Hi All,

I have a Shopsmith Mark 5 and the speed dial has become loose.

I can still rotate the dial and change the speed, however I am not able to turn the setscrew into a tapped hole to tighten the assembly.

I have turned the dial 360 degrees trying the find a tapped hole in the shaft, but have had no luck. 

Is there a certain position the dial must be in to ensure the tapped hole is there to receive the set screw?

Thanks in advance

Never had that problem but, you might take the name plate off the opposite side to get a look at the mechanism.  Hopefully, you can find the remedy that way. 

I'm not a ShopSmith guy (there are quite a few here, tho'), so have no comment on your problem. But I do want to welcome you to the forum!

Edited May 10, 20224 yr by Fred W. Hargis Jr

If you can, remove the dial and find the hole in the shaft and install the dial lining up the two holes as you push it on the shaft.  Welcome to the forum.

Like Fred wrote, I'm not a SS user but welcome @John in Florida to the Patriot Woodworker. Glad you found us and great to have you here. Maybe @FlGatorwood, Steve will chime in. He may even be close by your location?? He's up near Pensacola. Numerous others here with SS in their arsenals so hopefully a solution is in the wings. Hope to read more about your projects as well.

Thanks for the "welcome," Grandpadave52!

Edited May 10, 20224 yr by John in Florida
To correct the name

Can you loosen it and get the dial off ? It may not be the set screw. You need to pop the inspection plate off on the opposite side and make sure the spring/ keeper is still attached and the the worm screw is operating properly. This usually happens when someone has tried to change the speed position with the machine not running. 
Paul

Hi Masonsailer, this machine has been parked since I moved from NH to FL, almost three years ago. I replaced the power cord last week and am just trying to make everything as good as I can get it. In doing that, I had the pan dropped and motor out and could see spring/keeper worm screw, and it looked as it should. The unintended benefit of replacing the power cord was I was able to give the interior of the housing a thorough cleaning. As I mentioned, I can still change the speed by turning the dial, but it is just loose and feels sloppy. Thank you