On 3/28/2018 6:55 AM, BillinGA wrote:

I bought one in 1978. I was limited to keeping my woodworking equipment in a 4x 8 carport storage room. When needed, I would roll it out onto the carport and cut/turn away. Shopsmith offered classes at a very reasonable rate and the training projects made one familiar with the different configurations. The variable speed motor is plenty strong and doesn't rely on expensive electronics. Still runs well after all these years. The ease of dado adjustment comes to mind as the blades are right there and you lower the table over them for use. I've never taken 20 minutes to make any setup change and that includes going from a "table saw" (not much table) to a drill press....more like 5-6 minutes. Since then I was able to have a larger shop and , like most others, acquired a table saw, radial arm, router tables, etc. The Shopsmith met my financial and space needs at the time of purchase. It doesn't do any one function particularly well when compared to dedicated tools but I've never regretted the purchase.


I bought mine lightly used in '83, around $800 for the Mark V and the 4"
jointer. The "shop" was an 8' x 9' corner of the basement - there was
just no room for individual machines. It was my main shop tool for 18
years, and I turned out a lot of projects with it, mostly furniture.

Current shop is 24'x 28' - cabinet saw w/50" fence, 2 RAS, CMS, 8"
jointer, 12" planer, 10" band saw, floor model VS drill press,
oscillating drum sander, router table, dust collector, two benches and
the Shopsmith.

As a saw this SS sucks.

The table is tiny (14"x18"), requiring supports for work longer than
about 24". Adjusting table height instead of blade height is cumbersome,
as the supports must be adjusted to match. Bevel cuts mean tilting the
table rather than the blade, which means long boards have no support and
want to slide toward the blade. Rip cuts on force the fence is on the
end support, while the motor and main table have to be adjusted
separately to the desired width. (This is better on new models with
guide rails for the fence - but some function changeovers are now more
involved.)

But the same table that I cussed at for sawing shines for drilling,
horizontal boring, and drum or disc sanding due to the tilt table, fence
and easily adjusted height. Having the tool on the quill means I have a
stop when I apply the sanding disc to a large workpiece rather than
moving the work. Or I can extend the drum over the table. The only
reason I have the Delta drill press is that I needed slower speeds than
the minimum 700 rpm on my older belt drive SS, plus I found a bargain.
(Newer models run 250-10,000 rpm.) Some days I find I'm using both the
Delta and the SS drill function with different setups. I don't think of
myself as a woodturner, but the lathe function has worked well for
several spindle projects. The small jointer is OK for edging pieces up
to about 36" long, inadequate for most face jointing. (I learned how to
use my Stanleys - #8,#6,#4 & #3.)

SS prices are ridiculous, they always have been. But I don't think I'll
ever get rid of mine, as it still solves many problems for me.