Shopsmith Forums

I picked up a Shopsmith Mark V 510R (1986 build) that had been left outside for a bit. I'm beginning to doubt my intelligence for taking the plunge on this, but I guess we'll see...

As a first step, I've torn down the headstock. To my untrained eye, things don't look too bad.

• The bearings all feel smooth,

• The belts look fine, but might be a bit stiff. When I turn the shafts, they definitely like to return to the position they've probably been sitting in for over a year. I'm unsure if I should replace them.

• The quill would only advance/retract with extra help. The quill itself only had a tiny amount of rust on some of the teeth, so hopefully cleaning out the casting and waxing things up will put that part right.

• There's a fair bit of oxidation that needs to be cleaned up. The sheaves feel a bit grainy, for example, but I think I can polish them up with some metal polish such as Brasso.

• Accessories, tables, bandsaw, and joiner that came with it are another story and need a lot more cleanup, but that's a task for later.

One thing that is fairly rusty is the headstock lock bolt. I'm just not sure how to get the handle off so I can remove the bolt to do proper rust removal. I watched Jacob Anderson's video, and he drove the pin out. The difference is that the opening on mine doesn't go all the way through. There's a small point protruding on one side, but no hole. Am I just supposed to file the point to expose the other end of the pin?
I found this rattling around in the bottom. It looks like something that might clip wires out of the way, but I don't see anything like it in the parts diagram. Any ideas? Or is it just a foreign object?
Belts:
And finally, the only broken part I've found so far is a cracked eccentric bushing. I wonder if this was left as is from a previous repair?
Anyway, thanks for looking and in advance for any input or advice. I'm sure I will have many more questions when I try to put everything back in the right place!

- Joe

Lock shallow hole - Similar to early 10E casters. I drilled through the tension pin with a small drill bit and then enlarged the hole form the dimple side so the pin can be driven out.

Foreign object I think.

Very strange eccentric. Replace. May need to go used for a replacement.

Belt conditioner for the belt set 'fix'.


A bit?

Joe,

Welcome to the Shopsmith Forum.

For removing the Lock (picture 1) follow JPG's suggestion.

The Plastic Clip (in picture 2) goes on the back of the upper mounting screw of the Speed Changer and is held in place by a nut. This is to hold the wires from the switch going back to the motor out of the way of moving parts inside the Headstock.

For the Belts again follow JPG's recommendation.

The Eccentric should be replaced. There have been several variations over the years. Getting the same one as you currently have would require finding it used. In the picture below is the current (new) version and an older version. The earliest Eccentrics were also split but did not have a screw as shown on the front edge of the new one below. The old-style Eccentric also came in a version with a screw on the from edge.
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Below is a picture of the two Idler Shaft types with their associated Bearing(s). It was the bearing change that necessitated going back to a split Eccentric.

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The mounting of your Idler Shaft Assembly with an Eccentric that has the set screw will look like the one below having the Split Eccentric. The set screw in the Eccentric along with the screw on the end of the Eccentric (green arrow) and the screw with the washer in the Headstock Casting (blue arrow) itself are important to have. These screws along with the set screw in the Eccentric help keep the Idler Shaft Assembly from pushing out and pulling in while changing speeds. The Cap Screw with the washer & nut keep the assembly clamped in place. DO NOT over tighten this as you can break the "ears" of this mounting on the Headstock Casting. For a Split Eccentric this clamping holds the Eccentric around the Idler Shaft Bearing(s) and Split Eccentrics do not have a set screw. Not all Headstocks had both of the screws shown.

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The current Eccentric Bushing Assembly part number 515616 is $39.95 from the factory.

I can't imagine how the Eccentric was able to be broken like that.

Thanks JPG, the Lock handle is now off.

And thanks for the clip ID and eccentric bushing information, Russ. Do you happen to know if the new eccentric can be fitted to the old bearings if I drill and tap the hole for the setscrew? (I haven't found a used one yet.)

I found a post from some 10 years ago where JPG thought using the new eccentric bushing with the older style idler bearings should work. I've ordered one so we'll see, I guess.

You can use the new Eccentric for the Idler Sleeve Assembly. The Split Eccentric does not and cannot use a set screw to hold it in place on the Idler Sleeve Bearing. A Split Eccentric is what is shown in the third picture of my previous post. The split is indicated by the red arrow. When installed it should look the same as that picture with the screw in the end of the Eccentric and the screw & washer on the Headstock Casting.