Shopsmith Forums

I have seen discussions of the SS bandsaw and planers that describes them as being mounted onto the SS frame or operating as stand-alone units. Forgive my ignorance, but in the latter case - what powers them?

To operate stand-alone they need to be mounted on a stand and have a separate motor.

When you buy the SS stand, does it come with the motor? And what advantage is there compared to buying a non-SS brand of the same tool?

Shopsmith has had two versions of the Planer in the past. One is the Mark Mount Planer which sits on the way tubes of the Mark 5/V or Mark 7 and is powered by the headstock. You can see more about it in the online catalog on this website. The other model was the Pro Planer which is mounted to a stand with a motor mounted underneath to power it. Shopsmith no longer lists the Pro Planer in it's online catalog. Both Planer models have a separate feed motor but early on came with a manual feed crank as an option.

The Bandsaw is a Mark Mount SPT (special or single purpose tool) that is powered by the users Mark series tool or can be mounted to a separate stand with a motor. In the past Shopsmith sold stands with motors for their SPT's and also sold what was called the Power Station with a variable speed control similar to the Mark V for using SPT's without a Mark series tool.

The Shopsmith SPT's or Add-a-Tool as they were originally called include the Jointer, Jig Saw (discontinued), Belt Sander, Bandsaw, Air Compressors (discontinued), Scroll Saw and Strip Sander. These all mount in the holes in the Mark series tool's headrest to be powered by the headstock. The Planer mounts clamped on the way tubes and cannot be used on the Power Station.

As for you last question.

what advantage is there compared to buying a non-SS brand of the same tool?

That is a different discussion which partly comes down to preferences. One thing about the Shopsmith SPT's is you do not have to have as many stand alone tools taking up space in the shop. Another is longevity of the tool. The Jointer, Belt Sander and Bandsaw date back to their introductions in the 1950's. I currently have a 1956 Bandsaw that I restored and parts needed for it are still available along with upgrades that can be added to it. Try and find another tool with that longevity and upgrade of new designs made for it.