Shopsmith tools, the great and the not-so-great

SDSSmith · Post by **SDSSmith** » Wed May 05, 2010 12:24 pm

paulrussell wrote:Today I received my "Power Tool Woodworking for Everyone" in the mail. Along with the Shopsmith Self-Guided tutorial I have a lot of learning and enjoyment ahead of me.

One thing that did catch my eye was using the drill press as a stationary router. While I have admittedly not tried this, it doesn't seem like a great router alternative. Am I wrong?

In any case this further got me thinking about what other Shopsmith accessories might not be the best solution for the task at hand. I realize that the above mentioned drill-mode router was an attempt to put routing affordably into the hands of the woodworker, so I'm not bashing Shopsmith. Its just clear that one company can't have the best of EVERYTHING. There's gonna be a clunker or two in the mix.

What do you think the Shopsmith million-dollar winners are.....

The conical sanding disc is one of my favorites from Shopsmith.

paulrussell · Post by **paulrussell** » Wed May 05, 2010 12:42 pm

dusty wrote:For me, this is a very difficult discussion to have without getting irrational.

<snip>

I believe they should have avoided items like the mortising tool, the biscuit jointer, the Sand Flee. Sell what you build and not what you buy. Avoid adding the necessary markup onto tools that someone else has already marked up and that someone else already does better. The biscuit jointer is the first tool in this category that comes to my mind..

Dusty,

A great post. Thank you. After re-reading my initial post I think it came across too negative and didn't convey my question clearly enough.

First of all, I agree 100% with everything you wrote about the Mark V.

From all I've read the Shopsmith Planer and Bandsaw - like the Mark V itself - are both exceptional tools for the home woodworking enthusiast.

Other Shopsmith tools are workhorses that match other brands toe-to-toe.

It is difficult for me to believe, that with the wide range of tools, accessories, bits, blades, add-ons, and more that Shopsmith makes and sells, that there have not been a dud or two among them. If this raises the ire of a loyal Shopsmith woodworker, I apologize. It is not to bash Shopsmith -- my goal is to continue to remain as THRILLED as I am with my Shopsmith tools and avoid any potential dissatisfaction.

After weeks of rust removal, polishing, waxing, oiling, parts buying, and forum reading, I've finally began to use my Shopsmith and it is living up to and exceeding my every expectation. My wife is already taking a new positive interest in my machine as I have been able to rapidly tackle tasks she had wanted to hire done.

I've found that the most-touted supposed flaw of the Shopsmith is for me a valuable asset. Changeover FORCES me to think about what I'm about to do next, and how best to do it, and how to do it safely. I love it. I don't mindlessly jump from tool to tool making do with the previous setup (which might not be the best for what I have in mind.)

Well, the arbor for a Craigslist-acquired Ring Master arrived this morning, so I've got some woodworkin' to do.

Thanks to everyone who has helped educate me - I can't recall ever meeting a more friendly and helpful bunch of people than here in the Shopsmith forums.

foxtrapper · Post by **foxtrapper** » Wed May 05, 2010 2:49 pm

paulrussell wrote:Dusty,
accessories, bits, blades, add-ons, and more that Shopsmith makes and sells, that there have not been a dud or two among them.

It's not so much that there is a dud or two, as much as there simply are limits with an all in one machine. Routing is a fine example. The bit is going to spin slowly in a Shopsmith, making it perform poorly compared to a router in a table. It's not a dud, it works, but it's darn limited. So much so that I'd much rather get out my cheap router and cheap table and use that instead.

8iowa · Post by **8iowa** » Wed May 05, 2010 6:29 pm

Heath:

I think one of the major reasons that the Shopsmith Pro Planer, and other Shopsmith products as well, are not included in the magazine's "reviews" is because Shopsmith is no longer an advertiser. I remember a Wood magazine test of dust collectors a couple of years ago in which the unit that came out on top was also their major advertiser. Duh.............were we all born yesterday? But I digress.

The Pro Planer can't really be compared apples to apples with the universal motor powered planers commonly found at the big boxes today. Even they are experiencing a creep upward in price. The DeWalt 735 is now well over $600. Back in March I was at a Woodcraft store in Baltimore when I heard a loud screeching noise. I went clear to the back of the store where a salesman was demonstrating a new Steel City planer to a man and his wife. She had her hands over her ears and I don't blame her as the sound level was easily in the 90's dBA.

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Wed May 05, 2010 7:03 pm

foxtrapper wrote:It's not so much that there is a dud or two, as much as there simply are limits with an all in one machine. Routing is a fine example. The bit is going to spin slowly in a Shopsmith, making it perform poorly compared to a router in a table. It's not a dud, it works, but it's darn limited. So much so that I'd much rather get out my cheap router and cheap table and use that instead.

I think that there have been some dud's in the Shopsmith product line. They were at least dud's from a marketing point of view. I believe they were the Sawsmith (Radial Arm Saw, the Sawsmith (Table Saw) and the Crafter's Station.

In my opinion, they were dud's because of the way Shopsmith marketed them or did not market them as the case may be.

heathicus · Post by **heathicus** » Wed May 05, 2010 8:55 pm

At least they haven't made a meat grinder or smoothie blender attachment yet...

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Thu May 06, 2010 12:20 am

heathicus wrote:At least they haven't made a meat grinder or smoothie blender attachment yet...

You ARE aware of the ice cream 'freezer' are you not?

wlhayesmfs · Post by **wlhayesmfs** » Thu May 06, 2010 12:42 am

I like that they were making Ice Cream and still polishing the care and other things.

wlhayesmfs · Post by **wlhayesmfs** » Thu May 06, 2010 12:43 am

OK it is late that was polishing the CAR LOL:D

dewey2me1mothyme · Post by **dewey2me1mothyme** » Thu May 06, 2010 4:24 am

Interesting thread. I must admit my shopsmith is my "second tool" and not by any means my tool of choice in any or all cases. If I am drilling a series of holes two different sizes (may be a bad example but you'll see what I mean) I set my drill press up for one task and my SS for the other in drill press mode. If i have to make several rip cuts at two different widths and not something where I can make all like cuts at one time, thus requiring moving the rip fence back and forth between cuts, again, I set up my Table saw for one task and my shop smith for the other.

My DeWalt TS is my saw of choice, but when I need a second, the SS is there waiting to lend a hand. It's like having two of everything in my shop, without taking up twice the real estate. I do a lot of lathe work also, and altho the SS is far too light (without adding extra weight to the bars) for many things I'd like to turn, it is peerfect for turning bud vases, small jewelry boxes, keepsake boxes, small bowls, and the like. When I no longer need it, it stores neatly along the wall. It's like a good friend who you know will be there when you need them.