Shopsmith Forums

Today I received my "Power Tool Woodworking for Everyone" in the mail. Along with the Shopsmith Self-Guided tutorial I have a lot of learning and enjoyment ahead of me.

One thing that did catch my eye was using the drill press as a stationary router. While I have admittedly not tried this, it doesn't seem like a great router alternative. Am I wrong?

In any case this further got me thinking about what other Shopsmith accessories might not be the best solution for the task at hand. I realize that the above mentioned drill-mode router was an attempt to put routing affordably into the hands of the woodworker, so I'm not bashing Shopsmith. Its just clear that one company can't have the best of EVERYTHING. There's gonna be a clunker or two in the mix.

What do you think the Shopsmith million-dollar winners are, and which would you take a pass on?

There is a very recent thread (May 1, 2010) that shows results of using the SS as a router. Title, "Heath's Woodworking Projects". The 2nd post shows Heath's real good round overs. https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?p=65753&postcount=2

Having done a bit of routing using the SS, I've found it is do-able! Shopsmith sells router bit chucks (holders) for 1/4" and 1/2" shanked bits. They are safer than using a drill chuck. http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/catalog/rm_routerchuckshield.htm
Using this chuck and a spiral bit is an excellent way to make mortises or shallow grooves.

When using the SS as a router it is imperative to take small bites and move the workpiece slowly. Router bits don't work as smoothly as shaper bits, because they only have two cutters as opposed to three cutters on shaper bits.

The use of a "Shaper/drum sander" fence or something similar is the only safe way I can think of when routing or shaping. Heath's photos in Post #2 show that fence.

I still use the shaper but have finally afforded to own a OPR. If I didn't have the OPR, I would still use the SS as a router for some jobs.

Your question: Are all Shopsmith accessories the best option for a task at hand? In my mind that is un-answerable. Depends on the task at hand and what you have available. As you most probably know, there are many numerous methods/techniques to do ANY woodworking job.

paulrussell wrote:
What do you think the Shopsmith million-dollar winners are, and which would you take a pass on?

From my experiences to date...

- (Chisel) Mortising Set is not a favorite of mine. Even with some care in setup, you can be working leverages that tend to deflect or move the table.

- DC3300 is excellent for my basement shop. Both for power-work-modes and for cleaning up at my hand bench.

- Lots of folks have a pen-turning mandrel which isn't sold by Shopsmith. For instance mine is from Penn State. Absolutely great for quick and satisfying little pen projects.

- From all accounts the Sand Flee works super. I don't have one but I have a rig to run my 6" drum sander like a Sand Flee. I like this thing a lot.

- I like everything listed in my Shopsmith signature! This being said, I am one of those on this Forum who is falling in love with hand-planes too. Given their quietness, they can let me do jobs which otherwise would be too noisy for the Mrs.

The good
Lathe
Sander
Bandsaw
Basic table saw
Boring

The ok
Drill press
slightly advanced table saw work
Dadoing

The bad
Router
Large tablesaw work
Angled tablesaw work
Mortise work

I have used the router chuck before, and it has worked fine. Yes, you do have to use it slowly, but it was no problem. I like the fact that you can use it in vertical or horizontal mode as well. I've been thinking about making a special table so it can be used kind of like a Joint Master.

As to the more general question, I have not yet used a Shopsmith tool that I did not like. Clearly there are tradeoffs (if I had the space, I'd prefer a much larger bandsaw), but nothing has dissapointed me to date.

I believe that Nick Engler once admitted that the mortising attachment was not the best accessory that Shopsmith ever offered - but then, in general, mortising attachments for drill presses non't get high marks.

The Pro Planer and the DC3300 dust collector are highly underrated and virtually ignored by the magazines with their "reviews". The Pro Planer, with it's infinetely variable feed rate can produce the best snipe free, smooth surface of any planer in it's class. I recently used my Pro planer with a contractor, who has owned several planers, and he kept remarking how quiet it was, and that the surface was so smooth that no sanding was required.

Members of the Lumberjocks forum can't believe that the DC3300 works. The magazines and their advertisers have throughly convinced woodworkers that they simply must have at least a 2 HP unit with 4" ductwork and hoses all over the place. I feel sorry for the guy who works in 1/2 of his garage, who has fallen for this hipe, and now has this cumbersome and very noisy system taking up far too much of his limited space and electrical capacity.

8iowa wrote:The Pro Planer and the DC3300 dust collector are highly underrated and virtually ignored by the magazines with their "reviews". The Pro Planer, with it's infinetely variable feed rate can produce the best snipe free, smooth surface of any planer in it's class. I recently used my Pro planer with a contractor, who has owned several planers, and he kept remarking how quiet it was, and that the surface was so smooth that no sanding was required.

I was reading a late 80's issue of Wood Magazine from my stack of old magazines the other day and they included the Pro Planer in their evaluation/comparison of planers. It was one of only two that had a variable feed rate. It scored pretty high from what I recall. I think the main difference between then and now, is that then it was very competitive in price. The list price was under $900 while most other planers on their list were over $1,000. Now it's not very competitive. There are many options for under $500 while the Pro Planer is almost $1,500.

For me, this is a very difficult discussion to have without getting irrational.

The Shopsmith Mark V is a fantastic tool as long as it is the right tool for the job at hand. I am a home hobbyist and I believe the Mark V is an ideal table saw for the do-it-yourself craftsman. If you are getting ready to build kitchen cabinets professionally, you do not have the right tool if your Shopsmith is the only table saw you have. Can you build kitchen cabinets? Absolutely. Can you get professional results? Absolutely. Can you build kitchen cabinets with the efficiency required to do it professionally? Absolutely not!

This same scenario can be written for every tool that Shopsmith manufactures.

The factors that prevent the various Shopsmith tools from performing at the professional level are, in my opinion, inadequate size and insufficient stability. For the home craftsman, neither of these factors are show stoppers. Simply don't tell SWMBO on December 1 that the new kitchen will be done in time to entertain the entire family for Christmas unless you started before Thanksgiving and you have qualified help.

You may have to build an outfeed table for the Mark V and the jointer before getting started on the kitchen. You may have to builld a sled for the planer before you can start to gang plane all those stiles and rails.

But there is nothing you can not do with the Shopsmith except maybe the initial mill work. Remember - the right tool!

Does Shopsmith offer the best in all of the categories of tools they sell? Absolutely not! But I wouldn't trade my Mark V, the Pro Planer, the Belt Sander, Bandsaw and the Jointer for any other model unless I had a large, large shop to move in to.

What I think Shopsmith does that I believe is a marketing error is try to be all things to all craftsmen. I believe they should have avoided items like the mortising tool, the biscuit jointer, the Sand Flee. Sell what you build and not what you buy. Avoid adding the necessary markup onto tools that someone else has already marked up and that someone else already does better. The biscuit jointer is the first tool in this category that comes to my mind.

Other tools like dial indicators, calipers, steel rules are all okay but there is an added markup that makes them non-competitive.

Dusty, from the viewpoint of someone who does have a big shop and does have all the stand alone tools, I couldn't agree more with your assesssment of Shopsmith's strenghts and weaknesses. Niether my 10ER or my Mark V can compete tool for tool with any of my stand alones but that is not and was never what they were for. SS is and was the best option for the small home shop where production comes second to space efficiency and cost. Since my recent discovery of SS I am for the first time seriously considering selling my shop and tools (at some point) and keeping the SS equipment. I no longer have the need for high production or the tools that facilitate it and with patience and good planning SS is up to the task.

The biggest difference between a SS tool and my stand alone counterpart is the tablesaw against my unisaw with unifence. No contest.

Paul M