I have a ... (gasp!) ... Shopsmith!

[Bill Space]

I guess this is a confession of sorts, considering the nicer/better tools that many of us have.

But I was just wondering...has anyone else here stooped this low?

All jesting aside, I really like my Shopsmith for drilling and horizontal boring. ESPECIALLY for horizontal boring. The table saw function scares me, and I have never used it and probably never will. But given the price one can find these things for sale on Craigslist it is hard to imagine not wanting the Shopsmith as a boring and drilling machine. As well as a portable work support, since the tables are adjustable vertically and the casters make moving the machine easy.

Well...actually I guess I have three of them. The newest I bought for $200 but a bandsaw came with it. The oldest I bought 30 years ago and it is on permanent loan to my son in law. And the most recent I bought to use at the house next door that I bought to renovate...that was $120...but came with a lot of small accessories but no additional power tools.

So C'mon... any other Shopsmith fans visit here? I can't be the only one! (would never buy one for the list price though...)

Bill

[Kyle Iwamoto]

GASP. I have one too. They are built like tanks. Throw your table saw parts away and buy a table top saw. They are better than the SS table saw. Acutually, my SS has been delegated to band saw use only and lives under a cover outside. Which really means they are built like tanks...... It is a good band saw. Not a lot of variable speed 1.25 horse band saws out there. It is also a really good drill press/boring machine as you said. Nice machine, but no I would not pay retail, or even 1/4 of retail for that. Oh, it's an okay spindle lathe. I kept those parts too.

[Jack Lemley]

I bought a Mark V in 1984. Still have it though it has been upgraded to the 520 table system and the Power Pro head stock. I use it for all the functions it is made for without reservation. If I still had the 500 table system I would probably have a separate table saw. My shop is 16x24 so space is an issue. I also have a Kreg assembly table, Incra router table and their top fence system, Dewalt 735 w/Byrd cutter head, Festool CT26 vac (Dust Deputy) with TS55 saw (several rails, RO125 (Festool), Shopsmith bandsaw on a Shopsmith power station, Delta 1hp dust collector, Shopsmith dust collector AND am building a modified Jack Bench to use a custom machined MFT table.... just to show that space really is limited.

Jack

BTW I ripped some 2" poplar the other day with no problem.

[Rick Potter]

Double gasp, I have a Shopsmith, and a Felder saw/shaper. Now, that's a combo.

Rick Potter

[bobby milam]

I have never had one but they are listed like crazy on craigslist around here.

[Rich Enders]

Many years ago I bought an SS from a neighbor who claimed financial difficulty and I paid $700. It had "everything" whatever that means. In the year I had it I don't think I ever made a successful use of any function. It required more fussing than I was capable of. So I sold the SS (luckily) for $700 and bought a Kity K5 combination machine. The Kity was not wonderful, but it was workable and I built decent furniture with it. Furthermore it could be wheeled into a corner so my daughters car could still fit in the garage. The Kity was donated to Habitat and I hope it is still in use. The Kity was replaced by a Euroshop (now MiniMax) multifunction, and for those confined to a small shop, using it is akin to having arrived......

[Rich Riddle]

What is a Shop Smith?

[David Dockstader]

I've got two - and I coordinate the ShopSmith Special Interest Group (SIG) for our woodworking club. Solid, reliable, and made in the USA. It's the only table saw I own and I manage to make furniture, turn pens, bottle stoppers, and other things, and use all the special purpose tools like the belt sander, band saw, etc. Haven't found anything it can't do, although cutting plywood sheets to size can be challenging.

[Rich Riddle]

Haven't found anything it can't do, although cutting plywood sheets to size can be challenging.I gave that up right after purchasing a track saw. It's much safer and easier on a track saw.

[Ronald Blue]

I have two SS and while I rarely use the table saw part these days they do other things well. Sand and drill are the main functions but I also do some turning on them. I know some people bash them a lot but they still have their place IMHO.

[Al Gale]

They aren't for everyone but they are very capable machines. There's excellent customer support and an equally excellent forum for Shopsmith users over at www.shopsmith.net/forums (hope I am not violating any rules by posting that link).

