Shopsmith Forums

Last night I bought a mark V and a bunch of attachments off craigslist, with the caveat that the motor was untested. I started checking it out today and found that the switch was corroded (easy fix) and the motor had crossover connectivity between the leads. I dug further in and couldn't find anything obvious so I called a motor repair place. They told me it was most likely the windings, which wouldn't be cost effective to fix. So:

1) Are they right? Is there anything else I should check to see if I can get this guy spinning again without shooting smoke?

2) Assuming they are correct, what's my most cost-effective option for motor replacement? I don't care about stock parts, but I don't want to have to do a bunch of adjustments to make the new one fit properly.

Motor is a 1 1/8hp emerson motor, model #C55DDR-2015A.

octoraptor wrote:Last night I bought a mark V and a bunch of attachments off craigslist, with the caveat that the motor was untested. I started checking it out today and found that the switch was corroded (easy fix) and the motor had crossover connectivity between the leads. I dug further in and couldn't find anything obvious so I called a motor repair place. They told me it was most likely the windings, which wouldn't be cost effective to fix. So:

1) Are they right? Is there anything else I should check to see if I can get this guy spinning again without shooting smoke?

2) Assuming they are correct, what's my most cost-effective option for motor replacement? I don't care about stock parts, but I don't want to have to do a bunch of adjustments to make the new one fit properly.

Motor is a 1 1/8hp emerson motor, model #C55DDR-2015A.

What do you mean by "crossover connectivity between the leads". There will be a resistance reading between the leads.

The motor is unique to Shopsmith. You need a SS motor. They are available new from SS or they come up used on eBay all the time.

When I check between the leads, there's less than an ohm of resistance.
I only thought to check there because when I found out the switch was corroded I decided to alligator clip the leads directly to power to test the motor, and when I turned it on they started smoking immediately (pretty much what would happen if you stuck a fork in a wall outlet).

The only ones I've seen on ebay so far are all old 3/4hps. How important is that power difference? The ones from shopsmith are 4-500 depending on assembly. Would it be foolish to try and mount something aftermarket? What would it take/what's the worst that could happen?

octoraptor wrote:I mean when I check between the leads, there's less than an ohm of resistance.
I only thought to check there because when I found out the switch was corroded I decided to alligator clip the leads directly to power to test the motor, and when I turned it on they started smoking immediately (pretty much what would happen if you stuck a fork in a wall outlet).

The only ones I've seen on ebay so far are all old 3/4hps. The ones from shopsmith are 4-500 depending on assembly. Would it be foolish to try and mount something aftermarket? What would it take/what's the worst that could happen?

Then the motor is toast. I just checked, there are 3 SS 1 1/8 HP motors listed right now. They come up all the time. The brand does not matter. SS used different brands over the years. They are all interchangeable.

As I said the SS motor is unique. The motor mount is unique to SS and the output shaft is custom.

jsburger wrote:

octoraptor wrote:I mean when I check between the leads, there's less than an ohm of resistance.
I only thought to check there because when I found out the switch was corroded I decided to alligator clip the leads directly to power to test the motor, and when I turned it on they started smoking immediately (pretty much what would happen if you stuck a fork in a wall outlet).

The only ones I've seen on ebay so far are all old 3/4hps. The ones from shopsmith are 4-500 depending on assembly. Would it be foolish to try and mount something aftermarket? What would it take/what's the worst that could happen?

Then the motor is toast. I just checked, there are 3 SS 1 1/8 HP motors listed right now. They come up all the time. The brand does not matter. SS used different brands over the years. They are all interchangeable.

As I said the SS motor is unique. The motor mount is unique to SS and the output shaft is custom.

Turns out my search terms were too specific; I see them now! Thanks. These are definitely more in my price range.

I'm still wondering if it'd be possible to salvage some of this motor somehow. The mount should be easy to rig up with the right tools. The windings are shot, for sure... but how hard could it be to drop the core and shaft into a new body, if you can find one that fits? At the least, I'm gonna keep an eye out for similar motors with damaged shafts...

octoraptor wrote:

jsburger wrote:

octoraptor wrote:I mean when I check between the leads, there's less than an ohm of resistance.
I only thought to check there because when I found out the switch was corroded I decided to alligator clip the leads directly to power to test the motor, and when I turned it on they started smoking immediately (pretty much what would happen if you stuck a fork in a wall outlet).

The only ones I've seen on ebay so far are all old 3/4hps. The ones from shopsmith are 4-500 depending on assembly. Would it be foolish to try and mount something aftermarket? What would it take/what's the worst that could happen?

Then the motor is toast. I just checked, there are 3 SS 1 1/8 HP motors listed right now. They come up all the time. The brand does not matter. SS used different brands over the years. They are all interchangeable.

As I said the SS motor is unique. The motor mount is unique to SS and the output shaft is custom.

Turns out my search terms were too specific; I see them now! Thanks. These are definitely more in my price range.

I'm still wondering if it'd be possible to salvage some of this motor somehow. The mount should be easy to rig up with the right tools. The windings are shot, for sure... but how hard could it be to drop the core and shaft into a new body, if you can find one that fits? At the least, I'm gonna keep an eye out for similar motors with damaged shafts...

Way way harder than you think. Good luck!!! You have a centrifugal start switch, you have the stator laminate stack material and method of construction, the winding wire size and number of turns per poll. It goes on and on. You can't just mix and match. Motors are designed as a complete unit.

<1ohm is Not atypical for the motor. Now how long did it take for the smoke to appear and how much smoke?