Shopsmith Forums

Hi Guys,

I am having a great time cleaning, lubing and playing with my 20 year-old SS 510. To me, the machine runs smoothly. Little bit noisy, but not too bad. The old machine had been in storage for a few years when I bought it. Here is my question.

At different speeds, the machine has different vibrations. At certain RPM's it is smooth as silk, and at others, it has a bit of vibration. Is this caused by bad bearings, perhaps the drive belts, or something else? When I cleaned things up all of the bearings seemed tight, with no drag or looseness. I did notice that when I went back and lubed the sheaves a second time, things got even smoother. I don't want to over lube and get a gummy mess inside the headstock, so I think I will wait before doing it again. Never having a variable speed machine before, I went and played on a neighbor's table saw, and quite frankly, my SS doesn't seem to vibrate any more than his fixed speed machine. Am I being too picky?

I am getting ready to make a bunch of sawdust during Christmas vacation. Just want to make sure nothing is out of whack before I put some time on the machine.

jon wrote:Hi Guys,

I am having a great time cleaning, lubing and playing with my 20 year-old SS 510. To me, the machine runs smoothly. Little bit noisy, but not too bad. The old machine had been in storage for a few years when I bought it. Here is my question.

At different speeds, the machine has different vibrations. At certain RPM's it is smooth as silk, and at others, it has a bit of vibration. Is this caused by bad bearings, perhaps the drive belts, or something else? When I cleaned things up all of the bearings seemed tight, with no drag or looseness. I did notice that when I went back and lubed the sheaves a second time, things got even smoother. I don't want to over lube and get a gummy mess inside the headstock, so I think I will wait before doing it again. Never having a variable speed machine before, I went and played on a neighbor's table saw, and quite frankly, my SS doesn't seem to vibrate any more than his fixed speed machine. Am I being too picky?

I am getting ready to make a bunch of sawdust during Christmas vacation. Just want to make sure nothing is out of whack before I put some time on the machine.

jon, the machine will sound and feel different at different speeds. Furthermore, your machine will sound and feel different than mine at specific speeds. This is just part of the mechanical phenomena. Once you have developed a relationship with your machine, that sound and feel will tell you when something is working differently.

As far as lubricating too much - I probably do that on a regular basis. I do believe that on this machine that any damage can be done by over lubricating. Yes, you might create a mess inside the headstock but if you manage that condition, I believe NO HARM DONE.

If everything is assembled properly and the LOCKS ARE ALL APPLIED, there will be some vibration. There has to be. Again, you will develop a feel.

This probably has nothing to do do with the questions you have asked but recently I have had trouble keeping the set screw in the arbor tight. I notice it when I go to make a change in configuration - when I take the guard and blade off after having been using it. This is a scary situation.

I'm in test mode now with a new arbor set screw hoping that I never again find it loose when it should not be.

In this case, I have had no tactile warning that anything had changed.

Dusty,

Thanks. I am really excited about my SS. I will get some hours on it during holidays and see what happens. You guys were right about the wife... She is already clipping pictures of things out of magazines for me to make! Trouble is, her ambitions currently exceed my skills!

jon wrote:Dusty,

Thanks. I am really excited about my SS. I will get some hours on it during holidays and see what happens. You guys were right about the wife... She is already clipping pictures of things out of magazines for me to make! Trouble is, her ambitions currently exceed my skills!

Take on some of the less complex tasks to develop your feel for the machine. Listen to your gut. If it doesn't feel right - DON'T DO IT. Once you have done that, the sky is the limit.

Dusty;
Has that set screw that gets loose ever been rusted and cleaned. I have found that a rusted arbor and set screw that has been rusted and cleaned can sometimes loosen. I believe that the rust removes very small amounts of metal and results in the tolerances being changed and the threads do not grab the same. I put a small amount of an RTV (very small amount) on the set screw thread and let it cure and then put the screw in the hole. The RTV will give enough resistance to hold the screw. Not a permanent solution but it does seem to work.
Bill

Just a thought, but it could be that the threads on the arbor are worn and not those on the screw. That gasket sealant should fix the problem either way.

Jon;
I believe that the Reeves drive (variable sheaves ) do make a lot more noise than other drives. The vibration at different speeds may come from the fact that the machine has been stored or not used for an extended period of time.
The drive belt can take a "set" when it is stored under tension for a long time and the resulting bump in the belt may cause a different vibration at different speeds. This may go away as the machine is used more frequently.
Bill V

Bill,

Good point. I will put some time on the machine during the holidays and report back what happens.
I think my first project will be something simple like bluebird houses for my wife. Not impressive to you guys, but hey, it's a beginning!

Thanks for the guidance.

Not impressive to you guys,

don't go there, we all crawled before we walked.