"Built With A Shopsmith" web site

heathicus · Post by **heathicus** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 3:39 pm

It is with great pleasure that I unveil a new web site I have put together:

"Built With A Shopsmith"
http://www.builtwithashopsmith.blogspot.com/

In my travels across the interwebs, I've noticed that the Shopsmith tends to get a bad rap in some at some of the other woodworking sites and forums - if mentioned at all. For some reason, a lot of people are convinced that a multipurpose tool can not produce the same results that dedicated stand alone tools can. It's not accurate enough. It sacrifices quality to achieve its functionality. It's only good if you have very small space. Well, we all know that is hogwash. A Shopsmith in the hands of a craftsman will yield work of the same caliber as work from dedicated machines. Now, we can prove it.

The goal of the site is to show that those criticisms just don't hold up. The evidence being the actual projects that were built with a Shopsmith. The first project showcased is Shipwright's curio table. But I need more projects. And that's where you come in.

If you've done something on a Shopsmith that you want to share with the world, then let me know about it. A few pictures (or a link to an online photo gallery) would be great. And if you could, include a short paragraph explaining how your Shopsmith was used (which functions of the machine for which parts of the project). Don't worry if your project isn't as stunning as that curio table. That thing set a pretty high bar that I know I will never reach! Smaller, simple projects are as welcome as large, intricate projects. A great variety of projects will showcase what the machine can help someone accomplish.

Another way you can help is to spread the word. If you see someone on another forum talking about how the Shopsmith is inadequate, then post a link to the site (http://www.builtwithashopsmith.blogspot.com/) or even to a specific project so they can see the error of their ways.

I don't expect to change perceptions overnight. But, hopefully I can help change a few minds. If not... well, I'm still having fun with it. And I hope you do too.

And I am completely open to any suggestions, complaints, compliments, criticisms, or whatever else you want to throw my way.

dasgud · Post by **dasgud** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 6:05 pm

Very nice site. I bookmarked it. I liked how you honored the curio table by Paul M.
You're welcome to add a link to my site if you wish. I would do so for yours

(also if you want the referral)

farley · Post by **farley** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 7:07 pm

nice idea,
I'll add to it soon
thanks for the time you spent and will spend on it.

cincinnati · Post by **cincinnati** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 10:58 pm

Nice site. Looks great.

I do hope you got permission using Shopsmith name & logo on your page or this site will go the way of "Shopsmith radio" did.

thedovetailjoint · Post by **thedovetailjoint** » Wed Oct 06, 2010 10:24 pm

Well done! I look forward to seeing your blog grow. Scott

swampgator · Post by **swampgator** » Thu Oct 07, 2010 12:03 am

Great job! Will try posting to it soon. I have just built two bookcases with my SS and in the process of building a desk for my wife who needs wheel chair access. It's a bit taller than the average desk and has plenty of leg room. Will get my pics made and upload to show my novice work. Thanks for your endeavor. I agree with you that we need to make our presence known and the abilities of this super machine.

markap · Post by **markap** » Fri Oct 08, 2010 9:29 am

Very nice site - I've bookmarked it and will share with a couple of SS owning friends that may not be aware of this site

horologist · Post by **horologist** » Fri Oct 08, 2010 10:56 am

Heath,

Well done! I like the way you edited the background image so it tiles neatly. I will post images if I ever create something noteworthy.

Troy

heathicus · Post by **heathicus** » Fri Oct 08, 2010 11:20 am

Thanks for the compliments, guys! Now, just send me your projects! My plan is to have a new project go up every Friday morning. With blogger, I am able to "schedule" posts to the site, so I have have several in the "queue" and the next one will automatically become visible each Friday morning. Depending on how deep (or shallow) the queue is, I may adjust that schedule, but I wanted to prevent having a bunch of projects added in the beginning, then taper off to very sporadic updates. I hope I can have at least one project in the queue at any given time.

horologist wrote:Heath,

Well done! I like the way you edited the background image so it tiles neatly. I will post images if I ever create something noteworthy.

Troy

Well, I can't really take credit for that. The "theme" (graphics, colors, etc) was a free blogger theme that I downloaded. Credit for the theme itself is at the very bottom of the page. I only made some slight edits, replacing the three images at the top with Shopsmith related images, and made some other tweaks here and there.

nuhobby · Post by **nuhobby** » Fri Oct 15, 2010 12:01 pm

This week is one of my projects. Thanks to Heath for a great site!