Shopsmith Forums

Hi folks,
I’m having difficulty with my quill feed. It seems to stiffen randomly and I’m not sure what to do. I removed it, cleaned all the teeth and other areas and it was ‘ok’ but still not great. The spring is in good condition as well.
Thanks!

Did you wax it? That should help.

I don’t have any paste wax anymore. Used up the Simonize and Johnson’s years ago. I DO have Collinite Insulator wax. It’s not a paste, but it’s heavy duty.

Get some more Johnsons paste wax. Car wax should not be used. Did you clean mating teeth inside headstock? And finally, what model Shopsmith do you have .. that might make a difference. Pictures might help others figure out possible problems too.

After cleaning and thoroughly inspecting, I loosened some parts and found that the sliding part of the quill was not causing the problem, but the rotational area. I managed to remove everything and I’m now looking for the woodruff key that is supposed to be in place. I’m thinking that certain parts that should not have been rotating were because of the missing key.

What model Shopsmith is it?

This one:

Mark 5, 1954

Doesn't matter unless it is a "10".

Yes the woodruff key is important if you want the quill lock to work well.

Not sure what you mean