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".

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.

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!

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.