Shopsmith Forums

hello again tim in Alaska.... just purchased the above... and was busy sharpening knives and installing... I find that I did not get the key to lock and unlock the drive motor... any suggestions on how this works... Also did not get the handle for up and down on table... most of the units I see on line have the feed motor sticking out on the side of the unit... this model I have only has a handle where motor should be... there is an electric cord going into side of unit....

well ignorance is bliss... where can I get a key to turn on and off the motor... where an I get or what can I use to raise and lower the tables... and Is the electric motor on this unit internal or did I just get a unit that was missing one.

thank you again folk for the help Tim

Shopsmith lists a key for the thickness planers.Is this what you need?
http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/item ... tem=513411

thanks for your help on the key..... this motor for driving the planer knives is apparently miy problem.... I see on the photos of this unit that there is an electric motor which attaches to right side and controls the feed. I only have a handle here and it does not look like there is any place for mounting motor. did the old models just use a hand crank.. there is an electric cord doing into the key control box and plug in on the bottom of that but nothing else. I cannot locate a stand alone manual for this unit to see what is what thanks again for your time … Tim

timinalaska wrote:thanks for your help on the key..... this motor for driving the planer knives is apparently miy problem.... I see on the photos of this unit that there is an electric motor which attaches to right side and controls the feed. I only have a handle here and it does not look like there is any place for mounting motor. did the old models just use a hand crank.. there is an electric cord doing into the key control box and plug in on the bottom of that but nothing else. I cannot locate a stand alone manual for this unit to see what is what thanks again for your time … Tim

Yes, there was a version where you hand-cranked to feed the wood into the planer. I think there is a long thread somewhere on the Forum by someone who converted from hand powered to motor powered.

The Planer Elevating Crank is listed as available in the Service Parts (#51413703) for $39.74. With a little ingenuity, you could probably make one. In the thread which JPG provided the link to above, I was the OP, and I included some pictures of the elevating crank I have. There was also a round handle version, which yours may have had to start with, but either will work.

The outlet on the bottom of the control box is for your Mark V, so that the entire unit (Mark V and therefore the planer) can be turned on and off via the control box. Your control box probably is just for on or off. For units with feed motor, there is also a dial to vary the speed of the feed motor.

In case you haven't already figured it out, you will also need a power coupler to connect the planer to the headstock, and maybe some power coupling hubs too, to actually drive the cutterhead with the knives. There are also stand alone versions with its own stand and a separate motor, but yours sounds like the Mark V mounted version. Be sure you have the clamps to secure it to the way tubes.

The Owner's Manual is available for purchase, but there is also a lot of the same information available for free in the Illustrated Tips section under the Woodworking Resources tab http://www.shopsmith.com/woodshoptips/t ... /index.htm

If you want to convert from manual feed to motor feed, it could be done, but buying new parts to do so would probably cost more than you have paid for the planer. Used drive motors and feed control boxes do occasionally come up on ebay, but not often. I suggest you get it up and running first as a manual feed and see if that meets your needs. If not, then maybe keep your eyes open for another planer with a feed motor. For the limited amount of planing which I have done, the manual feed has worked fine for me.

thanks a lot to you good folks for the input. I believe I will try that good advice and use hand crank. Best regards Tim

There is a feed motor, gears and control box on eBay right now. They are "Buy it Know" and free shipping. It will cost you about $500 for all three items. If you have any thought of a power feed and can afford it I would grab them now. Those parts almost never show up on eBay. Just do a search on eBay for Shopsmith planer.

jsburger wrote:There is a feed motor, gears and control box on eBay right now. They are "Buy it Know" and free shipping. It will cost you about $500 for all three items. If you have any thought of a power feed and can afford it I would grab them now. Those parts almost never show up on eBay. Just do a search on eBay for Shopsmith planer.

I dunno about Alaska, but $500 is the upper end of what a complete Pro Planer sells for here in Ohio. They show up a few times a year on CL. I paid $200 for mine, which is near the bottom end of the price range, but I’ve seen a couple at even lower prices.

BuckeyeDennis wrote:

jsburger wrote:There is a feed motor, gears and control box on eBay right now. They are "Buy it Know" and free shipping. It will cost you about $500 for all three items. If you have any thought of a power feed and can afford it I would grab them now. Those parts almost never show up on eBay. Just do a search on eBay for Shopsmith planer.

I dunno about Alaska, but $500 is the upper end of what a complete Pro Planer sells for here in Ohio. They show up a few times a year on CL. I paid $200 for mine, which is near the bottom end of the price range, but I’ve seen a couple at even lower prices.

I don't disagree with you at all. I bought my Pro Planer new from SS in the 90's but I bought two locally in like new condition in the early 2000's for $100 each.