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3K views 22 replies 13 participants last post by  knoting 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
hey guys need little advise on a used shopsmith mark v looking to buy for 450.00 i have a habour freight 3/4 hp lathe just starting out in wood woorking but already need something with a bit more power is shop smith any good and is this price a deal don;t know when it was build looks pretty good condition has a bunch of attachements drill press ts- so on thanks for any tips . i recently bought a rigid ts that a1jims reconmemded and that turned out great could not have gotten better saw for the price i was looking for so hope to get some help on this one also you all have good advise and a lot more experience that i do so thanks for any help
 
#2 · (Edited by Moderator)
SS equipment is very well made, but….....there's a lot of take apart, reassemble when using all the components. I have a BS and a jointer that sit on a power stand. Gotta tke the saw head off the stand to use the jointer, readjust the belts, etc.
The variable speed feature of the main unit is a plus when used as a lathe or drill press. There can be some issues with older units. Belts, dirty sheaves, bearings, etc.. Parts are expensive. Look carefully.
The table saw feature SUCKS.
Bill
 
#3 ·
For full disclosure, I own 2 Shopsmiths and lead my woodworking club's Shopsmith special interest group, so I may be a little biased. I do not own a table saw and I will agree with Bill that it's not the world's best table saw. Cutting full sheets of plywood can be a challenge. Still I manage to make a lot of sawdust with them and since I mostly cut oak, maple, ash, walnut, etc., it hasn't been an issue. Changing tools can take a little time, but usually it is not onerous. Your deal sounds OK, depending on the age and condition of the machine. Shopsmith had a number of iterations and their power runs from 3/4 to 1 1/8 HP, so a newer machine is obviously better. Also, if there are any additional tools, like the band saw, joiner, or scroll saw, that could make a difference. If you have any questions, just PM me and we can discuss them.
 
#4 ·
I love to watch the guy demonstrate these at the mall. He can do everything so fast that it is amazing. It's all a set up to get you to buy one. The guys does the same demonstration every time, and it's geared to make it look good. They skirt around the problem issues, and highlight the pluses. I still think it's a great idea, but a machine that converts into five others makes a lot of compromises. If you only have room for one machine, and you aren't in a big hurry, or want perfect accuracy, they'll do. You might be able to find one cheaper though. A lot of people got sucked in by the demo, got one at home, and realized it was a pain in the ass. Some of them have barely been used. On second thought, if you already have a good table saw, I wouldn't even bother. You can probably find a used industrial grade drill press and a bigger lathe for about the same money.
 
#5 ·
As with any other tool, in order to expand it's capabilities some workarounds are necessary. I've owned and used my Shopsmith for over 30 years and have pretty much eliminated the negatives of it's idiosyncrasies. I love mine. I'm not a turner, so the lathe functions are not a concern to me, but most users really enjoy it's lathe functions. As a drill press and horizontal borer, it's great. Add the disk sanding function and the table saw and it does almost anything I need. I should add that I also have the band saw and, planers, jointers and a belt sander are optional add ons.
 
#6 ·
Have a look at this blog , particularly part 2. I have a fully equipped shop at home in Canada but when I come to AZ for the winter my shop is all ShopSmith. I can make anything with my SS shop that I can at home with thousands of dollars worth of tools. I don't find it all that inconvenient, you just do a little more planning ahead.
 
#7 · (Edited by Moderator)
Having grown up around old Gravely tractors I understand that multi-function machines can sometimes excel in one or two tasks. I've never been interested in looking at a Shopsmith until I started reading this. IMO Shipwright has made every old Shopsmith more valuable by building his thickness sander and describing how he uses the disk sander in his projects. Using one as the drive/base for a thickness sander would biggest reason to get one for me. -Jack

^By the way. Thanks for that blog Paul. -Jack
 
#8 ·
I also have had mine for 30 years and love it, a lot depends on the model a 30 year old model was a 500 and as a tablesaw it had many issues. I have a Powerpro 520 which I would compare to 2HP or under tablesaw. It is impossible from the information provided to tell what you might be looking at. As for a lathe that is the function I use most but again there are several different versions of the the Shopsmith lathe (differences are the banjos). Mine can go between 200 RPM to way too far to turn (10,000 RPM) and reverses all with digital controls. No matter what version Shopsmith Mark V it is there is a 4 hour or less and $ upgrade to what I have.

THere is also excellent customer support and a very active users group where you can get answers to any question except is $450 a good price. Replacement parts are available for any machine made in the last 60 years or so.
 
#9 ·
I have a TS, RAS, and a Shopsmith. I believe if the Shopsmith is set up correctly it is a very accurate machine. I use all 3 depending on the situation.Depending on the age and use it is a good deal.
 
