Shopsmith Forums

Hello all! Was rocking along with my 520 getting a lot of work done on a new workbench I’m building. I was jointing some pine boards when the jointer stopped spinning under load. Headstock still spins fine and sounds great when I disconnected it. It will spin the jointer but once any load is placed on it the jointer blades stop while the headstock continues to spin. With the Headstock disconnected from the jointer, if I hold the jointer input shaft I can spin the jointer blades both directions freely.

Thoughts, suggestions, help?

Just a thought. The jointer should spin freely if disconnected from the drive shaft. Inspect the plastic Power Coupler.

As Dusty said check the splines in the plastic coupler they may be worn down. Also check the metal drive hub under the plastic coupler. The set screw may be just loose enough to allow the coupler to spin on the headstock shaft or the jointer shaft.

Are you 'holding' the coupler, the hub, or the shaft when the blades 'spin' freely?

If either the hub or the coupler, check the set screw that secures the hub to the shaft.

I do not recall that the blade holder has a separate shaft. If it does, check for that being loose also.

Last guess, a broken shaft(VERY unlikely).

Does it perchance make noise when the headstock IS connected/running("it sounds great with it disconnected/running").

If the input shaft can be held stationary and you can spin the blades, something has come loose inside. This is one of the simplest mechanical devices ever put together so I would take it apart and see what is wrong with it. Once you see the problem, you can fix it.
Parts are shown here.
http://www.shopsmith.com/service/jointe ... iagram.htm

garys wrote:If the input shaft can be held stationary and you can spin the blades, something has come loose inside. This is one of the simplest mechanical devices ever put together so I would take it apart and see what is wrong with it. Once you see the problem, you can fix it.
Parts are shown here.
http://www.shopsmith.com/service/jointe ... iagram.htm

The "jointer" input shaft and the cutter head are all one assembly. If you can hold that shaft and move the blades there is a very unusual problem with the cutter head.

However, if we are moving into the headstock...the issues become a bit different. I think clarification of the symptoms is needed.

dusty wrote:
The "jointer" input shaft and the cutter head are all one assembly. If you can hold that shaft and move the blades there is a very unusual problem with the cutter head.

However, if we are moving into the headstock...the issues become a bit different. I think clarification of the symptoms is needed.

Agree. There is almost nothing between the input drive hub and the cutter head. It is about as simple a device as can be made. If this is the case, check the set screw. A simple visual inspection should show the problem.

You gentlemen had it right. It was the metal drive hub slipping on the shaft. The setscrew backed out just enough to allow it to spin. It was jammed up into the plastic power coupler so I didn’t have a chance to check it last night, ran out of time in the shop. Took about two minutes to fix this morning. The hardest part was getting the little metal drive hub out of the plastic power coupler which it was jammed up into pretty good.

Working like a champ again! Now how do I stretch the table to be 6 inches wide?

Thanks a bunch for all the help.

Wes7373 wrote:You gentlemen had it right. It was the metal drive hub slipping on the shaft. The setscrew backed out just enough to allow it to spin. It was jammed up into the plastic power coupler so I didn’t have a chance to check it last night, ran out of time in the shop. Took about two minutes to fix this morning. The hardest part was getting the little metal drive hub out of the plastic power coupler which it was jammed up into pretty good.

Working like a champ again! Now how do I stretch the table to be 6 inches wide?

Thanks a bunch for all the help.

Just thankful that the resolution was this simple. They are not always this quick or easy to solve. Now you can go on to Making Sawdust Safely.