Shopsmith Forums

What accessories, that are NOT available now for use with the Shopsmith, might I be using if only I had a 3/4" miter slot?

If there are any, is there a reason why I cannot make it/them work on the Shopsmith miter bar or equip it/them with my own miter bar that does fit the Shopsmith.

stevespix wrote:I have a question for everyone who seems to think we get such great deals from shopsmith. The current email deal announcing a great savings on the incra v120 miter guage this is a joke. Amazon has it listed for $69.98 (granted it's not for the shopsmith) yet Amazon shows the list price for it at the same price shopsmith is showing the sale price. No wonder this company is having trouble selling it's products or anyone's.

This kind of stuff is exactly what is wrong with failing companies in this country. What is wrong with dealing in an upfront manner when you sell things after all the truth is a few clicks away. Sorry SHOPSMITH you need to rethink your marketing department.

I tend to agree with Steve on this (move over Steve so we both can fit in the dog house). All companies are facing a hard economic situation and only some will survive. While some will survive using past business models I don't think that will be norm. I think customers are beginning to demand a justification of the price. In other words I think the days of making something for $5 and selling it for $50 just because it is trendy is over. More importantly I think the days of buying it for $75 just to say "mine cost more" is also over (most of those idiots are now broke).

I really believe Shopsmith is in the perfect position to make the necessary changes, however so far I haven't seen that happening.
Things like Steve just pointed out should never happen.

Come on the cost of machining the bar to fit Shopsmith can't be more an 30 cents. If Amazon (who is rarely cheap) can sell it for lower price and still make a profit so can Shopsmith. They are both basically internet businesses, so we are talking apples and apples and oranges and oranges. It is not as if Steve was comparing a cost from an internet business to a local store.

Ed in Tampa wrote:I tend to agree with Steve on this (move over Steve so we both can fit in the dog house). All companies are facing a hard economic situation and only some will survive. While some will survive using past business models I don't think that will be norm. I think customers are beginning to demand a justification of the price. In other words I think the days of making something for $5 and selling it for $50 just because it is trendy is over. More importantly I think the days of buying it for $75 just to say "mine cost more" is also over (most of those idiots are now broke).

I really believe Shopsmith is in the perfect position to make the necessary changes, however so far I haven't seen that happening.
Things like Steve just pointed out should never happen.

Come on the cost of machining the bar to fit Shopsmith can't be more an 30 cents. If Amazon (who is rarely cheap) can sell it for lower price and still make a profit so can Shopsmith. They are both basically internet businesses, so we are talking apples and apples and oranges and oranges. It is not as if Steve was comparing a cost from an internet business to a local store.

Please note that Amazon had only a limited number of miter gauges to offer. This tells me that they either got a gonga somewhere or found a business with inventory that is going out of business and Amazon is now reselling what they were able to buy cheap. Just like The Dollar Store!

Buy the one from Amazon. What, It don't fit? well there you go. You have your answer.

Dusty: In reference to your post #9, and taking Amazon or who ever or cost out of the picture, the fact remains that if "I" want the choice of an accessory for my miter slot, no matter whether it is the belt sander, saw table, bandsaw or anything else that has a miter slot, I am extremely limited as of choice. Oh yes, things are available but more likely, I have very little choice. Sit and think of all the wonderful accessories out there. If I should even want a digital miter guage, that for the time being is not available. Which brings me to the aluminum table platform for the table and bandsaw. Like granite tops, none of the new magnetic accessories will work. It's all about choice. Believe me, I'm not knocking SS or their accessories and as someone else said, it is what it is but I am still limited as per choice. I really feel however that if SS can pull itself out of what ever our country is in, that they will, little by little cater to more of a variety of accessories for us die hard fans. If you were the owner of a Jet, Delta, Ridgid etc. and wanted accessories for them but nothing was available except SS sized accessories, you would complain about it because your choices would be so narrowed.

At the risk of getting into a huge debate, a debate that cannot be won by any ofus, I have to say that you are definitely not without choice. All you have to do is give due diligence to the task and you will find that equipment that best suits your needs.

