Shopsmith Speed Reducer and Speed Increaser Information, Review and History

Don't get so excited with eBay prices that you pay more than the price of a new tool! The current MSRP of the Shopsmith Speed Reducer is $372.53. The MSRP of the Speed Increaser is $479.99. (Updated Feb 2021)  These two tools went extinct for a couple years and the used prices went through the roof! FYI, You can use the Shopsmith Speed reducer on the Mark I (For Disc Sanding and Lathe Turning only), and on the Mark II, Mark V, Mark VII for Sanding, Turning and Drilling! The Speed Increaser can be used for Shaping and Routing on the Mark I, Mark V Model 500, 505, 510, 520, and the newest Mark 7. 

And yes, you can power these with a PowerPro headstock, but I wouldn't suggest taking the Speed Increaser above the designed 5200 max RPMs or you will damage the plastic friction plate.  The Speed Reducer mounted on a PowerPro headstock would have a new low speed of 36 RPMS! 

Click here for Shopsmith Speed Reducer and Speed Increasers For Sale Ya what more? OK, here goes... Did you know:

• The Shopsmith Speed increaser was inspired in part by the Snapper lawnmower company (US Patent #US4498552)
• The Shopsmith Speed increaser contains two common parts that you wouldn't suspect: A 3 3/4" faceplate (Yes, a faceplate that you'd use for turning) and a water pump bearing assemblies like the one found on the Mark V, the Shopsmith Bandsaw, and several Shopsmith tools.
• There is a thin plastic disc on the above-mentioned faceplate that must be occasionally replaced. Its life can be extended if you make sure to turn the speed down before you turn your Mark V off (It doesn't need to go all the way down to slow though) and make sure that it's running at full speed before your plunge the wood into the cutter.
• Even though it will raise the speed to 10,000rpm's, keep in mind that this is still half the proper speed for a router bit. That said this is just right for shaper cutters because they have three cutters as opposed to two, and they are usually a larger diameter than router bits. This makes their tip speed much faster than a smaller dia. router bit.
• The Shopsmith Speed Reducer is an amazing device that contains two Poly-V belts, four pulleys, and five bearing assemblies! 

Most people don't know that the Shopsmith Speed Reducer can be used to drive the Shopsmith Bandsaw at slow speeds for sawing plastic and metal? Watch this video to see how.

Here's a video I did of a DIY speed reducer:

I've posted a couple videos using the Shopsmtih Speed Reducer. In this one I use it for powering a Shopsmith SPT (Bandsaw) at slow speed, as well as drilling with a large Forstner bit:

In this video I use it to do some slow-speed faceplate turning of a large maple bowl: