Opinions on multi-purpose woodworking machines

They are alright if you are tight on space. You need to be very organized in your project or most of your time
will go toward switching machining operations.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

A friend of mine, who was a very accomplished cabinet maker, said all multi tools make compromises. He was in favor of specific tools do specific things. But, he was a pro, and depended on it for a livelihood.

-- Maplewood, MN

I bought my first ShopSmith in 1978. I still have one in my shop. I use it for the drill press and the disc sander and occasionally as the lathe. Until a year ago I had all the accessory tools as well. My father-in-law said it best. He had everything they make;” It doesn’t work any better than it has to.” I couldn’t wait to get stationary machines. The table saw on the ShopSmith only tilts with the table. It is impossible to make a set up and return to it because it must be torn down to make the next set-up. You can do anything with a Shopsmith that you can do on any other tool or machine, it will just be slower. Once you learn to think with it, it is workable. Does this sound like I’m conflicted here?? I am. I’ve built a lot of projects on the Shopsmith but frankly am glad I no longer must think into the danged thing. In 1978, I took a job for a short while in a sheltered workshop in a state mental hospital(very short). I was running the woodshop.(they made pallets). In the shop was a Delta Unisaw that no one used but me. It was one of the old Rockwell- Delta’s. I tried to get it to saw to a knife line but failed. My ShopSmith would do it every time. It would be best if you really understand before you buy one. Find someone who has one and go spend some time with them. On the plus side, they are selling for peanuts on E-Bay. Good luck.

-- Thos. Angle, Owyhee Design, Oregon

I have an original model shopsmith, and still don’t regret the purchase… but as Thos. mentioned, there are compromises. For use as a tablesaw it’s a little tall, for use as a lathe (if you’re 6’) it’s a bit too short. Switching around is pretty easy, BUT you really have to make sure you’re done with a set up, otherwise you’ll be spending as much time, or more likely more time between uses than actually using it. I”m sure later models are much easier to fine tune than mine (circa 1952) but once i get it perfectly centered to drill pen blanks, I don’t like to have to change the table.

It’s mostly a disk sander, horizontal drill press and lathe for me as well. I have the jig saw attachment but haven’t used it. and I haven’t looked into using it as a (4”) jointer.

Even having a new lathe, I still use it as one,... that is until I can get all the proper chucks and such for my mini lathe. It was well maintained and still runs perfectly, so will certainly tide me over until I feel I have the space for, or need for dedicated equipment.

-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/

I owned a shopsmith for many years, I originally purchased it becaused I had a very small workshop. I truly enjoyed it for it’s many features especially the horisontal drilling. AS the years passed and I moved into a house with a two car garage, I wanted individual big tools. The small saw table on the shopsmith was a hindrinance. I sold the shopsmith and bought individual woodworking machines which I never regretted. If you are not limited for space,stay away from the Shopsmith, then again that is my take on the subject….MIKE

-- never enough time in a day so use it well

Hi Gary, Rikkor, Thos, Scott and Michael,

Thank you all for sharing your experiences and opinions of Shopsmith. It looks like a great solution until you consider the other aspects you all have mentioned. I have to say Shopsmith makes for a great demo and I was quite intrigued by what I saw. Thanks to the responses here, I will continue with my present course of action of going with individual machines.

-- Praki, Aspiring Woodworker

I bought a used shopsmith last year. I wanted a lathe. I got the saw & drill press but have not used them. I have been trying to learn to use the lathe as I have never been around one. I hope to attend one of their schools to learn more. I also have a free standing tablesaw, bandsaw, scrolsaw, and two beltsanders so I won’t be doing much else with the shopsmith but the lathe and maybe the drillpress. I have a drillpress but it is not worth much. For what I paid for the shopsmith it was a good deal for me.

-- woodsmith

I own and use 2 1952 vintage “smiths”. I have in the past had separate tools as well, and I went back the smiths partly for space considerations, and partly to get back to the original machine that my dad taught me woodworking skills on.
Here’s what I believe regarding the separate/combo question. If you’re a hobbyist, either way will be fine, because, from my extensive experience with going from one function to another, the change over time is minimal….but the important thing is that it’s really a mindset. If you think one way is better, then it is. Even though the smiths have a couple of inherent weaknesses, none of them has ever prevented me from completing a project. I love ‘em, therefore they’re great for me…but I learned a long time ago that people do things for their reasons, not mine. (That little revelation, by the way, has saved me a lot of headaches)
One other thing…I wouldn’t buy a new one, they’re just too expensive when there are a ton out there for sale on ebay or in the classifieds. You should be able to find a good used one for anywhere from $350 – $1000 depending on age and options. The good thing about them is with reasonable care, they don’t seem to break.
-SST

