Bought a Shopsmith Mark V today

[zktk01]

I bought a Shopsmith Mark V today for $250 from a friend I was already looking for a Drill press, but this thing has a lathe, Band saw, Table Saw, Disc Sander, Drill Press, and ability for horizontal boring, and came with the turning tools for the lathe.

Has anyone used these before?

 

[ducksface]

Huge long threads on GJ about them.
A religious following.
And, like religion, many just don't get it, because logic dictates otherwise.

 

[Handyfarmer]

even tho it is or can be used as a table saw,
I would strongly suggest to get a real table saw and use the shop smith for the other tools it can bring to you, and or a spare table saw for when the time is that your needing to make two different cuts and do not want to switch back and forth the saw settings,

 

[t4runner]

If you are strapped for space then its a great compromise. I have owned several of them, rebuilt and sold about a dozen more. But the best way to describe a ShopSmith is, its a jack of all trades and a master of none. Once I built my garage and had the space I moved up to full size wood working power tools.

 

[PugetDude]

I've owned two of them. Sold the first one, gave the second one away.
It's a versatile, high-quality piece of equipment. It will perform a lot of functions if you have the time and patience to re-configure it every time you want it to perform a different task.

Probably the best woodworking drill press I've ever owned. The variable speed worked great with large diameter forstner bits. I also used it as a drum sander several times. If I had the floor space I'd have kept it for the drill press function alone.

Definitely the worst table saw I've ever owned. The table was way too small
for any serious work. Changing it over to the disc sander took way too much time

The bandsaw worked well, but required as much storage space as a stand-alone unit.

Never used the lathe function.

Congrats on the purchase (good price ) hope you get a lot of use out of it.

 

[zktk01]

I already have a table saw, I really was only in the market for a drill press I'll consider the lathe a bonus.

 

[Swingpress]

Everyone loves a shop smith, until they actually own a shop smith..........

 

[gungatim]

Everyone loves a shop smith, until they actually own a shop smith..........

 

[Squashfest81]

Is it a model 500 or 510? The 510 gets you a bigger more stable table and a much better fence. This makes the table saw considerably better, but it's still no tilting arbor saw. That's the major drawback.
It's an awesome disk sander. 12 inch, giant table, and over 1 horse.
I would stay on the lookout for a bandsaw and belt sander.
I don't use mine as a drill press, but people love them. Large table, variable speed and over 1 horsepower. That all places it as better than most others. If you plan to go drill press the base can be cut down and it takes up the same space as a floor standing dp.
If I ever get back into a larger shop, my Shopsmith will stay set up with the disk sander and belt sander.
Plus, you can chuck up and spin just about anything for any purpose.

 

[dutchgray]

My neighbour has on in his single garage, he likes it but he doesn't have room for the individual machines that could cover the same tasks. Its definitely a quality item unlike what most multipurpose machinery is, pure junk.

 

[Davefr]

Everyone loves a shop smith, until they actually own a shop smith..........

Not if they have very limited working space. Sometimes they can be the ONLY option.

 

[Kracin]

Everyone loves a shop smith, until they actually own a shop smith..........

shop smiths are the boats of the equipment world? lol

 

[rharman]

shop smiths are the boats of the equipment world? lol

Hey... I've had one for 30+ years. Not saying I wouldn't prefer a SawStop in my garage but the SS has served me very well. In fact, about 2-1/2 years ago, I upgraded to the new digital motor which is a real improvement. Could have bought my SawStop for the price but it would take up too much space.

Best thing the SS has done for me is horizontal boring. Needed to open up some holes on interior doors for a larger striker mechanism and it worked well.

 

[HanShotFirst]

It can be a good lathe, and it can be a great drill press. The band saw is downright decent. The table saw...well, it's better than nothing but not much better.

Still the Shopsmith certainly is a space saver, and really nice to have if you're more of an every now and then type wood worker. I do most of my work in steel (I'm a gunsmith). I've been considering getting rid of my stand alone bandsaw and table saw that basically take up room and get used 3-4 times per year at the most.

 

[guy48065]

Definitely the worst table saw I've ever owned. The table was way too small
for any serious work. Changing it over to the disc sander took way too much time.

Not if you leave all the guards off!


Even tho I have a nice-sized shop with big stationary tools I kept the SS for the drilling & disc sander. There has never been a homeowner tool that can drill horizontally like the SS can. Awesome for drilling dowel holes in edges & ends.

The biggest SS deficiency (IMO) is you must tilt the table for an angled cut. Try THAT on the end of an 8' board, like for a wrap-around base or skirt.

 

[Strouty]

Sounds like your buddy got a great deal! Unfortunately the shopsmith is the most useful, useless tool out there. I may be a jerk, but at least I am honest.