Shopsmith Forums

Well, I decided to see what it might really cost to buy the five comparable stand alone tools to the 5 basic tools that Shopsmith comes with (table saw, lathe, disc sander, drill press, horizontal boring machine) plus the standard accessories (safety goggles, push stick, push block, feather board, drill bits, lathe tools, carbide saw blade, disc sanding paper). Hard to find everything exactly comparable in terms of motor horsepower, speeds, lathe/drill press swing, table size, variable speed, etc. Excluding shipping/freight, I came up with $3,039.80 at Grizzly. For comparison purposes, a new Mark V 520 with its standard accessories currently costs $3599. Considering the gain in some functionality (tilting arbor) but loss in other functionalities (variable speed for all tools, large 520 table/fence system can be used in boring, disc sanding, drill press) I'm not sure which represents a better value, and that's without getting into questions about quality and durability, but I think this shows that there's not so large a difference in price as some believe between a new Shopsmith and new stand alones.


Here are the details, which I copied from the "shopping cart" and saved as text:

Shopping Cart Items - To Buy Now

Price:

Quantity:





G0702 - 12" Disc Sander with Brake
Item added on Thursday March 08, 2012




Price:

$415.00



Freight:

$79.00









Total:

$494.00














G1220 - 12" Sanding Disc, A60 PSA, 2 pc.
Item added on Thursday March 08, 2012




Price:

$7.95














H9355 - 8-1/4" x 5/8" 40t ATB Combo Blade
Item added on Thursday March 08, 2012




Price:

$37.95














G0462 - Wood Lathe With Digital Readout
Item added on Thursday March 08, 2012




Price:

$595.00



Freight:

$99.00









Total:

$694.00














G7948 - 12 Speed 20" Floor Drill Press
Item added on Thursday March 08, 2012




Price:

$695.00



Freight:

$99.00









Total:

$794.00














G1834 - Brad Point Bit 7 pc. Set
Item added on Thursday March 08, 2012




Price:

$7.95














G0732 - Contractor Style Saw
Item added on Thursday March 08, 2012




Price:

$795.00



Freight:

$99.00









Total:

$894.00














H8029 - 5 pc. Safety Kit
Item added on Thursday March 08, 2012




Price:

$10.95














G0540 - Single Spindle Horizontal Boring Machine
Item added on Thursday March 08, 2012




Price:

$475.00



Freight:

$79.00









Total:

$554.00















Add coupon or pricing code:








Do you need liftgate service? What's this?



Merchandise:

$3,039.80



Freight:

$455.00



*Shipping:

$11.95



**Subtotal:

$3,506.75






-OR-






* Shipping charge for items not shipped via truck freight.
** Final cost will include state sales tax for items shipped to WA, MO, or PA.

There is no doubt that you could equip a nice work shop for nearly the same cost as that of a Shopsmith 520.

My concern would be whether or not that shop full of equipment would still be fully functional several years down the rode and if I could buy repair parts for anything that might break or wear out.

After twenty fives of reliable service, I have yet to spend more than a couple hundred dollars to "repair" Shopsmith items that would no longer perform as they did when new.

I agree with Dusty. With any piece of equipment (Mine bought used), there are maintaince costs. For me it's less than $100. over the past nine years. If you add the price of my new PowerPro @$1800., I still get a bonus of increased power and SS support. Now, just let the weather warm up here in Wisconsin, and I'll be back outside.

dusty wrote:There is no doubt that you could equip a nice work shop for nearly the same cost as that of a Shopsmith 520.

My concern would be whether or not that shop full of equipment would still be fully functional several years down the rode and if I could buy repair parts for anything that might break or wear out.

After twenty fives of reliable service, I have yet to spend more than a couple hundred dollars to "repair" Shopsmith items that would no longer perform as they did when new.

I agree wholehearedly. I went through the exercise because I was and remain skeptical of a view expressed by some that if you went with stand alones you could get equal or better quality tools with as much or more capability at a better price. Although this list shows the prices are relatively close, it remains very hard to compare the equipment because of functions lost or gained and even more difficult to determine quality, let alone determine whether the machines will be supported for more than a few years.

Al

I can only add having had a Shopsmith since 1980 and a whole bunch of stand alone tools, that there isn't much to worry about regarding support for stationary power tools unless you're dealing with some rather unique and sophisticated equipment, possibly with computer controls, etc.

As was mentioned in another thread recently, there isn't much to go wrong with a table saw. You've got bearings, v-belts and a motor, all of which are standard fare. The rest is steel or cast iron and can take a serious beating. There are plenty of aftermarket miter gauges and fences to make replacement a snap. And there are loads of accessories. Same goes for a lathe or drill press.

I like my Shopsmith equipment for its versatility and my stand alone tools for their accuracy. Were I setting up a shop today, I'd start with a used Shopsmith Mark V (or maybe even a 10ER) and a decent table saw. For that, I'd take a close look at the Grizzly hybrid saw that currently sells for $795.

Stand alones are great if you have the space, wiling to change the belts of drill press and lathes, having the strength and stamina to move it around when necessary. Shopsmith takes much less space, I have yet to find anything I can't do on one, I don't have to change a belt until it wears out, and is very easy to move and especially easy to store. And, to clean and wax is about 2 hours for the whole thing. So, for the same price, considering all the other associated issues, I'll take the Shopsmith as it fits my life so much better. JMHO.

I have and still own a few stand alone tools. The issue being most stand alone tools just do not hold up well. My shopsmith tools on the other hand just keep on tickin. I will stay with Shopsmith and the good lord willing use them for many years to come. Jim

do they also offer the info on everything about woodworking that u can get from web sited like this?

Hi folks,

I am a fairly new Shopsmith owner (less than 2 years). I now have two with a bandsaw and jointer. As I approach a possible retirement age I am trying to get the right equipment in the right place.

I didn't always have funds to buy the best stuff and I don't have room either. Consequently I purchased bench top items that were OK for quality. Some items were older department store brands with the thought that I could always get parts. That didn't work out very well.

I like the Shopsmith quality. I put new knives in the jointer last weekend and the set up was much easier than on my old 6" Craftsman unit. Dust collection worked well.

The Shopsmith does require a bit more reading and learning to make sure all is aligned and ready to go. I am still learning. I think I would have really loved the woodworking academy. Luckily there is plenty of on line help and great forums like this.

Maybe one day I will feel the urge for the bigger shop, more taxes, more equipment but for now I am very happy.

Bob

fjimp wrote:I have and still own a few stand alone tools. The issue being most stand alone tools just do not hold up well. My shopsmith tools on the other hand just keep on tickin. I will stay with Shopsmith and the good lord willing use them for many years to come. Jim

Not to be argumentative but I have to take exception here. What standalone tools do not hold up well? What exactly were the failures you saw?

The only thing I can think might fail over time on a well constructed piece of equipment is bearings. And most standalone tools are built using off the shelf bearings that can be bought anywhere.

So if you have seen other failures please share them I would like to know what they are.