Bill Pentz' Shopsmith Page
Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2012 9:49 am
I apologize if everybody else already knows this, but it turns out that everyone's favorite dust collection guru, Bill Pentz, also has a long history with using Shopsmith equipment and has a page on it (and other tools) at http://billpentz.com/woodworking/Tools/ ... ssions.cfm
There's a frank review of its strengths and weaknesses, and also a personal history of Bill and his various Shopsmiths, which is quite a saga. The abbreviated version goes like this:
1. Fell in love with Shopsmith
2. Sold it all off when he got a shop full of Delta stand-alones.
3. Found he missed the Shopsmith, so he bought another.
4. Made upgrades to the Shopsmith which Bill says inspired the changes Shopsmith made with the 510.
5. Had the upgraded Shopsmith stolen.
6. Bought another Shopsmith.
7. Lost that one in a divorce!
8. Got another 510 and a 500.
9. Against his better judgment, he sold all the Shopsmith stuff again when he got his Felder.
10. Came into another 510 from the widow of a friend, and even though he has a shop full of the Felder and other tools, still reaches often for the Shopsmith because it is reliable and doesn't require him to unbury the 500 pound monster machine (Felder) when he needs to do a quick project.
Hope I got that right. It is an interesting read.
Al
There's a frank review of its strengths and weaknesses, and also a personal history of Bill and his various Shopsmiths, which is quite a saga. The abbreviated version goes like this:
1. Fell in love with Shopsmith
2. Sold it all off when he got a shop full of Delta stand-alones.
3. Found he missed the Shopsmith, so he bought another.
4. Made upgrades to the Shopsmith which Bill says inspired the changes Shopsmith made with the 510.
5. Had the upgraded Shopsmith stolen.
6. Bought another Shopsmith.
7. Lost that one in a divorce!
8. Got another 510 and a 500.
9. Against his better judgment, he sold all the Shopsmith stuff again when he got his Felder.
10. Came into another 510 from the widow of a friend, and even though he has a shop full of the Felder and other tools, still reaches often for the Shopsmith because it is reliable and doesn't require him to unbury the 500 pound monster machine (Felder) when he needs to do a quick project.
Hope I got that right. It is an interesting read.
Al