what is everyones opinion on a shopsmith

[AAvK]

For ripping on the SS, ya havta make an outfeed table.

Alex

[MikeG]

Gee, whish I had had that "expert advice" before I built two shops, several kitchens, dozens of cabinets of various shapes, sizes and types, and innumerable other things with mine.

Did you try to build anything bigger with yours?

[George]

Yep, that's why I now have standalones!

You can make do or make hay as you please, me for full-size.

[Guess who]

I've done tons with a Ryobi 10", but would rather have had something more solid, less of a hobby tool. I'd not mind a Shopsmith at all, but can't afford all of the attachments. Convenience can be an issue for some who prefer to move from tool to tool in a well set up large shop. The Shopsmith is possibly a best buy for a smaller shop. From what I've seen, tool and production, it's not a toy. It's not industrial, but not too many hobby woodworkers need that heavy sort of equipment. A few Tim the Toolman types might want more power, but that's not common. If one fell off a truck nearby, I wouldn't shove it on the front lawn with a "FREE" sign.

[Charles Callaghan]

Gee I wonder why my Shopsmith (over 55 years old) is still going strong and use it most days. Too bad we didn't have your evaluation then, we might have bought individual tools that would be gone by now.

[Guess who]

Try reading a little more carefully. I was not referring to my own preference. See below. "some" does not mean "myself". The main point was the convenience for the small area shop. Personally I'd love one; could have had my FIL's when he passed on ...with all the attachments, but didn't speak up. That's what I meant when I said I'd not put it out on the front lawn. It's called dry humour.

Jeesh!

[patriarch]

MikeG wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I built an entertainment center, and a bathroom vanity cabinet, with inset doors, and shelves to go with everything.

What I hated was changing the infeed and outfeed rollers with every change in the depth of cut. I hated trying to do a miter, with the table tilted. A crosscut sled helped, when the blade was vertical, but was useless otherwise.

It p#ssed me off that every dimension was different than the pieces I could buy at the home center, or at the tool store. That everything that came with it was some custom size, or worked differently. That processes with the Shopsmith were different than were taught elsewhere.

And that, if every single possible thing that could come loose weren't tightened and rechecked for measurement, every time a cut needed to be made, something would slip, and ruin a piece of material, or push it out of square, or scare me spitless....

Eventually, I quit using the thing. I don't have the time or patience for the SS saw. My wife said, just buy what I want. Life's too short. So I kicked the kid's Mustang out into the street, built a shed for the gardening crap, called the electrician to bring in 220v, and bought a Unisaw LT Limited Edition, almost two years ago.

I imagine you could cut dovetails with dental floss, and scrape flawless surfaces with broken dishware. This hobby, though, for me, is supposed to be fun. Using the SS wasn't. YMMV.

Patriarch

[makesawdust]

The main tool in my first woodshop was a Shopsmith 10E (made betwee

1947 and 1953) that I had inhertited from by grandfather. Projects di require significant planning, but the tool performed well, and since was working hard and earning little at the time, the price was right.

If you are limited on space and $$$, and are patient and willing t plan the sequence of events for your projects, a Shopsmith may be good fit.

Currently, my shop is outfitted with a number of dedicated task stationary tools. The Shopsmith is still in use in the corner of m shop as a drill press

-- makesawdust