As I am about to retire, I'm considering making woodworking one of my hobbies. I'm a bit limited in space for setting up a shop so my question is ... is the Shopsmith a good unit?
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20 years ago
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- posted
20 years ago
Don, if you type "shopsmith" in Google newsgroups, you'll get 7,300 hits. Type "shopsmith reviews" in regular Google and you get 1,910 to choose from. It's a pretty well-worn subject.
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20 years ago
Thanks, I read several of the reviews and it sounds like it would be OK.
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20 years ago
It's a great tool. Bought mine a bunch of years ago and it has always done what I needed done. It gets used almost daily and the only thing that has needed repair was the power switch. A five minute operation.
Because it is a combination machine there are some compromises in it but none of them are in quality or accuracy and none are insurmountable. Their customer service is world class.
As space and requirements have grown I've had to upgrade to stand alone tools for some of the functions but the Shopsmith is still a useful tool for all it's other functions.
Try the Yahoo ssusers group.
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to find it and sign up.
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20 years ago
Very good for limited space. It can be a pain to change setups, but that's the tradeoff. Quality hand tools and hand power tools will be a focus too. Think about sharpening and tools to do it (natural lighting is best).
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20 years ago
You'll get a lot of conflicting responses on that question!
I've owned a Shopsmith, now I don't. My shop is an 11' by 13' storage shed that I insulated and wired.
If your shop space is limited more than that, or you have to share it with the family car, go with the Shopsmith. Or, if you live in a congenial climate, go with conventional tools you can wheel outside on a nice day.
My main complaint with the Shopsmith was the table saw function. Since the blade doesn't tilt, it can be a pain with large pieces.
And the price is quite high. I got mine used and suggest if you do buy one that you also try to find a used one.
Since I've retired, I find myself using hand tools more and more. Mostly planes, chisels and hand drills, but I've done a bit of crosscutting by hand as well (with a Japanese-style saw).