Although I have worked on these other machines, I no longer do. I specialize in Mark V's.

You can certainly keep these other machines working with some work and ingenuity. The Mark VII has several parts which are no longer made. If any of these fail, you would need to get the parts from another machine, repair it yourself or have it machined by a local machine shop. The quill, drive sleeve, idler, control sheave and motor bearings are all available. You can make do with a Mark V poly v belt, and the drive belt is something you could pick up locally. The electric switch would need to be modified and also the plastic cam in the speed control. The plastic rack the headstock moves on can be removed.

If all else fails, you can use a Mark V headstock on the Mark VII frame, you'll just lose a couple of the functions (dust collection, reversible motor, shaper function).

There is no one currently specializing in Mark VII's, but I wish someone would step forward to do so. I get a call every month looking for someone to fix a Mark VII.

For 10e/er service, contact Skip Campbell in Texas who is the leading expert on those machines.

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Is my motor fried?

Often, motor problems are caused by the bearings, belts, alignments and other problems in the headstock. Every bearing and both belts must be 100% so that things work right. To determine if your motor has a real problem, do the following.

Unplug and drop the motor from the headstock. Remove the drive belt from it so it doesn't rub on the motor shaft at all.

See if you can rotate the motor by hand. Just because it can turn doesn't mean the bearings inside it are okay. Listen for any scraping noises. The fan sheave can be rubbing or binding on the motor housing. If there is any noise like this, you'll need to remove the sheave and investigate that first.

Now you can plug in again and try turning on the motor. If it kicks right on and works, you have problems inside your headstock.

If you hear humming but no turning you may have a bad capacitor. You can remove the capacitor and have it checked by an electric shop. (Note: some capacitors are internal to the motor). If the motor spins too slowly, bearings could be very bad and/or capacitor could be going out. If the breaker blows after a delay, it could be bearings.

If the breaker blows immediately, you probably have a short. This could be a short at the switch, in the pigtail leads, in the cord or plug, or it could be the windings inside the motor. You can see some of the windings in the motor from the air holes. If you see blackened wires, or if you smell a burnt smell, it is likely the windings. If it is the windings, you can have it rewired or buy new/used. All other problems are cheaper and easier to fix.