Shopsmith Forums

Hi folks,

I was doing some maintenance on the Shopsmith this afternoon and while I had the side plate off and was oiling the shaft I saw a loose part sitting below on the motor. The part initially looked like somehow I had gotten a wire staple inside, but when I pulled it out that is clearly not the case.

It looks like a staple with the very ends bent inward and a small coil spring on the crossmember. Looking on the Shopsmith Owners site and here, I determined it is the retaining loop that is on the end of the shaft and tucks in behind the flat spring that is part of the speed changer. You can see it in this thread in the second photo from the bottom:

http://www.shopsmith.net/forums/showthr ... art+spring

Hopefully that comes up ok. On the Shopsmith site in the parts exploded diagram: "Headstock Service Parts Exploded Diagram" it is #111 and #112 although I have no idea what happened to my #112. I tried to order the parts but it won't let me order them, wants me to order a sheave assembly for $50 which seems ridiculous. Unfortunately they are closed now so I can't speak with anyone, but has anyone had this problem. Is this retainer a standard part used in other assemblies? Any ideas?

Thanks,
Chris

The likely reason this retaining loop came off is because the button bearing to which it is attached probably seized up from a lack of lubrication to the sheaves. Shopsmith doesn't sell the bearing or the retaining loop separately. I believe the bearing is a press fit and some folks have had success buying the bearing/retaining loop on ebay; others have not had success and have had to replace the whole assembly, which as you have discovered can be purchased new from Shopsmith. It can be sourced used on ebay.

You will get additional responses from more knowledgeable members....

Welcome to the forum.

Al

The 'button' on the end of the control sheave has a through hole on the sides. The retaining 'loop' goes into a small tension pin that runs through the hole. Those inward bends go into the tension pin. Most likely it will all go back together.

However the reason for it's separation needs to be 'discussed'. Lubrication Lubrication Lubrication. Both the floating and the control sheave do need frequent lubing. The loop should NEVER be pulled by the porkchop. Another reason for sedate changing the speed towards slow(with the sheaves rotating).

With properly lubricated sheaves your loop should never come out again.

[quote="JPG40504"]The 'button' on the end of the control sheave has a through hole on the sides. The retaining 'loop' goes into a small tension pin that runs through the hole. Those inward bends go into the tension pin. Most likely it will all go back together.

However the reason for it's separation needs to be 'discussed'. Lubrication Lubrication Lubrication. Both the floating and the control sheave do need frequent lubing. The loop should NEVER be pulled by the porkchop. Another reason for sedate changing the speed towards slow(with the sheaves rotating).

With properly lubricated sheaves your loop should never come out again.]
First, thanks to all of you that have answered, I appreciate the help.

The shaft that has the hole that the retaining loop goes into (is that #105 idler shaft ?) will rotate if I try and turn it by hand. The Shopsmith was working (I used the speed control to ramp up speed for oiling). It actually looks like I can order the retaining loop parts - I do not appear to be able to on the exploded drawing, but back on the parts list they are listed and priced.

Thoughts? Do I order these, try it out and hope for the best, or there a down side to trying (such as potentially more damage)?

Chris

The bearing, pin and loop are ordered from Shopsmith, only by ordering a Control sheave assembly. This is letter "I" in the list of the 17 most ordered parts. http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/part ... dparts.htm

I've been there and feel your pain:( . After ordering and installing this part, I found the "short key" (actually quite long with a hook on one end) in my machine had rolled in the keyway and was mo longer square. Had to order one of those too.

Anyway I was glad I didn't try to replace just the control loop, because the keyway (the inside of the Control sheave assembly) had been rounded out enough to cause trouble.

Of course the REAL CAUSE of the part failure was my lack of lubrication. It only took a year!!!! I never let that happen again. It easily took a good squirt of oil (not just a few drops) in the control sheave hole every ten hours of operation to keep it sliding smoothly. In my case every 10 hours of running time was monthly. If you get too much oil in the control sheave slide, not to worry!!! Excess oil will squeeze out of the button bearing and the bearing with loop will thank you:D .

ALSO - - don't forget the motor sheave lube!!! A well lubed motor sheave will relieve stress on the retaining loop of the control sheave. I've found the best way to do this is in the drill press position.

Yeah, I do the motor sheave, but honestly don't know how anyone can follow the procedure of locating that through the end cap hole! I pull the sheet metal housing off the end and it's easy to see/do.

