Shopsmith Forums

I am in Decatur, AL 35601. Looking for a Shopsmith. I have never laid a hand on one but the concept is intriguing. Let me know if anyone sees a deal on one, please.
Steve Armstrong
sarmstrong@allsportinc.com

Don't know how far you are willing to drive. I suppose those on the Huntsville/Decatur requesting a used Shopsmith must be yours. You may be willing to look in another nearby location to find one. I found one 520 for $1500 in Athens. Nice machine with DC. Hope you get one soon. Looking in the first 3 months of the year, before income taxes return, will give you a much better price. Please keep us updated with your find.

I looked on ebay for a couple of years before I really got serious. Then I used ebay and craigs list every night for about two weeks before I found a good one nearby on craigs list.
Used the mileage filter on ebay to eliminate machines too far away. Also used the price filter and put in $200 and above so I wouldn't see small parts listings. Craigs list had a local area catagory.
I'm very satisfied with my results. Used it just yesterday and will be back on it this morning. Good luck.

Try this site -- http://www.searchtempest.com/ -- for an easier way to search Craigslist. You put in your zip code and then give a distance of how far you want to travel for the item. It then searches all of the Craigslists within that area.

Definitely try Craigslist or ebay. I checked weekly and found one on ebay for myself and my relatives got one off of Craigslist and were able to negotiate an even better deal.

The Indianapolis Craigslists almost always has around a half dozen SS's on it. I just looked and there were 8 and a few other SS items.
Be sure as you search to search for both Shopsmith and Shop Smith. Savvy regular sellers usually include both versions in their ads but many new sellers only use the two word version and if you only search for it as one word their ads will not come up. Of course one word is correct but if you ignore the other you will just miss some good opportunities.


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Steve:

When looking give extra consideration to models 510 or 520 (even better). It will be worth a longer wait and extra $$ over the earlier 500 model. It goes without saying that you should power the machine up and run it thru the speed range before buying.

Also look for the standard accessories that come with a Shopsmith, ie: upper and lower saw guards, saw blades, 12" sanding disk, lathe accessories and chisels, drill chuck & key, brad point drill bits, manuals.....when some of these items are missing a discount is in order. Special purpose tools such as the bandsaw and jointer can also sweeten the deal.

Take the time to find a nice system and don't hesitate to seek advice here - good luck in your quest.

Regarding searching Craig's List... my favorite method now is via my phone. I use an app for my Android phone appropriately called "Craigslist
Notification." I can set up searches for various keywords across multiple regions and be notified when anything matching my search is listed. I'd be willing to be that a similar app exists for the iPhone too.

Patience. That is what you need. Compared to other tools, there aren't a lot of Shopsmiths out there, so you need to search and be ready to buy when the good deal pops up.
I see them for sale occasionally here, but not on a regular basis, and when I find one for sale, sometimes it is a great deal, and sometimes it is more than I would be willing to pay.

If you are patient, one wll turn up for you.

Other than ebay and craigslist, watch for estate auctions in your area.
Go to auctionzip.com put in your zipcode and radius that you're willing to travel and it will list all auctions that meet your criteria, check the listings, you never know what you'll find, you could get lucky, I sure did!