Value of used Shopsmith

[krw]

You're kiddin', right?

[pyotr filipivich]

All in ones invariably find you needing the other setup without changing this one, to 'fix' something.

[DerbyDad03]

Confucius say:

"Tools that claim to be great at all things are rarely good at anything."

[krw]

And it's impossible to get the thing set up for the first operation exactly the same way. I worked for a guy that had one. He was always running up against this problem. OTOH, he lived in a trailer and there wasn't a lot of extra room. He'd never own one, if he had any other option.

[Clare Snyder]

Actually there WERE Knock-offs of the Shopsmith. Can't remember the name - but there was one that was actually fully compatible with all the accessories, but as in MOST Chui-Clone stuff internal parts were not interchangeable.

TotalShop?I think was the one major name. There were 8 or 9 companies named by Shopsmith in actions re: infringement.

[DerbyDad03]

Yes, there was a TotalShop.

There was also a SuperShop and an Iron Wood, which looks remarkably like a SuperShop.

[pyotr filipivich]

[e-mail] on Tue, 27 Mar 2018 18:55:22 -0400 typed in rec.woodworking the following:

House mate was storing one, I got to use it. Drag it out, set it up, tweak it, tweak it some more, run it. Really keen, but if I could have afforded better, I'd get it too.

RIght now, I don't have the room to store it, let alone use it. (I don't have the space to store a whole lot of things I wish I had. Band saw for one.)

tschus pyotr

[-MIKE-]

I used to work at a university that taught media production. The college ran the local PBS radio and TV stations. They had a full-time set master who had been there for decades. The set shop was up on the top floor, hidden away from everything. It also had a locker room and showers... apparently for all the non-existent carpentry crew. I swear the guy probably lived up there.

Anyway, the only shop power tool he had was a big ShopSmith and the thing was pristine. I never saw any sawdust in that shop. The TV studio's set hadn't changed in a decade or longer. I remember when they did make a change, it took the guy the entire school year and following summer to build the new set.

I remember going up there one time to ask if he could cut something for me that I was using to build some shelves in my storage closet. I stood there and watched him take about 20 minutes to set up the ShopSmith to rip a couple boards. Then about another 20 minutes to set it up to cut them to length for me. He asked if I wanted him to bore the holes I had marked. I made some excuse that I had a meeting or something. I didn't want to be there another hour while he putzed around setting the drill press section up and taking his sweet time wasting taxpayer dollars on his cushy state government job.

Part of this was due to the fact that he had a permanent position in a government that he was going to coast downhill through all the way until retirement.

But the other part was that stupid ShopSmith. Since that day the ShopSmith, for me, has always been a metaphor for people who get paid to spend the most time possible to do the least amount of work possible.

Most people who owned them just enjoy to tinker around with them and show them off to they neighbors. They rarely even build anything with them.

[pyotr filipivich]

-MIKE- on Tue, 27 Mar 2018 20:23:25 -0500 typed in rec.woodworking the following:

You definitely have to have the "tinker with stuff" gene.

[Bill]

Not at all. Evidently there are customers for it--retired folks, who have downsized, and have deep pockets and very modest project goals.

[-MIKE-]

They are the time-shares of woodworking tools. The two happiest days of a ShopSmith owner's life are the day he buys it and the day he sells it.

[Bill]

Yes, I understand. Remember, I was the one who didn't even realize that they are still in production....

[BillinGA]

I bought one in 1978. I was limited to keeping my woodworking equipment in a 4x 8 carport storage room. When needed, I would roll it out onto the carp ort and cut/turn away. Shopsmith offered classes at a very reasonable rate and the training projects made one familiar with the different configuratio ns. The variable speed motor is plenty strong and doesn't rely on expensive electronics. Still runs well after all these years. The ease of dado adjus tment comes to mind as the blades are right there and you lower the table o ver them for use. I've never taken 20 minutes to make any setup change and that includes going from a "table saw" (not much table) to a drill press... .more like 5-6 minutes. Since then I was able to have a larger shop and , l ike most others, acquired a table saw, radial arm, router tables, etc. The Shopsmith met my financial and space needs at the time of purchase. It does n't do any one function particularly well when compared to dedicated tools but I've never regretted the purchase.

