Shopsmith Forums

curiousgeorge wrote:If the biggest selling point is "it stores in the space of a bicycle", forget about it. That is a pretty flimsy thing to base a business on. People in today's market are looking for value for their money and I, for one, don't think I want to spend 2 to 3 K for a replacement just so I can say that I now have an electronic speed control and reversible motor. That dog won't hunt in today' economy.

Goodness I am left feeling as though I am missing something. I thought we were living in a world where multiple generations were sharing living quarters. A time when many of us are cutting corners and looking for quality that will last. Sorry but I must beg to differ (hopefully without seeming insulting) I do believe that dog will hunt. Further the new shopsmith as defined at this point is leaner and intending to continue offering parts for existing products. That my friends is value. As I see the picture they are also doing everything they can to offer a new machine that also offers benefit for existing owners. Frankly I am not seeing that sort of value or much of anything else from most American business today. As far as the discussion regarding price of the new headstock and its configuration. As much fun as this discussion is It will only become productive for you and I when we know the facts. At the same time Shopsmith can certainly profit from our thoughts. fjimp:):D

I'm kind of in the same boat. I think the cost will not be attractive. Even though, I have spent a lot of money in the last year on the SS, I have also been buying stand alone. Right now the only thing I am lacking, is an actual stand alone table saw, and I have been drooling over the possibility of one of those hybrids.

WOW

What a surprise this is. I have had DSL Modem problems since early Saturday and I come back to all of this.

I don't know what to think and definitely not what to say. I have to take some time and read.

On the surface, however, it seems like all that has been impacted is the company name (Shopsmith being replaced with RLF Shop, LLC) and this is being done for legality reasons.

While I am trying to come up to date on this - if I have completely missed the boat, someone please tell me.

Space is precious is my shop. That Is why I stick with Shopsmith. Changeovers don't bother me. I will have to wait and see about purchasing the new headstock, especially after my purchase of an OPR today. I have faith the owners of the company know what they're doing. We don't accom-plish anything by engaging in all this speculation. Let's let wiser heads than ours work on getting this company back on their feet.

Here's a little factoid for you: Where I purchased my OPR? e-bay
Condition: New
Seller (here's the kicker): Shopsmith

BPR

ryanbp01 wrote:Space is precious is my shop. That Is why I stick with Shopsmith. Changeovers don't bother me. I will have to wait and see about purchasing the new headstock, especially after my purchase of an OPR today. I have faith the owners of the company know what they're doing. We don't accom-plish anything by engaging in all this speculation. Let's let wiser heads than ours work on getting this company back on their feet.

Here's a little factoid for you: Where I purchased my OPR? e-bay
Condition: New
Seller (here's the kicker): Shopsmith

BPR

Yes sir one more of us is realizing the realities of a changing economic world. Personally I admire their flexible attitude toward adjusting to change. For a couple of years I read messages extolling the ease of purchasing shopsmith items on ebay. All that time I wondered, how long before shopsmith opens their own Ebay Store. No overhead and it gives them back a piece of the pie. Smart folks. fjimp:D

judaspre1982 wrote:I don't know how it will all work out, but I will say this, I stand behind the company as long as they are trying to survive , whether it be under another name or not. To me,it will always be Shopsmith. I have been loyal to GM and plan on staying that way under their restructuring also. As long as there is a will to survive,there is a way to survive. The fact that they are attempting to restructure says to me there is a will and I respect that----Dave

Not to change the subject, but I will not do business with GM (Government Made). To do so will only legitimize Barack's socialist policies.

ryanbp01 wrote:Where I purchased my OPR? e-bay
Condition: New
Seller (here's the kicker): Shopsmith

Wow, maybe they are finally figuring it out.

As for me, I think my long awaited belt sander may have finally shipped. That was a long backorder.

Paul

Hi Everyone,

For those of you who are worried about changing the parts in a new electronically controlled headstock, don't be.

The system that controls the speed, reverse/foward is made as one unit. If something goes wrong, it is as easy to change as unplugging the unit, removing the unit, putting a new one in and plugging it back in. It is just one part to replace, though I do not know how much that part will cost. If they use the push control pad for speed control as talked about, that unit should be a single part also, and just as easy to change/replace by unplugging and then plugging in some cables.

The way this type of system works is pretty simple. The headstock is plugged into your wall outlet, that cable runs/plugs into the control unit, which has a cable that runs/plugs into the motor.

I'm sure the headstock will still have a belt/pulley system but will no longer need the mechanical speed control. This will make the mechanical side of things much easier to work on and replace worn parts. The mechanical sheaves currently used will be a thing of the past. All that will be needed is a motor pulley and spindle pulley along with a single drive belt.

Using Teknatool's DVR system probably can't work as is while keeping the Shopsmith headstock the same style and shape. A DVR is a direct drive motor that uses no pulleys or belts and is mounted directly on top of the headstcock, with the spindle being part of the actual motor shaft. If this is done on a Shopsmith headstock, the top of the headstock will be much higher/larger and might get in the way of the main table, and it will also cause the loss of the spindle's ability to move in and out of the headstock. I can see these two design differences causing some problems. Keeping a pulley/belt system in place is the only way they can go to keep the headstock its current size and shape. If so, having a belt and pulley system will keep it from becoming an actual DVR drive system.

This can be a plus though. They might include a couple different sized pulleys that will allow you to change/move the belt position for different torque ratios which is always a big help with certain working situations.

A new headstock designed like this will feature fewer moving parts, and fewer parts total, and will be less labor intensive to manufacture. I can't see it costing much more than what a new headstock built with the older design parts will cost you.

What was the Shopsmith clone called that was built by the Smithy company? Anyway, it used an electronic system just like the one Shopsmith is talking about making now. How well it worked I do not know.

So, for those of you worried that you won't be able to pass down your Shopsmith to a family member, there is nothing to worry about. This system will still allow that to happen.

P.S. The only design problem I see right now is keeping the lower drive shaft, that runs the jointer and scroll saw, in its original place. This drive will either be a direct drive off of the motor or will be belt driven if the motor is mounted on top of the headstock like other actual DVR systems are built. If this design is not taken into account, then the jointer and scroll saw drive system will have to be re-designed and moved on the tools themselves. I'm sure the designers and engineers are taking this into account. Just wondering with what they come up with.

It has been insinuated that all of the existing SPT will be compatible to the Power Pro. That being said, the shafts must remain where they are currently located. Therefore, I would conclude that there must be at least one belt driven shaft. The new motor cannot be in direct line with two drive shafts.

Correction: the second shaft does not have to be belt driven but I would expect it to be.

Cost factor for these easy as pie to replace electronic control units is another issue to consider. I have no idea what they are going to cost but have you priced the control unit for a pro planer? That might give you an idea. If you are going to look - sit down and hold on.

It was one year ago this weekend that I went to the Owners Weekend at Shopsmith.

During the plant tour, one lady asked Jim McCann if they were doing any R&D. He said they have about 2 people dedicated to R&D. He was so poker-faced I just thought he meant they had 2 people merely talking to Kregg, the Sand-Flee mnfgrs, Incra, etc. So the Power Pro News has been really fun to hear.

I'm especially interested in Nick's own forum postings, where he suggests the average B/C Headstock owner may be able to retrofit his own headstock to Power Pro innards. In this case the applicable comparison isn't to a $1600 conventional total headstock, but more like to <$1000 of replacement motor, pulleys, etc.