J.R. Rutter
02-01-2007, 1:31 AM
Last year, I won a shaper on the big auction site. I got bitten by the SCMI bug and since I had a good year, I couldn't pass up the "good deal". Well, as so often happens, if it sounds too good to be true . . .
Contrary to the sellers claim that they used it every day, it arrived with 1/2" of water on top of the spindle, down in the support column. The cutter, spacers, and nut were covered in rust and wouldn't budge. The height adjustment wheel just spun helplessly. The spindle bearings wouldn't turn. Water dripped out of the control panel box when I opened it. The 2 stop buttons were broken.
After recovering from the initial shock, I downloaded the parts manual, and got to work a little every day at stripping it down and figuring out what needed replaced. Luckily, this model isn't too far from the current T130, so parts are available from stock. SCMI seems to do a great job with parts, and has a web site that lets you check price and availability.
A few days soak with WD-40 and Liquid Wrench got the spindle nut free. Fortunately the spindle itself is in pretty good condition. I had to use a fork lift to pull the spindle, since the rust made it difficult to move by hand (not to mention it weighs quite a bit). Next door to me is a machine shop, and the guys there managed to get it apart and press on new bearings.
$200 covered the parts and bearings, and last week I got a cord and plug wired on. The big moment was not so big, as it turned out the motor protection breaker/heaters were toasted. But after bypassing them, it finally purred to life. And I do mean purred! The power feed is wired to start/stop with the spindle, and it works fine after changing wheels to get them all the same diameter. I also installed a ProScale spindle height gauge using their panel mount display.
So here are before and after pics, along with a shot of the spindle assembly compared to the spindle from a Powermatic #27. I scaled them to be the same size to give an idea just how large the SCMI assembly is. In hindsight it was a good experience, and the end result will save money every time I turn it on.
Contrary to the sellers claim that they used it every day, it arrived with 1/2" of water on top of the spindle, down in the support column. The cutter, spacers, and nut were covered in rust and wouldn't budge. The height adjustment wheel just spun helplessly. The spindle bearings wouldn't turn. Water dripped out of the control panel box when I opened it. The 2 stop buttons were broken.
After recovering from the initial shock, I downloaded the parts manual, and got to work a little every day at stripping it down and figuring out what needed replaced. Luckily, this model isn't too far from the current T130, so parts are available from stock. SCMI seems to do a great job with parts, and has a web site that lets you check price and availability.
A few days soak with WD-40 and Liquid Wrench got the spindle nut free. Fortunately the spindle itself is in pretty good condition. I had to use a fork lift to pull the spindle, since the rust made it difficult to move by hand (not to mention it weighs quite a bit). Next door to me is a machine shop, and the guys there managed to get it apart and press on new bearings.
$200 covered the parts and bearings, and last week I got a cord and plug wired on. The big moment was not so big, as it turned out the motor protection breaker/heaters were toasted. But after bypassing them, it finally purred to life. And I do mean purred! The power feed is wired to start/stop with the spindle, and it works fine after changing wheels to get them all the same diameter. I also installed a ProScale spindle height gauge using their panel mount display.
So here are before and after pics, along with a shot of the spindle assembly compared to the spindle from a Powermatic #27. I scaled them to be the same size to give an idea just how large the SCMI assembly is. In hindsight it was a good experience, and the end result will save money every time I turn it on.