I have a chance to purchase a Shopsmith for a really good price. My knee jerk thought is how much better it is to have all tools at the ready, rather than having to set something up each time you need it. Any thoughts?
WoodWorkers Guild of America » General Discussion
Shopsmith vs. Free standing tools?
(6 posts)-
# Posted 6 months ago
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The answer depends on how you compare two questions :
How much woodworking do you do ? and How much room do you have ?
Your thought about having individual machines at the ready and not having to re-set the Shopsmith for each operation is spot on. I could never cope with a Shopsmith as it would take way too much planning to coordinate every operation that requires using the tool in it's current configuration before changing it for the next operation.
..But if you aren't doing woodworking very often and just want to have the means to do it with a power tool when you want to, and would rather use the space for something else, then Shopsmith may be a good fit. You could just roll your wood shop into a corner.
# Posted 6 months ago -
I am in full agreement with Yonak. It wouldn't work for me (plenty space but short on time), but for occasional use in a space constrained environment I think they are reasonably well made. One thing to keep in mind is that depending on what area you live in, there may be good deal on Shopsmith nearly any time. I see them in my area all the time for $300 to $500 in decent condition. So if you leave in or near a decent sized city, you shouldn't feel panicky about missing out on a good deal on a Shopsmith.
# Posted 6 months ago -
Thanks guys, that is exactly what I thought. I am no George V. but I am learning with every project. Currently all my tools are on rollers or slides and I can quickly turn my wife's garage into my woodshop. I really like the ease of moving from one machine to another, besides they once belonged to my father and at 68 it is my pleasure to keep them running and making things for my kids and grandkids. Thanks for the input.
# Posted 6 months ago -
I bought a Shopsmith used in 1985 and used it in combination with my radial arm for many years. I had a garage workshop and limited space so it was what I needed at the time. Yes, changing setups can be a pain but it's a sacrifice necessary with a small shop.
My original Shopsmith now sits off to the side of the shop with a burnt out motor. I just haven't taken the initiative to change it out yet. I have an old 50's model SS that someone gave me and it's my drill press. I also have a newer one that someone else gave me and it's my jointer and disk sander. I have a separate table saw and sliding compound miter that I use for ripping and crosscutting, respectively. Even my old radial arm sits quietly off to the side, only being used when I need to make a crosscut dado.
So as our needs and situations change, so does our tool inventory. Shopsmiths are great for the small shop and/or occasional woodworker.
Good luck. :-)
# Posted 6 months ago -
Most of my early woodworking was done on a Shopsmith. I was the perfect demographic...no money and no space. I made and sold a gazillion Adirondack chairs using my machine. In that time frame, there's no way I could have afforded or stored the mulitple tools it would have taken to produce that furniture. The most important part of owning a Shopsmith was to plan your work, and work your plan. Good advice no matter what tools you have.
As time passed I acquired stand alone tools, and more space. I still have a Shopsmith that gets used primarily as a lathe (gotta love that variable speed).
I'll never sany anything bad about the Shopsmith tools. They served me really well. But, you have to be prepared to change the machine as you change operations.
G
# Posted 6 months ago
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