Shopsmith Forums

Without breaking down the shopsmith (taking the legs off at a min) it would stand too tall to lay down or stand up in most mini-vans. The SS is about 6 feet log so you would probably need to remove the back seat also. The worktable and extensions can be removed quickly. So you only need to be concerned with the headstock clearing.

Welcome to the forum. Always good to see another Canadian.

Paul M

As a driver of a mini van and a shopsmith owner, I fully agree with what beeg (Bob) said in post #4. (Assuming you don't have to wheel it through gravel or cow pies like farmer ran in to.)

The only tools you would need to remove the legs are a flat blade screwdriver and a pair of pliers.

The other special purpose tools should also fit in to the mini van with no problem.

Hi,

I'm not a Honda owner, but when I bought my original Shopsmith setup I picked up the whole kit in Dayton and fit it all inside my Plymouth Voyager (minus both rear seats). I've since moved it in a Dodge Grand Caravan without removing the legs, and I moved quite a bit of accessory equipment at the same time.

Last year I gave a Shopsmith 510 with bandsaw, jointer, and several large boxes of accessories to my nephew. It was loaded into the back of a Chevy Blazer and he drove about 1800 miles back to Denver without any problems.

With the legs removed, which only involves ten 1/4" screws & nuts, the basic machine is about 61" long, a length that many vehicles can accommodate.

As for changeovers on the Shopsmith. Don't be misled by those who have never done a changeover on a Shopsmith. You can change from one mode to another easily in two minutes, sipping coffee in the process.

I've never understood how the "stand alone machine" guys can criticize the Shopsmith for its change-overs, while their considerable time and effort expended to move heavy machines around on mobile bases is somehow OK.

Everyone, I'm sorry for asking about prices, I didn't realize this was against forum rules (I might have missed it when I agreed to the terms that I usually pass over too quickly).

It sounds like the consensus is the SS (with some breakdown) will fit in the minivan I have access to, which is great as it solves some logistical and financial issues related to renting and driving a truck a long way. Thanks everyone.

The only outstanding issue regards the work table, and I have asked the vendor for a further description and/or photos. From the dimensions, I don't think that's going inside a van unless it also breaks down.

8iowa, thanks for the comment about changeovers. I know in my tiny, messy, cluttered work space I'm spending a lot of time jockeying stuff around and tiptoeing around stuff that is setup already. Granted my space is a mess, but still... Then I'm disconnecting/reconnecting power cords, moving the last tool away, etc. The changeovers is not something I am too worried about, especially as I am so new as to be unable to work quickly, but the prospect of saving space is something I am very excited about.

Another question, would a single person of average stature and strength be able to move the individual components of a broken-down SS in or out of a van fairly easily ? I'm guessing the head stock is the heaviest part - how much would that likely weigh ?

The seller has offered to help me load, but I need to know whether I'd need to recruit help unloading, which is especially inconvenient as I plan to do this during a weekday, and I expect the round trip to be about 10 hours long.

I think if you follow the procedure mentioned previously (move the headstock all the way to one end, roll the opposite end up to the van, remove the legs and set that end in the van, push the whole thing into the van as far as you can and move the headstock to the end that is now in the van, remove the other leg and push the rest of the way in) one person could probably handle it. If the current owner has offered help, it should be no problem at all.

I bought my Mark 5 from an elderly gentleman with bad knees. I did most of the loading myself. He helped as much as he could and we didn't have any problems. I unloaded it completely by myself and still had no problems.

I don't recall what type of mini-van you have, but if you can remove the seats, or if they will lay down flat, I don't think you'd have any problem getting the work table in as well.

Your minimum garage space is what the ss was intended for.

The minimal disassembly recommended will acquaint you with how it goes together and minimize the amount of effort needed.

Hopefully the 'work' table can be broken down. If forced to abandon anything, the work table is it! Farmers breakdown will give you the most room left for the work table.

Good Luck! and Bon Voyage!

I have a Mark VII so I cannot comment on the Mark V but my machine only had set screws to remove to take the whole shootin match apart. I would recommend you just pull the thing apart into it's component parts and put them into the minivan. I would guess that everything minus the cabinet would fit inside the van no problem. As for the weight no biggie once it is broken down into components.