Shopsmith Forums

Hello again guys and a belated Merry Christmas! After cleaning up my entire machine and aligning it I have a few questions. Someone certainly used this machine without reading the manual before and one of the things they did was tighten the table insert all the way down. As a result my one and only table insert is bowed in the wrong direction. I am using a dado insert at the moment, which retained its original bow and flattened down flush nicely. Of course, my question is how do I bend it back? I'm sure I'm not the first one to come across this and would rather not buy a new one as my budget is pretty much spent buying the machine. Also, I noticed one of the combination blades has a bit of a wobble to it. How much is too much? One of the blades is the "new" anti kickback blade according to the copy of Power Tool Woodworking for Everyone, however one blade was cracked and fell off when I touched it. It this blade now unusable? I would think so, and likely not worth the expense to try to repair it.

And lastly checking 4 of 5 locks doesn't count... My rip cut kept binding and I couldn't figure out what it was until I saw the carriage creeping away from the headstock. I thought it was the quill lock and tried that first, but unfortunately the blade touched the side of the insert for a few seconds before I realized it was the carriage Not sure if that blade is worth fixing as it was also wobbly. Not sure if I'm the one that made it that way right at that moment or not

In the case of blade "wobble" my opinopn is that ANY wobble is too much. Make sure that the blade is correct for the arbor and that the arbor is secure on the spindle. Also make sure that the blade body is flat.
Now here is where I go from memory. I believe that some of the early table inserts were manufactured with a slight bow. The idea was to tighten one of the screws and then the other just until the insert was flat and true to the table. If you try to flatten it you will most likely crack it.
As for the blade that fell apart, scrap it.
You mentioned checking four out of five locks. That should be 5 out of 5 locks.
Table tilt lock
Table height lock
Carriage lock
Headstock lock
and Quill Lock
These all should be tight for a rip cut
Check the quill bearings for excessive play cause they could cause a problem that would appear to be a wobble.
Also, only use the proper blade arbor for a saw blade. DO NOT use any of the universal arbors or the dado arbor for a saw blade.
Make sure that the blades are in fact flat. That blade that fell apart makes me very nervous that other things are not kosher.
At this point, a VERY thorough inspection should be conducted with the guidance of some knowledgeable and experienced folks. You will find a bunch of them here.
Keep us in the loop.
Bill V

Fer sure the 'early' inserts(Mark 5 and V/500) were made concave upward so that the ends could be set to equal the table top height at both ends.

I believe it also applies to the V/500-520 inserts as well, but only the front is likely to present a problem.

By looking at the table, one can see where the insert contacts the 'landing pads' and therefore where a curved insert will behave correctly as it is pulled into coincidence with the table top surface by the retaining screws.

I agree 5 out of 5!!! 4 out of five for drill press(usually). There are others, but if movement is not desired, lock!!

I also agree re blade wobble, however there is a threshold under which they could be tolerated.

If a piece breaks off(carbide tooth??) by merely 'touching' that is a disaster awaiting it's time.

Make sure there is nothing causing the blade to not register to the arbor correctly.

You can modify your table insert to be micro-adjustable. http://www.shopsmith.com/ss_forum/viewt ... p?p=129749

Thanks guys,

I noticed some slop in the quill bearing, but didn't make the connection for some reason. It will likely need to be replaced I suppose. Sure wish it had the double bearing quill. I ordered the Jacobs Repair Shop repair videos and troubleshooting guide today so that should help. I repair vacuums and sewing machines for a living so I understand how important regular maintenance is. The wobbly blade was on the correct arbor as that seems pretty darned important to me.

The tooth that broke off the other blade was cracked underneath. Everything was just in boxes when I got it so all the blades (and shaper cutters and molding cutters) were all just rattling around together. Now, I am a VERY inexperienced woodworker but even I know that cutting tools should not be left to slap around all willy-nilly like that. I suppose it gives me a good excuse to go through EVERY single thing and make sure it's sharpened or trashed as appropriate. I had just spent so many hours just getting the machine cleaned, waxed, aligned, etc. I just want to MAKE SOMETHING dammit! As for the blade missing a tooth I would chuck it, but I CANNOT get the arbor off of it. Aerokroil soaked for a few days now...

Meh, it'll come out eventually

thezman007 wrote: As for the blade missing a tooth I would chuck it, but I CANNOT get the arbor off of it. Aerokroil soaked for a few days now...

Meh, it'll come out eventually

You do know it's a LEFT HAND THREAD?

I know that you want to make something but if you go over the machine thoroughly you will "make" a safer machine which be more of a pleasure to use.
Bill V

If the quill slop is in/out(along the rotation axis) the knurled collar can be 'adjusted' to remove/minimize it.

beeg wrote:

thezman007 wrote: As for the blade missing a tooth I would chuck it, but I CANNOT get the arbor off of it. Aerokroil soaked for a few days now...

Meh, it'll come out eventually

You do know it's a LEFT HAND THREAD?

I do thanks I think it's always loosened the same way the teeth are facing to cut, that way as the teeth are pushed back by the work it's tightening the nut. That's how I remember it anyways.

Thanks for the other suggestions guys. After spending damn near 3 solid days cleaning, aligning, repairing, organizing, learning what the hell some items are, etc. I took a break last night and just watched a bunch of wood turning videos instead. Maybe I will do some more checking, etc. tonight. It also came with several old issues of Fine Woodworking too. There is some pretty cool stuff in there

As an aside, how do you guys store your saw blades? I have enough arbors to just leave them on, but making cuts halfway through a board and standing them up to store them with arbors on sounds like a good way to warp a blade. And, I already know how much fun THAT is. Maybe a little box with drawers and an indentation in the center or something like it for the arbor? Hmmmmm...

thezman007 wrote: . . .

As an aside, how do you guys store your saw blades? I have enough arbors to just leave them on, but making cuts halfway through a board and standing them up to store them with arbors on sounds like a good way to warp a blade. And, I already know how much fun THAT is. Maybe a little box with drawers and an indentation in the center or something like it for the arbor? Hmmmmm...

Pegboard with long hooks. Arbor hole over the hook. Works best with older style(500) arbors.