Shopsmith Forums

I agree with Ben. Check out what is available but do check it out. It could be much more expensive than you think. For example the one with a defective Feed Motor (514203).

http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/itemfind.htm?item=514203&Submit=Find+Item

or the Speed Control Box (514692).

http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/itemfind.htm?item=514692&Submit=Find+Item

that it should be checked out first.

I already have a SS plainer, and love it. Just trying to "advertise" it in case someone in striking distance was looking for one. The photos look like it is in excellent shape.

dusty wrote:I do admit to a bit of snipe and I need to work on blade placement. I can get to .005" but not clear across the blade. One side always seems a couple thousandths.
different than the other.

I went through a complete alignment with a dial indicator a few months ago, setting the chain sprockets to get the head parallel to the table, and then setting the blades per the process in Nick Engler's video. Afterward, I ran some 12" wide panels through it, and they were flat to 0.002" side to side. Repeatability is as good as I can measure with dial calipers.

JPG is correct about lifting the end of the board to avoid snipe. Actually, I try not to actually lift them, but rather to support them so that they don't droop. On longer boards, the rollers need some help fighting gravity.

Which brings me to the one thing that I don't like about the SS planer -- the table changes height when you adjust the thickness. Which means that infeed/outfeed rollers would need to be tweaked along with the thickness adjustment.

On the plus side, I have to believe that the rigid one-piece table will give better repeatability than the fold-down infeed/outfeed tables on lunchbox planers.