Shopsmith Forums

So this evening I started using the table saw portion of the SS-510 my father-in-law gave me. Prior to this I used my dedicated table saw. Everything else on the SS I've used in the past has worked fine; drill press, sander, band saw and jointer. When I start the saw at 3500 rpm or "R" on the dial, it takes some time to get up to full speed. I won't say how long because I would like to know what is normal and am I in the ballpark. You long timers should have a good feel for what is normal. If I'm out of spec, what do I need to look for and what options do I have? And sadly, a Mark 7 head stock is not an option, at least not yet.

First of all, don't do that. Before you turn the the Shopsmith "off", turn the rpm down to LOW. Now when you turn it "on", the motor will draw less current during startup. As you describe, I would estimate 2-3 seconds. If it labors much longer than that, it will kick a breaker.

While I always dial my headstock speed down to "slow" before shutting off my Mark V when I am leaving the shop or changing operations, I must admit that I do not always do so when I need to momentarily tun off the power.

For example, if I am making a series of identical cross cuts using a stop block, I might need to momentarily shut the power off in order to clear a cut-off that is in the way of the next cut. Or maybe because I was too lazy to set up my outfeed table on a rip cut I've just completed, I'm holding down the work piece to prevent it from cantilevering off the end of the table and on to the floor and I don't want to try to hold that position while I dial the speed down.

In such cases I admit I do not bother taking the time to dial down to "slow" before turning off my head stock. That means I am going to be at the original speed setting when I turn my head stock on for the next operation.

I find that with a standard table saw blade, my head stock comes up to "Saw-Joint" speed very quickly. I haven't timed it, but I'd say it's under one second.

Now, if I am cutting grooves/dados and I have my monster 8" Dadonator mounted with a thick 3/4" dado stack and I am cutting at "dado" speed when I shut the power off, it might take my headstock longer to come up to "dado" speed because of all that weight (even though "dado" is a slower speed than "saw-jont"). In such cases, it might take up to two seconds to get up to "dado" speed.

If it takes longer than that, I'd be suspicious of one or more of the following: (a) incorrect belt tension; (b) undersized electrical circuit; (c) too many other things plugged/wired into the circuit; or (c) an undersized extension cord in use.

Best,

Al

Check your electrical supply. It should a 15 amp dedicated supply. If the lights dim substantially then the speed should be set to "slow" before turning it on. Normally starting it a sawing speed is not a problem with adequate supply voltage. I would not suspect a bad bearing at this time because you have been using other functions. A 20 amp supply would serve better.
Bill V