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.
shydragon wrote:Dusty, for less then half the cost. It sits lower, do not have to mess with table heights, blade tilts. When I install a fence system such as the Incra or Jointech, I won't have to remove it every time I make some simple little change. As for how long it lasts, I have no idea, but I'm sure there are many out there, that have had their stand alones for many years.
Some of the older stand alones are just like the Shopsmith. They were built to last a life time.
The new hybrids -- now that may be a different story. How many items that you have purchased lately have the quality and inherent reliability that you would normally expect? Where were the hybrids that you are considering built? Hopefully they were built in a factory that does quality work using quality materials -- hopefully in the USA but I doubt that.
I fear that the new hybrids are being built to get through the warranty period and then you are on your own.
Please understand that I have had no experience (good or bad) with these hybrids. I just don't trust most of what we can go out and buy these days.
I do hope that you are considering equipment built by a company with a very good, long standing reputation.
Back a few years I would say - If you must have a standalone table saw, go buy a Delta Unisaw but I have heard some stories of late that say otherwise. Just an example of my prejudice.
"Making Sawdust Safely" Dusty
Sent from my Dell XPS using Firefox.
By the way - if you were to buy a new Delta Unisaw today, you would not have an outfeed table. That would be an addon with additional cost. Together, I believe we have just blown that hypothetical $2000 target price.
shydragon wrote:My issues with SS table saw, too high, not big enough, having to raise or lower the table, and for bevel cuts having to tilt the table. Other than that, I love the SS. But, I'm still leaning towards the new hybrids at less than half the cost of the supposed $2000 for the new headstock.
Okay 35 years ago I bought a dedicated table saw. The price (who knows) Quality decent as far as the table and motor went Table extensions kept falling off and were always out of square with the table. In feed and outfeed tables, who knew about such things back then. The cutting guide was darned near impossible to get square with the blade. What else would it do. Gather dust and take up space. It's biggest problem was the useless club wouldn't die. The guy that has it now wants it to die and it still won't.
Mark V 520, now there is a tool a fellow can adjust, add to, and convert to what ever else you desire. New headstock, I am getting cheap in my old age but can't imagine not getting at least one. fjimp:D
F. Jim Parks
Lakewood, Colorado:)
When the love of power is replaced by the power of love the world will have a chance for survival.
dusty wrote:It is certain that you can buy a hybrid for less than $2000. In fact, you will be able to get one from a manufacturer with a respectable name and if you treat it well it will serve you well for a long time--,six, eight maybe even ten years.
But then someday you are going to need to do serious maintenance......will there be customer service available on that model then???? Well, maybe that is not all that bad. You will probably be ready for the new upgraded version by then.
A few months ago, I ran across a deal on a Ridgid 3650 table saw that was too good to pass up. The guy was moving and the saw was stored in a commercial storage unit. I went to check it out and it was in good shape so I brought it home.
Once there, I checked everything out and found some things needed tweaking. The table was out of alignment with the blade BUT the Ridgid has a lever at the back where you loosen the trunion bolts and adjust the table alignment with the lever. When I retightened the bolts it was perfect. The 0 stop was a little off but easily fixed and the fence needed alignment. The fence is always square and also has a fine adjustment thumbweel for minor tweaks. Total time was less than an hour.
Once everything was aligned NOTHING has moved. I still check things about once a week but have not had to make any additional adjustments. I have used it on almost a daily basis since then and it is my first choice for sawing, dados and other table saw functions.
I still love my Shopsmith but NOT for the table saw. The Ridgid takes seconds to set up while the SS takes minutes by the time you adjust the tables, extension tables, outfeed tables, etc.
I think I have the best of both worlds with a dedicated table saw AND the Shopsmith for SPTs and drilling functions.
dusty wrote:By the way - if you were to buy a new Delta Unisaw today, you would not have an outfeed table. That would be an addon with additional cost. Together, I believe we have just blown that hypothetical $2000 target price.
Yes you would blow the target price but you would have a 220V 3 hp dual belt 624 pound production machine in your shop. In my opinion total overkill!
But way more justifable than a mere headstock for the same price.
However you could buy a Sears Hybred for $799, a Ridgid for $699, General for $899, Jet for $899 or a Grizzly for under a $1000 all would be perfect for the home shop and most production shops, will probably last as long as a Shopsmith. If you wanted to cut closer you could by a Delta contractor saw at Lowes for $600, a Hitachi for $500, Bosch mounted on movable cart for $599, and etc. All of these are great for the home shop but probably not for production work. If you want to cut closer to the bone you can fine many good table saws for under $500 that will probably out last most hobbist.
Don't get me wrong I think the newly announced headstock is a great idea. I would love to have one if Shopsmith is going to sell it for what is really worth. But there is no way I can justify $2000 for what is essentially a motor. I give you it is a neat motor and one that should cost more an average 1 1/2 motor but 10 times the price? I don't think so.
tdubnik wrote:A few months ago, I ran across a deal on a Ridgid 3650 table saw that was too good to pass up. The guy was moving and the saw was stored in a commercial storage unit. I went to check it out and it was in good shape so I brought it home.
