Shopsmith Forums

I upgraded my existing headstock to the Power Pro years ago and have been happy with it. This was an upgrade (not a headstock swap). At the time this saved several hundred dollars but now I regret it a bit wishing I had my old headstock in its entirety to make a deputy.

But I do have the old headstock motor/parts/etc still. Is it economical to rebuild a headstock with those? Perhaps with some used headstock parts (or new even). Or should I just look elsewhere for an older used headstock and go that route?

Interested in thoughts or if others had similar regrets in upgrading instead of buying a net-new headstock.

Maybe if you find a headstock that needs a motor. Really low cost machines are found on Craig's List around here from time to time. Recently one was listed at $75. That's a better approach, you'll have something already working at least minimally, and some spare parts too.

How old/what version of a Mark V was your old one?

IIUC you have the motor, motor pulley, idler shaft, idler pulley, control sheave, quill, headstock lock(maybe intact). What you do NOT have is a headstock casting, motor pan, quill feed, belt cover. Those missing parts can be found almost daily on e-bay except for the headstock casting( they do come up occasionally).

Assuming you can collect the missing parts economically, I think it is feasible. Then again complete headstocks do appear often. Price, Price, price tells the tale.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the Deputy SS sells doesn't have Base, Headrest, or Tiebar. It is made for the guy that upgrades to both PowerPro and Double Tilt. So, it needs more stuff that's available but all comes at a cost. All things considered, I would look for a complete-ish, even non-working, older Mark and cut it down to Deputy length if that is what you want. With your upgrade leftovers, you can upgrade a 3/4HP Gilmer Greenie to 1-1/8HP and Poly V. So you can probably find something inexpensive, depending on your location. I have what we would call a mini, same as I'm describing here, and like it. It's much more useful, from my perspective, than a Power Station although with a larger footprint. The main advantages are more power, greater speed range, and a more useful quill/spindle. (And a backup headstock...)

- David

dovetaildan,

As others have already said it is very feasible to put your leftover Headstock parts from the Power Pro upgrade into another headstock. It is only a matter of finding the needed parts which is not difficult. When I upgraded my Mark V to the Power Pro, I did the DIY upgrade but first bought the used Headstock parts needed to make a complete Headstock keeping my original Headstock as a spare. This was cheaper for me than buying the complete Power Pro Headstock. Others have suggested buying a complete Conventional Headstock as an option which could be cheaper than buying the individual parts. That could be true but make a list of the parts you need and start looking for them. Patience can help you find a better deal than buying the first parts that come along. Don't forget those little things like screws, the Quill feed Lever, Power Switch or even the Belt Cover's Vent Plate which may not be on those individual parts they attach to. Also watch the shipping costs for the used parts as they vary a lot.

Another consideration since you will be putting together an essentially disassembled Headstock is do you want to paint it before assembling it. The Shopsmith touch paint is great for that, but it is important to know when the Headstock Casting, Motor Pan and Belt Cover were made either pre or post October 1, 2001, to get the correct paint formula.