Sawsmith 2000 re-assembled

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edma194
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Sawsmith 2000 re-assembled

Post by edma194 »

Here's my Shopsmith 2000 Ultra-shorty. I found this at least 5 years ago and only this week was able to re-assemble it. I have the 48" rails mounted, it came with 71" rails that had been cut into 40" and 31" pieces for reasons unknown. I won't need the extra length any time soon, there are several ways I can join those cut pieces if needed.

It came with the Excalibur fence and rails, two extension tables, an unused Shopsmith Taper Jig, regular and dado inserts. The miter gauge and upper blade guard are the same as the ones on my 510. The picture shows the telescoping legs attached, they aren't necessary for the short rails but I'll probably keep them there when I'm not using them on the 510 (never got those legs with the 510).

The unique feature of the Sawsmith is the sliding blade carriage. Additional pics show the blade at the furthest back and forward positions, and the carriage pull extended in the front.

This is a sturdy saw. I don't know why they didn't move forward with it. The tables have similar construction to the 510 and later tables, but are larger, 10.5" X 31". Each table piece has a Shopsmith miter T-slot. They are very sturdy and cast with several attach points underneath. These castings could have been used with the regular Shopsmith system, and the Excalibur fence is sturdy and smooth riding on the rails. The sliding blade may have been a bridge too far, it's hardly necessary if you have a cross-cut sled, and this machine will accomodate one easily. I needed to assemble this to make sure I has all the pieces. Like magic the missing lock plates I needed to attach the rails re-appeared right after I had finished fabricating some new ones so everything is there.

Powered it up, the motor ran smooth, but I don't know anything about that blade. Before any actual use it's going to get a thorough cleaning and very careful alignment.
Attachments
sawsmith1.jpg
sawsmith1.jpg (361.2 KiB) Viewed 4881 times
Rear blade position
Rear blade position
rear blade position.jpg (385.47 KiB) Viewed 4881 times
Front blade position
Front blade position
front blade position.jpg (354.42 KiB) Viewed 4881 times
Ed from Rhode Island

510 PowerPro Double Tilt:Greenie PowerPro Drill Press:500 Sanding Shorty w/Belt&Strip Sanders
Super Sawsmith 2000:Scroll Saw w/Stand:Joint-Matic:Power Station:Power Stand:Bandsaw:Joiner:Jigsaw
1961 Goldie:1960 Sawsmith RAS:10ER
delong94
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Location: Hampton Roads, VA

Re: Sawsmith 2000 re-assembled

Post by delong94 »

Very nice saw. Wish I had one.
Here's the link to the manual if you don't have it:
http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/747/18151.pdf
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Ed in Tampa
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Re: Sawsmith 2000 re-assembled

Post by Ed in Tampa »

I always wished Shopsmith would have built the machine without the razzle dazzle sliding blade. The mechanism to allow the blade to slide added about 1/8 of slop into the blade rigidity. These guys that use certified measuring gauges (Read as high dollar) and dial indicators to setup cuts would go crazy with the machine. Heck if you used a rule in 1/16 inch you would go crazy. You could actually see the blade wobble back and forth with minimal hand pressure.
Also the original price was way too high.
edma194
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Re: Sawsmith 2000 re-assembled

Post by edma194 »

delong94 wrote:Very nice saw. Wish I had one.
Here's the link to the manual if you don't have it:
http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/747/18151.pdf
Thanks, it came with the manual. This is the most complete Shopsmith so far for me, it was well cared for except for the cut rails. Only some tiny spots of corrosion on the cabinet, the regular insert has some bubbling on the paint, maybe some rust underneath. I don't know what happened to the owner, I bought it from his daughter, he was not available, perhaps no longer with us.

My guess is that he was tight on space in his workshop, cut the rails that came with the saw, then purchased the 48" rails afterwards. That was a standard size for the rails that you could purchase for Excalibur fences. Unfortunately that company is no longer operating and there doesn't seem to be a source for those extrusions except to find them used. Excalibur did sell 72" rails also. There's even a web page at Rockler offering the fence and 72" rails even though they discontinued the product. I could actually mount the cut pieces on my 510 table and use the fence there, the rear clamp is on a long threaded rod meant to allow adjustment for different table sizes.
Ed from Rhode Island

510 PowerPro Double Tilt:Greenie PowerPro Drill Press:500 Sanding Shorty w/Belt&Strip Sanders
Super Sawsmith 2000:Scroll Saw w/Stand:Joint-Matic:Power Station:Power Stand:Bandsaw:Joiner:Jigsaw
1961 Goldie:1960 Sawsmith RAS:10ER
edma194
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Posts: 1875
Joined: Fri Jun 19, 2020 4:08 pm

