Shopsmith out of storage. What to do with it?

[William C Rogers]

I have a Mark V Shopsmith That has been in storage for about 10 years. I don't need it for anything in particular, as I have a full shop of tools, but I will use it for the disk sander. What other uses could I use it for? I have PM 90 lathe, midi lathes, SawStop, drill press as stand alone equipment. I am not one who sells tools, I have two of each of these for example, 12" miter saws, midi lathes, delta belt sanders, band saws, etc. just never know when one is going to break!

[Wayne Lovell]

A friend of mine has a beall buffing system set up on his.

[Robert Engel]

1. Get some therapy.
2. Sell it.

[William C Rogers]

1. Get some therapy.
2. Sell it.

Tools are my friends, I couldn't stand the thought of one being abused (other then by me). I guess I could try by selling one of my three band saws!

[Bill Space]

I like the disk sander function and that you can move the disk to the work, rather than the work to the disk, in many cases.

They work pretty well for horizontal boring.

Drill press is is not bad for woodworking. Nice to be able to adjust the table position and the fence works well to position the workpiece.

Perhaps you could cut the tubes and make it a "shorty" to save some space.

They do do not seem to bring much used. I bought several over the last few years for around a hundred bucks for the basic unit and a little more for extras like bandsaws... Two of these were the newer models, and one was a greenie, but had accessories like the drill chuck and disk sander plate included.

If you were closer perhaps I could convince you that your shopsmith has little value and take it off your hands as a favor!

Bill

[David Delo]

William,

Wayne's idea is a good one. I have a SS 510 unit that's been set-up to be a multi purpose sanding station. I'm very pleased with it's versatility and performance and it works very well for what I need it for. Here's a couple pics for reference.

Small drum sander, belt sander, conical disk and flat disk sander and spindle sander mounted on SS extension tables

SS 1.jpg

Strip sander switched out on the left side of the headstock
ssss2.jpg

One of my favorite functions is using the conical disk for end-grain and highly figured woods. This was being set-up to joint some curly maple pieces. Nothing better out there to sand end-grain. Not a single mark left on the piece.
sss2.jpg

Been thinking about finding another unit to convert into what's called a shop deputy. Probably use it as pictured here with the flat disk and belt sander and then used the strip sander and conical disks on the main unit. Getting to lazy to switch things out.
shop_deputy_belt_disc_drum_l.jpg

[DOUG ANGEL]

David, I use my Shopsmith Mk V as a polishing station, rarely use the disk sanding option.

[William C Rogers]

William,

Wayne's idea is a good one. I have a SS 510 unit that's been set-up to be a multi purpose sanding station. I'm very pleased with it's versatility and performance and it works very well for what I need it for. Here's a couple pics for reference.

Small drum sander, belt sander, conical disk and flat disk sander and spindle sander mounted on SS extension tables

SS 1.jpg

Strip sander switched out on the left side of the headstock
ssss2.jpg

One of my favorite functions is using the conical disk for end-grain and highly figured woods. This was being set-up to joint some curly maple pieces. Nothing better out there to sand end-grain. Not a single mark left on the piece.
sss2.jpg

Been thinking about finding another unit to convert into what's called a shop deputy. Probably use it as pictured here with the flat disk and belt sander and then used the strip sander and conical disks on the main unit. Getting to lazy to switch things out.
shop_deputy_belt_disc_drum_l.jpg

David, those are some good ideas. I have the SS bandsaw (on it's own stand/ motor) that I could out on one end. I also have the extra tables that maybe I could mount my Delta 6" belt sander on (still using it's own power supply) replacing the disk with a drum. Making this a dedicated sanding station. The beal buffing station is also a good idea. I am going to get the SS tomorrow, but I really like the sanding possibilities. I'll post when I get something I like set up. I thought about shortening it, but then I would lose drill press or horizontal boring if ever needed.

Thanks for the ideas.

[Phil Barrett]

I've looked at a shopsmith to use for horizontal boring. Didn't want to pay the $750 the guy wanted, though.

[Keith Hankins]

I've looked at a shopsmith to use for horizontal boring. Didn't want to pay the $750 the guy wanted, though.

I tried selling mine for 3 years on CL and no takers. Finally put make offer and got 200 for it.

I wish now I'd kept it for the sanding disk. That was freakin handy.

[Bruce Page]

I tried selling mine for 3 years on CL and no takers. Finally put make offer and got 200 for it.

I wish now I'd kept it for the sanding disk. That was freakin handy.

Like the RAS, they seem to languish on our local CL until the seller gives up or practically gives it away. It must be frustrating for the seller because they weren't inexpensive machines.

[William C Rogers]

Like the RAS, they seem to languish on our local CL until the seller gives up or practically gives it away. It must be frustrating for the seller because they weren't inexpensive machines.

Another reason I don't like selling some things.

[Phil Barrett]

Like the RAS, they seem to languish on our local CL until the seller gives up or practically gives it away. It must be frustrating for the seller because they weren't inexpensive machines.

Truth. Unfortunately, they marketed it as a do everything machine - you get lots of tools for the cost of maybe two. It's a compelling message to someone who is just getting into woodworking. But buyers soon found that to be at the expense of convenience. The shopsmith example is why I am pretty negative on any machine that purports to be multipurpose.

[Jay Aubuchon]

I gave mine to a young man getting started.

[Mike Schuch]

I also thought of purchasing one for use as a horizontal boring machine. I finally found a Davis and Wells horizontal boring machine and abandoned the Shopsmith idea. I make a lot of dowel joints since I got my horizontal boring machine, it sure does make dowel holes a lot faster to drill and align.