Shopsmith Forums

First one that I received was given to me. Wow! That was pure joy. I had no experience or training. I bought DVD's from Woodworkers Journal, watched many YouTubes, read most of my manual and started with pure bravery. I am thankful to God for giving me the common sense to be careful and figure out stuff so that I nor anyone else who mistakenly comes into the area have been hurt. My second machine, I know you didn't ask about subsequent machines, but I swapped my pick up truck for it. The man had pancreatic cancer and he knew that his time was very short. He didn't want his wife and daughter to have to deal with disposing of it after his death. He lived about another 3 weeks. It works great. And, that's my story.

Steve, the old swampgator

Well, let's see. I purchased my first Shopsmith (a Mark V model 500) in 1986. I had been going to demo's for a more than a few years and then, just before Christmas, we went to a demo in St. Joseph, Michigan and as I once again drooled at the Shopsmith, my wife said 'Oh, go ahead and but one!' So I did. One of the other guy's there recommended I get the wheels so I did buy those. Used it for a good many years until I sold it to my son-in-law (after I bought 2 more!)

In the mid-1990's, my wife and I went to an estate auction that had a lot of tools including a Shopsmith model 510 with a bandsaw and a belt sander. With my heart in my mouth, the auctioneer started off at $1,000. I kept quiet. The auctioneer went down in price .. no response. He went down again...no response .. down again and no response. Finally he hit $500 and I said, in a loud voice (slight breaking voice, I might add) 'Yes'. And that was the only bid. Huzzah!!! Still have that one.

5 years later, I advertised in CL for a SS jointer and got one response - a seller had a SS with a jointer - he sent pictures - holy smokes! It was a 510 circa 1984. It had been stored in a shed, was a bit rusty and had wasp nests in it but, for $300, I grabbed it. CLeaned up nicely and I still have it but it has been upgraded to a 520. So 30+ years as a SS owner.

I bought my first Shopsmith (a 1957 Mark V)for $350 off Craigslist with a ton of accessories, including a bandsaw, planer, jointer, shaper, belt, disc and drum sanders. It also included 5 boxes full of knives, shaper blades, drill bits, router bits, etc, most of which were unused and still in sealed factory packaging from the 50's. A little elbow grease, a new belt and a little oil and she's run flawlessly for over 3 years now. Just picked up an old Mark VII in impeccable shape last week. These things are addictive.

Addictions...
It's not just me, and it's not just us (SS folks).
I am currently puttering with vintage sewing machines and there are a number of groups related to that. The one I belong to has about 36,000 members and some of these folks have rooms full of them.
I have been into old tractors for many years but I only have 17 of them.
I also like old boxes, trunks and wooden tool chest and have them sitting all over the house.
Then there is my collection of old two wheeled garden tractors.
And horses.
Carefully and tightly packed you couldn't haul all of our Christmas decorations in a full sized van. Maybe not even in two vans.
I don't think my books would fit tightly in a full sized van.
We also for years collected shoe items (owned a shoe repair shop) like figurines, planters, minitures and a zillion other such items.
We also used to collect sheep things the same way.
Then there is my hammer collection.
And my bit brace collection.
and hand planes.
And...
And...
And for each of these items and many others there are internet groups with thousands of members just as crazy as I am.


My question back here is other than space, why would you not have more than one Shopsmith?


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Purchased it new from the Cincinnati woodworking show in 1989. Picked it up at the Shopsmith store off the Mt. Healthy 275 exit.

Anyone remember what they paid new?

I paid right around $1,200 for a 510. I remember Total Shop had a booth right in back of Shopsmith and there was some competition going on. Guess we now know who won.

At the time I knew little about woodworking or machine setup. Many years later I figured out some of my woodworking mistakes was because the table on my 510 was not flat. Obvious to me now. I could never get my Extension Table shimmed right. It would not be in plane mounting it on one end to the other.

Bought my First one in Montreal in 87 or 88, I saw in in a woodworking show that was in town and I was so amazed I knew that I needed to buy one and did so at the SS store in town. The store closed a few years later and I had to get the other ones through craigslist or Kijiji. That was how I got all my SPTs that was a lot of fun most people did not know anything about the machines.

Back in the early 80's, my paternal Grandfather had one. I loved watching him make stuff on it (I was in my teens then).

After he passed around '89, my grandmother foolishly sold all his woodworking tools, including his SS, to her "friends" at church...for pennies on the dollar.

Go forward a few decades... About a year and a half ago, I was perusing Craigslist and I found a 505 50th Anniversary edition for sale near me. Made around 2006 or so. Turned out the guy's grandfather bought it brand new, and before he even finished putting it together, he took ill and died. Had never even been turned on. All the accessories were still in the original boxes, etc. So, I essentially got a "new" one for $1100. Came with all the lathe tools, safety gear, a bandsaw, and all the paperwork.

A few months later, I picked up a jointer off Craigslist for like $150.

Then, less than a month ago, I found an older Shopsmith Mk. V 500, circa 1973-ish), again on Craigslist. Needs a little cleaning up, but it works. Paid $300 for it. I want to dedicate it to a lathe.

I bought my first one around 30 years ago but it never ran. Well I never tried it because I lived in an apartment. I ended giving it to my brother-in-law. About 5 years ago I got the urge and started buying them off of Craigs list. I would buy them keep some of the accessories then resell them for what I paidwhen a better one came along. Most of them were around 300 to 500. The last one was a 520 I got for $300. It came with the jointer and and belt sander. Once I got my 520 I stopped buying them and focused on maxing out my 520. I got all the upgrades done except for the new power pro head. Unfortunately I was retired before I could do that last upgrade. It looks like that upgrade will probably never happen now but I still have a great 520 so I'm good. Everything in my shop is Shopsmith. The only accessory I don't have is the strip sander.

Michael

I bought mine, a 1955 Greenie, in 1984 from an original owner. I upgraded it in 1990 with a new headstock and 510 table system from shopsmith. I upgraded it again in 2015 with a PowerPro upgrade kit and a 520 tables upgrade also from shopsmith. All that remains from the original Greenie is the bench so I guess you would call it about 70% from shopsmith, 30% from other.

Bought a 500 new from SS in about 1980 and paid $850 ish still have it with PP head.