Shopsmith Forums

Several years ago I wandered down the Shopsmith Path. It was part nostalgia (the Shopsmith "infomercials" of my youth) and part sensibility -- inexpensive VERSATILE used woodworking machine with small footprint.

Which brings me several years, and at least 2 thousand dollars, later to where I am now. PowerPro enabled 520. SS Bandsaw. SS Belt Sander. SS Jointer. SS planer - now upgraded to power stand. SS Lathe Duplicator (still in box). And a stand-alone SS scrollsaw.

Where did I go right and wrong?

I will call the basic Shopsmith Decision to be a win. Especially now with the PowerPro. I have a good lathe. A good table saw. A very good small bandsaw. The scroll saw? I don't know enough about the genre. The jointer, for what I paid, is a winner. The planer is debatable. Limited width, limited length (for accuracy) ... it is probably the weakest link to date.

The lathe duplicator is still in its box. I can't say good nor bad.

So where did you find your Shopsmith mojo to be an asset, and where did it become an Achilles heel?

paulrussell wrote:Where did I go right and wrong? ?

.

Well ya went right by buying your SS. Where ya went wrong is waiting to buy the SS.

Nostalgia plays a part in it for me.I like the small footprint though.
I feel the SS is comparable to stand alone tools of equal size and capacity.I agree on the planer..A 6" thickness max would be better for me. I'm not sure what the advantage of the digital power pro upgrade.I can turn a handle just fine.It seems extremely pricey for what you get. I'm reluctant to do any heavy sawing with the table tilted on the table saw.I love the bandsaw,belt sander and lathe,extension tables with the table saw. .I have a 10er but like the 510 as a lathe better because of the variable speeds.I do have a speed control on my 10er but the slow is too fast for me.I've never used my scroll saw , speed reduce,or drill press .
Overall,the more I use it the more I appreciate it as a do all machine . FWIW: I would never buy a new one at the current prices but would recommend a used one to anyone that is short on space.

paulsgreenbarn wrote:Nostalgia plays a part in it for me.I like the small footprint though.
I feel the SS is comparable to stand alone tools of equal size and capacity.I agree on the planer..A 6" thickness max would be better for me. I'm not sure what the advantage of the digital power pro upgrade.I can turn a handle just fine.It seems extremely pricey for what you get. I'm reluctant to do any heavy sawing with the table tilted on the table saw.I love the bandsaw,belt sander and lathe,extension tables with the table saw. .I have a 10er but like the 510 as a lathe better because of the variable speeds.I do have a speed control on my 10er but the slow is too fast for me.I've never used my scroll saw , speed reduce,or drill press .
Overall,the more I use it the more I appreciate it as a do all machine . FWIW: I would never buy a new one at the current prices but would recommend a used one to anyone that is short on space.

Paul, I don't have my 10E/R's operating yet, but they are supposed to operate down to 450RPM with the speed changer. (See the attached speed chart for configuration.) That's lower than the 700RPM min speed of the Mark V.

Of course, using your speed reducer, you can drop your Mark V speed all the way down to 100 RPM. Which I have found to be none to slow for a circle cutter.

Thanks,I may have to rewire my 10er to 220.I can't seem to get it to operate at that low rpm's.I do use it as a lathe from time to time.I don't do a lot of lathe work .Maybe if i used it more ,I'd come to like it more.The 10er just oozes nostalgia to me.It's almost like using hand tools.VERY cool old machine.

paulsgreenbarn wrote:Thanks,I may have to rewire my 10er to 220.I can't seem to get it to operate at that low rpm's.I do use it as a lathe from time to time.I don't do a lot of lathe work .Maybe if i used it more ,I'd come to like it more.The 10er just oozes nostalgia to me.It's almost like using hand tools.VERY cool old machine.

Do you have the manual for the speed changer? Speed Changer Manual
Note the speed changer has a high range and a low range of speeds depending on how the belts are positioned.

Paul, at the risk of plugging a sales person, or someone who makes and sells goodies for the Model 10,
I want to point out Skip at MKCtools.com He has a DC motor setup, that he makes just for the Model
10, that in my opinion, is the single best addition to this great machine.

Can you say 50 RPM? (Yes, that was fifty.)

steve

That sounds awesome .Thanks.It won't happen right away due the shop rebuild and trying to get my business back to the black after the fire etc.The 10er is on the back burner for a time,but one day I'll do that.
**sorry for this turning into a thread jack.Back to the original topic.lol