Create a review for a woodworking tool that you are familiar with (Shopsmith brand or Non-Shopsmith) or just post your opinion on a specific tool. Head to head comparisons welcome too.
Every time I receive a special offer for Shopsmith parts I wonder which part requires replacement most frequently?
I remember during the first series of traveling academies I attended we had the lunch break a bit early one day when the on/off switch on a 520 failed. When asking the instructor which part failed most frequently he indicated that he had seldom had any part fail. He also said that switch was likle the single item he had replaced more than any other single part.
I would find the experiences of others interesting. Especially given we currently have a 20% discount on replacement parts available? Jim
F. Jim Parks
Lakewood, Colorado:)
When the love of power is replaced by the power of love the world will have a chance for survival.
My Shopsmith is over twenty years old. Two weeks ago, I replaced an on/off switch and that was replaced because when I took it out to check the part # I broke off the plastic fingers that hold it in place.
If I had left it alone to fail on its own, the answer would most likely be - I have NEVER had a failed part.
My most significant maintenance costs are undoubtedly for replacement saw blades, jointer blades and planer blades. I now sharpen my own planer and jointer blades and I have two sets of each, in addition to those installed, ready to go.
"Making Sawdust Safely" Dusty
Sent from my Dell XPS using Firefox.
I suppose the sexy thing to do is to stock up on the critical headstock parts, but they are likely to sit on your shelf for a very long time before they are needed. What is usually overlooked are the simple things that are easily lost or not even considered such as set screws, hex wrench, chuck keys and even casters.
Recently I noticed that my dust collector wasn't moving around well. A new set of front casters fixed the problem. I then replaced my 27 year old casters on my MK 5 and that made a big difference as well. A few years ago I lost one of the thumb set screws on the lower saw guard and couldn't find it. I replaced it with a small wing nut that was awkward to use so I ordered a new thumb screw. Naturally, I them found the original one under a shelving unit.
If you have an older bandsaw, the new ball bearing rollers and cool blocks are a great improvement. I also really like the "see thru" bandsaw cover that enables you to tension the blade without removing the cover.
Having a couple of new plastic saw guards around is also nice. They seem to eventually get scored up by the blade. I've recently ordered several additional saw blade arbors. I never seem to have enough.
fjimp wrote:Every time I receive a special offer for Shopsmith parts I wonder which part requires replacement most frequently?
Jim: If I am recalling correctly, each Shopsmith catalog has a listing of the most ordered replacement parts. I think switches and fan blades are among the list.
Octogenarian's have an earned right to be a curmudgeon.
Chuck in Lancaster, CA
charlese wrote:Jim: If I am recalling correctly, each Shopsmith catalog has a listing of the most ordered replacement parts. I think switches and fan blades are among the list.
They are in order of most likely to less likely. I would recommend for anyone who does the maintenance on their Shopsmith headstock to have a Motor Drive Belt on hand as I found this needed replacement on most headstocks I repaired. If you have the Gilmer drive, then a spare Gilmer belt should be kept. If the Poly-V belt needs replacement, then the complete headstock needs checking for worn/broken parts/bearings and/or rebuilt. The Help Kit Hardware is needed for dropped/lost setscrews and table alignment. I would only order the other parts when needed for repairs.
I agree with Bill M. When I restored my Goldie I ordered extra drive and Gilmer belts to have on hand. I keep them in a dark drawer so as to avoid UV exposure to the rubber as I expect not to need them for a long time. I hope SS is in business 20 years from now, but I want to be prepared just in case... (assuming I'M still around in 20 years!!:p ) Alec
1960 Aniversary Model Mark 5 500 "Goldie" with most SPT's
Jim
