Shopsmith Forums

dusty wrote:All I was saying, Chris, is that not everyone loves the PowerPro as do some others. Budget willing, I may have one some day.

No problem, i hope my post did not sound aggressive, not meant to be! I've had mine for two years now, no issues other than operator error! I keep my Mark V set up for bandsaws and drilling, the powerpro for jointing, tablesaw and sanding. Both function well. The 10er lives in the garage for summer projects when i want to push it outside. Mainly pen turning.

I have noticed a trend lately.

Replacement parts for 'things' no longer in production, or that have a modified design are no longer available from the mother ship.

Consider the extensive number of reeves drive machines 'out there' that will continue to require replacement parts. If they were taken out of production, the well would dry up on those parts and create a lot of unhappy campers.

However the reeves drive parts are a very low number count compared to the entire machine.

So it makes sense to continue to offer the reeves drive machine at a lower price point.


And yes this is a thread about opinions. No need to point that out about a particular post nor to post a 'rebuttal'.

JMHO

I replaced my originally purchased (1962) Goldie with a Power Pro (PP). A minor issue with the band saw was resolved with a reprogramming. A few years later I purchased a Mini frame from Bill Mayo, installed my Goldie head stock and mounted my band and scroll saws on it. The band saw worked just fine on the PP but I chose the mini to avoid the set up process. I have had no further issues with the PP and recommend it without reservation. It is my sawing, routing and drilling platform and performs flawlessly (within my limitations) in each of these tasks.

Dick

I have held off buying a PP due to several posts over a heating issue. Has that been resolved ?
Paul

masonsailor2 wrote:I have held off buying a PP due to several posts over a heating issue. Has that been resolved ?
Paul

Paul, I will go out on a limb and openly say that I DON'T think there is a heating problem. Can it run hot and shut down during long high speed runs ... yes, BUT conditions have to be right. High RPM'S and high ambient temps. I wouldn't call it a problem, but it is sensitive to a hot environment. I have resawed for hours at 3500 RPM in table saw with the blade deep, with no problems at all and in 85 degree temps, I have on only two occasions in over two years, had it shut down because of heat but only during highspeed routing ops. It is the high speed that is the key, and there IS a technical reason for it.

I would not hesitate to get one. Jim McCann will acknowledge the issue, but it really isn't a problem (if that makes sense).

JMHO

Thanks Dick. Since I will never use it in shaper/router mode that isn't an issue. I think it's time to ante up and order one. I primarily want it for my drum sander which may press the limit on it. I tend to sand whole projects at once which can be high amp load for an hour or two at a time. But I believe it will be worth a try.
Paul

masonsailor2 wrote:Thanks Dick. Since I will never use it in shaper/router mode that isn't an issue. I think it's time to ante up and order one. I primarily want it for my drum sander which may press the limit on it. I tend to sand whole projects at once which can be high amp load for an hour or two at a time. But I believe it will be worth a try.
Paul

Trust me, you won't overload it. Running it at sanding speeds (what ever you do that at) you will slip the belts before stalling the motor. You can't even stall it with the saw blade, it will slow down

You will love it!

Ed in Tampa wrote:

nuhobby wrote:
I have avoided running the Bandsaw on the PowerPro since I really don't think the stability of that interface is 100% understood. I run my bandsaw on a separate power-head.

I like it; would not want to go back to the old headstock.


Chris

I thought the issues with the powerpro and bandsaws had been resolved? Is that not the case?

I'm an electrical engineer. From my calls with Shopsmith, and the saga of users such as CharlesE with their bandsaws, I don't think the Stability Margin really got rigorously analyzed for the bandsaw mode. It would take a really good computer model to convince me. Most people will never have a problem, using the new settings that get put forth from time to time. But with feedback control systems, if it's just empirical tuning work, it's not necessarily going to be robust against unpredicted changes. The onus of a true computer simulation should likely be on Teknatool rather than Shopsmith, so no hard feelings. This is probably the one Shopsmith area where I'd be more of a harda## than usual, since my day-job gets me no mercy on stuff like this.

Chris

Ed in Tampa wrote:

nuhobby wrote:
I have avoided running the Bandsaw on the PowerPro since I really don't think the stability of that interface is 100% understood. I run my bandsaw on a separate power-head.

I like it; would not want to go back to the old headstock.
Chris

I thought the issues with the powerpro and bandsaws had been resolved? Is that not the case?

PowerPro/bandsaw issues and over heating have clearly become the two biggest issues with this machine.

As nuhobby also said, ... "I don't think the Stability Margin really got rigorously analyzed for the bandsaw mode."...

Also there was an issue with the shaft hole in the motor pulley not being exactly centered.
Now, Skizzity's counter sink holes in the headstock case.

All this and I still love my PowerPro!

It is like the little girl that had a little curl in the middle of her forehead; When she was good, she was very, very good - When she was bad she was horrible!