Shopsmith Forums

I'm a new woodworker and prospective Mark V owner-to-be. I hope this is not the wrong forum to ask this question in, but I can't see one that is more appropriate.

I'm looking at buying a Mark V of app. 1983 vintage. I am told it comes with band saw, jointer/planer, shop vac, belt sander, and a work table with drawers. I do not know if it is a 500, 510, or 520.

Can someone advise as to how much this setup is likely to weigh ? I would have to drive about 5 hours each way just to get it. I was hoping to put it in a minivan (Honda Odyssey), but was told I would need to rent a truck, and am trying to figure out if it is likely that I could move it around by myself.

thanks !

I can't tell you what the exact weight is, but the Shopsmith itself, along with the additional attachments, should fit in your mini van without any problem. It's the "work table with drawers" that might require a truck. But that's too hard to say without a picture.

Thanks Heathicus. The work table was described as "a small two drawer work table used to store misc accessories which is 36" long 28" deep and 45" high", and it's pretty clear that that will be hard to fit in minivan. Actually, the dimensions look a little odd, but the way it was described to me, it sounded like it was a Shopsmith part. But, I can't see any such product on the SS pages.

beeg wrote:Shouldn't be a problem fitting it in the minivan. Just roll it up to the rear of the van, take one end of the legs off and slide it in. Then remove the other set of legs.

This should only require a screwdriver and a wrench. 5 screws on each set of legs. If you shift the headstock away from the legs you are pulling most of the weight will be supported on the other end.

This is the method I used to move a shopsmith, jointer and jigsaw in the back of my ford escape (small suv) with just swmbo and me doing the moving.

I hauled a couple of dozen Shopsmith's home (one at a time) in the trunk of a Lincoln Town Car. Many of those were two day round trips. We were combining buying SSs and short vacation trips. I did them a little different than most do. I carry tools in the cars anyway.
I liked taking them down not only for hauling but also for getting them out of basements, sheds, rooms with narrow doors and halls and getting them across rough yards etc.
I loosened the set screws in the tie bar and tapped it off with a rubber mallet. Then I slid off the headstock, table and carriage. Next I stood the way tubes up and and loosened the set screws holding them in the pivot end and pulled them out. That left only the leg assemblies and bench tubes. A 3/8" drive ratchet with a short extension easily loosened the 4 cap-screws on the leg clamps.
I could have one apart and carried out of a basement and packed in the car in under 15 minutes, sometimes leaving the former owner standing there almost in shock. Some had arranged for a buddy or two to be on hand to help. A couple said that they had no idea ahead of time how we could ever get one out of a tight basement.
It did often take much more than 15 minutes depending on how much visiting we did...

nuggybuggy wrote:I'm a new woodworker ....

Can someone advise as to how much this setup is likely to weigh ?...!

Mark V weights just over 200 lbs.

nuggybuggy wrote:I'm a new woodworker and prospective Mark V owner-to-be. .......
Can someone advise as to how much this setup is likely to weigh ?......

Mark V weights just over 200 lbs. Figure another 50 or so for the other goodies you mention.

Welcome to the forum. Where you typing in from? Your profile doesn't show. You may have some neighbors.

Everyone - thanks for the replies. I updated my profile - I live in Toronto, Canada but would be bringing the Mark V to my cottage about 2-h north, near Orillia.

I only have a garage that is small even by 1-car standards. I just got into woodworking, but my small collection of tools, combined with the stuff I have to store in there, is leaving the space cramped, to say the least.

The Shopsmith sounds like it would be great for a situation like that, especially as I am not working very fast (yet ) and the issue of changing over between tools wouldn't be a bottleneck.

I am looking at a Shopsmith Mark V, probably a 500 (the seller doesn't know), with belt sander, jointer/planer, jigsaw, shop vac, a work table (can't tell if it's a SS part or not), lathe tools, drill bits, and lots of miscellaneous bits of unknown value. What's a fair price for a setup like this, say if it were in good working but not necessarily cosmetic condition ?

I was told I'd need a pickup, but I believe that is mostly because of the dimensions of the work table.

Price is not something discussed here, also the range is huge depending on condition/knowledge of sell/market... I think the "work table" may have been the cabinets that Shopsmith used to sell that fit under the unit or could be changed into different configurations, a picture would help.