Another reason for a second Shopsmith

[Gene Howe]

I have two MKVs. One is a shorty and the other one has the Jointech system with he router table on it. Cross cuts are made on the shorty and rips on the other one.
The shorty and the big one are almost always set for the same depth of cut for a project. So, I set the shorty at right angle to the ripping saw and use the wide accessory table and the saw table as outfeeds for those longer rips or long edge routing jobs.
Mundane, I know. But, when I tumbled to the idea, it made me happy and, I like to share the joy.

[rjent]

I agree. Multiple SS's are a necessity for me LOL. I use them for outfeed, infeed arrangements, multiprocess cutting ops, production line operations etc.

Sooo glad I have more than one.

[robinson46176]

At one time I thought that you couldn't have too many... Well, I was wrong. When it got to 6 (plus the "Push me, Pull me" double SS drill-press) I took one out. I'm also going to take out one table saw (an old 10" Craftsman). I just don't cut a huge amount on any of the Shopsmiths. I do now and then and expect to keep doing that but mostly I intend them for special set-up jobs. Stuff like cutting shelf dado's. A good job for my old Mark VII.
I do most of my sawing on my Ridgid TS-3650 and love it. The other tablesaw I'm keeping in the shop is an old 8" Rockwell that I just kind of like. I also do a lot of everyday cut-off stuff on a pretty generic Delta compound miter saw.
I was going to move my old Craftsman 10" RAS from the farm shop to the woodshop but I decided instead to move it over to the small shop with the small WM sawmill for cut off stuff there. It is OK but I have never felt comfortable with its accuracy... Fine for carpentry work but iffy for anything fussy. Anything that wears a wide slot in its table can't be very close. The little sawmill shop is mostly being sat-up for things like horse gates and shelters, special pallets, trailer and hay wagon beds... Stuff like that. I like to do nice work but those things don't need to be furniture grade. There is a big difference between a hay wagon bed and a jewelry box.
In the woodshop I intend to keep the 510 I bought new in 1988 completely as I bought it. I also want to keep the old Mark VII as original as possible. The 10-ER has not found it's job yet but if I find it an easier to access location I think it will find its own place, maybe for some lathe work (due to its weight) and it may also find regular use for mortising work (due to its stiffer frame). The other 2 Mark V's that I restored some years ago just might become shorter. They are evolving into SPT bases now and might as well b e shorter to save working room. I have extra bench and way tubes and it's not like cutting them down affects the working parts.




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[Hobbyman2]

There is a adjustment to keep the RAS from drifting , I believe it is in the top swivel part of the saw . I found a link to this if you are interested https://www.instructables.com/id/Radial ... asier-Way/

[WileyCoyote]

[quote="rjent"]I agree. Multiple SS's are a necessity for me LOL. I use them for outfeed, infeed arrangements, multiprocess cutting ops, production line operations etc.

When you set one up as an outfeed table do you sit it side by side or in a T configuration?

[rjent]

I agree. Multiple SS's are a necessity for me LOL. I use them for outfeed, infeed arrangements, multiprocess cutting ops, production line operations etc.

When you set one up as an outfeed table do you sit it side by side or in a T configuration?

Depends on what I am doing. I can break down a full sheet of plywood easily by myself, with the mark V catching the out feed and two 10ER's handling the sheet before it is cut with the Mark 7 doing the cutting.

If I am catching a long rip 8' or more, I will use just one of the machines to just catch the waste and the cut piece and one machine behind me stabilizing the piece as it is being fed.

I find it to be a very safe and comfortable way of working.

[Gene Howe]

Thank God, my days of cutting full sheets of ply on the SS are long gone. I break them down with a shop made track and a Skil 77 on my bench. And, nowadays, hefting a sheet of 3/4 onto the bench is getting iffy.

[rjent]

Thank God, my days of cutting full sheets of ply on the SS are long gone. I break them down with a shop made track and a Skil 77 on my bench. And, nowadays, hefting a sheet of 3/4 onto the bench is getting iffy.

I hear you on that! I don't break down full sheets often, but I can easily do it. I have always been pretty strong, but I can feel my almost 70 years creeping up on me LOL. So I know I won't always be able to do it, but that is not a machine limitation, it is my limitation.

I still think have a least one more SS of any vintage is an advantage!

[masonsailor2]

Having multiple SS’s is a necessity for me and probably classified as a disease. I have them set up in permanent configurations except for the PP which I use primarily as a lathe. Although I have a dedicated table saw, router table, surface planer, band saw and jointer but I use the SS’s constantly. The SS as a drill press is has no equal IMHO. Any other drill press drives me crazy due to lack of features. I have another set up as a permanent sliding table and jointer. It’s a large sliding table and allows me to set up a jig and leave it throughout the build. The SS jointer is also part of the sliding table machine. That’s another tool that I love. I have the big jointer but so many times I am jointing small short pieces and for that the SS is the better machine. Next I have one set up as a band saw and disc sander combo. I keep a quarter inch blade on the band saw and it is where I do all my fine cutting and curves. The big 17” band saw is a pain to change blades so I leave it set up for resaw and heavy cutting. I use a home made speed reducer which allows the band saw and the disc sander to run at their appropriate speeds with out adjusting them independently. Another is set up as the drum sander. Again I have yet to find a drum sander that can stand up to it. The sixth one is set up to run a SS belt sander for sharpening lathe tools. It also doubles as a horizontal boring station. For fine woodworking they all offer one feature, the variable speed, which maddening not to have once you have worked with it.
Paul

[farley]

I agree with extra SS.
years ago I cut a really tiny SS to a shorty, it holes a disc sander on one end and a belt sander on the other.