ShopSmith Model V Home Workshop

[Gabe Caraway]

with Drill Press, Table Saw, Lathe, and Band Saw. Extras include 9 chisels and extra bits. Very little use. Priced at $700.

Hey good morning everyone. I've always enjoyed finishing wood and occasionally building smaller projects. Well, I think it's time to put a shop together and get more serious.

I've been lurking around for a couple weeks now and you guys definitely know enough to help me get started. I love the positive energy here that is too often absent from other forums.

Does anyone know about and have any opinions on the ShopSmith Model V? My research has led me to some conclusions, but reading is no substitute for experience. Thanks for your help.

http://images.craigslist.org/3m53p83l15Y35T35X1a7j1952cb7a3a3417d9.jpg

http://images.craigslist.org/3na3m03p95Y05Q15U6a7jfb5964d25f6f1fcb.jpg

Gabe

[Ron Harmon]

Gabe - To help you with your question about the Shopsmith Mark V. It is probably around 25 years or so old. I have a Shopsmith 520 which is about 18 years old and am very satisfied with it. I bought it new as a model 510 and upgraded to the 520 which has a larger table than the picture you have posted and a improved fence and rail system. I have many special purpose tools to go with my machine such as the band saw, belt sander, joiner and many smaller tool options which are available from Shopsmith. A good source of information for you would be the Shopsmith Forum . We are a friendly bunch of Shopsmith owners and love to share our knowledge and you will find many answers to your questions. I have a small shop and do not have the room for stand alone machines, thus the reason I went with the shopsmith and again am very satisfied. Hope this helps you.

[Gabe Caraway]

Thanks Ron. I'll find that forum and see what the consensus is.

[Chip Lindley]

In theory, the machine performs many functions. (nice for very limited shop space) From my experience, ShopSmith owners spend more time setting up and tearing down than they do actually woodworking. You can perform only one tool function at a time. And, I never quite trusted a saw arbor held onto a motor shaft by a single set screw! That kinda gives me the willies!

IMHO, $700 if steep for what you are getting. You could find separate machines on CL for close to that price if you are patient and "quick"!

On a positive note, old (cheap) ShopSmiths DO make nice horizontal boring machines.

[Gabe Caraway]

The price would definitely have to come down, and I think you just dissuaded me from my purchase.

One of the tidbits I learned while researching this machine was that it was part of a liability lawsuit "that changed liability law forever." http://shopsmith-tool-hunter.blogspot.com/2009/07/how-shopsmith-mark-v-changed-liability.html

Between the price, time consumption and possibly a flawed design, I think I'll stick with the quick draw on good deals as they pop up.

[Michael Simpson Virgina]

Years ago I started a small basement shop in a house I rented. I had to sell all my larger tools before I moved and the shop smith seemed like the perfect fit.

In a sense it was. It was a nice presision piece of equipment but it has a few down sides.

First just about any project is going to take you much longer to complete because you have to reconfigure the machine to go from one set up to another. Also All the addons like band saw, joiner, scrollsaw were not much better than purchasing a benchtop model of a quality brand.

Second as a Table saw It kind of stinks, Since the blade is set you raise and lower the table to set the blade height. The table is pretty small as well.

As a lathe it was ok.

Where is really shines is as a drill press. If it wernt for the size of the base I would purhcase one just for that. It was the smoothest drill press I have ever owned.

As for the price. I have seen monster sets with joiners and scroll saw attachemtnes sell for under $1000 in cherry condition. The bandsaw table on this one looks a little rough.

In any case I would not pay over $500 for it.

[Richard Wagner]

I hate to debate but sometimes I can not resist. The Shopsmith is a great tool for any hobby woodworker but is especially good for someone who has limited space. I work in an attached garage but I still have a table saw, drill press , lathe, router table, drum sander, disk sander, bandsaw, surface planer, mortising machine and jointer.

Set up time is not excessive as has been stated here (unless you have not planned your work OR do not know the intricacies of your machines. I can accurately and safely change from one function to another in less than two minutes. Further more, if the initial configuration is chosen with forethought, many times changing configurations is totally unnecessary.

The real advantage that I see in the Shopsmith is its long time span. My is over twenty (20) years old an is working as well as it did the day it was new. I have done NO major repair. The only parts that I have replaced have been parts that you would consider consumables (like saw blades). BTW, I have never had a saw blade/arbor come off the drive shaft. That set screw works great due to the tapered shaft. Technically, the set screw is not all that keeps the arbor in place.

Whatever you buy for your shop, think long and hard because it is an important decision and in the long run it should be what you want and need and no one else.

BTW, if I had what I really want - my Shopsmith would be sitting along side a Delta Unisaw with a great big table.

[Jeff Nicol]

I bought one in 1983 while I was stationed in Ft. Stewart GA. it was the perfect thing for a military man who had a little bit of an area to work in, but wanted to make things out of wood. It traveled with me to Hawaii when I was sent there and then back to Wisconsin when I got out of the Army. I owned it for 17 years and sold it to my buddy and he is still using it, but like anything we own for power tools a little preventative maintenance is always something that should be done. I learned that the hard way with my Mark V I used the crap out of it and built a couple beds, desks, entertainment centers and a great number of boxes, cribbage boards, picture frames and so on. I took good care of the outside of the machine and kept it waxed and clean, but I forgot to look inside the motor housing and the motor got full of flour fine sawdust and while I was in Hawaii it sucked up some of the high humidity and shorted out the motor! My fault and I put in a new motor and it still is a great machine for the small shop or once in a while woodworker. If it were in really great shape and came with some blades for the table saw and bandsaw $400 would be the max as that is a normal going price for that era. But I have seen them for $250 also. I made enough stuff with mine to buy a new table saw, stand alone bandsaw, and 2 routers and pay for the original price, so it was worth it for me.

Good luck on what you decide,

Jeff

[Jerome Hanby]

I think the Smith you mentioned is a good deal if it's in good shape. Mark Vs are great for filling in the blanks in your shop For $700 you get a great sander, drill press, and band saw, a fair table saw, and an okay lathe (especially for spindle work. You also get something you would probably never have other wise, a horizontal boring machine. You could add a lunch box planer and look for a deal on a Shopsmith Jointer (about $100 off CL) and you would be set to build just about anything. As you get better skills and more money start replacing functions. Buy a decent table saw, an 8" jointer, a stand alone drill press and leave teh Mark V for lather, sanding, and band saw work. Only operation I see taking any significant time to setup or tear down is table saw mode. Lathe, sander, drill press, band saw, and jointer modes take about 60 seconds to change. band saw and jointer are mutually exclusive, but either can co exist with all the other modes.