New Shop Smith owner

[ncc1701dhhr]

Well I am Glad to see a place to go to ask questions! I' sure I'll have A few as I get started in this, My Shop Smith arives on wed.
Cant wait!!
any way hello to all:D

[Unregistered]

One of the best you could buy. Many uses and easy to use.
Take your time to learn what this machine can do and you will have it forever.

Mark
owner of old shop smith.

[wurlitzerwilly]

Welcome to the happy band of Shopsmith owners.

There are several forums for Shopsmith and you might like to take a look at Yahoo Groups, then you can get the best of both worlds. Many of us frequent this forum and others.

Best advice I can give is - Don't rush it. Heed all the safety warnings, REGARDLESS of what anyone else might say.

It's a great machine but like all machines it deserves some respect.

The manuals are easy to understand and if you can't quite make something fit, have another read. I've always found that if I can't quite figure it, it's been my fault not Shopsmiths.
However, the guys on the forums are always happy to help, as are the Tech. Support guys at Shopsmith. Do remember that the only stupid question is the one that's not asked.

One word of warning - Don't EVER turn the speed control without the shafts rotating, either by hand using the sanding disk or with the motor switched on, and don't let well meaning friends near it either. It's the one big "no-no" with the Mk V.

Having scared the hell out of you, it's really not doom and gloom. Set yourself ready for making real sawdust, a few puzzlers, and above all, a great deal of fun and satisfaction.

[tool]

H9i,
I too am a relatively new owner of a Shopsmith Mark V. I bought mine used from an older gentleman on a whim. I got got it as a curiousity. I have a whole shop of dedicated stand-alone tools. So, this was just for the fun of rehabbing it. I like to rehab old tools, especially 50 year old or older tools. Was I surprised. After getting it 90% rehabbed, I put it to some small use just to see how it worked. What a mistake. It hooked me completely. I began to go on-line to find missing parts and accessories. Soon I had a Magna jigsaw and a jointer, as well as all the sanding discs,lathe accessories, router table(what a pawn shop steal- 25.00) Now I have trouble stopping. I don't know what I did before without it. These forums as well as ssug.org are a tremendous help. Glad your here and ask all the questions you want, these people will help you with eveything and its always good to see what everyone has to say. Everyone is very helpful. Enjoy, Eric

[ncc1701dhhr]

Well it has been a few weeks now and i am finding more and more to do with my shop smith, I do wish I had waited on the dust collecter though:rolleyes:
with such a low CFM it isnt what i was expecting, I have found localy for the same price several units with well over triple the CFM and the same size, They would do a much better job. o well live and learn. it is better than not having one at all, as for the shop smith it is preforming better than I could have hoped for, Have built several pull out drawers for my wifes Pantry
now if I can just get time to do what I want but it is all fun and the smiles and thank you's are more than worth it.

[Ed in Tampa]

Well it has been a few weeks now and i am finding more and more to do with my shop smith, I do wish I had waited on the dust collecter though:rolleyes:
with such a low CFM it isnt what i was expecting, I have found localy for the same price several units with well over triple the CFM and the same size, They would do a much better job. o well live and learn. it is better than not having one at all, as for the shop smith it is preforming better than I could have hoped for, Have built several pull out drawers for my wifes Pantry
now if I can just get time to do what I want but it is all fun and the smiles and thank you's are more than worth it.

At first I thought I got stung on the dust collector. Your right there are much more powerful and far cheaper units out in the market. I think SS is a little high on their price. However the convenience of being able to roll the unit around means a lot to me. For instance I had to dry cut some concrete in my bathroom for a remodel. I brought the dust collector in and opened all ports. It collected a lot of dust that day, dust that would have gone through the house or in my lungs.
I often use it to clean up by back patio since I gave my shop vac to the son in law.
If you look at the those higher price units some can be moved but they have tiny little casters, others are fixed location. Also the design of the SS unit with the plastic fan reduces the chance of sparks starting a dust fire if you pick up a piece of metal. It is always exciting to have a red hot spark setting in wood dust.
Also many of the units are rated rather interestingly. They often rate their flow without the dust bag in place. So in effect what they specify is open flow. I think SS does theirs with the bag in place.

Lastly I use one tool at a time and I have found my SS keeps up with both my jointer and my plane taking full cuts at a high feed rate. If it can keep up with that I don't have a problem.
Give it some time as you use it you will find more and more to like.
Ed

[Bruce]

I often use it to clean up by back patio since I gave my shop vac to the son in law.

With a plastic impeller, I'd be a little wary of using it in this fashion. It is after all a dust collector, not a shop vac.

[Ed in Tampa]

Actually I have used mine for about 15+ years sending everything that would fit through the hose and I have yet to have any problem with my impeller.
I get to look at it about once a year when I suck up a rag that then gets stuck on the impeller. I open it up and take it off.

I was real worried about the plastic impeller but it has held up surprisingly well. Like I said I think it costs to much but I will admit when I first got I thought I was taken but after all these years and all the plastic bags of dust I have filled, i'm impressed with the DC3000
Ed

[ncc1701dhhr]

(quote) At first I thought I got stung on the dust collector. Your right there are much more powerful and far cheaper units out in the market. I think SS is a little high on their price.

This was only one sore spot (price)! Found A portable and in the same size unit as my Shop Smith dust collector, for 379.00 with 1700 cfm also had the large bag (top) witch you have to up grade to with the shop smith. As for it doing the job it is barely able to keep up in the table saw mode have quite a lot getting out on the shop smith and floor, It does good with the band saw, Poor with the sanding disk.
Dont get me wrong is seems like a well built set up but grossly under powered.
I will continue to use it till i can afford to buy the other dust collector.

But please understand I am more than happy with my mark V it is the most awesome tool I have had the opportunity to use.

[robg]

I have noticed that the dust collectors used in presentations and at the traveling academy all seem quieter than mine and also seem to work better. Nonetheless, the portability is key for me since I use the garage as my shop and it's hard to complain about the machine when I can drag it around without issue and connect it wherever it's needed.

If I ever get a place where I will have room for a dedicated shop, it will be different. Until then, this one works, even if it does mean I have to clean up the floor if I use the saw or the router. Works great with the belt sander though. Amazingly so compared to the disk sander.