Re: Sawsmith 2000 re-assembled

Post by edma194 »

Ed in Tampa wrote:I always wished Shopsmith would have built the machine without the razzle dazzle sliding blade. The mechanism to allow the blade to slide added about 1/8 of slop into the blade rigidity. These guys that use certified measuring gauges (Read as high dollar) and dial indicators to setup cuts would go crazy with the machine. Heck if you used a rule in 1/16 inch you would go crazy. You could actually see the blade wobble back and forth with minimal hand pressure.
Also the original price was way too high.
It really doesn't add much to the saw. I suppose tenons are a tad easier, but I wouldn't trust it to make a deep cut while sliding. I read about problems in the earlier versions, this one is sturdier than I expected but I doubt I'd even try that feature on anything thicker than 1/2". It's a very complicated mechanism really, it has to move forward and back, up and down, tilt, and of course the blade has to spin too. The slide tubes it uses aren't quite as heavy as what I see on sliding compound miter saws. It could have been made stronger, but that would have increased the cost for improving a feature that wasn't that important (not sure what original prices were). Of course back then people still bought radial arm saws. I'd pick up a Sawsmith Radial Arm Saw to fill out my collection of Shopsmith machines but you couldn't pay me to use an upside down and backwards saw back then or now.
Ed from Rhode Island

510 PowerPro Double Tilt:Greenie PowerPro Drill Press:500 Sanding Shorty w/Belt&Strip Sanders
Super Sawsmith 2000:Scroll Saw w/Stand:Joint-Matic:Power Station:Power Stand:Bandsaw:Joiner:Jigsaw
1961 Goldie:1960 Sawsmith RAS:10ER
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Ed in Tampa
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Location: North Tampa Bay area Florida

Re: Sawsmith 2000 re-assembled

Post by Ed in Tampa »

edma194 wrote:
Ed in Tampa wrote:I always wished Shopsmith would have built the machine without the razzle dazzle sliding blade. The mechanism to allow the blade to slide added about 1/8 of slop into the blade rigidity. These guys that use certified measuring gauges (Read as high dollar) and dial indicators to setup cuts would go crazy with the machine. Heck if you used a rule in 1/16 inch you would go crazy. You could actually see the blade wobble back and forth with minimal hand pressure.
Also the original price was way too high.
It really doesn't add much to the saw. I suppose tenons are a tad easier, but I wouldn't trust it to make a deep cut while sliding. I read about problems in the earlier versions, this one is sturdier than I expected but I doubt I'd even try that feature on anything thicker than 1/2". It's a very complicated mechanism really, it has to move forward and back, up and down, tilt, and of course the blade has to spin too. The slide tubes it uses aren't quite as heavy as what I see on sliding compound miter saws. It could have been made stronger, but that would have increased the cost for improving a feature that wasn't that important (not sure what original prices were). Of course back then people still bought radial arm saws. I'd pick up a Sawsmith Radial Arm Saw to fill out my collection of Shopsmith machines but you couldn't pay me to use an upside down and backwards saw back then or now.
See here is the difference a Sears Radial Arm saw was my first real saw back in the 70's and it would be the last saw I would ever get rid of. Yes I would sell my Shopsmith before it. I love the fact I can see exactly where the blade is. Plus the way it is designed I can keep my hands well away from a danger zone. I will admit I rarely if ever rip on it.
edma194
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Re: Sawsmith 2000 re-assembled

Post by edma194 »

The saw is now cleaned and aligned and in use. So far it is fantastic. It has a Shopsmith blade that glides through hardwood, MDF, and plywood with ease. It doesn't make much noise running either, seems to have a very nice motor. The sliding cross cut feature works fine although I will likely limit it to small stock. All the stock glides smoothly across the table and the Excalibur fence is a dream, long, solid, stable, and extremely easy to align. And it virtually floats along the table top for positioning. My regular Shopsmiths have been the best table saws I've had so far, much better than an old Craftsman, Ryobi BT-3000, and Porter Cable contractors saw, but the Sawsmith 2000 has now taken the lead in this contest. I'm surprised myself at how well it cuts, how smoothly the stock feeds, and even the dust collection works well and I only have it connected to a ShopVac right now. The table is 31" deep, just 9 more inches than my 510 table, but it seems to make a lot more difference. And I can position the blade along a 13" span in the middle of that to suit the size of the stock I'm using.

