Shopsmith Forums

Hello everyone, wanted to introduce myself real quick before I get to my question:

Name's Jeremy but I can also go by Jerm, been into photography for a while but got the woodworking bug. Long story short, I was researching getting myself a good table saw to upgrade my $129 piece of dung (because I have about 10 pieces of almost mis-cut red oak from that saw ) and somehow researched myself into getting a 520 SS from my local craigslist.

Couple of questions if anyone has the inclination to answer, and thanks for reading:

1) Is there any good web resource that introduces people to the SS system, especially if it's 520-centric?

2) This 520 is from 1997 (actually it's a 510 that's been upgraded to 520), supposedly very good condition, no rust dings, and comes with casters, the 6 inch sander, the biscuit joiner, universal lathe tool rest, router shield, gas spring raiser, and 10" saws and discs and power couples. The asking price is $1500 -- does this seem about fair? I've seen other 520s (not in my area but on other city CL listings) going for less, so I'm wondering do those accessories drive up the price?

3) Just how good is the 520 as a table saw? Right now, I just want accurate rips and cuts - I don't care too much about the tilting table saw (seems to be a major complaint for some), and if I DO cut some bevels, it'll be smaller boards anyway.

I've researched a lot on how good (or not) a SS is as a table saw, but a lot of those comments aren't applicable to a 520 system and they seem to be griping about the older, smaller tables.

4) Does anyone actually use the 4" jointer? I just can't imagine having to rip boards often enough to joint 4" faces. I like the price of the jointer, but unsure how much I'd use such a small capacity.


Anyway, thanks for putting up with the newbie questions - i've literally been into woodworking about 4 weeks only and still haven't built my first project (son's toy box) -- his is going to be one of the most expensive in the world

jerm wrote:Hello everyone, wanted to introduce myself real quick before I get to my question:

Name's Jeremy but I can also go by Jerm, been into photography for a while but got the woodworking bug. Long story short, I was researching getting myself a good table saw to upgrade my $129 piece of dung (because I have about 10 pieces of almost mis-cut red oak from that saw ) and somehow researched myself into getting a 520 SS from my local craigslist.

Couple of questions if anyone has the inclination to answer, and thanks for reading:

1) Is there any good web resource that introduces people to the SS system, especially if it's 520-centric?

2) This 520 is from 1997 (actually it's a 510 that's been upgraded to 520), supposedly very good condition, no rust dings, and comes with casters, the 6 inch sander, the biscuit joiner, universal lathe tool rest, router shield, gas spring raiser, and 10" saws and discs and power couples. The asking price is $1500 -- does this seem about fair? I've seen other 520s (not in my area but on other city CL listings) going for less, so I'm wondering do those accessories drive up the price?

3) Just how good is the 520 as a table saw? Right now, I just want accurate rips and cuts - I don't care too much about the tilting table saw (seems to be a major complaint for some), and if I DO cut some bevels, it'll be smaller boards anyway.

I've researched a lot on how good (or not) a SS is as a table saw, but a lot of those comments aren't applicable to a 520 system and they seem to be griping about the older, smaller tables.

4) Does anyone actually use the 4" jointer? I just can't imagine having to rip boards often enough to joint 4" faces. I like the price of the jointer, but unsure how much I'd use such a small capacity.


Anyway, thanks for putting up with the newbie questions - i've literally been into woodworking about 4 weeks only and still haven't built my first project (son's toy box) -- his is going to be one of the most expensive in the world

Welcome. The 520 is very capable once it is properly aligned. Most of the "Sawdust Session" videos over at Shopsmith.com http://www.shopsmithacademy.com/Sawdust_Sessions.htm are done on the 520 and I highly advise you to watch some of those before you buy. Once you buy you will probably want to watch them all. The book Power Tool Woodworking for Everyone is also available there http://www.shopsmith.com/academy/introduction.htm although it won't be all done on the 520. This forum obviously is another good source of information.

Prices for used Shopsmiths vary by model, condition, location and accessories. The casters are essential. The belt sander is desirable but fairly common; the lift assist (gas spring raiser) and universal tool rest are unusual and really good to have. Some people swear by the biscuit jointer. A bandsaw would be nice. I guess all in all if all the parts are there, it is a fair price.

There was a recent discussion about the jointer and its limitations -- the 4 inch width and the relatively short beds. I have a different brand 6 inch jointer with longer beds and it still isn't enough at times. If you get into this, you will need a thicknesser/planer (either Shopsmith or another brand) and it can be made to joint wider boards with a home-built planer sled jig.

Awesome Algale thanks for the links and the response. I guess it's a good deal if I don't mind paying asking price for it, so we'll see how my inspection goes this coming Saturday - gonna take a look at it before we even begin to discuss price, but I'm prepared to pay full asking if everything works out well -- I just wanted to make sure it was "fair" and not "taken to the cleaners"

And yeah I forgot to mention I've got the Dewalt 735X planer (with the in/out feed tables) and it's an extremely capable - unfortunately I somehow screwed up my sled and it developed a bow in it (maybe mixed materials? I tried simplifying it by gluing straight plywood to straight MDF and both bowed). Oh well, I'll try again - I'm a member of fine woodworking and I found that sled article on using it as a jointer, but seems a dedicated jointer would be nice to have for smaller, quick jobs like jointing an edge after the face is done.

Thanks again.

IMHO a jointer is designed for 'edge planing'. One typically does not 'join' faces!;)

[quote="JPG40504"]IMHO a jointer is designed for 'edge planing'. One typically does not 'join' faces!]

Sorry yeah, I misspoke on that I meant, in order to flatten a face, I saw a SS video where it was recommended to rip down to 4" to accommodate the jointer, flatten the face with the jointer, then reglue the edges (after jointing them square).

Just wondering if anyone actually uses the SS jointer in that fashion (rip/joint/glue), or do they just use it to square up an edge after flattening a face using some other method?

Welcome to the forum, Jerm!

Here is a review of the Shopsmith jointer that should answer many of your questions.

Jerm

This well done video may provide you with a valuable perspective on using the well integrated SS Jointer. The video presenter, Doug, does a fine job explaining the features and tool uses.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k19jzpEuFl4

The quality of replies and advice on the SS forums will serve you well and provide a practical education about the SS tools.

Welcome

jerm wrote:Awesome Algale thanks for the links and the response. I guess it's a good deal if I don't mind paying asking price for it, so we'll see how my inspection goes this coming Saturday - gonna take a look at it before we even begin to discuss price, but I'm prepared to pay full asking if everything works out well -- I just wanted to make sure it was "fair" and not "taken to the cleaners"

And yeah I forgot to mention I've got the Dewalt 735X planer (with the in/out feed tables) and it's an extremely capable - unfortunately I somehow screwed up my sled and it developed a bow in it (maybe mixed materials? I tried simplifying it by gluing straight plywood to straight MDF and both bowed). Oh well, I'll try again - I'm a member of fine woodworking and I found that sled article on using it as a jointer, but seems a dedicated jointer would be nice to have for smaller, quick jobs like jointing an edge after the face is done.

Thanks again.

The DW735 is an excellent planer/thicknesser]http://www.shopsmith.net/forums/showpos ... stcount=18[/url].

BuckeyeDennis wrote:Welcome to the forum, Jerm!

Here is a review of the Shopsmith jointer that should answer many of your questions.

I hadn't seen this particular presentation by Nick. Glad to learn about making an extension jig for the SS jointer. However, when I have long boards to do I have always set-up my roller stands, one for the in-feed and one for the out-feed. That has always handled it just fine for me. It seems like roller stands, which can be used with a host of equipment and other set-ups in the shop, is the better investment IMHO.