Shopsmith Forums

Ahhh ok, so, it looks like the 10's are out of the race then..lol so to speak. Ok so I should try for a newer MK5. I see. Yeha, I dont wanna mess around trying to rig things up to work with an older, less powefull machine, Im going on 46 now, along with my youth, my Patience is rapidly running thin so annything that is gonna be any type of pain in the butt, im against. lol;)

Well back to Craigs list and the bargain news I go. wish me luck.

[quote="SDSSmith"]The 10ER in and of itself is a wonderful machine. But of all the Shopsmith versions it is probably the best suited for the person with the "hot rod" mentality. The 10ER can easily be adapted to power most of the Mark V spt's either through home made adaptations, finding the rare Power Mount adapter kit or purchasing quality aftermarket products like Zeev Perry's 'A' style adapter and headstock pulley with integratal hub currently on Ebay. Additionally, it is much easier (and cheaper) to add more power with infinitely adjustable speed control via a DC motor and controller upgrade than say a Powerpro upgrade. It, however, is not for those who grow faint when they see exposed belts or like something in a nice and neat box.]

The adapter and pulley set are awesome... does this mean finding a really great shape 10er on the cheap is still worth it to maybe pick up cause witht hese adapters and pulleys it can use the mk5 machines? lol, now thats awesome!! now, what about the power thing? add a speed controller and DC motor? care to explain? im interested for sure. (im not afraid no stinking exposed belt, I got 10 fingers for a reason, I figure thats ten lessons to learn before your really in trouble!)

I've got a DC motor from Skip, and it is without a doubt, the best addition ever for an ER.

Skip had a motor with a cracked end mount, but it also had a normal (type 56) mount. Looks funny if you look at the end bell, but it works just fine.

It is a 1.5 HP motor, and will spin the old Magna 8 inch wobble dado blade, good enough to make a 1X1 inch cut through a 4X4. (And, that blade was {and still is} dull.)

I spent $300 on my ER, (without the new DC motor) and it is worth every penny. Came with a speedchanger, a TON of accessories, and a copy of PTWFE. I've added the factory legs, casters, and a MkV headrest, in place of the ER headrest. I've also got a MkV bandsaw.

steve

so i can pick up a reasonably good condition ER for anywhere between about $300.00 and $400.00 spend another approx. $450.00 for the motor / speed controll set up and step pulley set up and it will perform better or as good as a MK5? what about hooking up stuff like the sander, jointer, and bandsaw attachments? I would just get the adapter in the post a few above this one and all will e right with the world? or should i take the total amount of $$ id spend and just got a mk5 in good shape?

zacker wrote:so i can pick up a reasonably good condition ER for anywhere between about $300.00 and $400.00 spend another approx. $450.00 for the motor / speed controll set up and step pulley set up and it will perform better or as good as a MK5? what about hooking up stuff like the sander, jointer, and bandsaw attachments? I would just get the adapter in the post a few above this one and all will e right with the world? or should i take the total amount of $$ id spend and just got a mk5 in good shape?

It depends on how much work you want to put into it. If your budget is (or you expect to spend) around $850 but you don't want to do much work to the machine itself, then you might want to look at picking up a used Mark 5. Although they are hard to find locally for me, if I expand my CL search to about 200 miles, I can find Mark 5s in the $500 - $1,000 range but those are all basic 500 models with no SPTs. People seem to want more around here for 510 and 520 models or if SPTs are included, but that may be different in your area.

But, if you don't mind doing a little "redneck engineering" (which I personally find to be half the fun of using these machines), and you don't mind the smaller table size, then an ER might fit you. And if you don't mind doing some restoration work, you might can find a 10ER a lot cheaper than $300. I have two 10ERs, one of which was free, the other I paid $100 for (which was too much really). Both were rust buckets, unusable in the condition I received them, and required a lot of work. But they cleaned up nice and I absolutely love them. And I feel that doing a restoration makes you more aware of your machine, how it works and its own little quirks, easier to troubleshoot if there is a problem, etc.

I also have a Mark 5 500 model which I traded a "job site" type table saw for (I think I paid about $250 for the table saw). The Mark 5 even included a bandsaw. It didn't need a full restoration, but still needed a bit of work. I went through the full resto process with it anyway.

I can't honestly say which I like more. Both have their pros and cons. But I can say that the only thing better than a Shopsmith is multiple Shopsmiths! You get an exponential increase in flexibility with each additional machine.

So my suggestion is see what's available, weigh that against the cost of getting up and running with it and how much work you want to put into it, and make the decision that is best for you.

heathicus wrote:It depends on how much work you want to put into it. If your budget is (or you expect to spend) around $850 but you don't want to do much work to the machine itself, then you might want to look at picking up a used Mark 5. Although they are hard to find locally for me, if I expand my CL search to about 200 miles, I can find Mark 5s in the $500 - $1,000 range but those are all basic 500 models with no SPTs. People seem to want more around here for 510 and 520 models or if SPTs are included, but that may be different in your area.

But, if you don't mind doing a little "redneck engineering" (which I personally find to be half the fun of using these machines), and you don't mind the smaller table size, then an ER might fit you. And if you don't mind doing some restoration work, you might can find a 10ER a lot cheaper than $300. I have two 10ERs, one of which was free, the other I paid $100 for (which was too much really). Both were rust buckets, unusable in the condition I received them, and required a lot of work. But they cleaned up nice and I absolutely love them. And I feel that doing a restoration makes you more aware of your machine, how it works and its own little quirks, easier to troubleshoot if there is a problem, etc.

I also have a Mark 5 500 model which I traded a "job site" type table saw for (I think I paid about $250 for the table saw). The Mark 5 even included a bandsaw. It didn't need a full restoration, but still needed a bit of work. I went through the full resto process with it anyway.

I can't honestly say which I like more. Both have their pros and cons. But I can say that the only thing better than a Shopsmith is multiple Shopsmiths! You get an exponential increase in flexibility with each additional machine.

So my suggestion is see what's available, weigh that against the cost of getting up and running with it and how much work you want to put into it, and make the decision that is best for you.

Well Said!:)

Thanks for the info.. I am definetly interested in getting a ShopSmith .. One thing about table size, cant I make table extension wings i could put on and off as needed? also, if I could can I change out the fence to something more user friendly like a smaller besimyer or even a used delta unifence? I recently saw a really sweet set of plans in a wood working mag to make a work bench that converts into a saw station.. its got slide out wings so it will hold a full sheet of ply but you need to use straight edge guides and clamps to rip panels on it.. which isnt THAT bad but its just not as versatile as a good tablesaw and good fence.as you can do so much more, esp with good shop made jigs and guides!

zacker wrote:Thanks for the info.. I am definetly interested in getting a ShopSmith .. One thing about table size, cant I make table extension wings i could put on and off as needed? also, if I could can I change out the fence to something more user friendly like a smaller besimyer or even a used delta unifence? I recently saw a really sweet set of plans in a wood working mag to make a work bench that converts into a saw station.. its got slide out wings so it will hold a full sheet of ply but you need to use straight edge guides and clamps to rip panels on it.. which isnt THAT bad but its just not as versatile as a good tablesaw and good fence.as you can do so much more, esp with good shop made jigs and guides!

The 'tilt table' does not lend itself well to 'wings'. The 510,520 come 'close with their 'tubes' and floating tables.

The 10 and the 'lessor' Mark x models do not fare as well.

Not sure how adapting a 'brand x' fence would work out.

If you anticipate needing the 'wide' ripping capability, the Mark V/7 510/520 would be more appropriate.