Shopsmith Forums

JPG40504 wrote:Anybody ever get injured by an exposed upper shaft with or without a hub?

I think that shield is a solution searching for a reason to exist! Once you put the coupler on it is 'exposed' again!

Sure. I think it was a European requirement. The elf 'n' safety police over here have gone crazy.

wurlitzerwilly wrote:Sure. I think it was a European requirement. The elf 'n' safety police over here have gone crazy.

They Ain't very SANE 'over here' either!:rolleyes:

Oh how I wonder how I have survived over 7 decades without all these 'protective' impediments!:D Paying attention has helped!;)

JPG40504 wrote:Anybody ever get injured by an exposed upper shaft with or without a hub?

I think that shield is a solution searching for a reason to exist! Once you put the coupler on it is 'exposed' again!

Yes I have been bit but the upper hub which sawing a sheet of plywood. If the cover was an after market accessory I would get it. Luckily just some scraped knuckles.

paulmcohen wrote:Yes I have been bit but the upper hub which sawing a sheet of plywood. If the cover was an after market accessory I would get it. Luckily just some scraped knuckles.

And where would those knuckles have been positioned with that shroud in the way?

Not sure I unnerstand why you would want to hold the sheet near there anyway???? I usually do not hold things with knuckles extending below the workpiece. Normally I am pushing and holding 'down'.(fingers palms, thumb)

michaeltoc wrote:Many of us have had issues with the band saw making banging noises with the PowerPro. After talking with Wes and adjusting the settings it got better, but not good enough. suspecting that backlash is causing the PowerPro to jump around, I did an experiment........

Trying to get back to the original discussion of this thread - after 10 months of trial and error I believe the solution(s) to the banging/jumping issues with bandsaw is fairly simple.

After making sure the computer in the headstock is correctly adjusted, the problem can be fixed mechanically.

Make sure the hubs between the headstock and bandsaw are perfectly aligned.
Make sure the hubs are staying tightly fixed to the shafts.
Make sure you have a coupler that fits VERY tightly with both hubs.
Make sure the headstock and the bandsaw are both tightened in place.
If there are still issues, check and tighten headstock belts and check the motor pulley for tightness.
If noises re-occur, check all of the above.

Any one of these points can come loose and again cause banging noises. The use of thread tightening items will help.
Also, you can try mounting a faceplate on the auxiliary spindle, or a sanding disk on the main spindle. These items can help, but they are overriding one of the tightness/looseness points.

For a long time I thought I was the only person experiencing these issues. I am presently relieved to see others have had similar problems and made similar corrections. I'm glad we can freely discuss the not so pleasing aspects of PowerPro use, and hopefully find ways to completely end them. Many folks have had operational issues with the Mark V and through discussion, these problems have become known and featured in the recent Shopsmith computerized efforts. Now we are doing the same concerning the PowerPro headstock.

The PowerPro is a great improvement over the older headstocks. I hope those not yet having the PowerPro will not think this upgrade is a bunch of trouble and not worth fooling with. I think back to what non-shopsmith owners must think when reading about the multitude of issues in the old headstock that are associated with faulty lubrication. Do they think of the Shopsmith as a bunch of junk? Well, we've heard such comments!

I'm here to tell you the PowerPro is an excellent upgrade!!:D

charlese wrote:Trying to get back to the original discussion of this thread - after 10 months of trial and error I believe the solution(s) to the banging/jumping issues with bandsaw is fairly simple.

After making sure the computer in the headstock is correctly adjusted, the problem can be fixed mechanically.

Make sure the hubs between the headstock and bandsaw are perfectly aligned.
Make sure the hubs are staying tightly fixed to the shafts.
Make sure you have a coupler that fits VERY tightly with both hubs.
Make sure the headstock and the bandsaw are both tightened in place.
If there are still issues, check and tighten headstock belts and check the motor pulley for tightness.
If noises re-occur, check all of the above.

Any one of these points can come loose and again cause banging noises. The use of thread tightening items will help.
Also, you can try mounting a faceplate on the auxiliary spindle, or a sanding disk on the main spindle. These items can help, but they are overriding one of the tightness/looseness points.

For a long time I thought I was the only person experiencing these issues. I am presently relieved to see others have had similar problems and made similar corrections. I'm glad we can freely discuss the not so pleasing aspects of PowerPro use, and hopefully find ways to completely end them. Many folks have had operational issues with the Mark V and through discussion, these problems have become known and featured in the recent Shopsmith computerized efforts. Now we are doing the same concerning the PowerPro headstock.

The PowerPro is a great improvement over the older headstocks. I hope those not yet having the PowerPro will not think this upgrade is a bunch of trouble and not worth fooling with. I think back to what non-shopsmith owners must think when reading about the multitude of issues in the old headstock that are associated with faulty lubrication. Do they think of the Shopsmith as a bunch of junk? Well, we've heard such comments!

I'm here to tell you the PowerPro is an excellent upgrade!!:D

The Power Pro is a great upgrade, it's just that we wish we didn't get teething troubles.

On mine, the hub on the bandsaw has been getting loose. I wonder if the simple answer is Loctite on the screw as I won't ever want to get it loose. I did it up so tight, the allen wring all but burred at the edges!! I've had loose screw issues with the table saw arbor, before I upgraded to Power Pro and I replaced the screw and did it up tight. Seems to be OK now.

I can cope with belt tightening and motor mounts, but what are the computer calibrations and how do you implement them?
I could phone Wes, but because I'm in the UK, there's a time window and it gets awkward.

wurlitzerwilly wrote:The Power Pro is a great upgrade, it's just that we wish we didn't get teething troubles.

On mine, the hub on the bandsaw has been getting loose. I wonder if the simple answer is Loctite on the screw as I won't ever want to get it loose. I did it up so tight, the allen wring all but burred at the edges!! I've had loose screw issues with the table saw arbor, before I upgraded to Power Pro and I replaced the screw and did it up tight. Seems to be OK now.

I can cope with belt tightening and motor mounts, but what are the computer calibrations and how do you implement them?
I could phone Wes, but because I'm in the UK, there's a time window and it gets awkward.

Use blue loctite(removable with reasonable extra effort).


Next upgrade - usb port for 'tweaking'.

wurlitzerwilly wrote:....
I can cope with belt tightening and motor mounts, but what are the computer calibrations and how do you implement them?
I could phone Wes, but because I'm in the UK, there's a time window and it gets awkward.

My recommendation is to call Shopsmith and ask for Wes to e-mail you. In my experience, once Wes or Jim are focused into a problem via e-mail they will stick with it. The problem for you is - How to get their attention?

There is a powerpro demonstration scheduled at a Lowes south of Pittsburgh on Tuesday and Wednesday, but I don't know if I'll get there. It's a ways to drive just to look, as I doubt I'll ever buy one, especially since I picked up a SuperShop for a song earlier this year.

I am curious though about this banging/knocking issue that some have mentioned. Apart from the coupler/hubs, is this happening with the DIY versons exclusively, or have some experienced these issues after getting a fully assembled headstock?

charlese wrote:My recommendation is to call Shopsmith and ask for Wes to e-mail you. In my experience, once Wes or Jim are focused into a problem via e-mail they will stick with it. The problem for you is - How to get their attention?

OK. I'll try to find time to give it a go.