Pro headstock

plebel · Post by **plebel** » Thu Oct 08, 2009 8:45 pm

Thanks for the site

easterngray · Post by **easterngray** » Fri Oct 09, 2009 6:13 am

That is great news - the first Powerpro is up and running! I wonder who the "bignametoolseller" is ?

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Fri Oct 09, 2009 6:53 am

easterngray wrote:That is great news - the first Powerpro is up and running! I wonder who the "bignametoolseller" is ?

There are few to chose from and I think we probably know who they are. I just wonder if the PowerPro is going to mark the end of "Made in the USA".

What has become most important to me is sustainability and I believe that is synonymous with quality. If the new manufacturer (seller) produces a tool that can continue to perform in the manner we have come to expect from our Shopsmith, then I don't care.

Furthermore, I suspect that we already know who that is going to be. Just read all that has been written about the PowerPro to date.

robinson46176 · Post by **robinson46176** » Fri Oct 09, 2009 9:56 am

easterngray wrote:That is great news - the first Powerpro is up and running! I wonder who the "bignametoolseller" is ?

And how much is he going to sell it for?

-
Some us need to be gathering pennies...

ryanbp01 · Post by **ryanbp01** » Fri Oct 09, 2009 1:10 pm

Harbor Freight?:D

BPR

reible · Post by **reible** » Fri Oct 09, 2009 5:41 pm

Hi,

Sorry I don't have the time to read all the posts here anymore but has then been any indication of a price range yet (other then cheaper then buying a whole new shopsmith) I'm talking upgrade?

I have this fear that we are talking something like $1900 and with my budget for all my tools buying being about half that.... well, do I want to start collecting change in a jar or what.

Ed

robinson46176 wrote:And how much is he going to sell it for?
-
Some us need to be gathering pennies...

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Fri Oct 09, 2009 5:52 pm

reible wrote:Hi,

Sorry I don't have the time to read all the posts here anymore but has then been any indication of a price range yet (other then cheaper then buying a whole new shopsmith) I'm talking upgrade?

I have this fear that we are talking something like $1900 and with my budget for all my tools buying being about half that.... well, do I want to start collecting change in a jar or what.

Ed

If you buy pickles in bulk, maybe three pickle jars full should do the trick. Don't hurry though. Nick reported that they had just recently put the fully assembled prototype unit together for testing. It'll be a while.

Remember that once engineering has validated the design, they then have to document it for manufacturing. Once that is done, purchasing takes over then it comes back to manufacturing for assembly and test of the first production model.

I'm just glad to hear that it is progressing through the process.

charlese · Post by **charlese** » Fri Oct 09, 2009 10:32 pm

The L.O.M.L. and I collected all of our change for three years. Well- almost all! We used big peanut butter jars had 8 or 9 of them, if memory serves. When cashed in at the bank (they had a coin counter) it came to $965. Had to make two trips into the bank because of the weight.

robinson46176 · Post by **robinson46176** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 8:56 am

I eagerly await the arrival of this new headstock much like a kid before Xmas. I probably won't buy one in the first year but if the price is acceptable I will probably end up with one at some point.
Right after wondering about price I wonder about how many (if any) changes will occur to the rest of the complete machine.
I have looked at the 520's since they came out and while I lightly drool when close to one (was in the old factory store) I simply see no reason to make that upgrade from my 1988 510 for my particular use. While I keep a full tablesaw setup available for each of my SS's I don't use any of them as a tablesaw all that often.
It is usually the 510 when I do.
One of the big selling points of the new unit is the reversible drive which I already have on the Mark VII. For me the soft start / easy start would be a good thing but the higher RPM capabilities is very desirable especially combined with the reversing feature.
One concern occurs to me and I suppose that most here have considered it already. There has been a lot said about the reversing feature as far as lathe work and sanding... What we should maybe be talking about at this early stage is the possible danger of forgetting that many chucks are mounted on threaded adapters and could conceivably spin off of the adapter when the unit is running backward. Hard sanding could be enough of a brake on the chucked project to spin the chuck off, project and all. I recall back in high school metal shop one of the guys flipping the reverse switch on a metal lathe and the heavy 4 jaw chuck spinning off, hitting the floor and rolling back through the shop.

That thing was going fairly slow compared to wood lathe speeds. Of course any between centers turning should be OK along with any chuck which is direct mounted to the stub without a threaded adapter.
Other arbor work using a threaded arbor that does not have a keyed washer could also need some kind of special consideration.