Shopsmith Table Saw (5 tools in one???)

[Mark Kelly]

Anyone have or every use a Shopsmith Mark V 5-in-1 Table Saw? It is also a disk sander, lathe, drill press and horz boring machine.

Someone in our area is selling a used one and I just checked it out on the internet. I am leary of multiple tools in one, especially power tools! The price is pretty high for the until also, as Shopsmith sells it directly for $3000!

[Chuck Wintle]

I have heard the Shopsmith are flimsey and are overpriced. That said any Euro combination machine will run a few thousand more.

[Bob Johnson]

A used Shopsmith was the first woodworking tool I bought back in the early 90's when I started woodworking. It does multilple things adequately, but nothing really well. I did build coffee table and end tables for the living room with it and they turned out fine.

In my case it was a good way to find out if I liked woodworking. Mine came with a 4" jointer, a scroll saw and a band saw, I think I paid around $1000. I have since spend lots of money on bigger, better tools. I still have the Shopsmith, it sits in my daughter's garage. It seems I do enough things at her house that it is really nice to have the tools there.

Bob

[Bobby McCarley]

Mark,
I have had my Shopsmith for over twenty years. At the time I bought mine I did not have a shop or much storage area for tools. It has served me well and continues to do alright. I have a nice shop now and have purchased other tools but still use the Shopsmith from time to time. I guess it would be a matter of your work space area and what you are into building. I would not spend a lot on a used tool unless it in excelent condition of I'm buying from someone I know and trust. If you have the space, and into woodworking on a regular basis, it may be worth your while to purchase seperate tools.

Bobby McCarley

[Steven Wilson]

I learned on a Shopsmith, was nearly killed by one, and it put me off of woodworking for 20 years or so until I started watching Norm. As a lathe it's fairly lightweight but serviceable, as a drill press it's pretty good, as a disk sander it's fantastic, but as a tablesaw it's horrible. Don't confuse a Shopsmith with a european combination machine. The european combination machines are very well thought out and are as good or better than the individual standalone machines they represent. The Shopsmith is a collection of compromises where the sum is less than the parts.

[Joe Scarfo]

MY MOL purch one for me a few weeks back from a neighbors garage sale. After having build her a multitude of cabinets she felt obligated...

Only pblm is I already have everything this can do except a lathe. I'm considering keeping it as a lathe and selling the un needed features.

Then again, I may let it go. I hope to experiement with it later this weekend.

As a combo machine, it is a series of compromises. As a table saw, it looks ok if you're cutting smaller items, I would not want to run plywood through this thing.

Joe in Tampa

[Jim Taylor]

I still have the Shopsmith, it sits in my daughter's garage. It seems I do enough things at her house that it is really nice to have the tools there.

Bob

Oh no no no... are you telling me that some day I am going to work on my daughter's house as well?

aaah mannnn, the next one better be a boy...

[Bruce Page]

Oh no no no... are you telling me that some day I am going to work on my daughter's house as well?Count on it!!
I seem to spend more time on my daughter's home than my own! My son-in-law is a good guy (nerd) but he wouldn't know the business end of a screwdriver. :eek: :( :p

As far as the Shopsmith multi-tool's go, I looked at one back in the 70's, waaay too many compromises for me.

[Joe Suelter]

Yup, I have had 2...one's an older 10ER that I gave to my brother who uses it quite frequently...the other is my Dad's Mark 5.....they aren't "flimsy", they are actually built quite well. You either love 'em or hate 'em! If money or space is of little concern...buy individual tools, you'll be happier in the long run. But if the price is right, they do make a nice addition to a shop full of tools. The newer ones have a much better table saw than the older models, although I don't use either for that, I have a stand alone saw. The band saw is rather small too, the jointer works very well when properly adjusted. I like the lathe feature, especially the variable speed. The drill press and horizontal drill press are a pain to keep setting up, but I guess that's life! They do function as promised though.

[Steve Beadle]

I've had a Shopsmith Mark V that I bought new in about 1980. It has given me very good service and has been the foundation of my woodworking shop. While it certainly has its limitations, I have been generally pleased with its capabilities. I don't think I could have had all the different woodworking capabilities by buying separate tools for the same price. It does take some time to change set-ups, but I've got time--and I try to plan my work to minimize set-up changes.
As a table saw it's okay for small boards. For large boards and plywood panels, it can be a bit of a pain. There are workarounds, of course. The rip fence can't be trusted to square itself, so I routinely check its placement at both the front and the back, using a combination square. I especially regret that dust collection on the Shopsmith in table saw configuration is really a pain. I managed to achieve very efficient dust collection, but at the price of greatly increased time in changing over to other functions. So now I rarely go to the trouble. But I'm still thinking about an easier way to skin that cat.
The bandsaw is indeed rather small, and it seems that the Shopsmith design is not really akin to that of other bandsaws, where you tune the upper and lower wheels to be co-planar. Dust collection was easy. I just mounted a 4" port on the lower left side.
I like the lathe function, but I've never tried to do anything very heavy. I'm not fond of the lathe tool rest, however, as it moves out of adjustment too easily. The variable speed is its best feature, I'd say.
As a drill press, I think it's really great. The disk sander is good, too, and I have made excellent dust collection for both the disk sander and the drum sander.
I rarely use the Shopsmith as a horizontal boring machine, mainly because I find that the slight flexibility of the table is not conducive to accuracy. In the past I used the horizontal boring capability for doweling the edges of boards I was making into larger panels, but I don't use that method any more. Any reinforcement for butt joints is now either a spline or a biscuit.
In short, the Shopsmith is a compromise, but for me a very necessary one from the aspect of expense and room. My garage shop just doesn't have room for separate machines! If I had the room and the money, I'd definitely buy separate machines, but I don't. So I'm just happy to have what I've got.

