Shopsmith Forums

Does anyone have experience with with using the SS for ripping thick material? I have a 8' long 25" wide and 2" thick countertop that I need to rip in half. The local woodworking shop had a standard kerf Freud industrial blade (LM74M010) (I have the 5/8 arbor adapter) that they said should work well in most well powered saws but, looking at the Mark V power it is ridiculously underpowered ( 1 1/8 hp) compared to most basic table saws (2-3 HP). Should I attempt this with the SS or just bite the bullet and buy a properly powered table saw? I have a 2.75 HP radial arm saw but, not real keen on ripping with that. Thanks for any help in advance!

The blade listed is OK if it is still in like new condition. If it has been used a lot then I would worry. It needs to be sharp and clean.

A shopsmith has the advantage of being able to lower the speed and up the torque which is not common on most saws so while the HP seems lower it is really not that under powered. Just set to the lower range for ripping.

It is also critical that the machine have a nice clean waxed table for the wood to slide on, it must be aligned. You will also need some supports as both in feed and out feed.

Ed

A track saw would be great tool for this application. But you can do it on a well aligned Shopsmith with a sharp blade if you follow all of reible's advice. Lowering the blade speed to increase the torque really does work but as reible says, just put it at the low end of the speed setting for sawing (I sometimes go a little lower than that but if you go too slow things will bog down). When you lower the speed of the blade also make sure you slow down your feed rate and let the blade do it's job.

Also, you have to be careful when comparing horsepower ratings of different machines. The Shopsmith power rating is for continuous power. Many manufacturers will give a peak horsepower number instead, which will typically be 2x to 4x higher for the exact same motor. Consumer-grade radial arm saws made after about 1963 are almost all rated by peak horsepower.

Amperage rating is a more reliable indicator of cutting power, although it is not exact. A machine that runs on a 15A, 120V circuit cannot have a continuous output power of more than about 1-1/2 hp. So given its variable-speed transmission, a Shopsmith is more capable than most.

Something that long might be easiest to rip by clamping a straight edge on it and cutting it with a circular saw. That way you get the advantage of moving a lightweight saw instead of a heavy countertop.

reible wrote: ↑Sat Dec 12, 2020 7:29 pm The blade listed is OK if it is still in like new condition. If it has been used a lot then I would worry. It needs to be sharp and clean.

A shopsmith has the advantage of being able to lower the speed and up the torque which is not common on most saws so while the HP seems lower it is really not that under powered. Just set to the lower range for ripping.

It is also critical that the machine have a nice clean waxed table for the wood to slide on, it must be aligned. You will also need some supports as both in feed and out feed.

Ed

Don't forget though that this "automatic transmission" created by the sheaves is just that, an automatic transmission so there is power loss associated with it compared to a direct drive. Does anyone know how efficient the Shopsmith design is, out of curiosity? Not exactly the same, but I think CVT transmissions in cars are only like 80% efficient if I recall correctly. So, this has to be taken into consideration as well when considering Shopsmith versus standard tablesaw horsepower.

algale wrote: ↑Sat Dec 12, 2020 9:13 pm A track saw would be great tool for this application. But you can do it on a well aligned Shopsmith with a sharp blade if you follow all of reible's advice. Lowering the blade speed to increase the torque really does work but as reible says, just put it at the low end of the speed setting for sawing (I sometimes go a little lower than that but if you go too slow things will bog down). When you lower the speed of the blade also make sure you slow down your feed rate and let the blade do it's job.

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+1
Moving a saw would be much safer and easier .

With a half decent blade and a properly adjusted machine the Shopsmith will easily cut through this. Make sure you have the blade height adjusted properly and double check all the locks. Your biggest problem is handling the weight of the top. If you do not make provision for in-feed and out feed support you run a good chance of shifting the wood which could cause binding and pinching of the blade.
I have many times cut even thicker hard wood with my Shopsmith, one cut was so thick the blade on the first cut was buried. Shopsmith cut it easily. But I totally agree a track saw would be easier, probably more exact and certainly less exciting!

Even the older 3/4 HP Shopsmith will get the job done, I've ripped true 2 inch hardwood on mine. But it is one area where you notice the difference in the 1-1/8 HP machines (or PowerPro). +1 on what Buckeye Dennis said, to be portable it's important that a table saw operate on 15 or less amps or its portability is severely limited. The true 2 and 3 HP machines are going to be 230 Volt or 3 Phase, and I'm sure they'd be great for this application.

- David

It can be done on the SS and fence-it does sound very unwieldy though. If you don't want to bog the machine, besides the good advice above-you could make 2 passes with the proper splitter.