Total Shop. Total oops?

[wingman2010]

Hey everyone, I own a shopsmith 510. I was looking on CL for some SPTs and I came across a deal to good to be true. It was. I now own a rough Total Shop and 5 SPTs. Will they fit a SS or did I just waste $400 and an evening.

I noticed the adapters are backward but can I just buy the correct adapters or are there bigger issues.

I'm frustrated because I feel taken advantage of. The guy told me they're the same machine and the parts are interchangeable.

[ChrisNeilan]

Others will chime in with more info, but I'm told that the Total Shop was a fairly good clone of the Shopsmith, and that with a little effort, spts will function on a Shopsmith. As to service parts, I don't know. They may be harder to come by.

[wa2crk]

I believe that Bill Mayo has worked with some Total Shop stuff and I am sure that he can give you some guidance.
Bill V

[billmayo]

All SPTs, attachments and accessories for the Total Shop (TS) will work with the Shopsmith. The miter slot width (narrower) on the TS steel main table are the same width as used on table saws, however the steel main table and trunnion will work with the Shopsmith carriage. I have a cut down TS steel table on my drilling/tapping/milling Shopsmith. I cannot use the Shopsmith miter gauge on this table. The Total Shop headstock is a little longer inside than the Shopsmith. The Total Shop quill has double bearings with a larger diameter housing. Other than the belts, no internal headstock parts are interchangeable with the Shopsmith. It has a 1 1/2 HP motor (56 base) that I could not wire for reverse rotation. Lack of lubrication of the TS control sheave normally results in one or both speed control bracket arms breaking off, they do not bend like the Shopsmith speed control bracket arms. The TS quadrant uses a shaft with locking washers outside of each leg that prevents just one leg bending. This was the problem in all the Total Shop headstocks that I have disassembled.

I have replaced a few Total Shop headstocks with the Shopsmith headstock. The Total stock way tubes are 1.675" compared to the Shopsmiths 1.75" way tubes. I found that by using reconditioned lock wedges in the Shopsmith headstock, the headstock will lock down with perfect alignment on the 1.675" way tubes. I still have 2 TS steel tables & trunnions with TS miter gauge extension tables laying in my shop. They are heavy.

[wingman2010]

Thanks for responding!

I'm so glad to hear the SPTs will work. It sounds like I didn't waste my money and maybe my wife won't yell at me. It seems like every part of the Total Shop is significantly more heavy than the SS.

The speed control is broken on the TS.

Are the SPT parts interchangeable with the Shopsmith? In case the bandsaw, joiner, jig saw or belt sander go out some day.


On my Shopsmith, the white shaft that connects a tool to the head stock has 4 splines on one end and 5 on the other. The TS connects exactly backwards from the Shopsmith but the coupler does fit. Do I just need to buy connectors?

[Bruce]

Hey everyone, I own a shopsmith 510. I was looking on CL for some SPTs and I came across a deal to good to be true. It was. I now own a rough Total Shop and 5 SPTs. Will they fit a SS or did I just waste $400 and an evening.

I noticed the adapters are backward but can I just buy the correct adapters or are there bigger issues.

I'm frustrated because I feel taken advantage of. The guy told me they're the same machine and the parts are interchangeable.

I assume it had the Total Shop name plate, so how do you figure you got taken?

[wingman2010]

The ad showed and said shopsmith. He installed a shopsmith speed dial (probably because the Total Shop broke at some point) and had a shopsmith speed reducer attached. He started loading immediately and i didn't see the TS logo until we moved the main unit. I asked him if they were the same and he said all the parts are interchangeable.

I got home and did some research and got really upset. It felt like I'd been duped. Ultimately this forum is awesome, I've calmed down and maybe this will be a good purchase.

Do you all know if Shopsmith parts for the SPTs will work on Total Shop? In casw the scroll saw or sander, etc have a service issue.

Bill, thank you for all the great information.

[Bruce]

Well in that case, I would be pissed too.