Shopsmith Forums

Howdy. I just bought an old SS Mark 5, s/n 283005. Never owned one before but have fond memories of working with my Grandpa with his.
It’s in rough condition and expect to be doing a lot of reading and asking a lot of questions.
Right now the motor just hums and nothing turns, the speed control handle plate is unattached and there’s a ton of rust, but I got it with a (also rusty) jointer for $100.
I took some pictures because I’m not sure what some of the parts are.
Looking forward to some good conversations!

Opened her up and looks like someone’s been in here before, as it has a V belt instead of the older version.
Still just hums, shaft spins freely.

Welcome to the forum! A traditional V-belt is normal between the motor and Idle sheaves/pulleys. It is the upper belt that is typically different between 'old' and 'newer' machines.

There are a lot of things that can cause the machine to hum and not spin. First things first, don't leave power on it without it turning. Typically the motor is still good and we want to keep it that way! One of the most common causes of this problem is sawdust inside the motor, and particularly in the centrifugal start switch inside the motor. The problem can also occur if it was shut off at too high a speed, but from the belt position in the sheaves in your last picture I don't think that is the case here. Also if power is low due to anything, most often an extension cord that is too long, too thin, or both. Another common problem is getting the V-belt pinched between the sheaves so that nothing will rotate, this can occur when someone adjusts the speed control with the machine not spinning.

My suggestion is first try to spin the headstock by hand with no power applied. This is easier with something like a sanding disk attached to the spindle. If it spins reasonably easily by hand, my next step would be to remove the V-belt to isolate the motor from the rest of the headstock and try it with power. If it still hums and does not turn it is most likely a start circuit problem, and cleaning the start switch is the best place to start. Sometimes tapping the case helps, sometimes compressed air through the vents. If you try these steps and report back we can give you more suggestions if it still will not run.

- David

Sconnie,

Welcome to the Shopsmith Forum. Even if it needs more than a little TLC it is still a nice find. With a bit of work, it can become a nice running tool again. Your Mark 5 was made in October 1954 so anything that is original in the Headstock needs attention. That could include what David has already suggested but may need additional items like new bearings in the different drive assemblies. Isolating each of the drive system components to check them out will help in deciding what needs further attention. Removing the belts will be a start and allow checking the motor without any load. Removing the belts especially the upper Gilmer Drive Belt requires removing drive components from the Headstock. I would guess that it could use a good general cleaning followed by lubricating the pulley sheaves in both the motor pulley and the Idler Shaft pulley. Stuck pulley sheaves can jam up the belts also causing the motor problem you are having.

Do you have an Owner's Manual for your Mark 5? If you do not a restored PDF one can be found through the topic Shopsmith Large Format Drawings, Illustrations and more by Everett Davis near the top of the Maintenance and Repair section. There is a link at the top of the page to his My Google Drive which contains a lot of documentation he has restored for everyone to use free of charge. Under the file heading 1954+ Mark 5 you will find the Manual 1954 Shopsmith Mark 5 Owner's Guide Release 2 which would be the manual that would have come with your Mark 5 originally.

Do come back with any questions you may have and keep those pictures coming. Pictures really help describe problems.

In case the picture you included of the various parts was for help in identifying, here's my guess on some of them. My machine is 1980's vintage, and some parts still looked the same then.

Suggestion for future pictures: Keep resolution a little higher. As long as each file is under 3 MB, you shouldn't have any trouble uploading. Higher resolution pictures will help show more detail.

That thingie at the top looks like a push mower roller.

That thingie at the bottom is an older power coupler.

That thingie in the middle is a mystery.

The thingy in the middle turns out to be an old Craftsman table saw blade guard mounting bracket (googled the part number).
Thanks for the assistance so far!
I pulled the motor and it’s a Franklin Electric 3/4hp.

Initial testing indicates the capacitor is shot. I connected my multimeter and got nothing. The windings appear to be okay, reading 8 ohms

?I am curious HOW you tested the capacitor?

8 ohms seems high - start winding?

Sconnie wrote: Mon Sep 05, 2022 1:25 pm Initial testing indicates the capacitor is shot. I connected my multimeter and got nothing. The windings appear to be okay, reading 8 ohms

How did you check the capacitor? If you check a capacitor with a multimeter set to Ohms you will get infinity, an open circuit (nothing?).