Shopsmith Forums

Going to get my headstock rebuilt and/or upgrade to the Power Pro. Did a Google search on West Coast SS Repair people and found a couple.
Any suggestions/recommendations welcomed.
Thanks

Some assumptions here, bet if you have the mother ship do it it will cost a bit more, but work and material warranted. If you have some one else do it,cheaper but may not be warranted. Something to check into.

I have a 500 I will upgrade the headstock sometime in the next few years. I am so impressed with the new tech, that I want both of my Mark's to have this feature.

My take is that there is only 300 dollars between the parts to DIY, and them sending you a refurbished unit. You get the Factory guarantee, you keep your current HS (with all of the things you can do with that).

It is less than 500 difference to just buy a new one. You have to ask yourself how much someone is going to charge you to upgrade yours, and seriously compare that cost plus the upgrade kit, to what you can buy a turn key unit for.

I will choose either the New or refurbished and keep the 500's headstock intact ....

Just food for though ...



*****************************
Copied this from the mothership:

Here Are the Four Ways To Upgrade Your Mark V To the
State-Of-The-Art PowerPro Headstock
New Ready-To-Run PowerPro Headstock
Owners selecting this Upgrade option will receive a brand-new Mark V headstock, complete with the new PowerPro motor, all electronic circuitry, digital control panel, two-bearing quill, quill feed mechanism, drive sleeve assembly, pulleys, poly-v belts, cord and headstock wedge locks. Just slide your current Mark V headstock off the way tubes and slide the new headstock on in its place, keeping your old headstock as a spare.
556176 New PowerPro Headstock ... $2,119.00Add To Cart
Product Reviews
15 Reviews -- Average Customer Rating - 4.60 out of 5 -- Read all reviews

Create your own review

Refurbished PowerPro Headstock
Owners selecting the Refurbished Upgrade Option will receive a fully refurbished (Gray) Mark V headstock, complete with the new PowerPro motor, all electronic circuitry and digital control panel. It will also include a two-bearing quill and upper drive sleeve with new bearings; new poly-v belts and a new power cord. The headstock wedge locks, quill feed mechanism and headstock casting will be evaluated and reconditioned, as necessary.
556189 Refurbished PowerPro Headstock ... $1,949.00Add To Cart
Product Reviews
8 Reviews -- Average Customer Rating - 4.63 out of 5 -- Read all reviews

Create your own review

Your Headstock Reconditioned and Upgraded to PowerPro Status
If you select this option, you will ship your current Mark V headstock to the factory for upgrading. We will install the new PowerPro motor, all electronic circuitry and digital control panel. All remaining internal parts will be evaluated by our factory-trained service technicians and replaced as needed to upgrade your headstock to today's high PowerPro standards. We will then ship your upgraded PowerPro headstock back to you.
Note: For this option (having your current headstock upgraded), please contact Shopsmith Customer Service by toll-free phone at 1-800-543-7586 for information on timing and instructions on shipping your headstock to Shopsmith.
556178 Your Headstock Reconditioned and Upgraded
to PowerPro status ... $1,749.00Add To Cart
Product Reviews
2 Reviews -- Average Customer Rating - 5.00 out of 5 -- Read all reviews

Create your own review

Do-It-Yourself PowerPro Upgrade
Owners selecting the Do-It-Yourself Upgrade Option will receive a new PowerPro motor, all electronic circuitry, digital control panel, new two-bearing quill, new upper drive sleeve assembly, new poly-v belts and new cord... all for self-installation in your current Mark V headstock. In addition, you will receive a printed upgrade manual, an upgrade DVD and all necessary drilling templates, drill guide and bit for precise machining of the mounting holes for the new components. It is estimated that the upgrade process should require approximately four hours to complete. If you currently have newer belts, upper drive sleeve or a two-bearing quill... in order to protect your Upgrade Warranty, you are required to replace them during the upgrade process and keep your current parts as spares. Replacing all of these internal parts assures that all components of your upgraded headstock are up to today's high PowerPro standards.
556177 Do-It-Yourself PowerPro Upgrade Kit ... $1,649.00

I done two of the upgrades now. It isn't all that hard to do if you are somewhat mechanically inclined. One of the harder parts is the power cord opening if you do it with a file..... I used a step bit. Everything else is well explained in the booklet and on a video. If I ever decide I need to upgrade a third machine I'm sure I'll do it myself again.

To answer your question, no I do not know of anyone out that way who does this sort of work, in fact I don't know anyone in my area who does this.

I timed myself this last time and found that it could be done in about 2 hours if you have already stripped the head stock ahead of time. If I were to charge to do this I would set $200 as a fair amount. And no this is not an offer to do this.

Keep in mind shipping charges can be a major portion of these endeavors so make sure you put that into the equations.

Ed

reible wrote:I done two of the upgrades now. It isn't all that hard to do if you are somewhat mechanically inclined. One of the harder parts is the power cord opening if you do it with a file..... I used a step bit. Everything else is well explained in the booklet and on a video. If I ever decide I need to upgrade a third machine I'm sure I'll do it myself again.

To answer your question, no I do not know of anyone out that way who does this sort of work, in fact I don't know anyone in my area who does this.

I timed myself this last time and found that it could be done in about 2 hours if you have already stripped the head stock ahead of time. If I were to charge to do this I would set $200 as a fair amount. And no this is not an offer to do this.

Keep in mind shipping charges can be a major portion of these endeavors so make sure you put that into the equations.

Ed

Ed, how much was shipping on the DIY kit? That is a factor.

I, as many know, am very mechanically inclined. I have always just thought that having SS send one was a good idea, but the shipping on a full headstock has to be significant, and yes would factor in.

Thanks for pointing that out.

Now's your chance. Free shipping on everything through Monday.

Mike

Yes, shipping costs can be a significant part of your expense. This clip came from the email special this week.
Note that shipping might be as much as $500 for a new Mark 7 depending on where you live.

What is this DIY kit that Ed was talking about?

Steamdragon wrote:What is this DIY kit that Ed was talking about?

It is a kit that contains all the parts required to upgrade to a "PowerPro". The owner is then left to provide the skills and labor to do the work.

Make sure you define what you are upgrading from.

Decided to have it rebuilt by Alex of http://505smithrepair.com/. I plan on sending it off tomorrow, when it returns I will post a review.