Shopsmith Forums

Hi all, Yep new to this forum. I figured I would sign up and let you decide my fate.

As of a couple years ago I became the proud-ish owner of a Shop Smith Radial arm saw. As with any used tool parts were missing. I was after an RAS for a remodeling project so I weighed what was needed vs what I could repair and this fit the bill.

However at this time in my life the project has been completed we have moved and as we all know an RAS is a space hog in a garage. I am fighting the bird in hand/hoarding voices in my head. I am considering the options on this piece of equipment so I chose to go ahead and reach out to a group that has the most knowledge on it and allow you to pipe in on the fate of this saw.

I don't want to offend anyone as this is my first post and didn't want to jump right in and just try to sell something. But after searching the internet for info your group seems to have a high opinion of this saw.

So here is what I have done:
Tuned the column channel in the back (the usual sore spots trued)
Replaced the beam coil wire.
Built a table
Put it on a stand

What I need to have this girl perfect would be:
table tracks. (to get the full 24" rip width oh yeah!)
anti-kickback pawl.

I would love to hear your suggestions.

Now that your 'project' is complete, question is, what are you going to be doing in the future?

Therein lies your 'answer'.

Why are you 'fighting' those voices?

Oh I have no problem finding a project. It is what gives me an excuse to buy a new tool. Currently I have a Jaguar xjs and a jeep that I am rebuilding. But on the side we decided that aquaponics was a good project for the family so you can't grow plants or keep tilapia in freezing weather so you need a greenhouse so we built a greenhouse. But it's duck season. And there are pigs here to hunt. And I need to sight in so I need to reload so I have enough ammunition for when the me-firsts decide that they are going to tell me what I can and can't have. But wait the Pinewood derby race is on the 17th 12 cars to help guide 12 impressionable boys to have some interest in doing something with their hands besides texting and pulling up their drawers. Oh crap drawers...need to finish the bookshelf project, man it's a good thing I bought that new 2.5 horsepower variable speed router so that I can have better control on the dadoes this time. last bookshelf I made I burned up a bit running the wrong speed. Speed what trolling speed does white bass like to bite at when they are 40 feet down. Oh yeah the was down pump. Got that switch in better install it and get the boat back in storage before the hood snoop roots around in her and finds something he can take. I forgot to take down the Christmas lights again today.

Oh I have no problem finding a project. It is what gives me an excuse to buy a new tool. Currently I have a Jaguar xjs and a jeep that I am rebuilding. But on the side we decided that aquaponics was a good project for the family so you can't grow plants or keep tilapia in freezing weather so you need a greenhouse so we built a greenhouse. But it's duck season. And there are pigs here to hunt. And I need to sight in so I need to reload so I have enough ammunition for when the me-firsts decide that they are going to tell me what I can and can't have. But wait the Pinewood derby race is on the 17th 12 cars to help guide 12 impressionable boys to have some interest in doing something with their hands besides texting and pulling up their drawers. Oh crap drawers...need to finish the bookshelf project, man it's a good thing I bought that new 2.5 horsepower variable speed router so that I can have better control on the dadoes this time. last bookshelf I made I burned up a bit running the wrong speed. Speed what trolling speed does white bass like to bite at when they are 40 feet down. Oh yeah the wash down pump. Got that switch in better install it and get the boat back in storage before the hood snoop roots around in her and finds something he can take. I forgot to take down the Christmas lights again today.

Oh yeah the voices. Well...focus I believe is the key here. Lack of focus tends to lead me down new trails. The cool part of a new trail is what you learn along the way. I come from a long lineage of hoarders they called it the depression era effect. But that perfectly good screw has a use some day so we will keep it. I have come to the realization that it costs me more to store the proverbial screw for the possible future than it does for me to buy exactly the right one when I do find a use for it. Don't get me wrong when I win the lottery one of the first things I will buy is a junkyard. How many people do you know that have that aspiration? Oh the things you can think. The voices...there is the little red guy saying keep the saw. It can make all of these cool things really fast when it is set up. And then the other guy in white says but you have to set it up and when it is set up you launch boards at the light fixtures (no kickback pawl remember) and for what little you use it now you could buy a similar one later when you have more time. Oh but it is variable speed and it can cut a 4x4 in one pass they don't make them anymore says the red guy.

Ultimately when I grow up this would be a great saw but again I am on the fence right now and with the consideration that it has been in the garage for two and a half years not set up and I can function perfectly well without it I am leaning more toward the set her free school.

I would call that 'waste not want not!

You do realize that if you 'let er go', you will need her a month later!:D

Welcome to the forums! If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask.

Welcome to the Forum.

So if I keep her I need a few things to make her right and safer. the kickback pawl and the sliding rail assemblies on the bottom. can anyone direct me on obtaining them?

dgr8n8 wrote:So if I keep her I need a few things to make her right and safer. the kickback pawl and the sliding rail assemblies on the bottom. can anyone direct me on obtaining them?

Hate to say this, but, E-bay and C-list!:eek:


Unless someone here has an 'extra'.