Actually, it is. I’m the grandpa, and I’ve owned this Shopsmith since ‘83. Through the years, this original 500 model has been upgraded, first to 510, then to 520, and now to the ultimate upgrade, the Power Pro.

What is the Power Pro? Simply put, this is a headstock powered with a DVR, digital variable reluctance motor, whose performance goes beyond that of DC and AC variable frequency motors. The heart of the motor is a computer controller that can switch magnets on and off several hundred times per second. The Power Pro can be run on either 120 or 240 volt without changing any internal connections. It simply can sense what voltage is coming in.

While the old Shopsmith headstock achieved a useful 7 to 1 speed variation, using variable pitch pulleys, the DVR powered Power Pro has a 40 to 1 speed range, 250 to 10,000 rpm, providing full torque throughout. One can precisely “dial in” any speed. The computer/controller also has a mode that can assist in selecting the proper speed for a particular operation. The computer senses the load, and automatically provides the necessary torque. The smooth and quiet operation is impressive. Placing a cup of coffee on the table reveals nary a ripple, even at 10,000 rpm.

Rated at 2 HP on 240 volt, users will find that the Power Pro’s ability to sense torque makes it possible to do table saw ripping equal to many cabinet saws. Additionally, the variable speed feature has made it possible for me to rip and crosscut curly maple and cherry without getting burn marks. At 250 rpm in lathe mode, I can turn heavy stock, up to 16” diameter. Likewise, as a drill press, the Power Pro provides the necessary power to drill with large diameter forstner bits with ease. At 10,000 rpm, it can spin larger diameter shaper and router bits with more power than available with traditional routers. While multi-purpose tools are not for everyone, this upgrade gives those who must work in very small shops, like my 192 sq. ft., the increased power and capability of many larger stand alone machines.

Shopsmith has engineered this new DVR motor and controller to fit into the existing headstock. Thus, even Shopsmiths made back in the late 50’s can be upgraded. Among several options, I selected the DIY upgrade package. Doing it yourself involves removing everything in the headstock except the quill feed assembly. The only other original part used is the headstock lock which is removed and installed later in the proceedure. An instruction manual, DVD, templates, and drill guides, made this upgrade a straight forward operation that took about four hours. Other options include purchasing a new headstock, or sending your old headstock back to the factory for the DVR motor installation.

Even though the ability to upgrade older machines softens the blow, the price for cutting edge technology like this will deter some. None-the-less, it’s great to see a small American manufacturer having the guts to engineer, and introduce an advanced product like this.

I traveled the 1400 miles up I 75 from Gainesville Florida to the Upper Peninsula to take in the rifle and muzzleloading deer hunting seasons, and to do a little woodworking if possible. When I arrived at Manistique I was caught in a snowstorm in near "white out" conditions. The next morning greeted us with a foot of snow on the ground. However, "mother" Superior was not done with us. Lake Superior stays at around 45 degrees year round and never freezes over. When a cold blast of Artic air sweeps over the lake it picks up moisture and dumps it on us, almost daily, in the form of snow - usually large powery flakes - great for snowmobiles and skiiers.

After shoveling my way to the door of the workshop I entered and was greeted to freezing temperatures. My Shopsmith and other tools were virtually too cold to handle with bare hands. I certainly can't do woodworking with gloves on! This would be a good test of my new 35,000 BTU Reznor propane heater. I was pleased to find that the shop and all the tools in it were able to come up to about 65 degrees in about twenty minutes. Thereafter, I left the thermostat on 55 degrees when I was not in the shop. This made it possible to enter the shop and get it up to 65 degrees in just a few minutes. These conditions certainly make you appreciate our ancestors, who did not have snowplows, snow blowers, and 4 wheel drive. If they wanted heat they had to chop wood! So much for the "good old days".

I got a good start on my project, a walnut "treasure chest" with a domed top for my 9 year old grandson. I first had to make a finger jig. I made it out of 3/4" birch plywood per the plans shown in "Jigs, Fixtures, and Shop Furniture" Rodale Press 1989. I'll report more on this project later as I finish it up here in Gainesville.

When we built our vacation home in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, I had planned to have my shop in the garage, just as I had been doing in our Florida home for the past 25 years. However, with a house still undergoing interior work, the need to store a lot of other large stuff such as boats & canoes, a freezer, outdoor funriture, and other storage needs due to seasonal changes, the space was soon overwhelmed. The “blessing” of having several large white pine trees fall on our property, which I had bandsawn into useful boards, also created the need to dry and store about 1500 board feet of lumber – with no place to put it except outside.

So, in the Spring of ‘07, when Menards (a Northern “big box” retailer) had a sale on garage packages, I was ready. For the first time in my life I was going to have a separate building dedicated to woodworking. The size of this “garage” was dictated by the amount of land space available, and of course, the budget. Since I had been accustomed to working in a little over ½ of a two car garage, the selection of a shop 24’ x 28’ gave me a large two car garage space, virtually tripling my accustomed working area, plus having the luxury of a second story for wood drying and storage,…….. but, I’m getting ahead of myself.

From the beginning I decided that I was not going to build a typical garage. So, instead of a garage door, I selected a large double door. This provides a standard 30” entry door, and with both doors open, gives me plenty of room to move large projects and 4’x 8’ sheet goods through. Plus, I don’t have to contend with all that ugly mechanism inside on the ceiling. The gambrel roof was a natural selection and allows for a 12’x 28’ second story. This is where wood is stored. To facilitate the movement of large boards to and from the loft I put a matching double door directly over the first floor entry. I can stand on the bed of my pick-up truck and easily move wood up or down. In addition, there is an interior staircase to the loft at the rear of the shop, and I find that it is not difficult to move individual 8’ long boards up and down the staircase. With six windows on the main floor I have plenty of natural light. I painted the walls and ceiling with semi-gloss white paint, and installed both incandescent and electronic ballast fluorescent fixtures on the ceiling. An air cleaner, a gift from my brother, was installed in one corner of the ceiling, and a 35,000 BTU propane heater was placed in the opposite corner. “Air conditioning” is supplied by two small fans that sit on the window ledges. At 46 degrees North, this is all the A/C I need. With ample 20 amp 120V, and 30 amp 240V recepicles on the wall, I was ready to move tools in.

With three times as much space as previously, I could have put in new stand alone tools. However, even as large as my new shop seemed to be, I simply could not see how I could accommodate a large fixed in position cabinet saw in the middle of the room. Although it is possible to put large stand alone cabinet saws, bandsaws, and jointers on mobile bases, I’m now in my seventh decade, and I did not wish to start pushing several hundred pound machinery around the floor. Therefore, it was an easy decision to stay with the Shopsmith system, with which I had become accustomed to through the years. With the addition of a separate power stand for my planer, and a new variable speed power station that can be used to run the scroll saw, beltsander, and bandsaw (shown second picture above), I am able to enjoy almost all of the advantages of stand alone tools, plus have the versitility of Shopsmith’s system. Late last year, the addition of a second Shopsmith (picture directly above), purchased from a local widow, also included duplicates of several special purpose tools and accessories that I already had. This has in many ways given me a “second shop in one”. I often find myself using one Shopsmith set-up in saw mode, with the jointer attached on the end, and the second Shopsmith arranged in the vertical drill press position. Another plus is whenever a family member comes over to work on his project, I can continue with whatever I’m working on without interruption.

Storage is always a problem in any shop. My windows, while providing lots of natural light, significantly reduce upper wall space. I brought in two folding banquet tables and they were soon cluttered with boxes of accessories and tools in disorganized fashion, leaving me with little work surface. I still had to place other heavier items underneath the table on the floor. The addition of four Shopsmith metal cabinets, and the purchase of a Craftsman triple tool chest helped to get my smaller tools and accessories organized. The Shopsmith storage station, shown in the third picture above, between the bandsaw and the planer, holds the jointer, scroll saw, and the extension table & fence. A shelf under this station holds other accessories such as the crosscut sled shown here. Two shelves, mounted above on the wall, hold even more items. However, I still had too many tools, such as routers, circular saw, jig saw, dovetali jig, and others, packed in bulky boxes or plastic cases, sitting on the floor. Therefore, this summer I built a 2’ x 8’ combination workbench/storage cabinet. While the four paneled doors are a little “overboard”, the new storage space inside, on two shelves, has finally gotten my tools off of the floor. I find that the eight foot long top on this cabinet is also a great flat surface for clamping and gluing long boards. However, on the opposite side of the room, the bandsaw, jointer, jigsaw, and belt sander from my second Shopsmith, were still “at odds” on the floor. The 52” storage cabinet shown below, also built this Summer, finally put them in place for much more convenient use.

Despite my best intentions in planning. This is still very much a work in process. I’m finding that one has to work in a shop for awhile in order to learn how best to use and orgainze it.
—“Heaven is North of the Bridge”

8iowa
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