Shopsmith Forums

Long backstory, summed up in a paragraph.
I'm the third owner of a 1980's vintage 510. It was my uncles, extremely gently used, passed on to my father, who last evening asked me when I wanted to take it home to NY with me.

It's seen perhaps 100 hours of use, total... but has been sitting idle for the better part of a decade here at my dad's place.

A bit about me, I grew up bugging my folks for a Mark V as a teenager. I made them drag me to demos whenever one was nearby. I just couldn't convince my non woodworking father that it was a good buy. Fast forward twenty or so years later-- I stumbled into the internet forums and discovered woodworking as a hobby. I dove down the rabbit hole and now have a fairly complete set of stand alone tools; Ridgid tablesaw (one of the last US made models) a planer, jointer, midi lathe, bandsaw, drum sander, benchtop drill press etc...

I'm going to make a trip down to pack up the 510 and haul it home to my small wood shop in a month or so. I have to make some room in my 12x20' shop just to fit the 510 in there, which is fine, happy to do so.

Here's my dilemma.
I'm sure that the 510 will work great, once I give it a thorough maintenance going over. Lube, etc... as I said it has seen VERY limited use over the past 35 or so years. However... I'm sorely tempted to go ahead and get a Powerpro upgrade for all of the obvious reasons... especially when in lathe mode. I really want the digital speed control for turning; I have a delta Midi lathe and while changing speeds on the 510 is a different animal altogether, I want a variable speed, larger capacity lathe than the 10" swing on the Midi.

What is the approximate value of my current head unit? Not in any particular dollar amount, rather help me decide if I should:
1) hang on to the vintage unit to keep it as a complete set with the original machine. (and thus buy a complete PowerPro head unit)
2) ship it off to the mother ship for an upgrade to PowerPro
3) Sell it to offset some of the cost of the Powerpro (presuming I can figure out a price, etc...)
4) Upgrade heck... just give it a going over and put it to use!

What's your thoughts on this dilemma? Thanks!

Ned

NedB2 wrote:Long backstory, summed up in a paragraph.
I'm the third owner of a 1980's vintage 510. It was my uncles, extremely gently used, passed on to my father, who last evening asked me when I wanted to take it home to NY with me.

It's seen perhaps 100 hours of use, total... but has been sitting idle for the better part of a decade here at my dad's place.

A bit about me, I grew up bugging my folks for a Mark V as a teenager. I made them drag me to demos whenever one was nearby. I just couldn't convince my non woodworking father that it was a good buy. Fast forward twenty or so years later-- I stumbled into the internet forums and discovered woodworking as a hobby. I dove down the rabbit hole and now have a fairly complete set of stand alone tools; Ridgid tablesaw (one of the last US made models) a planer, jointer, midi lathe, bandsaw, drum sander, benchtop drill press etc...

I'm going to make a trip down to pack up the 510 and haul it home to my small wood shop in a month or so. I have to make some room in my 12x20' shop just to fit the 510 in there, which is fine, happy to do so.

Here's my dilemma.
I'm sure that the 510 will work great, once I give it a thorough maintenance going over. Lube, etc... as I said it has seen VERY limited use over the past 35 or so years. However... I'm sorely tempted to go ahead and get a Powerpro upgrade for all of the obvious reasons... especially when in lathe mode. I really want the digital speed control for turning; I have a delta Midi lathe and while changing speeds on the 510 is a different animal altogether, I want a variable speed, larger capacity lathe than the 10" swing on the Midi.

What is the approximate value of my current head unit? Not in any particular dollar amount, rather help me decide if I should:
1) hang on to the vintage unit to keep it as a complete set with the original machine. (and thus buy a complete PowerPro head unit)
2) ship it off to the mother ship for an upgrade to PowerPro
3) Sell it to offset some of the cost of the Powerpro (presuming I can figure out a price, etc...)
4) Upgrade heck... just give it a going over and put it to use!

What's your thoughts on this dilemma? Thanks!

Ned

If it was up to me, I would bring it home as is and then spent some time working with it. Clean it, lub it, align it and then use it for some time. I would suggest months not days or weeks. Get used to it and decide for the long-term only after you know that what you have is inadequate for your needs and wants.

Be Aware:
Just upgrading the headstock does nothing more than give you a little more power and speed control. To get full advantage of the PowerPro, you also need to incorporate the "Double Tilt" modification. How much is all of this worth to you. That number does not come from a catalog or online advertisement. How much is it all worth to you.

I have an older vintage Mark V Model 520 and it does everything that I need. If I was younger (like 20 years or so), I might come to the conclusion that that is no longer the case and that I should upgrade.

Wise words from Dusty!

Much as we would like to help you, this is really really your decision.

There is no urgency regarding 'updating' it.

IIWM and I had the $, I would get a complete headstock and keep the current one for a backup(or . . .).

Dusty, JPG, Thank you! This is exactly the sort of input I was looking for!!

I'm going to have to save up no matter when I upgrade, so as you say, there's no Hurry to make that change.

I've got a couple of lesser cost upgrades I'll seriously consider also:

the Universal Tool rest package is first, closely followed by a Nova G3 chuck (amazon though, saving $100 vs the mother ship price for that)

my shop is tiny (as compared to some I suppose), so the first thing my Dear Wife said when I told her I was bringing home the mark V was 'where are you going to put That??? Having 'slept on' that question, my answer is 'Right where my current lathe stand is... the Midi and the shop built stand will disappear and the Mark V will fit in the same spot!'

