

If you were hearing a click when starting or stopping, it was the relay making the click.

Are you sure it is is a 'relay' on the end? pix time again!!!!

The GE motor were the ones with a start relay usually.

The A.O.Smith motors I have seen have a start switch housing on the back end.

markflow wrote:Hi Everyone....I am having trouble just purchased and older shopsmith v and when I power it up it kicks the breaker ....I took the drive belt off and it ran perfectly but as soon as I put any attachments on it after about 30 seconds it will kick the breaker....any suggestion on what it could be ....thanks::rolleyes:

There has been a lot of good advise given in this thread but there is a lot of work being recommended that has nothing to do with the originally stated problem.

The motor switches on and off; therefore the switch is not bad. Power gets to the switch and the motor; therefore the power cord is not bad. The start switch (relay) clicks; therefore, the centrifugal switch is not bad.

The breaker trips - hmmm, maybe the breaker is weak. Plug into a different outlet (circuit). If it trip[s there - probably not the breaker.

As long as the motor runs, it is probable that that the motor is not causing the tripped breaker. However, it has been said that the motor gets hot. HOT is a relative term. If the motor gets too hot to lay your hand on (especially running without a load), turn it off and don't run it again until you have taken it apart. Unless that motor was left to run for a long time, it should not get hot enough to be uncomfortable to touch. If it does, something is either ready to go up in smoke or the bearings are about to freeze. This would indicate time for a rebuild (new bearings).

With the belt removed, this would be a good time to check out the mechanics of the entire drive line. I would spin (move) everything. There should be NO unusual noises and everything should move smoothly (no binding, grinding or dragging). Oil the sheaves - AGAIN. More oil hurts nothing and we must not loose sight of why we are doing this. The breaker trips when the motor is put under load. The drive train should not put excessive load on the motor. If it does - there is something wrong with either 1) the drive train or 2) the motor.

In my mind, the motor has become the secondary suspect.

In my mind, something has changed. The motor is no longer running hot.

FWIW a start switch does not cause the start relay to pick, induced emf in the start winding does.

Something is wrong an assumption is being made instead of actual test results.

Problem tripping a breaker.
Cause
Motor bad - tested and reported good.
Bind in power train - tested easy to turn by hand
Speed control set to high - I never heard where it is set
Bad circuit - reported 20 amp circuit with nothing on it.
Bad breaker - I never heard if he tried another circuit
Extension cord - never heard how the SS was connected to power.
Short somewhere inside machine - Never heard of a visual inspection to insure no wires were bare or possibly shorting out.

If the motor is good the power train is fine, the breaker is good and all wiring is within spec then the problem can't happen. So one of these things has to be the problem and either an assumption is being made or something isn't being told.