Schedule a Meeting · Talk to a real woodworker: +1 937-890-5197 · 8:00AM – 4:30PM ET

Shopsmith "Self Study Course"

paulrussell

Well, as of yesterday I've ordered or acquired all the parts needed to complete my Shopsmith. Now it is time to become a woodworker.

My past experience includes a woodworking class in Junior High and nine months working in a shop producing trade show displays (more carpentry than woodworking.)

I've been reading woodworking web sites, watching Sawdust Sessions, and picking the brains of woodworking-savvy friends and family. The depth and breadth of woodworking is such that the best I can hope for is to work safely and learn a small fraction of what there is to know.

One thing I've been wondering is how worthwhile the self-study course that comes with the Shopsmith is toward learning basic skills and terminology? Is it worthwhile working through the course page-by-page? Or better to use it to learn particular skills as the need arises? My gut feeling after looking it over is that it would be well worth the effort, but sometimes looks can be deceiving (take for example my first wife....)

JPG

paulrussell wrote . . .

One thing I've been wondering is how worthwhile the self-study course that comes with the Shopsmith is toward learning basic skills and terminology? Is it worthwhile working through the course page-by-page? Or better to use it to learn particular skills as the need arises? My gut feeling after looking it over is that it would be well worth the effort, but sometimes looks can be deceiving (take for example my first wife....)

And just how much did you think she would know about woodworking? :D

paulrussell

JPG40504 wroteAnd just how much did you think she would know about woodworking?:D

Insert questionable taste joke incorporating woodworking terminology such as "wood" "screwed" "boring" "buff" "nailed" or "drilled" here -->

stephen_a._draper

I bought my Mark V new in 1981 for $995 at a mall demonstration in Biloxi, Mississippi. I saved the $35 shipping cost taking the one they used at the demo because they were heading back to Dayton, Ohio the next day. I received all the accessories with it and it included the course.

The first thing I did was to buy and prepare all the individual pieces of wood that is used in the course. I completed all the lessons in order and became very confident in short order with all the different operations as well as being impressed with the excellent results. That gave me the confidence to go on and build some very nice furniture for our home that we still have.

Over the years I added the bandsaw, jointer, belt sander, and planer plus other accessories when they had good sales like at Father's Day.

Definitely complete the course as I did! You will be very glad you did.

paulrussell

Thanks Stephen -- just the sort of feedback I was looking for.

stephen_a._draper wroteI bought my Mark V new in 1978 for $995 at a mall demonstration in Biloxi, Mississippi. I saved the $35 shipping cost taking the one they used at the demo because they were heading back to Dayton, Ohio the next day. I received all the accessories with it and it included the course.

The first thing I did was to buy and prepare all the individual pieces of wood that is used in the course. I completed all the lessons in order and became very confident in short order with all the different operations as well as being impressed with the excellent results. That gave me the confidence to go on and build some very nice furniture for our home that we still have.

Over the years I added the bandsaw, jointer, belt sander, and planer plus other accessories when they had good sales like at Father's Day.

Definitely complete the course as I did! You will be very glad you did.

kalynzoo

A familiar story. Jr and High school woodclass. Years in a different profession. Then a wood project making a "firetruck" bed" with the help of a mentor master craftsman. A few more years, then finally time for a hobby. I had the benefit of the Shopsmith (SS) traveling academy class. Without the offer of the class I don't know if I would have invested in a new 510 at State Fair. (Are you reading this SS execs!). Anyway, in my humble opinion: The SS DVD on care, tuning, setup is probably valuable. At very least it will increase your comfort zone before you power up the spinning blade. As for woodworking skills, I found the hands on 4 hour classes at WoodCraft stores to be excellent. Also the if the traveling Woodworking Show http://cms.thewoodworkingshows.com/cms/ comes to your neighborhood it is a good place to meet experts and see presentations. I could tell you to start simple and don't expect perfection, but I didn't and I do. But even with my less than satisfied view of my hobbycraft, I still find woodwork to be a relaxing, rewarding, fun hobby.

Enjoy the sawdust.

johnmccrossen

Hello Paul, My recommendation is that it is well worth it to do the exercises, even though some of the sections are very basic. These will help get you more familiar with the machine and how to set up the functions along with making some actual small projects, like the planter box. I found this course to be very helpful, informative, and worth the time. Also, if you do not already have a copy of "Power Tool Woodworking for Everyone" it would be worthwhile to get one. The newer version of this is also on the SS website to look at if you haven't already. http://www.shopsmith.com/academy/glossary.htm. I find myself reviewing sections of both on a pretty regular basis. Good luck, John McCrossen

paulrussell

johnmccrossen wroteHello Paul, My recommendation is that it is well worth it to do the exercises, even though some of the sections are very basic. These will help get you more familiar with the machine and how to set up the functions along with making some actual small projects, like the planter box. I found this course to be very helpful, informative, and worth the time. Also, if you do not already have a copy of "Power Tool Woodworking for Everyone" it would be worthwhile to get one.

