Shopsmith Forums

I love this old shopmate and hope to fix it. The brush on one side of the motor is completely worn down. The other side is still at least an inch in length. I would like to replace the worn brush. Has anyone ever replaced brushes in this unit and if so where can I get replacements?

mandjb wrote:I love this old shopmate and hope to fix it. The brush on one side of the motor is completely worn down. The other side is still at least an inch in length. I would like to replace the worn brush. Has anyone ever replaced brushes in this unit and if so where can I get replacements?

What's a Shopmate?;)

mandjb wrote:I love this old shopmate and hope to fix it. The brush on one side of the motor is completely worn down. The other side is still at least an inch in length. I would like to replace the worn brush. Has anyone ever replaced brushes in this unit and if so where can I get replacements?

You will need to measure width and height of your best old brush. The length can be cut if too long. You will need both the inch and metric measurements for better searching. I had really good success checking Ebay for DC motor brush and/or carbon brush to find the correct size brushes I needed. I have replaced many brushes used in universal motors by using this method to find the correct size available.

Shopmate = older SS vacuum:

see it in this thread:
https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?t=4745

Thanks for the reply. I will get exact measurements and start searching to see if I can locate the size that I need.

Update: I found a brush just the perfect size on amazon.com for $4.56 and free shipping. 6.2mm X 11mm. It is long enough to replace the brush twice. It has been installed and the vacuum works just like new now. Big thanks to Bill Mayo for the advice.