Shopsmith Forums

I need to express my gratitude and thanks to ShopSmith's great tech support, and Linda in particular for working with me to correct a problem I've had with my PowerPro headstock. Too many people only say something when things are wrong, but ShopSmith needs to know when things are going right too.

I've had a problem with my PowerPro headstock since I received it. The locking assembly that locks the headstock to the tubes was hard to turn, and didn't want to lock positively. It eventually got worse to the point it was hard to turn the winged handle at all (even with Channel-Locks), and I couldn't do any lathe or drill press operations due to the fact that I couldn't lock the headstock well enough to keep it from sliding on the tubes.

Linda diagnosed the problem immediately, and offered me 2 choices. Send the headstock back and they'd fix it, or she'd send the parts to me and I could fix it. A couple days later I had a care package in the mail with the new parts and detailed instructions on replacement.

On the PowerPro headstock they place a nylon protective spiral wrap around the threaded rod between the two locking wedges. It is there to keep a wiring cable from abrading on the threaded rod. One end of the spiral wrap got caught up in the threads of the wedge and rod and that's what jammed it and kept it from turning. The repair kit consisted of a new protective wrap and a set of washers to go on each end of the wrap to keep the ends of the wrap from getting to the wedges. I would assume the later PowerPro headstocks come with the additional washers.

If any others have one of the first batch of PowerPros that were delivered, you might watch if your locking handle starts getting harder to turn.

That sort of news is always good to hear.

Thanks for bringing Customer Services excellent response to our attention. As you said, we all too often hear only the negative reports.

This problem must be unique to the PowerPro because the headstock is so much more crowded. The power cable in my old model headstock doesn't come anywhere near the wedges or that threaded rod.

Yes Dusty, it is quite a bit more crowded than the original headstock. Here's a pic from the upgrade instructions that shows the heat-sink from the power supply below the locking rod, with the wrap around the locking rod and the motor ready to install on the left. When the motor is installed, those cables are in close proximity to the threaded rod and the wrap is necessary. If you notice in the pic, there's nothing to keep the end of the wrap from slipping in the threads of the locking block. That's where the washer was added.

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I trust that the wire routing was directed by the installation instructions (and by the design). I think I would have tried to route the wires elsewhere if I had been involved in the design.

dusty wrote:I trust that the wire routing was directed by the installation instructions (and by the design). I think I would have tried to route the wires elsewhere if I had been involved in the design.

dusty wrote:I trust that the wire routing was directed by the installation instructions (and by the design). I think I would have tried to route the wires elsewhere if I had been involved in the design.

Yes, routing is directed by instruction. There is not much chance to re-rout wiring harness'. There is just enough length to install the parts and then there is a couple of plastic ties (also instructions) to double wires and secure them - as in Tom's photo.