Shopsmith Forums

You never go wrong learning the basics...

Paul - I found the self study course to be almost essential for learning woodworking skills with the table saw. Even after years of making cabinets, shelves, etc., with a RAS, I found the course to be extremely helpful in learning the basics of saw usage and joint construction.

Look at the course like the basics. It is a lot more fun and understandable to make something if you have a good knowledge of the basics. The difficulty of woodworking without these basics must be similar to doing algebra without knowing many basics.

Then there is another big plus! The pages are still on the shelf and available for reference.

All of this makes me think of one word: Quality.

Sadly, every company freely touts that their products are "quality." But when was the last time you found an instruction manual actually helpful, or an included "how to" book that was anything more than a teaser for a bigger volume you had to purchase.

It is because of QUALITY that these forums are filled with true-believers. It is because of quality that these machines are running a half century later.

It also has a sad side. I've read too many ebay and Craigslist ads where a lovingly cared for Shopsmith is being sold because the owner has become too ill, or too dead. I hope my family will find a good home for mine when I'm gone -- or better yet that my daughter's flickers of interest will catch fire and it will someday be hers. (I was out buying some beautiful 4x4 Mahogony and Cherry yesterday because she had been enthralled with Nick's bandsaw box Sawdust Session.)

My vision is for my son to receive it as part of his inheritance and lovingly take care of it. He seems to be showing interest.

SS is a quality tool.

Enjoy the self study course, the more you put into it and push yourself to learn the details of each joint the more you will get out of it.

paulrussell wrote: . . . But when was the last time you found an instruction manual actually helpful, or an included "how to" book that was anything more than a teaser for a bigger volume you had to purchase.
. . .

Seems they are included merely to CTA by including an insane number of 'safety' precautions regardless of whether the contents are relevant or not!(extension cord warning on battery operated gadget!)

I would love to walk myself thru the self-study course, if I had one. Unfortunately, my '55 did not come with such. It did come with an early PTWE, which is great.

Is there a reasonably priced source for this? Certainly they don't go cheap in eBay.

I agree with everything I've read in this thread. Great advice.

This is where I have been fishing for woodworking books....

This is where I have been fishing for woodworking books....

The older versions contain discontinued items like bench chisel sharpening jig and ?a chapter on metal finishing?.

Paul;
I have had my SS since 1983 when I bought it new. I don't consider the "woodworking" course an actual woodworking course but rather a "How to use your Shopsmith" course. So if you want make a compound miter cut the book shows you how to set up the machine to make that type of cut. Also switching between modes to make the different cuts makes you more familiar with the machine. Conclusion: go through the course and do the excersises and you will pick a lot of subtle information that will make your use of the SS much more enjoyable.
SS is not a difficult machine to use but it is different and does have a bit of a learning curve.
Bill V

allsas wrote:This is where I have been fishing for woodworking books...

Thanks! I already had the 10ER version of the book and just ordered the Mark 5 version from that site.