Shopsmith Forums

A friend mentioned he's getting rid of his dad's Shopsmith. I'm just getting into woodworking and i'd heard of the brand. I started doing research, joined the forum, called shopsmith, checked for common flaws/features, learned how to identify the different models and some years.....whew
Do you have any suggestions for me? I will be viewing my potential Shopsmith on Tuesday and probably making an offer. I don't have model/serial number, don't even know the color yet. I'm thinking it'd be a great buy and something I can afford at around 300-400 (if it's in good shape). Is this reasonable without being insulting? What should I look for to make sure the machine even works? (i've read you shouldn't plug it in and just start it). If I buy it, I'll post pictures. Thanks

This site offers some tips for buying:
http://shopsmith-tool-hunter.blogspot.c ... uying.html
Hope this helps.

Here is a document about what to look for when buying a used Shop Smith that I think was created by Nick Engler.

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Part of what you ask for the machine is going to depend on where you are located. The machines are made in Dayton Ohio so if you live near there, the possibility of finding many shopsmiths for sale on craigslist at any time is good. If you live in Arizona, the pickings might be slimmer. A used shop smith in Ohio goes cheaper than Arizona per say. But it also depends on the owner.

People on here will say, Whats in the box? That means what accessories are there, all the little things that go with the shopsmith to make it run and do the different tasks.

You will also want to know what STPs or Attachments like a bandsaw, jointer, dust collector (kind of an STP), etc come with it.

I have two shopsmiths. One is from 1978 or so and the other is from 2002. The 2002 was bought for 1500 about 3 months ago from a guy who used it twice for about 30 minutes total. It came with a Bandsaw, Jointer, Dust collector, Belt sander, Lathe Duplicator, All the accessories in the box plus some upgrades, and was a 520 fence system that they called the pro fence in 2002. For me it was a good price because of all the extras and the condition. For a used machine, I have seen them go for 75 on Craigslist with almost nothing in the box, to over 600 for a used poor condition greenie with no STPs. The Greenie is still there, the 75 dollar machine lasted 2 hours.

You are correct that you should not turn on the machine when you first get it. I did with my 2002 and it was bound up. Just needed some oil and it was fine. Your friend may have already started it up though. If so it isn't the end of the world, but still do the maintenance on it before using it.

Hope this helps

prmindartmouth wrote:This site offers some tips for buying:
http://shopsmith-tool-hunter.blogspot.c ... uying.html
Hope this helps.

In the Blog, he wrote, "...many older Mark V’s have been upgraded with a new two bearing quill. Without this newer feature the drill press will have more side-play, and faceplate turnings will tend to grab and chatter."

Is this really that important and how can I tell if this has been done?

Thank you for the replies. I've found about 10 other SS on Craigslist in my area. They're all asking 500-1500 but when I called them, nobody's had any offers. If my friend doesn't want to sell it for what I can offer, I've decided to make it a hobby to learn everything I can and go "hunting" for one on the weekends.

I'm driving my wife crazy so you folks are my sounding board now.

wingman2010 wrote:In the Blog, he wrote, "...many older Mark V’s have been upgraded with a new two bearing quill. Without this newer feature the drill press will have more side-play, and faceplate turnings will tend to grab and chatter."

Is this really that important and how can I tell if this has been done?

Thank you for the replies. I've found about 10 other SS on Craigslist in my area. They're all asking 500-1500 but when I called them, nobody's had any offers. If my friend doesn't want to sell it for what I can offer, I've decided to make it a hobby to learn everything I can and go "hunting" for one on the weekends.

I'm driving my wife crazy so you folks are my sounding board now.

Probably not depending upon how you are going to use it. A new bearing in the single bearing quill does wonders. < $10

I went and saw it tonight. It's a model 500, made in 1992. He has a lot of attachments including the band saw, scroll saw, I thought I saw the pieces for a planer and there's some really nice wood blocks as well (not sure what type). I made the offer and now we'll see. I made a list of items I would like to have and this one has all of them! Wish me luck!

Wishing you GOOD LUCK!:)

1992 will have a two bearing quill!

He hasn't called yet but I got to thinking:
-how am I going to move this thing?
-How many people do I need to have?
-Is a basic set of tools enough to dismantle it?
-How much dismantling is necessary?

I searched the forum but I couldn't find a thread on this. Pictures of what to do would be great, even if it's just to identify the parts! All suggestions are welcome.