Shopsmith Forums

Gentlemen,

After memorizing the complete SS part's explosion charts, removing rust, waxing, and in general learning everything I can about my SS, I am in a position to at least start doing some actual work. If I can scrape up some money for actual lumber after buying parts!! (all said in jest - I have loved getting to know this machine).

I am assuming this is a dumb question (yes they exist even if our grade school teachers said they didn't). When I turn the speed dial, it rotates several times while increasing speed. Obviously there is the lettering system on the dial and I have read prior posts about speed charts, etc. When I turn the dial several times - the lettering seems to become meaningless. Am I supposed to turn it clockwise until it can turn no more and then dial it back?

How many rotations should I be making before lining up the letter? Is my dial broken or in need of service? I note in the intro to the sawdust sessions that they turn the control dial several times. I cannot find any actual instructions on the proper operation of the dial in any of my manuals - I have both the original and the new version.

P.S. I am aware of the need to turn the dial back to slow before turning it off. My practice has been to rotate it counter clockwise until it can go no further and then turning it off.

Thanks for your help. Forgive me if this is a "dumb" one.

Hi, Copper! I assume you have the idler gear (504220) mounted behind your speed control handle (504229). If this idler gear is mounted correctly with it's bushing (504219) that gear will engage both the control handle and the speed control dial (5042259) the one with the letters.

For reference, I start my machine at slow and rotate the handle about 4.5 revolutions to get the right speed for sawing. This gives me somewhere near the letter 'O' or 'P'.

My understanding is - you don't have to completely rotate the handle all the way counter clockwise before turning off or turning on the machine. Just make sure that before starting up a special purpose tool, you first turn the machine on and turn it to slow.

P.S. Perhaps the little setscrew in the speed control handle is loose, allowing you handle to slip around the shaft.

You have asked several questions and described what you have observed.

I will attempt to describe what is 'normal'.

Then I will attempt to tell you how to get yours acting 'normal'.

The outer dial(with the letters) should rotate in the opposite direction(cw/ccw) as the control dial(the one with the knob). The outer dial should always move when the control dial is rotated.

The control dial should reach its upper 'stop' with the outer dial indication at or very near 'fast'. When going toward towards slow, it should reach its 'stop' at or very near 'slow'. It may go slightly beyond slow depending on belt wear etc.

The control dial rotates the actual speed control and the indicator dial is driven by gears on both dials and an idler gear.

The upper limit(fast stop) is an adjustment called the 'high speed adjustment'. I will provide a link to a sawdust session covering that below.

As Charlese has described, the gear teeth on the control dial, the idler gear and the gear teeth on the outer dial must remain meshed through the entire range. If there is 'slippage', either the control dial is loose on the speed control shaft, or is allowing the gears to skip teeth or some gear teeth are broken/missing.

This link will show you how to 'get it right'.(I hope)
http://www.shopsmithacademy.com/SS_Archives/SS117/SS117_Replacing_Speed_Changer.htm