Power Pro again

wa2crk · Post by **wa2crk** » Sun Dec 30, 2012 5:25 pm

Hi Gang;
I seem to have a recurring problem with my PP headstock. It seems that the set screw on the motor pully wants to loosen. When I first had this problem about 6 months in to the warranty I thought that I put some blue Loctite on the threads but it loosened up a second time and now the third.
This time the screw was not in the hole so I removed the motor pan and found the screw in the bottom along with one tinnerman clip that was missing from the headstock casting. (the motor pan was never removed until today)
I have to say that when the screw goes away the system really makes a lous clattering noise. MOst probably this loosening is caused by the rapid adjustments made by the speed control system. This is probably not catastrophic but it could lead to excessive wear and tear on the pully and keyway.
Bill V

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Sun Dec 30, 2012 5:45 pm

This is not good. That is - it is not good for me. I thought I had made up my mind to get a PowerPro during the Lowe's demo in Tucson next month. Now that titch of doubt returns.

Screws in the drive train should not be impacted by the drive train doing what it has been designed to do.

Have you spoken with anyone in Dayton?

fredsheldon · Post by **fredsheldon** » Sun Dec 30, 2012 7:02 pm

Since I have installed my PowerPro I have cut at least 200 blocks on my bandsaw, drilled 200 holes in those blocks, turned 200 blocks for pens and letter openers, sanded 200 pens, polished 200 pens as well as many other projects requiring the table saw and disk sanders, all without a single issue to date. I will be keeping an eye on that set screw however.

charlese · Post by **charlese** » Sun Dec 30, 2012 7:50 pm

[quote="wa2crk"]Hi Gang]

Hi Bill - this situation absolutely calls for a phone call to Shopsmith. Once the set screw comes loose, the key and keyway are in jeopardy, as you have said. When my set screw came loose, I tried to move the pulley off of the shaft, but couldn't move it. I now assume the key/keyway was jammed. I ran the machine for a long time in this condition before it really broke loose with a constant loud chattering. Since sending in my machine for another repair it has been excellent.

I think Shopsmith got some motor pulleys that had the centers bored slightly off center. This made the pulley concentric when it should have been round. After these cases, Shopsmith is now aware of this problem.

Your warranty is still active.

charlese · Post by **charlese** » Sun Dec 30, 2012 8:00 pm

dusty wrote:This is not good. That is - it is not good for me. I thought I had made up my mind to get a PowerPro during the Lowe's demo in Tucson next month. Now that titch of doubt returns.

Screws in the drive train should not be impacted by the drive train doing what it has been designed to do.

Have you spoken with anyone in Dayton?

Yes, dusty, my friend, I agree the drive train should not be impacted while doing what it has been designed to do. However shit happens! how about mounting a mis-manufactured part or two, like, for example, a concentric motor pulley.

I'd recomend going for a PowerPro if it is at all in your budget. With a 5 year warranty, you'll be pretty safe. In 5 years you'll be as old as me - almost! I want to enjoy the good features of the machine while I can.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Sun Dec 30, 2012 8:27 pm

charlese wrote:Yes, dusty, my friend, I agree the drive train should not be impacted while doing what it has been designed to do. However shit happens! how about mounting a mis-manufactured part or two, like, for example, a concentric motor pulley.

I'd recomend going for a PowerPro if it is at all in your budget. With a 5 year warranty, you'll be pretty safe. In 5 years you'll be as old as me - almost! I want to enjoy the good features of the machine while I can.

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that any aberrations will not only be observed immediately by Dusty, but that SS CS will hear an immediate report regarding them(and maybe some 'suggestions' how to correct them)!;)

backhertz · Post by **backhertz** » Sun Dec 30, 2012 9:52 pm

The Power Pro pulley is attached to the DVR motor in the PowerPro DIY kit. I'm not sure if the pulley is attached by Teknatool at their factory for China at their factory or by Shopsmith on Poe Ave.

To my knowledge there is no maintenance procedure on or check for the motor pulley. I would have to look in my upgrade manual or Mark 7 manual to verify the existence of a procedure or not. The speed changes are not immediate on the Power Pro, but relatively gradual as there is a feedback process as the motor reaches the desired speed.

Fortunately the motor is warranted for 5 years. A motor set screw should never come loose under any conditions unless a person is purposefully removing it in my humble opinion. The DVR motor is rotating twice as fast as the original. Something doesn't seem right. Sorta like the Nova G2 kit issue from Teknatool which resulted in a special ISNS adaptor being developed for the Nova G2 used on the 5/8" Shopsmith.

I had a vibration issue with my 1st PowerPro which was one of the first 10 shipped to DIY customers in Aug 2010. My headstock was shipped back to me only after it was running smooth. Unfortunately during the FedEx Ground return process, the idler shaft took a hit resulting in the shaft being knocked into the headstock, leaving the inner bearing almost completely hanging out of the new split eccentric.

I returned the PowerPro headstock to Shopsmith a second time & they repaired it. I had the plastic hub protection safety cover used to protect the shafts & it worked! My Power Pro runs smoother now than the Mark 7 used in a demo I saw at a Lowe's Memorial Day Shopsmith demo and I have no worry about the idler shaft being knocked in.

I would contact not customer service, but technical support:
"Please contact our Customer Service Technical Support staff for Shopsmith product maintenance & repair information, or product return information. Available Monday through Friday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (Eastern time). Call us at (800) 762-7555."

How old is your PowerPro? How did you receive it? With a Mark 7? A Shopsmith upgrade, a new Power Pro, An DIY upgrade? When did you receive it? But it is interesting that it's only happened to one person.

Thanks

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Mon Dec 31, 2012 4:47 am

fredsheldon wrote:Since I have installed my PowerPro I have cut at least 200 blocks on my bandsaw, drilled 200 holes in those blocks, turned 200 blocks for pens and letter openers, sanded 200 pens, polished 200 pens as well as many other projects requiring the table saw and disk sanders, all without a single issue to date. I will be keeping an eye on that set screw however.

Sorry but that does not sound like a "stress test" at all. Time consuming and tedious but no stress on the machine.

nuhobby · Post by **nuhobby** » Mon Dec 31, 2012 9:04 am

dusty wrote:Sorry but that does not sound like a "stress test" at all. Time consuming and tedious but no stress on the machine.

I would call this a "complementary stress test" by Fred. Shopsmith already published extreme stress-testing in the form of about 1 mile of Oak being surface-planed by a PowerPro. However that's a situation which doesn't explore the 'stability margin' questions raised on the bandsaw and its unique wheel-inertia influences on the control-algorithm stability.

wa2crk · Post by **wa2crk** » Mon Dec 31, 2012 9:20 am

One more piece of info guys. The last project that I did before having the problem was to turn several small bowls out of some really gnarly cherry. I wonder if the rapid speed corrections could be responsible for the set screw coming loose. Just a thought. I would like to know what method Teknatools uses in the Nova DVR3000 lathe. I have a feeling that it is direct drive.
Bill V