i’m trying to use a shop smith mark v that my grand dad handed down. it looks to be in good condition with all factory parts for all componants. the motor however is not working… when i plugged it in and turned it on it only hummed a bit the the lights in the shop started dimming. i pulled the motor out of it and checked to see if there was any kinda siezure of jt and the pully seemed to rotatate and turn. i didn’t feel any resistance and heard no grinding or anything else that would make me thank it was a mechanicle issue. anyone have any ideas why it would draw power but put out? or anyone know of anyone in eastern va with a shop i could take it to?
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Replies
motor trouble
It could be a number of things, depending on the type of motor. I'd do a yellow-pages and/or online search for "electric motor repair". Might be as simple as replacing a capacitor.
Or, you could just replace the motor with a new one of equal or greater HP rating and the same speed.
Check to see if the speed control is set high or FAST on the dial. Shopsmith says that the speed control should be turned to low speed (A) when it is turned off so that the motor does not draw too much amps at startup. Once it starts, set the speed control to the proper setting for task/tool.
Does anybody live near Lebanon Oregon that knows how to work on a shopsmith?
If you're unable to find local assistance, you might check out this guy's videos.
He used to work for Shopsmith and his channel is full of repair and maintenance advice. Sometimes he answers viewer questions too.
https://www.youtube.com/c/MyGrowthRings/videos
Mike
My dad owns several ShopSmiths. He doesn't know what's wrong with yours. He did mention you can purchase many OEM parts from ShopSmith. Might want to give them a call.
Is the motor wired to run on 120v or is it wired for 240v? The humming could be an indication that it needs more voltage. The lights dimming suggest electrical issues and increased resistance, but as suggested it could be a capacitor problem as well and you are not getting enough current to overcome the start up resistance, but I wouldn't think that would make the lights dim.
PS. I don't know how familiar you are with the Shop Smith, my own experience is limited, but using it as a Tablesaw is just too risky a proposition by today's standards so I advise you to use extreme caution or limit its use to some of its other features.
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