Dewalt Powershop - Practical?

[Stephen Ristola]

I'm relatively new at this. I've done a few woodworking projects. I've been looking at a small Dewalt powershop from a local pawnshop. The table and fence look fairly new. And seems to be in overall good condition (if looks count for anything) My question is : Is the Dewalt Powershop as practical as it seems to be. The features that I would be interested in are; the router, the hoirizontal drill, and of course to use as a radial arm drill. Does it perform all the functions well? Is tooling available?Are there standard collets and tooling that works with these machines? Is kickback a problem when ripping? I'd be interested in hearing from anyone That's used one of these. Thanks, Steve

[Dave Cav]

They are an excellent small radial arm saw; once setup, for crosscut and miter work they are hard to beat, as long as you aren't hauling it all over a job site. All the rest, not so much. Or not at all. No tooling, parts or accessories will be readily available; you will have to track down used stuff and it will be hard to find. And there are much, much better (and safer) ways to rip than on a RAS. In addition, although it may look good, all the bearings in it are 40 or 50 years old, and the grease will be dried out, and the motor bearings, at least, will probably need to be replaced. If you are just starting out, a RAS would not be my first, or even fourth, choice of a tool to buy.

[Charlie Velasquez]

the router, the hoirizontal drill, and of course to use as a radial arm drill. (assume you meant "saw"??) Does it perform all the functions well? Is tooling available?Are there standard collets and tooling that works with these machines? Is kickback a problem when ripping? I'd be interested in hearing from anyone That's used one of these. Thanks, Steve

I have used my Powershop 7740 as a disk sander and a horizontal drill. As a sander it worked well. As a horizontal drill.... You need to remember it runs at one speed, 3450rpm, most drilling applications work better by adjusting the speed to the bit diameter and material. The same limiter, 3450rpm, suggest it is too slow for routing. It has a rotary surface planer that did a credible job, knowing that you would sand to remove tool marks.

As mentioned already, it will make a nice cut-off and miter tool.
There are many horror stories out there about ripping on a RAS. Conversely, there are many that have been ripping on one for years with no incidents. Kickback is a function of all saws, but because of the nature of the RAS, being able to be rotated in all three planes plus being able to be pulled through the work, it has a lot more adjustments that need to be addressed to be used safely.

Not sure which model you are looking at ("Powershop" was the name given to a number of models with varying "power"), nor the price. But the 7790 can usually be found for $100 or so. I would not spend more than $150-$200 for the 3.5hp 7790, $100 for the 2hp 7740.

[Rick Potter]

Stephan,

I would suggest you look for a used Shopsmith, if you are starting out. You can get a nice one for $500 and it will do several functions. When think you have outgrown it, you will have an idea of what you need for the work you are doing. Check Craig List for them, you want a Mark V or better, a 510. When, and if, you are done with it, resell it.

Others will disagree, but that is what I would recommend if you are looking for a multi-function machine. Google it, there are all kinds of info available.

Rick Potter

[Peter Kuhlman]

A friend of mine from Michigan purchased a ShopSmith back in the 80s and uses it to this day. It is his only real power tool. He has built some amazing stuff with it - plenty of furniture, cabinets, outdoor projects. He has the abilities to overcome and figure how to work around the limitations of the tool. And he has the patience to put up with the constant resetting of the tool when changing over to different uses. He is the perfect example of the tool not dictating the quality of work.

Yes if if space and money is tight, I definitely agree with Rick's suggestion as a way to get started.