Shopsmith Forums

Well I guess I'll jump in here. My favorite add-on tool is the bandsaw. I use it very often and with the re-saw capabilities I have saved alot of material. My second favorite is the jointer so I can buy rough sawn boards and clean them up my self saves a bunch of money. My next purchase will be the lift-assist I can see that I will be needing it in the future because I know my SS will be with me to hand it down to the grandson.

rkh2 wrote:It's hard to say which add-on would be at the top of my list as I have all the items already mentioned except for the lift assist. The casters came with my machine when I purchased it so didn't really consider them. I do a lot of turning and would have to give the universal tool rest a vote, as it is so much easier using it when turning and also gives extra weight for the shopsmith. I really enjoy its benefits when turning bowls. I would also have to mention the adjustable collars that I keep on the tail stock and band saw for quick setups.

I was wondering about the Universal rest. I haven't gotten in lathe yet, but with the sale of the rests going through the end of the month I'm debating it. So you would strongly recommend the universal rest?

Yes, the universal tool rest is way better than the standard tool rest. More stable (less vibration), and easier to reach all sides of the turned piece.

Gary

Timster

If you are going to get into turning I would definitely recommend by the universal tool rest set up. Besides the added weight which has its own benefits, the tool rest especially for bowl turning are so much better and so many different positions you can put them in makes it so much easier for your turning experience. Also seeing that you are considering getting into turning, you might consider buying the bowl chisel set while it is on sale. Real good quality. Also might mention that if you ever plan on getting into large bowls, you should consider the speed reducer. It also comes in handy when using Forstner bits, especially larger sizes.

This past Summer I found myself reaching for the crosscut sliding sled many times. With the addition of the 5' connector tubes I can now get those floating tables way "out there".

I found that I can cross cut the ends of 14" wide boards that are 100" long, trimming them to the exact length for closet shelving. I don't think there are many table saws that can do this.

rkh2 wrote:Timster

If you are going to get into turning I would definitely recommend by the universal tool rest set up. Besides the added weight which has its own benefits, the tool rest especially for bowl turning are so much better and so many different positions you can put them in makes it so much easier for your turning experience. Also seeing that you are considering getting into turning, you might consider buying the bowl chisel set while it is on sale. Real good quality. Also might mention that if you ever plan on getting into large bowls, you should consider the speed reducer. It also comes in handy when using Forstner bits, especially larger sizes.

Thanks. I'll give some serious thought to the rests. Luckily I bought the reducer a while back when there was a good sale on it. I haven't taken it out of the box yet as I haven't need it, but wanted to get it (new) when the price was good which is why I'm debating the rests. I may not use them right away, but they probably won't be higher than 30% off in the future. Plus who knows when the prices will go up again.

8iowa wrote:This past Summer I found myself reaching for the crosscut sliding sled many times. With the addition of the 5' connector tubes I can now get those floating tables way "out there".

I found that I can cross cut the ends of 14" wide boards that are 100" long, trimming them to the exact length for closet shelving. I don't think there are many table saws that can do this.

Hi 8iowa,
As you should know by now, I like my Mark V, so do knot get me wrong here, and if you are talking about the cheap contractor saws, you are absolutely right]do[/I] have the capacity to make those cuts. The trouble with cross-cutting those long boards, is keeping them feeding into the blade equally along their length. Doable, especially with the help of a sled or SS miter guage Safety Grip, but there are easier ways. A RAS or a "chopsaw" come to mind. Fortunately, although it is knot the easiest way to do it, the Mark V CAN do it, so for those Mark V owners without the other saws, they are still able.

I think the best thing that has been added to my MKV is ME! Just kidding, I would have to vote for the band saw. I think I use that more than the saw function of my MKV.

Tim:

I place the 5' connector tubes placed on the outward side of the table extension, and then use a floating table on the far end supported by the telescoping legs. With the crosscut table being 1/2" thick, I place a 1/2" plywood board on top of the far floating table over a sheet of waxed paper. Thus the far end slides very smoothly as I run the crosscut table forward. A ball bearing roller stand will also work, but I find that the table extension system is even smoother, enabling very accurate cuts on boards and sheet goods even wider than 14 inches. A professional cabinet shop will of course have a large cabinet saw set up permanently with large infeed and outfeed tables as cutting sheet goods is their daily activity.

While my set-up is not quite as efficient as the cabinet maker's, I do have the flexibility of the easy blade change on the Shopsmith. For plywood, I use a Freud 80 tooth ATB blade that gives super fine cuts. For soft and hardwoods I find that the 60 tooth Shopsmith crosscut blade is hard to beat. this is not to say that the owner of a cabinet saw cannot also change blades, but on most table saws this is a chore.

I have a small radial arm saw that gets very little use. I'm not comfortable with it's safety aspects, and dust collection is virtually non existant. I had a 10" Delta Compound miter saw (now gone) that of course could not crosscut the wider sheets and boards, and I didn't think the cuts were that great either. It also threw dust everywhere. The RAS and chop saws are great contractor's tools, but I don't like to use them in my shop.

I found that I can cross cut the ends of 14" wide boards that are 100" long, trimming them to the exact length for closet shelving. I don't think there are many table saws that can do this.[/QUOTE]

you are correct however my choice for that operation would have been saw horses and a handheld circular saw.