[Kevin Bourque]

Somebody gave me an old first generation SS back in the 1990's. I used it as a lathe, drill press, and horizontal boring machine. I visited a SS dealership in Phila. one day looking for parts and was told they weren't available for a machine of that vintage, so I gave it away. It did a decent job, but I can't imagine using it as a table saw.

[Heath Fitts]

The only thing better than a Shopsmith is multiple Shopsmiths. I have 4. One Mark 5 (Model 500 that I've cut 14" off the tubes to make it a "shorty"). Three Model 10ERs (circa 1948-1952, predating the Mark 5, all cast iron and very heavy). One ER is a "dedicated" drill press. Another ER is "dedicated" to horizontal use - disk sander, lathe, etc. The third ER is in parts waiting on restoration. (I put "dedicated" in quotes because while I treat them as being dedicated to those purposes, in a bind they can always be changed over to another function.)

Sure, there are some drawbacks. The table saw function, and changeovers being the two most mentioned. But, what you get in return is one amazing tool. Scratch that. What you get in return is 4 amazing tools and one useable tool all in one machine. "But, it's just not accurate enough" you might say? Well, then do a proper alignment - just as you would do on any other tool. "Changeovers are too much fuss" you might say? Changeover only takes a second or two. What you mean is setup. And you have to go through that same setup for any other tool. You have to think about and plan your setups just as with any other tool - you just have to adjust HOW you think about setups. True, you don't have the convenience of setting up for the drill press, moving to the table saw, and then going back to the drill press with the exact same setup. So you have to plan accordingly. But there are also benefits. Once one function is setup accurately, you can sometimes carry that over to other functions. Use the table saw to make a miter cut at 45 degrees. Keep that same miter setting and drill holes for dowels that are exactly 90 degrees to your cut or switch out the saw blade for the disc sander and know that your disc sander has the exact same setup as your table saw. Once you figure out HOW to think about your setups and changeovers, they're no more of a fuss than standalone tools.

That being said, I don't use the table saw function all that much because I also have a standalone table saw with a much larger table along with a big outfeed table. I still use it for dadoes and as a secondary table saw. It's really great having that backup table saw if I need to make a cut but don't want to change my setup on my main saw. And with each additional Shopsmith I have, I have exponentially increased capabilities. With 3 useable Shopsmiths, I have 4 table saws, 3 disc sanders, 3 lathes, 3 vertical drill presses, 3 horizontal drill presses, etc. All in a 12'x24' sized shop.

I'd love to have a lot of standalone tools. But even if I had a 60'x60' shop and an unlimited budget, I would still make room for a couple Shopsmiths.

[Richard Wagner]

You are not the only one, Bill. I have been a diehard Shopsmith user for many years. I bought mine while I was still on active duty and had to relocate frequently while operating out a garage when I was home. There was no way that I could have had a stand alone shop and yet I wanted the ability to do wood working. Now that I have settled down, I would not give up my Mark V even in exchange for a stand alone shop.

I know that there are folks out there that will disagree. That is OKAY. We all have our own reasons and our own opinions.

I am an Addicted Shopsmith User. Come join us on the Shopsmith forum.

[james grange]

Another SS freak checking in here.

I have a Mark 5 which I purchased NEW a half century ago with a jointer!

I am quite aware of 'workarounds' necessary with a multifunction tool, but as another freak has said elsewhere, "I bought Shopsmith because of the setups, not in spite of them". :cool:

I have more recently acquired and restored/restoring others which include the original model 10E, a Mark VII(1960's version), a Mark V 510, A 'mini' made from scavenged parts, two power stations, two band saws, two strip sanders, two 6"x48" belt sanders, two jig saws, a 12" thickness planer. At least one of each has been restored to full function which was possible only with the continued availability of parts(albiet used ones for the oldest stuff).:)

I have a less then 10 yr old Ridgid(aka Home Depot) compound miter saw?(fancy name for a cutoff saw) which is now useless since drive train parts are not obtainable.:mad:

As mentioned above alignment is critical to accurate results as well as skill of the craftsman using it(as it is with any tool). Being a multi-function tool, the shopsmith is more demanding because adjustments affect more than one 'function'. Wanna have 'fun'? Adjust the trunion on a table saw after having removed it!:D

A lot of the bad rap regarding shopsmith tools is just plain bad attitude caused by earlier bad rap by others much of which is from those who 'never had one, never will'.

So beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder. I am blessed with considerable beauty in my shop(not ALL of it shopsmith progeny).:)

Keep in mind what this stuff is intended for. It is not meant for heavy daily professional use like professional grade tools(but quite capable it its own right), but then much of the single function stuff out the is not either.

[Dave Lehnert]

My Shopsmith is over 20 years old. That's how I got started in woodworking. I use the table saw without problem. Built a house full of furniture on a Mark V.
I buy my hardwood rough cut and use a Shopsmith pro planer. The planer is also over 20 years old and runs like brand new.
271681

[Bill Space]

Glad to see there are others here that see the value of the Shopsmith, at least when you can find them for $200 or less!

In my original post I forgot to mention the 12" disk sander...Love that...

The bang for the buck is pretty high with the SS when you can pick one up so cheap...

Forget I said that! Let's keep the demand down so I can buy at least one more some time soon...If I can find a way to shoehorn it in my shop. Like someone mentioned above, we all know there is never enough room in one's shop. Mine is about as full as it gets!

[Roy Nielsen]

I'm guilty, too. A few years ago, I found a early 80's 500 with bandsaw and jointer (and all the normal accessories), truly hardly used and well stored. Never used the saw, just don't like it. Also greatly appreciate the horizontal boring, sanding disk, bandsaw. Mixed results for lathe work, pretty decent for between centers turning, have some vibration when turning with only a chuck.

[Robert Keeney]

I've had a Shopsmith since 1981. Being in the military and moving every year or two it was the perfect solution for me.

[Tim Leiter]

I have a SS 10ER that I purchased a few years ago and cleaned/repainted, had a lot of fun refurbishing it. I am using it as a dedicated pen blank drilling rig and have used it for spindle turning and horizontal boring. I have many stand-alone shop tools but have always wanted a Shopsmith, just because I think they are so cool........Tim.

[Mike Cutler]

I used on once many years ago. We were renting a house in Charlotte and there was one in a shed on the property.
Found all the parts, the book, set it up and built a couple of stereo cabinets, speaker enclosures, a futon frame, and a low coffee table with it.
I've read the slams it receives, and it did have it's limitation, but it cut the material four square, located dowel holes accurately. At the end of the day that's the most important thing.
It the person, not the tool, that is usually the limiting factor.

[Matt Ranum]

I have a SS 10ER that I purchased a few years ago and cleaned/repainted, had a lot of fun refurbishing it. I am using it as a dedicated pen blank drilling rig and have used it for spindle turning and horizontal boring. I have many stand-alone shop tools but have always wanted a Shopsmith, just because I think they are so cool........Tim.


I have 2 of those old cast iron tanks! One I reconditioned, converted it to a variable speed DC drive and use it as a dedicated lathe. The other is either a drill press or a horizontal sander. I have a lot of stand alone machines but really like the versatility of them.

[Robert Keeney]

Some Shopsmith inks you might find interesting.

Shopsmith Forum (http://www.shopsmith.net/forums/index.htm)
New Shopsmith Owner Info (http://www.shopsmith.net/forums/showthread.htm?t=7092)
Everything Mark 5 / V - Technical Info (http://www.shopsmith.net/forums/showthread.htm?t=5092)
Shopsmith Academy (http://www.shopsmithacademy.com/Academy_Home.htm) (Lots of Videos)
Product Manuals (http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/productmanuals.htm)
YouTube Videos (http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=shopsmith)
Shopsmith Tool Hunter Blog (http://shopsmith-tool-hunter.blogspot.com/)
Built With A Shopsmith (http://www.builtwithashopsmith.blogspot.com/)
My Pinterest Shopsmith Board (http://www.pinterest.com/badbob51/shopsmith/)
The Shopsmith User Group Forum (Allows you to sell Shopsmith Tools) (http://www.ssug.org/)
Shopsmith Users Yahoo (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/SSusers/)
Shopsmith 10ER Users Yahoo (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shopsmith10ERusers/)
eBay Shopsmith Search (http://tinyurl.com/kaaugmc)

[Craig Behnke]

Double gasp, I have a Shopsmith, and a Felder saw/shaper. Now, that's a combo.

Rick Potter

agree, that is the strangest shop tool combination i've ever heard of,....and i'm 100% jealous of your Felder. i'd love to see a picture of how those 2 machines sit in the shop.

