Shopsmith Forums

phillsam wrote: SO maybe (hopefully) it is more of an issue with his shop than the equipment.

Careful. An inconclusive test is not a passed test. Bring a 25ft or shorter extension chord and run it into a known good outlet in the house and out the window. Anything you buy that can't be positively verified as working should be assumed not to work and therefore lowers the price you should pay. It's like buying a vehicle with a dirty carb, you don't know if that's the only reason it won't run just one of the reasons.

algale wrote:Should run on a 15 amp breaker although an improper extension cord or other load on the breaker might trip it. My guess is there's something going on in the headstock. I say that because the general condition/hodge podge of parts suggest lack of maintenance to say the least. At a minimum a lack of lubrication.

JPG's got the eyes of an eagle or he has one heckuva monitor or both. I am frequently amazed at what he can spot in a photo that I can't see (until he points it out).

Ctrl + helps!:D

That it runs 'normally' for several minutes is a good sign. Considering his other equipment does the same thing suggests a breaker problem, or an over heating problem in the breaker panel(or both). When breakers trip excessively they tend to start tripping 'easier'.

In addition to mechanical drag(which can be felt manually), a plugged motor
(saw dust) can lead to over heating and excessive current draw as can insufficient voltage due to long extension cords or faulty connectors.

All that works in your favor as a buyer since they are points for reducing the price. Unfortunately they also make the buyer uneasy if lack of experience with these machines makes evaluation impossible. At least we have pointed out non deadly reasons for breaker tripping(but no guarantees something else is not causing it that is deadly).




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JPG40504 wrote:That it runs 'normally' for several minutes is a good sign. Considering his other equipment does the same thing suggests a breaker problem, or an over heating problem in the breaker panel(or both). When breakers trip excessively they tend to start tripping 'easier'.

In addition to mechanical drag(which can be felt manually), a plugged motor
(saw dust) can lead to over heating and excessive current draw as can insufficient voltage due to long extension cords or faulty connectors.

All that works in your favor as a buyer since they are points for reducing the price. Unfortunately they also make the buyer uneasy if lack of experience with these machines makes evaluation impossible. At least we have pointed out non deadly reasons for breaker tripping(but no guarantees something else is not causing it that is deadly).




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Aahhh, Now I get it. Take advantage of the ill informed.

dusty wrote:Aahhh, Now I get it. Take advantage of the ill informed.

Wouldn't this be the opposite? The seller has every opportunity to inform himself of condition, the buyer has limited time and if a minor issue is masking the ability to test it then its going to take a little faith. If I can't test, I can only pay for non-working condition. If the seller can correct that themselves and test the item, price goes back up.

That said, my last two purchases on Craigslist were both lost causes for the sellers and being sold in non-working condition. Both of which I shadetreed in their driveway in about 5 minutes and gladly paid them their asking price without haggling.

Well, I received a few more photos and the serial # (SS153386). Im hopeful he is still planning to send more as they do not encompass everything.
But 3/4 are of the additional pieces.
I have no idea what most of these pieces are for but thought you guys would easily recognize it.

If there are pieces that you are Not seeing that concern you please let me know. I havnt been able to tell from the pics if the drill chuck is there nor have I seen photos of the jointer or jig saw. I asked him to confirm he had them

Here are the photos...

phillsam wrote:Well, I received a few more photos and the serial # (SS153386). Im hopeful he is still planning to send more as they do not encompass everything.
But 3/4 are of the additional pieces.
I have no idea what most of these pieces are for but thought you guys would easily recognize it.

If there are pieces that you are Not seeing that concern you please let me know. I havnt been able to tell from the pics if the drill chuck is there nor have I seen photos of the jointer or jig saw. I asked him to confirm he had them

Here are the photos...

I see a mishmash of 500 and 510 parts and what was probably at least 2 different Shopsmiths but not one complete Shopsmith. You've got two of some things you only want one of (two tailstocks, two lathe tool rest arms, two lathe tool rests) and zero of other things you want at least one of (lathe drive and cup centers, lathe tool set, disc sander, drill chuck).

That 510 main table is taunting you because it is missing its trunnions and table posts and even if it had them it cannot be used with the existing 500 carriage as the PO probably discovered after buying those 510 tables.

The 500 rip fence is still awol.

The miter gauge shown is NOT Shopsmith and I doubt it will work in a Shopsmith (proprietary size bar).

There is a safety guard for the jointer but no jointer.

Pieces of a mortising attachment hold down but not mortising bits.

That narrow table with the miter slot does not appear to be Shopsmith.

The band saw tires will likely be shot and need replacement. The band saw cover is missing its knobs.

Still no jig saw.

By the time you restore and equip this with all the missing parts, you would be better off buying one of the other more complete ones on CL or waiting for another to pop up.

Is the 4th picture a belt sander table? If so, find out if there is a belt sander hiding in this deal...


The 510 main table is useless without the trunnions BUT the two floating tables (with the fence attached) are good just like they are. I'll bet you could sell the 510 main table without trunnions, the two floating tables, the fence, the saw guards, and the connecting tubes for $100 easily.


For just the bandsaw, jigsaw, jointer I think it's easily worth $100 and I would pay $200 even if all were in the same condition as the bandsaw. Just know that each will require a restoration.

I do agree that you can probably find a better deal that suits your needs if you don't feel like putting in the work to restore it. It's not difficult to do anything on the shopsmith but it will take A LOT of time.



If it were me, I would buy it for up to $200 IF at least 3 SPT's are included. I would restore the SPT's and part the rest out on eBay. Parting it out is even easier if you have a good sand blaster. Doing this might let you recover all the costs for the original purchase PLUS any money spent to restore the SPT's. I would then find a more "complete" 510 or 520 with the standard accessories (drill chuck, disc sander, etc) and use this one in the meantime.


If I didn't have the time or desire to restore any of it, I would pass on this.

dusty wrote:Aahhh, Now I get it. Take advantage of the ill informed.

Now you are sounding like Ralph! I understand the honest principle part, but agree with what preceded this from Frank81.

algale wrote: . . . I agree with all that is deleted 'here'.

The band saw tires will likely be shot and need replacement. The band saw cover is missing its knobs. Lower tire missing - standoffs for cover knobs also missing.

Still no jig saw.

By the time you restore and equip this with all the missing parts, you would be better off buying one of the other more complete ones on CL or waiting for another to pop up.

I agree with 'the rest' also.

An unknown is WHY the bandsaw mounting posts are still in the spt mount, and not in the bandsaw. Clearly the seller is unfamiliar with this stuff. That is a caveat!