#10 ·
I have the Shopsmith 500 with a bandsaw and a jointer. I use it for horizontal bore seeing how I cant use in drill press mode cause ceiling is too low ( 126 yr old house),sander ,bandsaw and jointer and most favorite a lathe but recently had a problem with a 10"x 5" ruffed out oak bowl blank. It shook all over the place and turned out I had to make it smaller too solve the problem. I looked for a speed reducer on ebay and kijji with no luck. Shopsmith has 1 dealer in Canada and he's got some ordered but says there back ordered or no parts so could be a month or 2 before they come in plus its $328 CAD. The new Banjo is $ 248. I know i'll keep the Shopsmith for long spindle work plus the other uses I like but I think i'll save my money on those two upgrades and buy a Delta 46-460 or something similar.

Sorry to go into detal but seeing how you are talking about it for a lathe I thought I would share my thoughts.
 
#11 ·
I expect the Delta will shake just as much if not more at the same speed, it does have the advantage of going down to 250 RPM, to do that with a Shopsmith requires either the PowerPro headstock or speed reducer. Still the speed reducer plus the the universal tool rest package (the banjo and three tool rests) is about $200 US less than the Delta and you would still have to add an array of tool rests.
 
#12 · (Edited by Moderator)
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hey guys thanks for all the responses think i might take the plunge hope these pic will open kind of new to forums and downloading or uploading things again thanks to all that commented it sure is nice to get this quality of help and friendly response again looking it more as a lathe than anything else
 

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#14 ·
Ditto what Paul said. Last SS I bought (I have had 2), included a bandsaw, and paid $400.00

I do NOT use the tablesaw feature. It scares me. Then again, I haven't tried the new tables.

Good luck!
 
#15 ·
I did not mean to comment on the price or lack of special purpose tools (like the bandsaw). But there are dozens of standard accessories that are required to even use the machine and I don't see any in the pucture.

As for the suitability as a tablesaw, the 500 was used as a tablesaw for close to 20 years before the upgraded tables were made available. But it was also the cause of all the bad things people say about the Shopsmith as a tablesaw. Like Milo I would not use a 500 as a tablesaw, but I don't have to I have upgraded it to a 520/PowerPro.
 
#16 · (Edited by Moderator)
I have had a Shopsmith for about 10 years. It is the 500. I play with it every day. To those who poo poo the table saw….meh. Yeah it takes a little longer to set up a cut but I am not a production oriented worker. I just like making stuff. I love switching to other tools on the SS, it is almost automatic for me now. Kinda like the guys you see demonstrating them….effortless. I have a standalone planer and jointer and NO bandsaw. I gotta get one, someday. I have often thought about getting a standalone TS but just can't justify the purchase. Check my stuff out it is all SS made.
Oh and happy birthday to me. I have been a LJ for a year today.
 
#20 ·
If the saw guard is made of metal I would agree (except running a saw without one is very dangerous), if it is the redesigned plastic one I have used that one safely but its been 25 years or more since I have used a 500 so I don't consider myself an expert on 500's.
 
#21 · (Edited by Moderator)
I have three Shopsmiths and like Paul, Gene, and Shipwright have said they are good machines for certain tasks. I totally agree that the tablesaw falls woefully short that is why I bought my Rigid TS3650 which is an awesome saw. I first purchased a Mark VII 2 years ago which started me off on this woodworking journey. Then a couple months after that i won an Ebay auction for a 54' Mark V that was in horrible condition for $99.00. I completely rebuilt that machine from the ground up including new paint job and it is better than new now. I then came across a DC3300 dust collector and the guy selling it also had a Mark V 1984 model I got both of those for $130 and the Mark V came with a ton of accessories. The one you posted isn't worth $450 even if it comes with the normal accessories. It is rusted and will definitely need some heavy maintenance once you get it home. If you are not mechanically inclined this could be a real issue. They are very easy to work on and the parts are readily available through Shopsmith or Ebay and a couple of other sources. I mainly use the drill press, lathe and disc sander. I also use the jointer a lot it works great but is limited with only 4" of cut width. I also have a bandsaw that came on a power stand which is now mounted on the 84 Mark V to save space. I also got a speed reducer a while back ago and it is an awesome addition especially for drilling and the bandsaw.

They are fun machines to use but take a lot of patience because there is a lot of setup time especially if you change from one mode to another. And don't even think about the tablesaw. i tried it once and immediately decided I needed a real tablesaw. I have slowly been acquiring dedicated machines because of the fact that it takes too long to setup and adjust the Shopsmith for different jobs and I am not one to enjoy taking tons of time to setup something that only takes a few seconds to actually do. If you could get that machine for <$200 then it would be worth the effort IMHO.
 
#22 ·
I think a Shopsmith 520 with Pro Fence is a great table saw add the 220 Volt PowerPro headstock and it competes well with anything you can buy. What tablesaw do you know with a variable speed DVR motor or a microadjustable depth adjustment. If I had room for dedicated machines the discission about time to change modes might be a point but in a one-car garage shop I could not fit a dedicated saw, drill press, lathe, bandsaw, jointer, disk, belt and strip sanders and a horizontial boring machine. All machines I use in the projects I build.
 
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