Did anyone else learn to use their Shopsmith with books?

[chapmanruss]

It is true, there is more written information available about the Shopsmith than any other tool. Remember Shop Notes and Shopsmith Shavings? Kind of the Shopsmith Forum of their day. Some great Info in those too.

Russ

[edflorence]

Saw my first copy of PTWFE in the early 60's...came with Dad's Shopsmith. It has been an extremely useful reference ever since. Never took a woodworking class, just read everything Shopsmith related I could find along with the usual slew of other woodworking books and magazines. Only wish I had sat down as a teenager and read PTWFE cover to cover...might have avoided breaking a couple of bandsaw blades as well as a couple of table saw kickbacks that resulted in breaking two shop windows (separate occasions). But then again, along with the books, experience also teaches.

I have no doubt that PTWFE along with the other available Shopsmith resources like videos, the Self Study Plan, the extremely detailed instructions that come with each SPT and accessory, dvds, this forum, etc can take a motivated apprentice woodworker to a respectable journeyman level.