John - Thanks! And yes, I have ordered a copy of Power Tool Woodworking off Amazon along with a book on beginning lathe turning since my knowledge in that area is especially limited.

dcottrill

Paul,

I've pick my way through the lessons as needed. It would have been better to just spent the time up front to do them, but I've had fun.

I purchased my SS at the State Fair and SS at the time offered 1 day introduction classes to the SS. I took it in combination with a 3 day academy basic wood working class. They were excellent, it is too bad SS doesn't offer them any more. The classes are what made me make the commitment to purchase a SS.

In the class they taught you to plan your work so that you made the fewest changes between the tools used. For example to do all the rough cutting of the parts, then the drilling, then joining, etc... Also learned to have my joiner on the SS at the same time as performing the final sizing. It is handy to join the edge, then rip the next piece, or cut to size and then do the final joining of the finished edge.

Work through the self study course will give you the confidence and experience before you need to use the skills to build your finished piece. :) :D

cv3

I have been carving longer that I have been doing basic wood working. I found the study course to be a great help. As other have said it gave me confidence in using my SS.

robinson46176

You never go wrong learning the basics... :cool:

charlese

Paul - I found the self study course to be almost essential for learning woodworking skills with the table saw. Even after years of making cabinets, shelves, etc., with a RAS, I found the course to be extremely helpful in learning the basics of saw usage and joint construction.

Look at the course like the basics. It is a lot more fun and understandable to make something if you have a good knowledge of the basics. The difficulty of woodworking without these basics must be similar to doing algebra without knowing many basics.

Then there is another big plus! The pages are still on the shelf and available for reference.

paulrussell

All of this makes me think of one word: Quality.

Sadly, every company freely touts that their products are "quality." But when was the last time you found an instruction manual actually helpful, or an included "how to" book that was anything more than a teaser for a bigger volume you had to purchase.

It is because of QUALITY that these forums are filled with true-believers. It is because of quality that these machines are running a half century later.

It also has a sad side. I've read too many ebay and Craigslist ads where a lovingly cared for Shopsmith is being sold because the owner has become too ill, or too dead. I hope my family will find a good home for mine when I'm gone -- or better yet that my daughter's flickers of interest will catch fire and it will someday be hers. (I was out buying some beautiful 4x4 Mahogony and Cherry yesterday because she had been enthralled with Nick's bandsaw box Sawdust Session.)

dcottrill

My vision is for my son to receive it as part of his inheritance and lovingly take care of it. He seems to be showing interest.

SS is a quality tool.

Enjoy the self study course, the more you put into it and push yourself to learn the details of each joint the more you will get out of it.

JPG

paulrussell wrote . . . But when was the last time you found an instruction manual actually helpful, or an included "how to" book that was anything more than a teaser for a bigger volume you had to purchase.

. . .

Seems they are included merely to CTA by including an insane number of 'safety' precautions regardless of whether the contents are relevant or not!(extension cord warning on battery operated gadget!)

fiatben

I would love to walk myself thru the self-study course, if I had one. Unfortunately, my '55 did not come with such. It did come with an early PTWE, which is great.

Is there a reasonably priced source for this? Certainly they don't go cheap in eBay.

I agree with everything I've read in this thread. Great advice.

allsas

This is where I have been fishing for woodworking books....

allsas

This is where I have been fishing for woodworking books....

The older versions contain discontinued items like bench chisel sharpening jig and ?a chapter on metal finishing?.

wa2crk

Paul;

I have had my SS since 1983 when I bought it new. I don't consider the "woodworking" course an actual woodworking course but rather a "How to use your Shopsmith" course. So if you want make a compound miter cut the book shows you how to set up the machine to make that type of cut. Also switching between modes to make the different cuts makes you more familiar with the machine. Conclusion: go through the course and do the excersises and you will pick a lot of subtle information that will make your use of the SS much more enjoyable.

SS is not a difficult machine to use but it is different and does have a bit of a learning curve.

Bill V

heathicus

allsas wroteThis is where I have been fishing for woodworking books...

Thanks! I already had the 10ER version of the book and just ordered the Mark 5 version from that site.