Shopsmith Forums

Don't know what the backlog is, but he has had a long history of good work.

I know Jacob Anderson does excellent work too, but you have to schedule when to ship the headstock in.

Bill Mayo in Florida, and one of the most respected people I know is superb yet Bill is at his home in in-home hospice. You won't meet a finer man.

Our thoughts are with Bill and Ann at this time.

Everett

everettdavis wrote:Don't know what the backlog is, but he has had a long history of good work.

I know Jacob Anderson does excellent work too, but you have to schedule when to ship the headstock in.

Bill Mayo in Florida, and one of the most respected people I know is superb yet Bill is at his home in in-home hospice. You won't meet a finer man.

Our thoughts are with Bill and Ann at this time.

Everett

Back log was one headstock. He's not the fastest, but I hope he is the best. I hope it will be similar to the tortoise and the hare.

I am sure he'll do a fine job, I just wanted to let others know that if you use him, you likely won't be getting your headstock back for a while if there is any type of backlog.

Bill is a great guy. I have used his bearings and his caster wheel upgrade kit. Good communication and honest dealings. I too hope he is doing well in home hospice.

Cheers,
John

Just wanted to let you all know I got my headstock back from James Hopp and it is running very, very smoothly. Cuts with the WWII blade now really do live up to the hype. I can now pass the "nickel test" for what that is worth and that's with a very slight down sloped angle of my garage floor.



Nickel Test on the Shopsmith by Sazerac81, on Flickr

The wait was worth it and now I am confident my headstock is running in peak condition and hopefully will remain that way for years to come with proper maintenance.

He did replace both belts (poly V and drive belt). He also replaced bearings on the Poly V main shaft that drives the two hubs (quill and the opposite top hub). No other bearings needed to be replaced at this time. He stated that I could replace the sheaves if I wanted and possibly the control dial, but it wasn't necessary. The slightly worn sheaves might just slightly increase speed of drive belt wear.

It really does sound a lot quieter and there is far less vibration of the shopsmith. I am not worried about having the tablesaw on and having to immediately secure the wood or the miter guage upon start up of the saw.

So 5 stars on the tune-up/re-build portion and 3 stars on the speed at which it was serviced. He is a great old timer and loves to talk shop so if you need a headstock re-built or serviced to spec, then he's the man to get it done. Just don't expect the fastest turnaround time unless you are the next one in-line.

Cheers,
John

Thanks for the update. I am glad he was able to help you.

Blessings,

Everett