I want to say I lube it often enough, but sometimes it sits for weeks and then I use it again, so how many hours on it? hard to keep track of. I think I will just start lubing weekly, or maybe every other use or something.

So how difficult a job is this if I buy the assembly??

Chris

chrisvt wrote:Yeah, I do the motor sheave, but honestly don't know how anyone can follow the procedure of locating that through the end cap hole! I pull the sheet metal housing off the end and it's easy to see/do.

I want to say I lube it often enough, but sometimes it sits for weeks and then I use it again, so how many hours on it? hard to keep track of. I think I will just start lubing weekly, or maybe every other use or something.

So how difficult a job is this if I buy the assembly??

Chris

The job of installing a new control sheave is fairly easy and straight forward. You'll have to remove the drive belt first. Instructions should come with the new parts. if not here-- http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/prod ... cement.pdf

Lubing the motor sheave is easiest for me if I raise the headstock to drill press position. Then remove and slide the motor cover up to as high as it will go. Hold it there with a wood hand screw clamp or padded steel clamp. From here you can drip oil onto the inner shaft (assuming your drive belt has been removed). You can now manually slide the outer sheave up toward compressing the spring and oil the inner part of the shaft. You will be compressing the spring so the lift will have resistance. Be careful that you DO NOT LET THE TWO SHEAVES SLAM TOGETHER. You can also put a drop or two into the hole that is hidden behind the spring.

A few lifts of the outer sheave will show you how good your lube has been. I should slide easier than before.

charlese Thank you for your comments on using lots of oil in the control sheave and on the motor floating sheave, key and shaft. I try to push this soap box time every chance I get. I have come to believe that the control sheave bearing needs to flushed every few years with lots of oil multiple times cycling through the speed range each time. I believe this adds more years to the life of the control sheave bearing. I clean the inside of the control sheave sleeve with a clean rag because the accumulated aluminum and belt dust inside the control sheave sleeve can be quite a lot over time. I place the control sheave bearing end down in a vise, use lots of oil in it and then I push an idler shaft slowly into the control sheave to really flush the oil through the bearing. I repeat this a few times until the bearing operates freely or I will replace the bearing. This allows me to reuse most of the control sheaves when rebuilding a headstock. Yes, this shielded bearing allows oil flushing when done slowly. At least 90% of the headstocks I rebuild suffer from a lack of too little or no oiling. The quadrant teeth are normally what shows the first signs of this lack of oiling. Also not letting the motor floating sheave snap back againest the motor fan sheave when removing or installing the motor belt is another problem I encounter.

billmayo wrote: charlese Thank you for your comments on using lots of oil in the control sheave and on the motor floating sheave, key and shaft. I try to push this soap box time every chance I get. I have come to believe that the control sheave bearing needs to flushed every few years with lots of oil multiple times cycling through the speed range each time. I believe this adds more years to the life of the control sheave bearing. I clean the inside of the control sheave sleeve with a clean rag because the accumulated aluminum and belt dust inside the control sheave sleeve can be quite a lot over time. I place the control sheave bearing end down in a vise, use lots of oil in it and then I push an idler shaft slowly into the control sheave to really flush the oil through the bearing. I repeat this a few times until the bearing operates freely or I will replace the bearing. This allows me to reuse most of the control sheaves when rebuilding a headstock. Yes, this shielded bearing allows oil flushing when done slowly. At least 90% of the headstocks I rebuild suffer from a lack of too little or no oiling. The quadrant teeth are normally what shows the first signs of this lack of oiling. Also not letting the motor floating sheave snap back againest the motor fan sheave when removing or installing the motor belt is another problem I encounter.

Charlese and BillMayo thanks for the info. Bill - what are the quadrant teeth you are referring to? Sorry for all the questions, I have had my SS many years but rarely get inside except for routine maintenance. - Chris

chrisvt wrote:Charlese and BillMayo thanks for the info. Bill - what are the quadrant teeth you are referring to? Sorry for all the questions, I have had my SS many years but rarely get inside except for routine maintenance. - Chris

Maybe more than you wanted to know!]http://shopsmith.wikia.com/wiki/Categor ... /Pork_Chop[/URL]

P.S. No one in their right mind attempts to oil the floating sheave through that hole in the belt cover more than once.