Shopsmith Forums

I have acquired a shopsmith V and am struggling. I cleaned and oiled it and it looks pretty nice and moves well but struggling with using it fully (mainly the lathe). I am thinking that we are getting the lathe too tight but regardless of what we do it wobbles to much and just does not turn. Can anyone help?

Also, if anyone lives near Salt Lake City (we live near Layton/Ogden) that would be willing to show us (me and my son) how to effectively use the Shopsmith that would be wonderful (However, I know that may be asking a bit much).

Any help is greatly appreciated,
Brian

If you post videos or pictures here there are many here that can assist you guys with issues, if its a wobble in the work piece it can be a few things, one the piece isn't supported properly ,,,2 a out of balance chuck,, highly doubt full , 3 the quill could be bent or the bearings can be worn out, a single bearing quill has a built in wobble ,, know from experience,,and the list goes on. if you have any equipment like dial indicators you can check off several things .

Welcome to the forum ! Lots of great resources here. When you say wobble are you referring to the arbor on the machine or the piece of wood ? We are big on pictures here as it really helps us understand the problem better. The first step in owning a SS is to meticulously go through the alignment process step by step.
Paul

brianpetrovich wrote: and just does not turn.

OK, what doesn't turn? Does the motor turn? Assuming you are using the drive center on the headstock, does it turn? Does the workpiece turn?

Think of it like your screwdriver. If your screwdriver turns and the screw doesn't, it is because you don't have the screwdriver in the slot of the screw.

The drive center needs to be set securely into slots you cut in the workpiece if you expect it to turn under the loads of cutting.

How about a pix or sketch of the drive spur you are using.

brianpetrovich wrote:I have acquired a shopsmith V and am struggling. I cleaned and oiled it and it looks pretty nice and moves well but struggling with using it fully (mainly the lathe). I am thinking that we are getting the lathe too tight but regardless of what we do it wobbles to much and just does not turn. Can anyone help?

Also, if anyone lives near Salt Lake City (we live near Layton/Ogden) that would be willing to show us (me and my son) how to effectively use the Shopsmith that would be wonderful (However, I know that may be asking a bit much).

Any help is greatly appreciated,
Brian

Hi, Brian. I live in Hooper so we should only be a few miles away. PM me with your address and lets see if we can get together. I am retired so time is very flexible.