Shopsmith Forums

Hi All, I just inherited a Mark 5 from my uncle who inherited it from my grandfather. I've cleaned it, oiled it and removed rust - it works beautifully! I've done quite a bit of construction and remodeling but I'm a novice at wood working. For one of my first projects on the Shopsmith, I was wanted to create an art frame for a 1.5" deep canvas (my better half is an artist). The only router experience I have is with a handheld and only to take a few hard edges off of a simple bookshelf I created for my kids.

I was thinking about investing in the shaping fence kit and getting started with overhead shaping. I'm not planning on shaping very often, mostly just to make art frames. My challenge now is that I don't really know how to to put pieces together to form a frame that will be deep enough and wide enough to do the 1.5" canvas enough justice. So, two questions:

1. Is there an alternative to the shaper fence kit that I should consider?
2. Does anyone have any resources for putting together really deep frames (how to, bits, etc).

I suggest giving some consideration to router table Vs. shaper kit. I have both and when it comes to decorative edging I find I choose based more on bit/cutter profile than any other factor. It seems to me that these days the router table is the more popular choice for a home workshop, so bits, fences, etc. are more widely available. Both systems are very good for rabbets and dados.

Comparing the conventional headstock to a typical standalone shaper is useful so that you understand limitations and upgrades. Two things to consider are cutter speed and reversibility. Though the Shopsmith has variable speed, which is great, RPM are very low compared to a dedicated shaper. Shopsmith offers the speed increaser (or PowerPro) to achieve those speeds. And most dedicated shapers have reverse, which offers more flexibility in setups. PowerPro offers reverse. Over Vs Under table is not a huge consideration for shaping to me.

- David