I've got another project in mind that will free up some space in the shop... by adding a small shed to the shop. I forgot to mention that I already have a DC-3300 in the shop, but my plan is to bump out a lean-to shed near my shop entrance for the DC, (with the remote foot switch to turn it on) which will free up some valuable floor space. Adding about 10sf to my 240 sf shop, doesn't sound like much, but...

I'm also excited to get the Mark V home so I can put the band-saw to use!



Dusty,
this is a major upgrade to my shop 'as is'. I see the powerpro as a refinement that will make it just 'that much' better. I'll check out the double tilt addition, though at first glance I don't see any huge advantage.

JPG +1 on the IIWM bit. I'm leaning heavily toward scrimping and saving up for the new headstock and keeping the old one. let me see if there's room on the credit card... um, NOPE not today. (darnit!)

Thanks again for the input, keep it coming!

I think Dusty gave you very sound advice! Get machine clean it up, oil and lube it and use it.
Get to know and understand the machine, then and only then make your decision.
If you then do decide to upgrade you also better know which option to take.
Personal opinion, if I was only interested in just the variable speed aspect of the lathe function I would probably buy a Nova lathe and save money.

Ed in Tampa wrote:I think Dusty gave you very sound advice! Get machine clean it up, oil and lube it and use it.
Get to know and understand the machine, then and only then make your decision.
If you then do decide to upgrade you also better know which option to take.
Personal opinion, if I was only interested in just the variable speed aspect of the lathe function I would probably buy a Nova lathe and save money.

Thanks Ed!
though I have a shop full of stand alone tools, the Mark V has always been my 'wished for' tool. I fully plan on making it tied for the heart of the shop... (right next to my TS)... It will replace the benchtop DP (nice little unit, but has limits) And is a Major upgrade on lathe swing capacity. The variable speed makes it a better lathe, but that's far from the only reason I want to upgrade.

Being a total addict I have five 510's, one of which I did the diy upgrade to a PP. I agree with Dusty it's a personal choice for you but here are my thoughts. If you are getting the SS primarily for a lathe then I would do the upgrade. The 510 makes an excellent lathe but the PP takes it to a different level. Primarily because it eliminates the need for a speed reducer and because it is heavier it adds stability. Since like many of us you have limited space you will no doubt find the SS invaluable and for me with the added power it adds a dimension to my woodworking that would be difficult to replace. I also have a dedicated table saw but in the process of building furniture having a second table saw allows me to have one set up with a sled and the ability to use the other to dimension the wood. Welcome to the forum !
Paul

masonsailor2 wrote:Being a total addict I have five 510's, one of which I did the diy upgrade to a PP. I agree with Dusty it's a personal choice for you but here are my thoughts. If you are getting the SS primarily for a lathe then I would do the upgrade. The 510 makes an excellent lathe but the PP takes it to a different level. Primarily because it eliminates the need for a speed reducer and because it is heavier it adds stability. Since like many of us you have limited space you will no doubt find the SS invaluable and for me with the added power it adds a dimension to my woodworking that would be difficult to replace. I also have a dedicated table saw but in the process of building furniture having a second table saw allows me to have one set up with a sled and the ability to use the other to dimension the wood. Welcome to the forum !
Paul

Thanks Paul!

5? 510's?? I'm trying to squeeze ONE into my shop, I can't imagine 5... well, yes i can, but not and staying married.

I'll pretty well Have To use it as is for awhile, once I get it schlepped home and give it a thorough maintenance cycle.

I'll be using as many function of the Mark V as I can, after all that's why it is such a great tool! It is NOT just a lathe but that's the main reason I'd be upgrading... getting the VS and digital control to get that slower speed for easier turning. My Delta Midi has taught me that starting slow on larger pieces is a Good Thing.


I appreciate all of the super responses folks, keep em coming.


Paul thank you for the warm welcome!

masonsailor2 wrote:[...] If you are getting the SS primarily for a lathe then I would do the upgrade. The 510 makes an excellent lathe but the PP takes it to a different level. Primarily because it eliminates the need for a speed reducer and because it is heavier it adds stability. [...]
Paul

If you want to upgrade from a midi-lathe, then get a proper 16 inch or larger variable-speed lathe. After the PP upgrade, the SS spindle is still grossly inadequate for turning and the weight increase will not bring it into the 500-600 pound range where it needs to be. Also, for turning, the spindle height should be at your elbow... unless you are very short, the Shopsmith fails here also.

If you are set on DVR technology, the Nova Galaxi 1644 lathe is available for less than $2200 -- about the same as a new PP headstock!!

The SS is a great tool, but "a man's got to know its limitations..."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uki4lrLzRaU

Ely

I second the notion of using the unit for a few months and then deciding. In my experience the 510 handles the majority of what I would need. One thing you will notice going from stand alone tools to the shopsmith is changeover and planning. Just something to get used to. I would do your best to keep that bench top drill press for the super easy drilling that won't require you to tear down the previous setup for one hole. That's why a lot of us have a few shop smith's.
I also would ask yourself why you want the power pro. Do you need it or just want it? You won't need it for drilling or sanding really, so it's for lathe and sawing, but you have a table saw. If you need it for routing then that's another story, but you can always get a great router cheaper.
With your setup currently I would look into a really nice lathe rather than power pro. You will love your shopsmith, but a if you really want a great lathe then just get a great lathe.

I personally like my shopsmith but even I see the benefit of a dedicated tool of that's the primary reason for the upgrade. For me I can either upgrade to a power pro for my saw and the lathe would be a bonus. However, I've decided to go with a $3500 cabinet saw because a top notch table saw is more valuable than a good saw with a bonus lathe enhancement.

So my opinion is try out the shopsmith and then ask yourself why you really want the power pro.