[Aleks Hunter]

Nothing really wrong with a shopsmith at all. Except possibly that over time parts will become harder to come by. As an all in one it is fairly easily convertible and fairly sturdy for a basement or garage hobbyist's shop. In fact the horizontal borer setup is pretty sweet. Woodworking as a hobby is not about having the latest and greatest machines. Some of the best woodworkers out there use some pretty primitive setups. I have a friend who makes windsor chairs and he turns out uniform spindles with a drawknife and spokeshave on a shaving horse as fast as I can on my minimax lathe. A little south of me The guys at Froggy Bottom guitars build instruments that professional musicians often wait more than a year to get and pay prices well into five figures. In their shop there are no exotic machines, but they do have some mighty nice hand tools and fantastic shop made jigs. Woodworking is not so much about the tools as it is the woodworker.

[Roy Nielsen]

Heath,

How is the 10ER as a lathe? Do you have experience with a good dedicated lathe that you can compare it? I've been thinking of trying to find one and potentially convert to variable speed DC motor to replace my 500. It looks like with a couple additions that I could do everything that I care to do on a SS on an ER (no table saw).

Thanks,
Roy

[Bruce MANNING]

I love my Shopsmith. I have a 520 with a double tilt uprade an a Powerpro headstock wired for 220V (2hp) and most of the attachments including the bandsaw, jointer, jig saw, belt sander. With the Powerpro upgrade it can be an effective shaper at 10000 rpm or turn big stuff at 250 rpm. With a shop built outfeed table the table saw is safe and works fine - my blade and fence are aligned to within two thousands. Might not be for everybody but I am retired and like to tinker. I make furniture and I can do everything I need to make fine reproduction furniture with it.

[Rick Markham]

There's a pretty famous female furniture maker (who's name escapes me now) that has for several decades built all of her works on a Shopsmith. I've never owned one, however, they have always piqued my curiosity.

[Mike Heidrick]

I own a shop smith and used the drill press and horizontal drilling functions to build 3 JoeCNC CastCNC setups with it before getting a mill. I also have a 6X48 SS/Magna sander on the power station I use about every time I am in the shop. I am also looking for a SS bandsaw cheap but have also tried to sell the main machine. They definitely have their place.

[Michael Schapansky]

My dad gave me his. It has been set up as a bandsaw and 12" disk sander for a few years now. I really need a bigger, powerful bandsaw.

[Jeff Erbele]

I have never had one but they are listed like crazy on craigslist around here.

In 1979 I saw a traveling ShopSmith demo at the local mall. It was an impressive presentation and leads one to believe that this is the only wood shop machine one will ever need. I think there is a certain percentage of people that are not wood workers and at some point in the presentation decide they want to be. Once they unpack theirs and set it up the bright lights and pony show does not pop out of the box. They are on their own and not quite sure how do do some things, or maybe most things. There is a certain percentage that got caught up in the moment.

By the way I bought one after that show, but just out of college, just started my first real job, just bought a house and needed everything to furnish it, remodel some things, needed to upgrade the fridge and range, needed a fridge etc. etc. and had not yet established a credit rating, I somehow managed to address all those needs and saved every nickel for maybe 6-8 months in order to buy one. I was single, had a good job and worked 579 hours overtime and double time in the first year, and only started in May.

I never regretted it and was glad to have it and used it a lot. I had to sell it in the yer 2000 because of moving, needing the money, not having time to use it or the space for it. I sold it to my cousin. Last summer I once again had a place to use it and the need for it. i called him and ask him if he used it or if it was collecting dust and wanted to sell it. He said no, I use it all the time and taught my boys wood working and turning, but he would sell it back to me if I really wanted it. I said no keep it, he was 4 states away and it seems like one can always find a couple on CL almost all the time.

When i was shopping I found in a lot of cases the guy that owned and used it had past away and someone in the family was selling it. In other cases people were moving. I think i paid about $24-2,500 for mine in 1979 and sold it for $800 in 2000. Last summer i bought one for $650 and it came with the jointer, the router attachment, a dadoo set and a few extras, plus for another $100 the guy sold me a Foley Belsaw Sharpal which retails for $900; but only if I took everything for $750 total. Ya man, I'll take your tough deal. ...For me they were worth more and I would have considered maybe paying up to a $1,000 as his stuff was in good condition compared to some I saw on CL. I don't know how some machines get in that shape. The must store them in a coral with the livestock and drop them off their pickup several times, than back into them with a tractor and then set a leaking 12 volt car battery on them. Sure that is a bit of an exaggeration but there is some junk out there.

