Shopsmith Forums

Hello all,
Are you a professional, definition being, “do you make your living from building/making things and use your Shopsmith in that pursuit frequently? If so, please respond to this post. Thanks.

Ok... I don't qualify but your request is very interesting... so what's up? I've been curious how often Shopsmiths are used by professionals. If I were outfitting a shop, knowing how Shopsmiths can be maintained forever, I'd want to use them when they suited particular needs.

In my youth, I was a professional cabinet making and used my Shopsmith on site.
I understand why SS didn’t market to professionals back in the day when the perception was a homeowner tool, undersized, underpowered, etc.
I don’t believe it is a replacement for a professional shop but as a mobile, site based tool in its current form is ideal. Bigger table, great fence,
more powerful, repeatability, digital.
Just curious if other professionals see it that way or if they know of Shopsmith only know it as the old Shopsmith.

I am not a 'professional', but have this 'view'. The Shopsmith is both historically and currently a DIY'er tool. However it can provide adequate function to a professional for occasional one off tasks that eliminate the need to tie up a 'production' machine.

Anyone hear from MBCabinetmaker recently???

JPG wrote: ↑Sat Dec 16, 2023 6:31 pm Anyone hear from MBCabinetmaker recently???

Nope. Another great member who disappeared. Learned a lot from his posts.

I too am not in the woodworking profession but have two examples from Portland OR to share. One is a professional custom cabinet and other wood items maker who has a Mark V in his shop. I met him several years ago when he advertised some Shopsmith parts for sale that I purchased. His Mark V is one of the tools he uses. The other example is a different shop with several employees. They had a Model 10E and a Mark V Greenie that they had used in their shop in the past. They were selling them as they were no longer being used but both still in working order. I don't know if they had a later Mark V model being still in use.

algale wrote: ↑Sat Dec 16, 2023 6:56 pm

JPG wrote: ↑Sat Dec 16, 2023 6:31 pm Anyone hear from MBCabinetmaker recently???

Nope. Another great member who disappeared. Learned a lot from his posts.

I know he got real busy and just couldn't dedicate the time to this forum he once did. I also know that as a professional custom cabinet maker, a Shopsmith was one of his often used tools in his toolbox. He used it enough that he purchased a brand new PowerPro to replace the 520 he had. I had the pleasure of helping him unbox and assemble it.

I think small shops would want to consider a Shopsmith before buying a second machine for some functions such a bandsaw, sander, or lathe. It would have a space saving advantage, plus the multi-purpose flexibility.

The suggestion by JonE above to use a Shopsmith as a job site machine makes a lot of sense also. Take one machine on site and get all the available functions.