What is the footprint (for planning purposes)

[reible]

My "shop" will be a spare bedroom. And I think dust collection is a must.

Some people here have shops in equally small spaces.

You will have to deal with two dust issues. One will be the fine dust that floats and that can be a health issue as well as it escaping in to other areas of the house.

The second is tracking dust, i. e. what you track out of the room on clothes and shoes. Not so much a health issue but the rest of the family is not going to love the trail.

Since space is a real issue you might want to look at some shop vacs, upgrade the filter if needed and add a dust separator. Add some sort of barrier to the door area, a bit of weather stripping might help and a mat to clean your shoes off on etc. You might want to check out some window fans for fair weather situations and ventilation. You will need to block off any intake vents that are in the room.

The bandsaw is a very handy tool and would be a good starter pick. But I'm not to sure what you will be working on so define that and make an informed decision based on that. Shopsmith has a nice collection of SPT's so make sure you visit the site at"

http://www.shopsmith.com

Look around and feel free to ask all the questions you have here on the forum.

And, welcome to the forum!

Ed

[danr]

My "shop" will be a spare bedroom. And I think dust collection is a must.

Agreed. You will need storage for tools, attachments and Special Purpose addons, so consider researching and making storage cabinets to get started.
Use these forums for ideas. Tons of ideas and free plans online or nominal cost. Library has much about woodworking. And on and on...
Dan

[harveydunn]

OK - using the information you've supplied me and making a guess about the size of my dust collection unit, I think I can create a space where I'll have 4 feet of space around each side of the SS.

I'm interested in making small things, like keepsake boxes.

Do you think that will be enough space?

[beeg]

I think I can create a space where I'll have 4 feet of space around each side of the SS.

I'm interested in making small things, like keepsake boxes.

Do you think that will be enough space?

HAHHAHA WISH I had that much room.

[reible]

Think wheels, if most thing are moveable then you might find by moving this or that or turning the things to the diagonal might help.

At one time I had my shop set up where to route longer boards I had to open the door between the house and garage (shop) to have the necessary space. Not family friendly but it worked.

One way to think about work space is to go to one of box stores and pick up a piece of say 1"x6"x8' pine and take it in to the room. If you need to need to make that piece in to two 4' piece (least space needed) it should be easy as you are within the confines of the machine and your "box". How ever if you need to have a 7' piece then you need 7' from the blade to the next thing the board would run into. The shopsmith is great for this as you can move the headstock and table to one end or the other and gain some space.

When it comes to ripping thing change. If you have to rip an 8' long board then you need some real space. The board needs to have 8' plus to each side of the machine, think 16' plus.

Keep in mind you need this space in the plane of the saw table so if you have cabinets above this line they will not subtract from your space as much as ones that use that space.

Boards can be various lengths and widths so also think about plywood sheet sizes. Perhaps you have a place to pre-cut them in to useable sizes before bring them in to the shop, something a lot of us do.

Some stores also offer a cutting service which you could take advantage of. This would be very useful if you don't have space in your car to carry longer pieces anyway.

Any way a few more thoughts.

Ed

OK - using the information you've supplied me and making a guess about the size of my dust collection unit, I think I can create a space where I'll have 4 feet of space around each side of the SS.

I'm interested in making small things, like keepsake boxes.

Do you think that will be enough space?

[wa2crk]

You may want to consider putting a good grade of weatherstripping around the door. Or better yet installing an exterior grade door for the dust problem. I think the casters are still a requirement. One more point about the power, the standard induction motor is rated 1 1/8 HP at 120 volts and the Power Pro is rated at 1 3/4 HP at the same voltage so you get 5/8 more HP with the PP and it will use less power. ( power in watts )
Bill V

[reible]

Bill makes another observation that you might want to look into before you go from bedroom to shop.

As a bedroom you will have some outlets that might be only 14ga 15amp circuits and could be only one circuit. Worse yet that circuit might be shared with even more things in the house.

While it has been pointed out you don't need a 220 circuit added you might need a bit more power then you now have.

