Shop Smith or Not?

[Bill George]

I have a nice but small shop and at age 77 should be downsizing and I have been for the retirement village. Built a nice 24 x30 inch CNC router table. Have a DeWalt Jobsite saw which with a good miter gauge worked great when we redid our kitchen 3 years ago. Have a nice table mounted name brand drill press.

So why am I looking at a Mark V Shop Smith? .The lathe and band saw would be nice and of course the drill press and table saw. The price is low at less than $500 and built in 1988, and it appears to have a bunch of stuff in boxes Oops did not see a drill press???

Suggestions?

[Robert Hayward]

The drill press is the machine itself. The one we had back when I was growing up was that way. The entire machine pivoted upright and the drive shaft became the quill. The one we had was probably a 1950 something model.

[Bill George]

Ok there is a handle and chuck that needs to be located? Is it a common chuck so if its missing one could be purchased?

[Paul F Franklin]

Ok there is a handle and chuck that needs to be located? Is it a common chuck so if its missing one could be purchased?

Bill, shopsmith is still in business and they sold a bus load of Mark V's so parts are readily available. The quill handle is used for almost every operation so I'm betting it's still with the machine. The chuck is not standard; it mounts with a set screw to the shaft, but you can buy both a keyed and keyless version from shopsmith.

[Bill George]

He found the chuck but missing the handle. The lathe tools appear to be un-used. He wants $450 for the machine and it appears to be a 1988 model by the S/N.

[Jim Becker]

If I'm not mistaken, the biggest disadvantage to the ShopSmith is the table saw function because it's so small. The tathe, drill press (including horizontal function), etc. can be very handy in a tiny shop scenario. As always, dedicated machines are going to be superior in most cases, but there are a lot of folks who have built a lot of stuff with SS machines. The fact that they are still in business is a pretty kewel thing, too. Would I want one? No, not for me. But that's simply a personal preference thing.

[Larry Frank]

I have a shop of full size tools but still love my Shopsmith. I use it As a lathe, sander and many other tools. A year or so ago, I had the head rebuilt and it runs smooth and strong. It is a great variable speed tool.

[Richard Coers]

It's a miserable table saw. Don't you have to lift the bandsaw to place it on the end of the Shopsmith every time you use it? Are you able to do that? The lathe chisels will be low grade. They'll knock wood off a spinning piece, but just leave the grinder running since you'll need to sharpen often. It's an okay lathe for a short person. It's really low to the floor, how is your back? That's small money, but really boils down to what you actually make if some of the uses of the Shopsmith will really work out for you.

[Bob Coates]

Here is a link to a shopsmith form very active and tons of useful help.

forum. shopsmith. com/

[Andy D Jones]

I've never used one. It can make sense for someone with VERY little space to store their woodworking machinery.

But it takes as much room to use the Shop Smith table saw as any other TS (and more than some).

Before their recent offering of electronic DVR drives, they were generally considered under-powered for a 10" table saw.

Do they have a standard 5/8" diameter arbor for the saw blade? If not, your saw blades will be more expensive, and some premium blades may not be available to fit it.

I have a combo "over/under" jointer/planer, and my router table doubles as an extension wing on my table saw, so I am not opposed to combination machines, within limits. But if you have room for separate machines (perhaps excepting my two combo examples), they will generally be easier to use, and perform better, than a Shop Smith.

-- Andy - Arlington TX

[Zachary Hoyt]

I have a Shopsmith and use it every day in my banjo building operations. It is great for horizontal drilling and disc sanding, and OK as a lathe, especially with the universal tool rest option. I bought another one this summer that had been upgraded to a 510, with the bigger table, and it's not too bad as a table saw, I use it occasionally for small pieces. The original mark V is not as good of a table saw because of how small the table is. The machine I use is now on wooden legs that raise it up 16" higher than the metal legs it came with. In my opinion they're good machines, but not ideal for some things. I got both of mine for similar prices to yours and was able in both cases to sell off the accessories I didn't want on eBay for a little more money than I had in the purchase price for the whole setup.

[Paul F Franklin]

Another thing I'll point out...the mark V can be upgraded in several ways. Probably the most useful is the upgrade kit to the model 510, which gets you a bigger table and extensions, and a better fence.

Andy asked about a 5/8 arbor. The Mark V would have shipped with a 1 1/8 arbor, but a nice 5/8 arbor is available.

I made lots of furniture and other stuff with my Mark V over probably 20 years or more until I had time and space to upgrade to separates. Couple it with a track saw if you need to work with sheet goods and you will be good to go.

[Bill George]

Well I have been downsizing and it does not make sense for me to get the Shop Smith, its listed on Des Moines, Iowa Craigslist if anyone else is interested. It looks to be all there according to the extra pictures the seller furnished, except for the handle for the drill press and seller knows close to zero about the unit as it was his grandfathers.

[Al Weber]

In most areas you can't get rid of a Shop Smith even for free. I'd make a low ball offer to start pointing out that there may be some part missing. The table saw aspect is the worst part of the unit as stated above. I still use mine as a drill press and occasionally as a lathe and somtimes a sander. Otherwise it just occupies space.

[Ole Anderson]

Not for me, but I was impressed with the cabinets Jesse of Pure Living for Life built with his Shop Smith. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28moKsafMHA&ab_channel=PureLivingforLife

[Ronald Blue]

I actually have two Shopsmith 510's. I'm not cramped for space but they still excel for some things. The single biggest knock is the set up for each operation but you learn to plan better. I wonder when people make their comments if they ever used one or they just have an "expert" opinion. They are a great drill press. That in itself almost makes it worth the money. They have offset mounts that allow you to leave the bandsaw in place as I recall. IT's always been the craftsman that makes quality pieces not the color or cost of a machine.

[Richard Coers]

I actually have two Shopsmith 510's. I'm not cramped for space but they still excel for some things. The single biggest knock is the set up for each operation but you learn to plan better. I wonder when people make their comments if they ever used one or they just have an "expert" opinion. They are a great drill press. That in itself almost makes it worth the money. They have offset mounts that allow you to leave the bandsaw in place as I recall. IT's always been the craftsman that makes quality pieces not the color or cost of a machine.
I owned one for a 30 day trial. That's why I know it's way too short for a lathe, and it has a miserable table saw table on it. I can't make beautiful pieces on any machine when my back is screaming at me.

[Larry Frank]

Every tool I own is too short to begin with. I make stands or tool around based to bring them up to a comfortable height. I have 4" pieces to put under my Shopsmith and that is much better. I paid $ 125 for it 35 years ago and been using it ever since.