[Bob Hovde]

I got the Shopsmith several years ago, because I wanted something bigger than benchtop tools. If you get it, make sure you get the extra tabletop extensions. For anything other than small boards, you need to set them up for support. (Actually, they work fairly well, but are a pain to set up and take down.) Also, the machine can be upgraded with new rails, fence, etc. that make it far more stable and easier to align. Shopsmith will also sell you a tuneup kit and any parts needed to fix the machine.

Because the tabletop is split, I use it as a drop-in router station, also. (Nothing fancy, just a piece of old cabinet top with a hole in it and an Incra-Jig fence attached with a clamp, but it's very functional.)

I've made a lot of things with the Shopsmith. If I were in a production mode or had a large workshop, I would have gone with separate systems. As it is, the Shopsmith has given me my money's worth. The lathe works fine for spindle work or small bowls, but you need to have a fairly round blank to start with on the bowls.

BTW, Shopsmith.com has a lot of woodworking information, especially on how to use the Shopsmith for tasks, but applicable to all machines.

Bob

[Dennis Peacock]

I've used Shopsmith and TotalShop machines. The biggest thing they compromise on is SAFETY and workspace large enough to handle a 2' by 2' piece of plywood. They make great drillpresses and disk sanders. Tablesaw or lathe? Nope....you would be better off and safer by spending the money for seperate machines.

I have seperate machines AND a European Combo machine. If you EVER used a true Euro-Combo machine...they dont' EVEN come close to the flimsy Shopsmith. My combo machine weighs in at 1,100 pounds and every single piece of it is cast iron and powered by seperate 3HP German made motors. It will plane 1/4" in red oak without even thinking about it. Try that on a shopsmith.

Used them, broke them and learned to spend my money on better tools. For $3000....you can buy a really nice cabinet saw, 8" jointer and 15" planer.

[Lee Schierer]

When I was looking to get more tools, I looked at Shopsmith. My conclusion was you would spend more time changing configurations than you would actually woodworking. The Demo guys make it look easy and have a planned sequence for the "canned" projects they do in the demo that de-emphasizes the amount of configuration changes you will go through on an average project. I wasn't impressed with the accuracy aspects of the machine either. The small table and light weight fence for the saw would at best give minimal accuracy and repeatability for cuts.

As others have said it is a series of compromises and does none of its jobs really well. However for a limited budget and limited space, it might mean having a power tool versus none at all.

[Sam Chambers]

Mark:

Like some of the others, I started with a Shopsmith Mark V.

Positives:

1. Variable speed for all functions.
2. Very good riving knife system on the table saw.
3. Horizontal boring capability comes in handy at times.
4. Compact size is a plus if you're really, really cramped for space.
5. Loved my 6" belt sander accessory.
6. Runs well on 15 amp, 110 volt circuits.

Negatives:

1. High price for new units and accessories. ANd very few manufacturers make accessories specifically for the Shopsmith.
2. Small saw table means limited usefulness as a table saw, unless your'e always cutting small parts. The main table does flex easily.
3. Changing depth of cut in table saw mode means changing the table height, which is very inconvenient if you're using the extension tables.
4. Mine would not stay in alignment, no matter what I tried.
5. Forces you to plan your projects very carefully to minimize machine changeovers.
6. The 4" jointer and 11" bandsaw accessories are smaller than the typical individual machines.
7. The miter gauge slot is undersized, so most table saw accessories won't fit.

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

I had one, too. Mark V 510. Bought it with dust collector, all standard accessories, and biscuit joiner along with 48 bft of clear quartersawn Red Oak for 1000.00. I bought the 520 upgrade. Kept the unit for three years. Liked the saw, sander, horizontal drill. Didn't like the lathe. The tool rest is useless. Didn't like the Drill Press. You end up with 6' of wasted space. Sold it for 900.00. I wouldn't pay more than 1000.00 for it today. Was ok as starter, but I like separate tooling and can afford it now.

[John Miliunas]

Mark, I'll join in with the rest of the "used to have one" guys. BIG agreement with Dennis on the safety thing, as well as what others have said in regards to changeover time and *very* limited capability(s). I'd also have to say that it's really kind of gutless (underpowered). I had a nice Systematic blade I bought for it and found some improvement, just not enough. Also, if there was *any* internal stresses on the piece of wood being ripped, you were taking BIG chances on kickback. :( I don't know about current models, but "out of the box" dust collection was pretty poor. At the time, I had a small shop, but found/made the room for separates. I did without some of the functions for a while, but eventually got "caught up" with those, as well. Having gone both routes, IMHO, I'd *never* go back to that format, other than possibly one of the Euro combo machines (sadly, I don't have a FAT wallet!). That said, I've heard pretty much the same statement from *many* woodworkers. FWIW, if you have the space or even close, save your $$ and get separates, so that you don't find yourself making the same statement! Please, don't get me wrong; I do *NOT* wish to offend *any* current owners of the system! :) There are many folks using that format and are perfectly happy with it, some of whom don't even consider it to have any shortcomings. That's great and I respect them for that. It just wasn't suitable for me. :cool: