Thickness Planer with the PowerPro Headstock

rickm808 · Post by **rickm808** » Wed Mar 20, 2013 12:26 am

First, thanks to all you pros out there willing to share your knowledge and experience on this forum to help the rest of us get the most out of our Shopsmiths. I have been contemplating upgrading my 1970's vintage Mark V to the PowerPro system ever since it was first introduced. But I have hesitated, wanting to be confident that all the bugs have been worked out first. From reading this forum the early issues appear to have been resolved but there is one question I am unclear on, that of the using a thickness planer with the PowerPro head stock. I read somewhere here that with the PowerPro you need to mount the planer on the right as opposed to the left and run the headstock in reverse. Can someone please confirm that and if it so explain why? Or is that just a new option made possible by reversibility of the PowerPro?
Rick

ryanbp01 · Post by **ryanbp01** » Wed Mar 20, 2013 8:21 am

Hi Rick and welcome to the forum! I don't think you're going to find a better group who are devoted to their Shopsmiths!

I really can't answer your question since my planer is a standalone model, however I will be interested in the responses as well.
BPR

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Wed Mar 20, 2013 9:04 am

rickm808 wrote:First, thanks to all you pros out there willing to share your knowledge and experience on this forum to help the rest of us get the most out of our Shopsmiths. I have been contemplating upgrading my 1970's vintage Mark V to the PowerPro system ever since it was first introduced. But I have hesitated, wanting to be confident that all the bugs have been worked out first. From reading this forum the early issues appear to have been resolved but there is one question I am unclear on, that of the using a thickness planer with the PowerPro head stock. I read somewhere here that with the PowerPro you need to mount the planer on the right as opposed to the left and run the headstock in reverse. Can someone please confirm that and if it so explain why? Or is that just a new option made possible by reversibility of the PowerPro?
Rick

Welcome to the forum, Rick.

I don't know. But I don't see any reason why it cannot be used on either side if operating with a PowerPro. The upper drive is used to power the Planer and it is available on either side.

It seems to me that the only issue would be how the shaft lines up when it is mounted on the right side (quill side). Physical position of the planer is mandated by the mounts that secure it to the tubes. The drive shaft (on the headstock) is centered between the way tubes. Mounted either way, the shafts should line up.

I would be concerned about running the planer at speed in reverse if you mounted on the other side and failed to reverse the headstock.

This is the only Shopsmith comment I have seen that addresses your question and it does not answer your question.

nuhobby · Post by **nuhobby** » Wed Mar 20, 2013 9:21 am

If memory serves correctly, the PowerPro "task menu" defaults the Planer speeds to Reverse direction, so that the user may put the planer on the quill-side of the headstock, and feed the workpieces into the planer from the "front" of the Shopsmith unit. But there's no reason one couldn't run the headstock in forward-direction and use the traditional location of the planer, where workpieces feed in from the "back" of the Shopsmith unit.

rickm808 · Post by **rickm808** » Wed Mar 20, 2013 9:45 am

Thanks gentlemen for the quick replies. I found the reference I couldn't locate last night. It's mentioned Here: http://www.shopsmith.net/forums/showpos ... stcount=49 (nothing resolved conclusively) in Chuck's (aka Charlese) topic of 3/20/2011 titled PowerPro review - the whole thing.
Rick

charlese · Post by **charlese** » Wed Mar 20, 2013 1:08 pm

Hi Rick! to post a link to a thread - copy and paste the URL from your browser to the post you are making. To limit this reference to just a single post - first click on the number of a post (found in the upper right hand corner) then click on the URL of that post and copy/paste.

Limiting to a single post saves the reader a lot of reading.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Wed Mar 20, 2013 1:30 pm

My conjecture is that SS realized the ss mounted planer had some 'issues'.

Those issues include the need to work from the rear of the ss.

Now that in itself seems innocuous, but that places the operator far away from the power kill switch.

As a safety 'fix' the planer was fitted with a series power switch that provided the operator with power control from the rear.

That 'fix' is unsatisfactory with the power pro since turning the power off creates the need to por each time(similar to a labotomy:eek:).

So the intelligent folks at SS decided to move the planer mounting to where it needed to be all along(front feed)(it was at the 'rear' only because of a lack of direction reversal with the Mark 5/V).

That is my opinion and I am sticking to it!:D

I eagerly anticipate using the planer on my Mark VII!

;)

drl · Post by **drl** » Wed Mar 20, 2013 2:11 pm

Rick,
I noticed the same reverse rotation setting after I installed my Power Pro. I have used the planer on both sides without any problems--just reverse the rotation setting to forward when planer is mounted on the left side as viewed from the front. An advantage to the position on the right is you can use the bandsaw to resaw on the left and plane the resawn pieces on the right with very little setup and no additional lifting involved.
Regards,
Dwight

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Wed Mar 20, 2013 3:10 pm

drl wrote:Rick,
I noticed the same reverse rotation setting after I installed my Power Pro. I have used the planer on both sides without any problems--just reverse the rotation setting to forward when planer is mounted on the left side as viewed from the front. An advantage to the position on the right is you can use the bandsaw to resaw on the left and plane the resawn pieces on the right with very little setup and no additional lifting involved.
Regards,
Dwight

Speed changes made easier?

Need to 'disconnect' the bs when planing!

forrestb · Post by **forrestb** » Wed Mar 20, 2013 6:43 pm

I highly recommend that anyone who still puts the planer on the left side of the PP put a very distinctive sign above the control panel of the PP to
PUT THE PP IN FORWARD MODE WHEN USING THE PLANER.

I had set up my power and Dust Collector feed on the right side of the area where I roll to when working (must keep SWMBO side available for a car at night) long before I got the PP so it is not convenient to put the planer on the right side.

Of course one time I did not go into Forward, ran a board through, and enjoyed so much resharpening my planer knives.

Boy, was that a noisy pass! I stopped before very far but still figured I had damaged the knives by running in the wrong direction.

Forrest

Shopsmith Forums

Thickness Planer with the PowerPro Headstock

Thickness Planer with the PowerPro Headstock

Issue with left side mount