At the very least it seems you will be having to have dust collector and the shopsmith running at the same time. That will have you at the limits/over the limits of that circuit if it is only 15 amps. Even with a 20 amp circuit you are at or near the the limit if that is not a dedicated line.

One of the things you can do now is the check just what you have power wise. Some older homes had panels with only 60 amp service, more common might be 100 amp and newer homes are likely 200 amp service. Even for a small shop I could see having two dedicated 20 amp circuits installed.....

Another thing to think about will be lighting. It is hard to have too much light in a shop. Ceiling lighting could be hanging florescent tubes, two three of them and then some task lighting. Some thing else to think about.

Ed

You may want to consider putting a good grade of weatherstripping around the door. Or better yet installing an exterior grade door for the dust problem. I think the casters are still a requirement. One more point about the power, the standard induction motor is rated 1 1/8 HP at 120 volts and the Power Pro is rated at 1 3/4 HP at the same voltage so you get 5/8 more HP with the PP and it will use less power. ( power in watts )
Bill V

[STB]

I've never seen a ShopSmith in person but I'm planning on attending an upcoming demo they'll be doing in my area.

In the meantime, I'd like to do a bit of research to see if a ShopSmith would solve some of my space problems.

Can anyone tell me what the footprint would be, and how much space I want to leave around it? I'm only interested in doing small project for now.

I'm pretty sure that I'll want a band saw. I understand that I can get one that bolts onto the ShopSmith, or that could be a stand-alone unit. Is this what I want to do?

Also - I'll have to spend money to get the space wired for 240. Is it worth it?

And finally - any thoughts on dust collection?

I have just read the replys to your query. The replys are from some of the most experienced forum members and point out some important items that should be considered.

Faced with a very limited space I purchased a Shopsmith in February of 2011. My previous shop had lots of room with freestanding machines. For me this created a steep learning curve. Although it seems that every tine I use the SS I find a new way to use this versatile tool. I also find this versatility can be frustrating. Over all I find the Shopsmith an excellent machine for the space available.

Last night I cut a 30in X 6in oak board in 4 strips then put a 1/2 in grove in each strip without the dust collector connected.

Picture 1 shows the machined strips with the SS in the pulled out working position and the piles of sawdust all over the place. The approximate working footprint including the freestanding band saw is approximately 9ft x 4 ft.

The second picture is the opposite angle for the working position.

The third picture is of the SS in the stored position approximately 6ft X 28in.

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[dusty]

I have just read the replys to your query. The replys are from some of the most experienced forum members and point out some important items that should be considered.

Faced with a very limited space I purchased a Shopsmith in February of 2011. My previous shop had lots of room with freestanding machines. For me this created a steep learning curve. Although it seems that every tine I use the SS I find a new way to use this versatile tool. I also find this versatility can be frustrating. Over all I find the Shopsmith an excellent machine for the space available.

Last night I cut a 30in X 6in oak board in 4 strips then put a 1/2 in grove in each strip without the dust collector connected.

Picture 1 shows the machined strips with the SS in the pulled out working position and the piles of sawdust all over the place. The approximate working footprint including the freestanding band saw is approximately 9ft x 4 ft.

The second picture is the opposite angle for the working position.

The third picture is of the SS in the stored position approximately 6ft X 28in.

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If you were trying to make a point regarding the value of dust collection- you have certainly succeeded. The dust collector , if it does nothing else, reduced the time required to clean up.

Nice shop.

[wa2crk]

Hi Harvey
I do not always use the dust collector when I am cutting small pieces for segmented turning. What I do is put a 90 deg elbow on the output of the lower saw guard so the dust goes directly down to the floor and is confined to a small area for easier clean up.
As has been mentioned, 14 gauge wire and a 15 amp circuit is an absolute minimum for a non power pro shopsmith. Depending on the age of your home the ceiling lights and the outlets should be on separate circuits. This is in the event thar a fuse blows you will not be standing in the dark while some sharp object is whizzing around when you can't see it.
Whatever, only you can decide what is best in your environment.
Anyway keep us informed.
Bill V