Once there, I checked everything out and found some things needed tweaking. The table was out of alignment with the blade BUT the Ridgid has a lever at the back where you loosen the trunion bolts and adjust the table alignment with the lever. When I retightened the bolts it was perfect. The 0 stop was a little off but easily fixed and the fence needed alignment. The fence is always square and also has a fine adjustment thumbweel for minor tweaks. Total time was less than an hour.
Once everything was aligned NOTHING has moved. I still check things about once a week but have not had to make any additional adjustments. I have used it on almost a daily basis since then and it is my first choice for sawing, dados and other table saw functions.
I still love my Shopsmith but NOT for the table saw. The Ridgid takes seconds to set up while the SS takes minutes by the time you adjust the tables, extension tables, outfeed tables, etc.
I think I have the best of both worlds with a dedicated table saw AND the Shopsmith for SPTs and drilling functions.
I love my TS 3650... And it was only about $600.
Having said that when I was looking at the new granite top Rigid table saw later (I never walk down a beach full of bikinis with my eyes shut either) I was truly disappointed at the fence on the new one as compared to my TS 3650. I love my fence but I thought the new one felt like a piece of crap.
That has to have been a really bad move on their part.
-
I keep telling people constantly that while some complain about set-ups on the Shopsmiths the flexibility of set-ups on them is why I have a shop full of them. Once you get up to about 3 of them in a shop you are no longer constantly switching stuff back and forth especially if you have a "decent" (need not be fancy) table saw. I also do a lot of cutting with my compound miter saw that takes a sawing load off of the Shopsmith. I hardly ever use my radial saw anymore. The big thing for me is that I can do a herd of things with the Shopsmiths that you just cannot do with any other single tool of anybody's. It is maybe the most versatile tool in the shop except for maybe the router.
I'll bet you will not still be using one of today's routers 40 years from now.
--
farmer
Francis Robinson
I did not equip with Shopsmiths in spite of the setups but because of them.
1 1988 - Mark V 510 (bought new), 4 Poly vee 1 1/8th HP Mark V's, Mark VII, 1 Mark V Mini, 1 Frankensmith, 1 10-ER, 1 Mark V Push-me-Pull-me Drillpress, SS bandsaw, belt sander, jointer, jigsaw, shaper attach, mortising attach, TS-3650 Rigid tablesaw, RAS, 6" long bed jointer, Foley/Belsaw Planer/molder/ripsaw, 1" sander, oscillating spindle/belt sander, Scroll saw, Woodmizer sawmill
Just wondering, when did Shopsmith announce the price of this new headstock. I don't remember seeing that posted in the announcement. They did write it will "be a fraction of what a new Shopsmith will cost" but that is all.
This $2,000-$3,000 guessament is just that, just a rumor. No concrete price has been posted yet.
And those who complain about the tilting table, don't bandsaws have titling tables? I haven't read any complaints about those.
I must agree with Woodburner, I have not seen any sort of pricing from SS on the new unit. Haveing been in the type of business I have been in for the last 39 years I have learned to never price someones merchandise. When they are ready to offer it to the market it will be priced. We have been beating this price thing to death with nothing to speculate price on. Maybe SS is looking at estimated prices here and they have been looking at a lower price. We could be leading them to think that we feel their new headstock is more valuable to us. They may believe that no matter what the price we will pay it just because we are dedicated SS owners.
I am certanily interested in price and very interested in owning one but I do feel it has to be priced competitively.
But it has been fun reading all the input by different member on this forum. It has been bounced back and forth like a tennis ball, and keeping most of us entertained with options...
Lets keep it going but remember, let's let SS price this for us...........
I keep finding little windows on this forum, that I don't really know what they do. So sometimes I experiment. Probably shouldn't do that, I know in my shop it can get me into trouble.
Bayside Bob
woodburner wrote:...This $2,000-$3,000 guessament is just that, just a rumor. No concrete price has been posted yet...
Hee Hee (I find this humorous], but in my [screwed up] thinking, it is spelled wrong) Hee Hee: I always spell this made-up word as guestimate. I find the English language fun, especially since the American version is knot, strictly speaking, English at all.
To the subject at hand: I have to agree with the woodburner here. The only "official" reference to pricing is from this quote (taken from the announcement from Bob Folkerth):
...This is truly a quantum-leap to the 21st Century Shopsmith MARK V you’ve been waiting for…and, of course, you’ll be able to upgrade your current Model MARK V with this new Headstock at a fraction of the cost of a complete new machine...
"A fraction" covers a lot of ground. It can be as much as only 1 cent less then an entire new machine, or as little as only 1 cent in total. Any talk of price is complete speculation. Let's give RLF Shop, LLC and Mr. Folkerth a chance to tell us what the price will be.
Tim
Buying US made products will help keep YOUR job or retirement funds safer.
And it was only about $600.