Just found something interesting on the saw. It comes with 2 extension tables, these are the equivalent of floating tables for a 510 or 520, you can place them anywhere on the rails. I just have the short rails on now so the two extensions fill up all the space. Each extension table has it's own T-track. The table I placed in the middle has the common 3/4" wide track, not a Shopsmith track. The saw came with a familiar Shopsmith miter gauge plus a simple but sturdy non-Shopsmith miter gauge that I put on the shelf and turns out to have the more standard 3/4" wide bar that will fit tightly in that slot.

So for some reason I have one track that fits common miter gauges and accessories but not the ones from Shopsmith. It's the track to the left of the fence in the picture in post #1. In it's position that far from the blade I wouldn't have much use for it, especially since I have the sliding cross cut feature on the saw. The tracks aren't cast into the tables, they're screwed in and the screws can be tightened to open up or close up the track a little, but not enough to get a Shopsmith miter bar tight in the track. I did get most of a Tenon-Master type jig with the saw and that also could fit in that track, but would be too far from the blade to be useful.
Ed from Rhode Island

510 PowerPro Double Tilt:Greenie PowerPro Drill Press:500 Sanding Shorty w/Belt&Strip Sanders
Super Sawsmith 2000:Scroll Saw w/Stand:Joint-Matic:Power Station:Power Stand:Bandsaw:Joiner:Jigsaw
1961 Goldie:1960 Sawsmith RAS:10ER
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chapmanruss
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Re: Sawsmith 2000 re-assembled

Post by chapmanruss »

Ed,

Glad to hear you have it all up and running. Thanks for the tool review on it. If I had the space I would be considering getting one for my collection too. Besides when my wife asks how many Shopsmiths I have I wouldn't have to include it since it is a Sawsmith. :D
Russ

Mark V completely upgraded to Mark 7
Mark V 520
All SPT's & 2 Power Stations
Model 10ER S/N R64000 first one I restored on bench w/ metal ends & retractable casters.
Has Speed Changer, 4E Jointer, Jig Saw with lamp, a complete set of original accessories & much more.
Model 10E's S/N's 1076 & 1077 oldest ones I have restored. Mark 2 S/N 85959 restored. Others to be restored.
edma194
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Re: Sawsmith 2000 re-assembled

Post by edma194 »

chapmanruss wrote: Thu Mar 25, 2021 1:06 pm If I had the space I would be considering getting one for my collection too. Besides when my wife asks how many Shopsmiths I have I wouldn't have to include it since it is a Sawsmith. :D
When I found the Sawsmith space was an issue also, so I gave my old Greenie to a friend who had a serious tool deficiency (still had the 510 though). So I told my wife I was giving away a Shopsmith to make room for a tablesaw. Which was technically true, but then one of my sons spilled the beans and said something about the new Shopsmith. Lots of life happened after that and now it's years later and I'm finally getting to use the saw, and luckily have a lot more space for Shopsmiths now.
Ed from Rhode Island

510 PowerPro Double Tilt:Greenie PowerPro Drill Press:500 Sanding Shorty w/Belt&Strip Sanders
Super Sawsmith 2000:Scroll Saw w/Stand:Joint-Matic:Power Station:Power Stand:Bandsaw:Joiner:Jigsaw
1961 Goldie:1960 Sawsmith RAS:10ER
edma194
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Re: Sawsmith 2000 re-assembled

Post by edma194 »

This wouldn't be a fair review if I didn't mention any of the problems, which are minimal for now, and I do hope stays that way.

This saw really could use a blade break. I've timed it from 12-14 seconds of spinning time after turning off power. That's not awful, but if you're working through a lot of cuts that's a long time to wait to clear pieces by the blade.

The sliding cross cut feature of the saw is clearly it's weak point. The blade travels along a path over 12" long, but most of the time the blade should be somewhere in the center of that range for manual cross cutting or ripping while leaving the most infeed and outfeed distance on the table. That leaves the pull rod that moves the carriage sticking out about 5" past the table rails. Just enough to bump into. I suppose I'll get used to it in time. But it is an extra control on a table saw that has to be remembered in each setup.

Another issue with this feature is holding the wood in place for the blade to move through it. So far I've been holding pieces by hand or using the miter gauge. The sides of the table aren't open to use clamps to hold down wood. T-slot hold downs could be used but there's no simple way to align the piece for cutting. Also, if the wood is held down on only one side of the blade then the piece cut off the other side is free to kick back.

I think I'm going to align that blade in the center of the travel range and avoid using the slide.
Ed from Rhode Island

510 PowerPro Double Tilt:Greenie PowerPro Drill Press:500 Sanding Shorty w/Belt&Strip Sanders
Super Sawsmith 2000:Scroll Saw w/Stand:Joint-Matic:Power Station:Power Stand:Bandsaw:Joiner:Jigsaw
1961 Goldie:1960 Sawsmith RAS:10ER
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