Shopsmith Forums

Woodworkers,

For years many have said that if you have the space you should buy a table saw, but use your Shopsmith for everything else. Has the PowerPro changed that? Are you folks using the PowerPro as your primary table saw? I am at the point of needing a new table saw and an appealing option is to upgrade my Shopsmith instead. I have 240 available so the 2hp would be nice. I've been gradually using my Shopsmith more and I continue to be pleased with each new thing I try.

Best,
Tom

I think that call is up to you.

Do you have the space for a stand alone tablesaw?

If you do I would probably consider buying one. You can get a very nice tablesaw for as little as half the price of the Power Pro conversion.

If you do much turning the extra speed ranges found in Pro would probably be nice.

Frankly I'm waiting for Chuck who I respect as a woodworker to give his newly found uses for the Power Pro.

Ed in Tampa wrote:I think that call is up to you. Do you have the space for a stand alone tablesaw?

So true Ed and yes I do. My much loved but aging Craftsman table saw has a few issues and I'm just starting to look around for options. I was looking at a really nice Shop Fox with a 3hp 240 motor, 52 inch rip capacity and smooth as butta fence for $1399.

But you know it's been many years since I've tried using my SS as a table saw. I think I'll just start using it while the motor of my craftsman gets looked at.

Now I'm rambling a bit but up until a couple years ago Shopsmith had a display at the Minnesota State Fair that drew almost as many gawkers during the demo as the guy selling the salsa maker down the aisle. With the new Power Pro, I wonder if Shopsmith will try venues like this again? I know I could probably be sold a headstock if they brought a few with them (free shipping) and if they offered a $500 State Fair discount!

All said and done I hope the Power Pro revitalizes Shopsmith and with time the price of the upgrade comes down.

Best,
Tom

tomsalwasser wrote:Woodworkers,

For years many have said that if you have the space you should buy a table saw, but use your Shopsmith for everything else. Has the PowerPro changed that? Are you folks using the PowerPro as your primary table saw? I am at the point of needing a new table saw and an appealing option is to upgrade my Shopsmith instead. I have 240 available so the 2hp would be nice. I've been gradually using my Shopsmith more and I continue to be pleased with each new thing I try.

Best,
Tom

Yes, my PowePro is my primary and only table saw. Has been since I purchased it as a 500 back in 1984. Would I like to have a stand alone table saw? Until the PowerPro upgrade I'd have to say yes. The upgrade as made that prospect far less likely now. My shop is 16x24 so space is always a concern to.

Jack

Tom:

I have now had a full Winter's experience with my Power Pro. I selected the DIY package, and the conversion was very straight forward. The manual, DVD, drill bits, drill guides, fasteners, and templates were all provided. Shopsmith has done a great job with this package.

Just this week I ripped several 2x4's that had the typical "big Box" high moisture content. I even used the combo blade, and the Power Pro didn't even blink. I'm fully convinced that the Power Pro can do any sawing job fully equal to a 3 HP cabinet saw, with the advantage of having full torque at lower speeds to avoid burning in maple and cherry.

After making these cuts, I then switched to an 80T low hook angle blade and re-set my Shopsmith to make several rip cuts on the entire 8 ft length of 1/2" birch plywood. Obviously, this was an easy job for the Power Pro.

When I built my "Workshop in the Woods" in '07, for the first time in my life I had the luxury of going from 200 to about 600 sq ft of space. I briefly considered a cabinet saw, but it would still have to be mobile, and now that I'm in my seventh decade, I'm not going to start shoving 500+ lb machinery around. A second Shopsmith was the answer.

Does anyone have any usage information on operating a Mark V with the 220 VAC motor? Is there any (noticeable?) increase in power from using the 220 VAC motor? I have a few Total Shop motors (16.8 Amp/110 VAC or 8.4 Amp/220 VAC) that I plan to fit on the Shopsmith headstocks. The Total Shop motor is almost twice as heavy as the Shopsmith motors and 2" longer. The Total Shop motor will hang under the headstock on a 6 1/2" X 9 5/16" 1/2" thick aluminum plate. It will look very similar to the motor mounting of the 10ER machine. I plan to use the PowerPro drill template for the headstock screw holes to mount the aluminum plate. I hope to mount larger DC motors (2.5-4 HP, 180 VDC) on the bottom of these plates and the DC controller board on top of the plate later this year. Any other information on using 220 VAC vs 110 VAC motors would be appreciated. Thanks.

billmayo wrote:Does anyone have any usage information on operating a Mark V with the 220 VAC motor? Is there any (noticeable?) increase in power from using the 220 VAC motor? I have a few Total Shop motors (16.8 Amp/110 VAC or 8.4 Amp/220 VAC) that I plan to fit on the Shopsmith headstocks. The Total Shop motor is almost twice as heavy as the Shopsmith motors and 2" longer. The Total Shop motor will hang under the headstock on a 6 1/2" X 9 5/16" 1/2" thick aluminum plate. It will look very similar to the motor mounting of the 10ER machine. I plan to use the PowerPro drill template for the headstock screw holes to mount the aluminum plate. I hope to mount larger DC motors (2.5-4 HP, 180 VDC) on the bottom of these plates and the DC controller board on top of the plate later this year. Any other information on using 220 VAC vs 110 VAC motors would be appreciated. Thanks.

I do not know if this helps any, but I originally purchased my Goldie with a dual voltage motor. It has been used with 230v ever since. It has never stalled out, the lights do not dim when it is turned on, and it does not seem to labor at all.(the belts have been known to slip!;))

To me it was a no-brainer when I purchased it and after using it for almost half a century my mind has not changed(at least on THIS subject:D)

P.S. BTW it is also dual frequency(50/60 Hz) so it is probably built a bit beefier than 60 Hz only version

My table sawing with the PowerPro, like that of 8iowa, has never faltered. Ripping or crosscutting has never given me any problem whatsoever.

I used to work for an electric motor manufacturer in Dayton. Since the formula for HP basicly involves speed and torque, a 50HZ motor has to provide more torque than it's 60HZ counterpart in order to meet the nameplate HP rating because the 50 HZ speed falls porportionaly to the frequency difference. Sometimes this is done by using a higher grade insulation in the motor to enable it to withstand the higher heating when operating at a higher point on the torque curve. In other cases the motor may actually have more copper in the windings. Nameplate HP ratings for AC electric motors are rated for continuous duty at a maximum temperature rise. Due to the slower speed, 50 HZ motors tend to run a little hotter so this must be compensated for in the design.

I have a headstock with a 50/60 HZ 240V Shopsmith motor. It will probably be able to produce a little more torque than the conventional 120V motor due to the dual frequency design. It makes sense for Shopsmith to use a motor thus rated as it can be used in many places in Europe as well as in the USA.

However, a motor that has been designed for dual voltage (120/240) at 60 HZ (no dual frequency rating) will produce exactly the same HP, speed and torque regardless of which voltage that you choose. The only advantage of 240 V in this case would be that the amperage would be halved. Perhaps this is important for usage in an older home that may only have 100 amp service.

8iowa wrote: It makes sense for Shopsmith to use a motor thus rated as it can be used in many places in Europe as well as in the USA.

I doubt that was ever a consideration. My understanding is the new European Safety code excludes the selling of Shopsmith in those countries. As I understand it you can't sell a saw in Europe that can have a dado blades mounted to it, along with many other things the Shopsmith has/can do that the code forbids.