Shopsmith Forums

Would it be possible to use s power drill to change speeds on a turned off head unit when either needing it at high speed off or during it back on to lower the speed after maintenance of sheave work?

Possible? Maybe(if the drill is strong enough).

Do I recommend trying? NO!

Not many drills have a chuck that will open to 5/8". I agree with JPG

For the last 30+ years, I've simply turned on the headstock with no accessories to load it down and adjust the speed lower. I've never tripped a breaker or had any issues with the headstock doing it that way. I don't see any reason you can't stop and restart the headstock at the higher speeds as long as you don't have accessories on it.

RobertTaylor wrote: Mon Aug 16, 2021 8:10 am Not many drills have a chuck that will open to 5/8". I agree with JPG

I could use a 5/8 socket but I'll not try you guys know more then I do about this I'm a newbie

Use your sanding disk to rotate the spindle and sloooowly crank down the speed dial. 'Slow' is the key here, if you feel a lot of resistance on the speed dial or the disk the problem is not simply the high speed setting, it indicates the sheaves are binding, or perhaps the belt is wedged. You don't want to turn on the motor if there is any binding and make the problem worse.

I have seen a couple of setups where users with conventional headstocks used a drill to drive it for a low speed operation. They did not directly couple the drill to a shaft with a flat/tapered flat, though. If you use a drill chuck or router chuck on the SS end and couple via a rod or dowel I don't see a problem using a drill to spin the headstock. But IMO this may be more trouble than it's worth. I rarely stop the SS on high speed, generally only to oil the sheaves and/or remove the motor belt.

You have to use some judgment, but like Gary above I don't adjust mine to slow on every power cycle. (I know, in contradiction to written direction.) My threshold is ~3500 RPM because I don't think my SS in my shop is working much harder to start at that speed. Usually that means configured with a saw blade and jointer. I leave my shorty set up that way most of the time. At higher speeds I don't do it. The headstock draws noticeably more current and takes noticeably longer to spin up at higher speeds.

- David

With a 240v motor, I simply do not concern myself with this issue.

Turning down to slow is a 70 year old mantra that existed because of 3/4 hp motors and then typical low house power wiring.

But turning down to slow eliminates the possibility of starting up at too high a speed for a newly attached SPT.