When I chose my Shopsmith equipment, it was because I needed transportability. A second requirement was a wood shop that did not occupy a great deal of space; like nothing more than a reasonably sized garage.

Quite frankly, I did not not give a hoot what size miter track it had as long as it had one -- if it provided everything else I needed.

Man oh man, I wanted that Delta Unisaw with that big steel table. But, it wasn't transportable, it would occupy most all of the free space in a typical garage and I could not afford it and all the other equipment needed to make up a functional wood shop.

Now, twenty plus years later, I am working with the same Mark V and most of the other equipment I bought to support my habit. It still doesn't have a 3/4" miter track but it does everything I need. Yes, I've made a few jigs to get to this point but that is what it was all about from the very beginning - WASN'T IT.

When I finally Go Pro - it'll be a different story - believe me! Norm will drool over my table saw (which will most likely have a 3/4" miter track and none of my jigs will work).

Relax, enjoy what you have and if that doesn't work - get rid of it. But relax.

BTW, ashbury, if you don't already have one, you need to give some serious consideration to the Incra V120 Miter Gauge. With one of those sitting on the Main Table of a finely tuned Mark V, I can't imagine you ever needing a digital miter gauge.

I have completely modified my table alignment procedures to take advantage of the characteristics of the V120.

Dusty:

In re-reading what I wrote, I can understand how you could misinterpret me. I, like yourself have a workable solution for everything concerning Shopsmith and being of limited space like yourself is why I chose SS. And yes, there is nothing that can be said concerning debate that has not been said before in these pages. When I purchased SS, I was not aware of the non standard size of the slots and even had I known, it would not have changed my decision. What I am saying now is that knowing what is out there and available, there are things I would rather have other than what SS and some others provide. I agree, I can replace a lot of goodies with a SS bar but I don't want to have to do that. I do have the Incra MG and I'm completely satisfied. I was using the digital guage only as an example of something not available. I would suggest that we both use our provided signatures and follow the examples of what they both say and not get into any further depate about this. Oh by the way, I am very relaxed. Please don't think otherwise.

I sure hope you and the Mrs. have a wonderful summer although I don't think I could ever adjust to that much heat.

Ashbury

Love my Shopsmith, the Incra V120 I purchased this winter, and all my Shopsmith accessories. Nobody holding a gun to your head to buy those Shopsmith accessories from Shopsmith that are designed to work with the Shopsmith. So what if a assumed standard item is cheeper from Amazon, caveat they are built for all those machines made overseas in a foreign land. And BTW we wonder why American goods cost more. Because we have a standard of living envied by many others. I'd rather give a 50% premium to an American company than increase the imbalance of trade, furthering the exploitation of labor in those foreign countries that are selling you knock offs on American engineered products. Oh and one last item, there is a reason the shopsmith table track is the size it is and not larger. When in doubt read the manual

I think you missing the point. When the economy was fat and everything was going great people didn't worry much about cost, if they wanted it they got it or figured a way to make it happen.

However that is changing, people are being more and more careful where and how they spend their money. It is almost like the whole country suddenly got on a fixed income.

When people see something like this where the tool sells other places for $30 less than normal SS price and $15 less than the Shopsmith special they begin to question everything. They begin to ask themselves was the SS the right decision? Or Shopsmith ripping them off?

In this economy a company doesn't need those kinds of questions. Shopsmith and every other company that will survive this ordeal will be the companies that people trust, that people feel they are getting their money's worth, that people see as being a value.

I don't know how things are around where you all live but we are seeing resturants, speciality stores and such closing faster than the painters can paint over the signs. Most of the those that closed are stores and resturants that I considered catered to people that had more money than brains. They over charged justifying it being unique. On the other hand the stores and resturants that were known for getting what you paid for are surviving nicely.

Shopsmith is unigue but having a miter bar 1/16 wider than the industry standard does not justify $30 or even $15 more in cost.
If they have to charge that much then let them do their home work and don't offer a sale at the same time someone else does where your sales prices is $15 higher. To survive they have to become smarter and more aware of the what the industy is doing.