Shopsmith Forums

Hi Everyone, new to the forums here. I have been wanting to get into woodworking as a hobby, but have been kind of daunted at the price to by all individual machines. Plus space is a concern for me.

I recently found a Mark V shopsmith (the owner says it is a 70's model) that I am pretty sure is the 500 Model as it has the smaller table saw top and doesn't have the extra legs that the table tops on some of the newer models have. It comes with the tablesaw, drill, sander, router, and lathe, but with no band saw, or joiner. He is also including a fair amount of saw blades, router bits, lathe tools, etc. He is asking $400 for the whole setup.

The owner says that he bought it used several years ago intending to replace some of his individual machines, but that he found he ended up not using the SS much and just used the individual machines more. He is looking to get rid of it to clear up some space in his garage.

I went to take a look at it and it looks like it has been taken care of really well. It doesn't have any rust on any of the pipes, and didn't look banged up or abused at all.

My question is, is this a good price for a setup like this (even though it is an older model) considering it looks like it is in great condition, and the tools and extra's being included with it? Would you gladly pay the $400 or try to talk him down more?

I have done some woodworking growing up with my dad, but don't claim to be super proficient with it. Was thinking that this would be a great setup as I don't have a ton of space right now, and would love to be able to play with all the different options for only $400 rather than dropping that much on a single saw/joiner/drill press/etc.

Below are a couple of pics the owner provided.

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So, what say you? How useful do you think this machine would be? Anything I should watch out for? What do you think of the price?

Any suggestions/hints for this SS newbie would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

I also saw a listing for a SS band saw attachment on my local craigslist as well. Kind of funny that the SS doesn't have a band saw, but there is a separate one posted and those are the only two SS items posted in my area!

Anyway, the bandsaw is posted for $125 dollars and says it includes extra blades? Is this a fair price? What would the cost by if I tried to buy the band saw attachment brand new? I looked on the SS website a little bit, but had a hard time finding a good listing of parts prices.

Thanks,

FYI: http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/catalog/bandsaw.htm

The value of the ss will depend upon its actual mechanical condition. That one LOOKS good and seems to be complete. Its worth to you? Only you can answer that. I do not see you getting 'burned' at that price, however the markets do vary!

Not apparent from the pix is the lathe accessories and drill chuck.

JPG40504 wrote:FYI: http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/catalog/bandsaw.htm

The value of the ss will depend upon its actual mechanical condition. That one LOOKS good and seems to be complete. Its worth to you? Only you can answer that. I do not see you getting 'burned' at that price, however the markets do vary!

Not apparent from the pix is the lathe accessories and drill chuck.

The owner hung the board underneath the SS with pegs and screws to hold most of the bits/blades/saw blades/accessories. The drill chuck was there, as well as a 4 set of lathe accessories (I think it might have been the bowl turning set), as well as a couple of the dust collectors. Like I mentioned, he also had various router bits/saw blades(including a dado blade) that he was including with the SS.

I guess part of what I am unsure of is at what point does a project become too big for a SS to be efficient? Most of what I am planning is smaller projects that it should work fine for. But eventually I want to build a bunked for my boys, and maybe some bookshelves, outdoor picnic table, etc. Will the SS Mark V 500 be adequate for these types of projects, or do you all find that you prefer separate tools when getting into larger projects like this?

I guess that I am just looking for what the average SS user on this forum uses theirs for, and what the biggest drawbacks are.

Thanks for indulging this newbie.

pessen

I too have a 500. Great thing. As far as limitations, well, it may be tall for some people. The table on a 500 may be small by some standards. As far as building a bunkbed, if you begin using it for your small projects you'll get very used to using it, making jigs and setting an outfeed table as you work up in project size. The table tilts instead of the blade making long beveled cuts difficult for wide pieces.
Aside from the tablesaw limitations, all the rest have none of real significance once you start using it. The pros outweigh the cons to me. It can always be repaired. Parts are always available. And what other tool manufacturer makes step by step instructions available on how to do all of this? None really.
Plus, it's made by a small group, in the US, with English speaking customer service with a 60 year history.
$400 is just fine.

pessen wrote: I guess part of what I am unsure of is at what point does a project become too big for a SS to be efficient?

It doesn't. The Shopsmith is capable of any size project. I have made projects ranging in size from a loft bed on down to wood pens. If you are planning on many small scale projects, then a bandsaw or scrollsaw is a must have.

pessen wrote:I guess part of what I am unsure of is at what point does a project become too big for a SS to be efficient?

I would not hesitate to build a house or a barn with one. Is that big enough.


.

In my neck of the woods a 500 is generally listed for +/- $700 with those accesories in worse condition. The big quesiton is the mechanical condition. Ask the owner to run it a bit for you and put it through its places. Here is a checklistfor purchasing a used SS machine.

If you purchase this machine, do yourself a favor and get a copy of Powertool Woodworking for Everyone. It was written for the 500 and discusses utilizing that table. As you said, for that price you would get one of the tools the MK 5 handles. Even if you decide to get a dedicated table saw later, you'll still have the MK 5 for the lathe, drill press, sander, etc. It's a pretty good deal in my mind. Plus, if you have problems with the machine the guys on this forum will get you up and running in no time.

Happy negotiating.

pessen wrote:....I guess part of what I am unsure of is at what point does a project become too big for a SS to be efficient? Most of what I am planning is smaller projects that it should work fine for. But eventually I want to build a bunked for my boys, and maybe some bookshelves, outdoor picnic table, etc. Will the SS Mark V 500 be adequate for these types of projects, or do you all find that you prefer separate tools when getting into larger projects like this?

Thanks for indulging this newbie.

pessen

Hi pessen, WELCOME to the Forum!

Answering your two underlined questions - No project is too large! As Farmer said, he wouldn't hesitate to build a house or barn with it. All you need to do is take a while and look at the various photos of projects presented here in the forum.

Separate tools - I suppose you mean power tools. No such need! However you will soon begin to need smaller tools like chisels, planes, a router and maybe even a power driven hand saw (skill saw) for breaking down large plywood panels.

Best Wishes!