Shopsmith Forums

Hey all- I purchased my Mark V in the 80’s. Recently it is slowing down in the cut. I checked all the obvious: sharp blade, square table fence, proper power supply. So I suspect the motor given the age of it. I was going to take it to a local motor repair shop to have them check it out. Any thoughts on what I should check first?

Slipping Poly-v belt. Adjust the eccentric.

PoconoJim,

Welcome to the Shopsmith Forum.

I would also first check if the upper Poly V Belt is slipping as JPG suggests. Check the tension through the opening indicated by the red arrow in the picture below. On most Headstock Castings that opening is on both the back, as shown, and the front.

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If it has too much deflection it can be adjusted by turning the Eccentric Sleeve on the Idler Shaft Assembly. In the picture below there is a slot in the Eccentric just above the screw indicated by the green arrow. Loosen the Cap Screw and Nut indicated by the black arrow and turn the Eccentric moving the slot towards the top to increase the tension. Retighten the Cap Screw and Nut but be careful not to over tighten this as it can fracture the casting.

Just a note that not all Headstocks have both or either of the screws indicated by the blue and green arrows. Not all Eccentrics have the split indicated by the red arrow. These are just a couple of the changes that have occurred over the years to the Mark 5/V Conventional Headstock.

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Is the blade clean? A buildup of pitch can slow cutting quite a bit.