How to judge a used shopsmith

Create a review for a woodworking tool that you are familiar with (Shopsmith brand or Non-Shopsmith) or just post your opinion on a specific tool. Head to head comparisons welcome too.

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elsuenofarms
Bronze Member
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Nov 17, 2012 12:14 pm

How to judge a used shopsmith

Post by elsuenofarms »

What are some key things to look for when evaluating a used shopsmith for purchase?
rdavidp
Gold Member
Posts: 144
Joined: Sat Jul 28, 2012 9:19 am
Location: Maryland

Post by rdavidp »

Make sure atleast the parts that make it a 5 in 1 tool are there. I am haveing to purchase quite a bit, but my Shopsmith was "free". :)

The others here can give you the finer points.
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dusty
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Location: Tucson (Wildcat Country), Arizona

Post by dusty »

You might want to start by reviewing this Sawdust Session and the checklist provided on the blackboard there.

[ATTACH]19090[/ATTACH]

As already stated, try to get one that includes all the major parts. That never used to be real important but the prices have gone up immensely. Almost to the point where it is wiser to buy new. Believe it or not, people are making a business of buying used Mark Vs and parting them out at great profit. Good for them but not so good for you and I.

If the seller will plug it in, turn it on and run the speed control up and down a couple times, that would be great. Better yet, you run the speed control up and down a couple times. That will tell you a lot. If it is not really hard to change speeds and it makes no unusual noises - those are pluses. Of course, those pluses can turn to negatives if the seller realizes the significance.

Some rust is not all bad. Why? Because bright and shiny tends to drive the price up AND surface rust is not all that hard to recover from.

If you find something that is just too good to walk away from - don't. Even if there are problems, the Mark 5/V is amazing. Putting it back into reliable service will not be all that difficult. Nearly all parts are still available.

How can you delete duplicate postings? You can't. Only the forum administrator is able to do that because these particular duplicates are of the posting that started this thread. If that was not the case, you could delete them.
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Buying a Used Shopsmith Mark V.pdf
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"Making Sawdust Safely"
Dusty
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lv2wdwrk
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Joined: Thu Jul 20, 2006 9:40 am
Location: SWMO

Post by lv2wdwrk »

Here is a link where you can find a downloadable PDF abou what to look for when buying a used Mark V.

http://www.shopsmithacademy.com/SS_Arch ... rn_Pt1.htm

In the screen on the right side scroll to the bottom to find the document name. Click on it and it should open.
Bob

Don't try to make sense out of nonsense!
bosox
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Posts: 59
Joined: Mon Jul 23, 2012 10:24 am

Post by bosox »

It is still complete, up running and effectively working. The link posted above will help you a lot !
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