As far as I can see now, I think I will always want and have a Shop Smith. For what it does, it does not take up a lot of room and it does some things very well, especially horizontal boring and drilling. The table saw has limitations but works find for some things. Gutting a 45 on a long piece of stock in either direction (swivel the miter gauge or tilting the table) is a severe limitation.

I see nothing wrong with being a Shop Smith owner and am proud to be one. And I am not one to tolerate or own junk in tools or machines. As an owner, I have some advantages over craftsmen that don't have one, but that doesn't matter. What matters is for what it cost and does, it is worthy of the real estate it takes in my shop. What matters is i use it and it is a good solution for some needs.

[Jeff Erbele]

Many years ago I bought an SS from a neighbor who claimed financial difficulty and I paid $700. It had "everything" whatever that means. In the year I had it I don't think I ever made a successful use of any function. It required more fussing than I was capable of. So I sold the SS (luckily) for $700 and bought a Kity K5 combination machine. The Kity was not wonderful, but it was workable and I built decent furniture with it. Furthermore it could be wheeled into a corner so my daughters car could still fit in the garage. The Kity was donated to Habitat and I hope it is still in use. The Kity was replaced by a Euroshop (now MiniMax) multifunction, and for those confined to a small shop, using it is akin to having arrived......

RE: Fussing. Changing from one function to another is fairly easy, but early on I discovered i was constantly changing from one machine to another. I got pretty good at planning my work, doing all of one type of operation, say sawing, before converting to say sanding.
Still, it is true, there is some of that, no matter how hard one trys to minimize it. That is a weakness or a Con when considering the Pro's & Con's.

[Jeff Erbele]

The only thing better than a Shopsmith is multiple Shopsmiths. I have 4. One Mark 5 (Model 500 that I've cut 14" off the tubes to make it a "shorty"). Three Model 10ERs (circa 1948-1952, predating the Mark 5, all cast iron and very heavy). One ER is a "dedicated" drill press. Another ER is "dedicated" to horizontal use - disk sander, lathe, etc. The third ER is in parts waiting on restoration. (I put "dedicated" in quotes because while I treat them as being dedicated to those purposes, in a bind they can always be changed over to another function.)

Sure, there are some drawbacks. The table saw function, and changeovers being the two most mentioned. But, what you get in return is one amazing tool. Scratch that. What you get in return is 4 amazing tools and one useable tool all in one machine. "But, it's just not accurate enough" you might say? Well, then do a proper alignment - just as you would do on any other tool. "Changeovers are too much fuss" you might say? Changeover only takes a second or two. What you mean is setup. And you have to go through that same setup for any other tool. You have to think about and plan your setups just as with any other tool - you just have to adjust HOW you think about setups. True, you don't have the convenience of setting up for the drill press, moving to the table saw, and then going back to the drill press with the exact same setup. So you have to plan accordingly. But there are also benefits. Once one function is setup accurately, you can sometimes carry that over to other functions. Use the table saw to make a miter cut at 45 degrees. Keep that same miter setting and drill holes for dowels that are exactly 90 degrees to your cut or switch out the saw blade for the disc sander and know that your disc sander has the exact same setup as your table saw. Once you figure out HOW to think about your setups and changeovers, they're no more of a fuss than standalone tools.

That being said, I don't use the table saw function all that much because I also have a standalone table saw with a much larger table along with a big outfeed table. I still use it for dadoes and as a secondary table saw. It's really great having that backup table saw if I need to make a cut but don't want to change my setup on my main saw. And with each additional Shopsmith I have, I have exponentially increased capabilities. With 3 useable Shopsmiths, I have 4 table saws, 3 disc sanders, 3 lathes, 3 vertical drill presses, 3 horizontal drill presses, etc. All in a 12'x24' sized shop.

I'd love to have a lot of standalone tools. But even if I had a 60'x60' shop and an unlimited budget, I would still make room for a couple Shopsmiths.

I agree and well said.