Shopsmith Forums

I inherited an old shopsmith (40 years old). It hasn't been turned on in over 20 years. Can I just turn it on?

I wouldn't.

why not?

Does it rotate freely by hand - i mean the in the places you would normally attach saw blades/ accessories to ?

If it rotates freely, I wouldnt be too afraid to try to turn it on momentarily.
If it doesnt, you need to dig deeper to see if it is bound up with rust/other impediments before powering it.

b

who would i hire to examine it? a handyman, electrician?

donnalporter wrote:who would i hire to examine it? a handyman, electrician?

You need to be able to do this yourself. Do you have a manual? You will need one. You can follow along this thread where someone else is getting an old machine running:
https://www.shopsmith.com/ss_forum/main ... 24019.html

You want to make sure the spindle turns freely by hand. There will be some resistance but if it's not turning by hand then powering it on can damage it.

Look for the serial number on the metal plate on the left end of the headstock. With that you can find a lot of details about your particular machine.

thanks! good information

I agree with bainin. Make sure the blade moves smoothly by hand and if it does, plug it in and start it up. These machines were made to do woodworking, not to restore and mess with.
My Shopsmith is 38 years old and never has been rebuilt, restored, or otherwise messed with. I run it many hours every year and it just keeps working like it was intended to do.

A 1980 vintage SS is still wet behind the ears!

Seek out a ss owner in your area(which is ?where?).

If you do decide to turn it on, make sure the speed control is turned way down, like all the way. I had one that turned freely but the motor seemed to just hum until I did that. It took some doings but it had been stored set on high speed for who knows how long.