[Scott Lurndal]

Hey, shopsmith is priced like Festool - $4500!

[pyotr filipivich]

BillinGA on Wed, 28 Mar 2018 03:55:05 -0700 (PDT) typed in rec.woodworking the following:

Exactly. It beats not having whatever it is you need.

I just don't have the space right now for a shop smith. Or anything else, for that matter.

[Larry Kraus]

in 1978. I was limited to keeping my woodworking equip ment in a 4x 8 carport storage room. When needed, I wo uld roll it out onto the carport and cut/turn away. Sh opsmith offered classes at a very reasonable rate and the training projects made one familiar with the diffe rent configurations. The variable speed motor is plent y strong and doesn't rely on expensive electronics. St ill runs well after all these years. The ease of dado adjustment comes to mind as the blades are right there and you lower the table over them for use. I've never taken 20 minutes to make any setup change and that in cludes going from a "table saw" (not much table) to a drill press....more like 5-6 minutes. Since then I was able to have a larger shop and , like most others, ac quired a table saw, radial arm, router tables, etc. Th e Shopsmith met my financial and space needs at the ti me of purchase. It doesn't do any one function particu larly well when compared to dedicated tools but I've n ever regretted the purchase.

I bought mine lightl y used in '83, around $800 for the Mark V and the 4"

jointer. The "shop" was an 8' x 9' corner of the bas ement - there was just no room for individual machin es. It was my main shop tool for 18 years, and I tur ned out a lot of projects with it, mostly furniture.

Current shop is 24'x 28' - cabinet saw w/50" fence,

2 RAS, CMS, 8" jointer, 12" planer, 10" band saw, fl oor model VS drill press, oscillating drum sander, r outer table, dust collector, two benches and the Sho psmith.

As a saw this SS sucks.

The table is tin y (14"x18"), requiring supports for work longer than

about 24". Adjusting table height instead of blade he ight is cumbersome, as the supports must be adjusted to match. Bevel cuts mean tilting the table rather than the blade, which means long boards have no suppor t and want to slide toward the blade. Rip cuts on fo rce the fence is on the end support, while the motor and main table have to be adjusted separately to th e desired width. (This is better on new models with

guide rails for the fence - but some function changeov ers are now more involved.)

But the same table th at I cussed at for sawing shines for drilling, horiz ontal boring, and drum or disc sanding due to the tilt table, fence and easily adjusted height. Having the tool on the quill means I have a stop when I apply the sanding disc to a large workpiece rather than mo ving the work. Or I can extend the drum over the tabl e. The only reason I have the Delta drill press is t hat I needed slower speeds than the minimum 700 rpm on my older belt drive SS, plus I found a bargain. ( Newer models run 250-10,000 rpm.) Some days I find I'm using both the Delta and the SS drill function with different setups. I don't think of myself as a wood turner, but the lathe function has worked well for s everal spindle projects. The small jointer is OK for e dging pieces up to about 36" long, inadequate for mo st face jointing. (I learned how to use my Stanleys

- #8,#6,#4 & #3.)

SS prices are ridiculous, they al ways have been. But I don't think I'll ever get rid of mine, as it still solves many problems for me.

[Leon]

Snip \

Agreed! Once proficient with demoing the machine at a trade show you can go from one set up to another relatively quickly. BUT try setting it up to the same set up you had previously when you have an interruption and change to a different set up.

BUT! The New Yankee Workshop started of with a ShopSmith.

[Leon]

In that case they would be getting rid of their ShopSmith and buying Festool.

[Leon]

BUT Systainers do not come that large! ;~)

[Leon]

Actually there was a different brand that offered a ShopSmith like clone, IIRC in the 80's or 90's.