Exciting News From Your Friends At Shopsmith

[admin]

EXCITING NEWS FROM YOUR FRIENDS AT SHOPSMITH

I have an update regarding some FANTASTIC news for all current Shopsmith MARK V Owners, as well as those of you who may have considered adding a MARK V to your home workshops.

A new, updated MARK V Headstock is coming soon!
As I announced several months ago, Shopsmith will soon be introducing an all-new, upgraded, computer-driven Headstock for the Shopsmith MARK V. Called the Shopsmith PowerPro, this Headstock will feature a number of new capabilities that Shopsmith MARK V Owners have been asking for. These include (but are not limited to) the following: More power, Broader speed range, Run in forward or reverse direction, Lowered electrical power requirements, Shopsmith product quality and warranty support, PLUS lots more (additional info to follow soon)

As always, this new Shopsmith product will be Spectacular
There have been some Forum comments regarding the delay of this introduction... and that's why I feel that I need to explain.

First and foremost, Shopsmith's policy has always been to deliver ONLY top-quality products. Shopsmith Tool owners already know this. Many of you own 30, 40 or even 50+ year-old machines that are still delivering great woodworking results, often with ZERO parts failures.

With Quality as our watchword, we've tested and re-tested the PowerPro under stringent standards that even the highest-end competitive machines would have trouble passing... and put it through multiple rounds of revisions and upgrades over the past year or so to ensure that it's the absolute best product we can produce!

During this developmental phase, some new technologies have been introduced that we've been able to incorporate into the PowerPro. Their discovery and eventual incorporation into this new product have also caused some added delays along the way... but you can take my word that although the delays have been longer than we would have liked, the results will be well worth your wait.

You will be able to upgrade your current MARK V to this new technology
The PowerPro is truly a quantum-leap into the 21st century Shopsmith MARK V that you've been waiting for... and, of course, as always, you'll be able to upgrade your current Model MARK V with this new technology at a fraction of the cost of a complete new machine. Our initial offering will be for these Headstock Upgrades, followed by complete, new Shopsmith PowerPro Machines, 30 to 90 days later. PLUS... as always, all of your current accessories will work with the PowerPro Headstock, without having to make any additional adjustments or changes.

Here's what our MARK V Owners have been asking for
So, watch for our announcement and get ready to step up to the 21st Century Woodworking Wonder... the all-new, Shopsmith PowerPro Headstock. It's been a long time coming... but you won't have much longer to wait. I assure you, it will be well worth it!

Here's a great picture of the PowerPro Control Panel

Bob Folkerth

Shopsmith

[rdewinter]

Bob
Thank you for the update. Good communication along with an outstanding tool make a good combination. As SS owners, it is important to us to have these updates straight from the company on as frequent as possible basis.

[mbcabinetmaker]

The line starts here!:D

[heathicus]

It's great to see this announcement!

I do have one question, if it can be answered at this time. What exactly does "headstock upgrade" mean? Does that mean you can upgrade an older Mark V headstock with the new Power Pro components? Or does the "upgrade" mean swapping the entire headstock?

I can't wait to learn more about the PowerPro and I appreciate Shopsmith making sure they get it right instead of rushing.

[SDSSmith]

It's great to see this announcement!

I do have one question, if it can be answered at this time. What exactly does "headstock upgrade" mean? Does that mean you can upgrade an older Mark V headstock with the new Power Pro components? Or does the "upgrade" mean swapping the entire headstock?

I can't wait to learn more about the PowerPro and I appreciate Shopsmith making sure they get it right instead of rushing.

Looks to me like the picture shown is an upgraded headstock using the original 'C' style headstock casting. New motor, new idler pulley with output shaft to replace control sheave, and new electronic speed control.

[8iowa]

I'm ready to place an order........been waiting on "pins & needles"!

[kalynzoo]

Guess I better start bringing home flowers.

[Ed in Tampa]

Still no mention of price. I wonder if it is that heart stopping?

I believe this will make or break Shopsmith and I think if they price it too high they will have shot themselves in the foot.

My guess they will price it too high. I imagine they are thinking that their existing customer base will be the biggest market. So instead of deciding on the correct market price they will try to recoup everything using existing customer numbers as their base.
What will happen the price will be ridiculously high but they will sell to a small number of existing customers (ones with more money than brains). However in the end they will lose the rest of the market and the company will tank.

What they need to consider is what a new person entering woodworking will have to spend to get a saw, variable speed drill press, variable speed lathe, and a variable speed disk sander.

If it were me I would figure a saw $600, variable speed drill press $300 , variable speed lathe $800 and disk sander $200 and price the whole machine at below that number. Then I would tout the space savings and all the other features and lock up the market. Of course the headstock upgrade would be around 1/2 that cost.

It will be interesting to see what SS does and how it effects their future. Let us hope they use the correct model to set their price.

[thedovetailjoint]

I can see from the label that the Power Pro will have presets as well as the ability to “tweak” the speeds up and down. Should be a very handy feature. REVERSE! You’ve answered my dreams. I can’t even count the hundreds of times I’ve flipped a spindle or moved a faceplate from one side of the headstock to the other during sanding. I can imagine a few other functions where this would have been handy too, like shaping for example. How many times has the correct profile on the shaper cutter been on the bottom, where the wood gets trapped between the cutter and the table? If only we could flip the bit and reverse the motor, and now we'll be able to safely to just that. Sweet. Better make sure the tongued washer is in place on the arbor though.

Nice work guys and I look forward to learning more.

[fjimp]

Count me in I am ready to order one perhaps even two. Jim:rolleyes: