Headstock repair email from SS

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eldyfig
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Headstock repair email from SS

Post by eldyfig »

I received an email last week from SS about how much it was to send a headstock in to get serviced. Anyone else get that email and still have it? I forgot how much it said the service cost. I am at the point where I don't even want to screw with this darn thing. I have tried my options to get the idle spindle to stop getting hot. It still gets hot. I have the headstock back down in saw mode. I have made adjustments, let the SS run for a minute, no change in in the idler(bottom) spindle. The top spindle is fine and the top of the headstock is fine. I believe the bearing needs to be replaced.

Then on top of this. The unit seems to be making excessive noise from the quill. :mad: I have to send my preferred saw blade to Forrest to get a carbide tip replaced. :mad: I have too many other things to do. I ought to send this headstock off and let someone else deal with it. I need to tile my bathroom anyways.

It would be nice to have a local SS servicer!
Tony
Folkston, GA
Cool Customz
shydragon
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Post by shydragon »

I have it. I've converted into a text. I didn't know how to send it otherwise.
Attachments
Special - Headstock Tune-Up.txt
(3.23 KiB) Downloaded 3082 times
Pat

Oregon

1992 SS 510, 11" Bandsaw on power station, 4" jointer, Pro Planer, Incra Miter 2000, Incra Ultimate Fence Router Pkg, Grizzly 6" Parallelogram Jointer.
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eldyfig
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Post by eldyfig »

Thank you, Pat. I saved it just in case. Billmayo informed me of some other options also.

I have documented my progress in another thread. I was so worked up this afternoon, I couldn't keep my thought to one thread. :)

Here it is:
http://www.shopsmith.net/forums/showthr ... #post18072
Tony
Folkston, GA
Cool Customz
jbillups
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Post by jbillups »

got to give it up to shopsmith... they sure know how to nickle and dime you to death...

and no pdf manuals.... *sigh*

man the girls @ kalamzoo went digging in archives to find me a manual for my atlas 912 bandsaw... yet to find one but they still let me know they are looking... now thats good old american customer service.
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Nick
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Post by Nick »

I sorta missed the connection there, jb. We're nickle-and-diming you to death because we're offering a tune-up service? Or because we ask you to pay for additional manuals after the free copy that comes with the tool is lost?

With all good wishes,
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RobertTaylor
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Post by RobertTaylor »

ditto what Nick said. i'm not seeing a connection either?????
Bob
1954 greenie, 1963 anniversary edition now a mini,
1984 500, 1985 510, 1987 510, pro-planer, bandsaw, dust collector
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chiroindixon
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Post by chiroindixon »

JBillups....Lets' review .....I drove about 80 miles towards the coast to pick up a basket case SS 500. I had been looking for a lathe and could only find over prices machines I could not afford. Here is this best part... this one was a freebie off Craigs List, but needs alot of work.

I watched Nick's first installment about bringing back older Mark V's and listen closely. He will caution you that you may in fact, pay much more and work harder han if you had bitten down and bought a new/newer one.

Seems you have bitten off more than you care now to chew. That machine can be restored, but you will have your doubts. Trust me. I hit that point rescuing my neighbor deceased dad's '54 Magna. It took more work, time, money and a few new skills. I'll admit that I saved a lot buying parts on eBay from SS fanatics like Ruggs and JLewis.

But....now it sits proudly in my shop and is my wife's machine. I'm happy I did it.

Doc
jbillups
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Post by jbillups »

Nick, sorry I was just venting a bit and my anger was missplaced. I still think a vintage manual should be free in at least PDF.

I did watch your show and it was very interesting. You are a pretty smart feller. ;)

I still don't think the upgraded table is worth the cost and thats my right to feel that way. Maybe I feel that way because I don't need it for what I want to do. And in that case it is an unfair statement to others. But most modern alumnium casted tools are sub par at best in my mind.

I'm just seems like when I ask a question I keep getting told to purchase something. A DVD and Manual or whatever.

Parts, yes I am willing to pay top dollar for good made in the usa parts.

Does shopsmith make all of its parts in the USA? If they still do... then I may buy the table upgrade just for the heck of it.

I was not talking about the repair service... just the lack of free information.

In over my head? maybe... but like most vintage tool it seems fairly simple. my SS will run again, because I enjou restoring old tools and if there was no battle it would not be fun

again, sorry for my rudeness
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Nick
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Post by Nick »

Since you are a big enough man to apologize, jb, let me be a big enough man to explain.

The reason we have chosen not to publish our manuals in .pdf format is that there is not such thing as an old Mark V. All the machines out there (estimated at 200,000 in use, another 300,000 restorable) can be refurbished and upgraded to perform like one straight off the assembly line. Consequently service parts and upgrades are a major part of our business. Somewhere between 12,000 and 20,000 Mark Vs change hands each year, many of them missing owner's manuals. The best way we have found to locate new owners so we can offer them parts and accessories is to make them come to us for a manual.

The reason that you may sometimes be told to read the manual is that it is not Customer Service's job to read it to you. We will talk to you all day about problems you may have with instructions in the manual, but if we find you don't have one or haven't opened it, we will ask you to get one and call us back when you have read it. (After the fact insert: Customer Service also wishes me to tell you that they often suggest a manual, CD, DVD, Sawdust Session, or Video Tip when they feel that we have an educational product that explains the topic much better than they can do on the phone. It's not putting you off or suggesting you spend more money. They do it to point you toward a better source of information that you may not be aware of.) Remember, it's called "Customer" Service.

There you go. You may not like these answers, but these are two things we have to do to stay in business. I doubt you would have driven 80 miles to pick up a Mark V in such sad shape if we weren't still in business and you didn't know where to get the parts you need to put it back to rights.

With all good wishes,
jbillups
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Post by jbillups »

Thanks Nick,

I still feel the same about the manual lol, but I can see your point of view. Don't give me to much credit, I'd drive much further for the right basket case lol. Tracking owners could easily be done by requiring registration to get a manual. I guess I am more into restoring vintage tools than I am a "shopsmither" Many of your customer are looking for the greatest and latest. But I feel beauty is in simplicty.

I'm not asking anyone to read anything, but some better photographs and explained tutorials would please many of your customers I feel. Most of my questions will stem from being uncertain. Many times old tools are so rusted or dirty, you cant always see what is outlined in the manual. So when asking a simple question and getting "read the manual/buy it" and/or "buy this dvd" is the reply I get, it is easy to feel like SS is more about the money than its customers. This is just how I feel.
Nick wrote:Since you are a big enough man to apologize, jb, let me be a big enough man to explain.

The reason we have chosen not to publish our manuals in .pdf format is that there is not such thing as an old Mark V. All the machines out there (estimated at 200,000 in use, another 300,000 restorable) can be refurbished and upgraded to perform like one straight off the assembly line. Consequently service parts and upgrades are a major part of our business. Somewhere between 12,000 and 20,000 Mark Vs change hands each year, many of them missing owner's manuals. The best way we have found to locate new owners so we can offer them parts and accessories is to make them come to us for a manual.

The reason that you may sometimes be told to read the manual is that it is not Customer Service's job to read it to you. We will talk to you all day about problems you may have with instructions in the manual, but if we find you don't have one or haven't opened it, we will ask you to get one and call us back when you have read it. Remember, it's called "Customer" Service.

There you go. You may not like these answers, but these are two things we have to do to stay in business. I doubt you would have driven 80 miles to pick up a Mark V in such sad shape if we weren't still in business and you didn't know where to get the parts you need to put it back to rights.

With all good wishes,
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