-- Accuracy is not in your power tool, it's in you

I purchased a NEW 1982 Shopsmith 500 and over the past 20+ years have upgraded it to a 520 with much larger tables and extensions. Contrary to what you hear my table surfaces are comparable to the largest cabinet saws when I need it (which is very rarely). My Shopsmith can support a 4×8 sheet, front, back and on either side of the blade but not in my shop. Most comments you read are about the 500 or earlier, they have shipped over 1,000,000 compatible machines for over 50 years all capable of being upgraded. I just purchased a RingMaster for it for less than 1/2 the cost of a standalone unit. The current units have rip scales standard, and optional Incra fences for repeatability. I admit my shop has never been bigger than a one car garage, so space is very important to me. Education from Shopsmith can’t be compared to any other woodworking company, they have a twice monthly free online interactive seminar on woodworking taught by Nick Engler (Google him) , 1/2 of the material applies specifically to Shopsmith and the rest is on general topics.
I also have a Bandsaw, Jointer, Strip Sander that all mount to the unit, in minimal footprint.

-- Paul, Beaverton OR, www.TravelbyPaul.com

I have a Shopsmith and all of the stationary tools. It is primarly a auxlirary tool but if I have to do some very accurate cutting the shop is my best buy. I bought mine in 86 and it is p[robably worth as much as I paid for it. A very sturdy piece of machinery. Made is USA.

-- WOOD/DON (...one has the right to ones opinion but not the right to ones own facts...)

Thanks folks for sharing your thoughts. I do see the Shopsmith advantages and the space savings. I liked the horizontal drilling, lathe and sanding. Price of new machines is pretty high and I can’t justify it. But I will keep my eyes open and probably snag one if the price is right.

-- Praki, Aspiring Woodworker

I would not get one new. There are so many people who have them for sale, you most likely can get one really cheap. I don’t really like them. It is a jack of all trades and a master of none. If you have space, try to get some stationary tools or set up an efficient small shop so that you can store one tool while you use another.

-- making sawdust....

Yo Praki—-

I was in a similar place as you last May…I posted a forum question on the SS after I saw it in a woodwrking video and got really curious so I started this forum to ask all the LJ’s what they thought…check out this link to the forum because there were several other LJ’s who have one and gave me great advice…

I am a relative beginner also and this was a chance to get a lot for my money—and save space since I work out of a crammed one car garage…

I got lucky—-I found a 2003 520 last May on e-bay that came with lots of extras…for a great price…I am very happy I went with it…I am still learning…so take into consideration that I have not had a lot of experience with other machines to compare…but like I said I am more than happy…

The big concern for everyone who does not like the SS is the “set-up” or transition time between tools…For me this is not an issue since I take my time on everything at this stage…maybe if I had tons of experience where i needed to move from tool to tool quickly this would be a pain…but it has not been a problem so far…

I would definitely search e-bay and craigs list…when I was searching there were many…but be selective because you dont need to get an older one…at the forum link above there is a GREAT website that tells all about the SS—-from an independent source…I read this sight extensively…

the best part is the company has been around for 50 years…and they are still making them…lots of new and used parts available…

read my “workshop” for the comments on my SS when I first got it…again…be selective…if you are patient I am sure that you can get a 520 for a good deal…I almost bought some 500’s for $500 when the 520 came around with all the accessories so i jumped on it…drove 16 hours in one day to buy it…

dont hesitate to PM me…on any questions…I did not read the other cooments above…but I am happy with my decision…and a lot of good people here gave me great advice…so check out those links…

-- Matt, Napa, CA...119 days to sanity...

Hi,

I’m new here but not to shopsmith. I often judge a forum by how it treats “shopsmith” issues and was impressed that the people here open and honest about their feelings without any “bashing” that I’ve seen else where.

As a quick introduction to me and shopsmith, I wanted one since I first spotted them in the back of magazines in the late 50’s. A boy at the time I was into woodworking even then. Those of you who know the story know shopsmith was out of production only to be reintroduced and sold by Shopsmith Inc. I managed to get enough money together to get a new one in 1976. I have since upgraded it to the current 520 model. I’ve also added a second shopsmith to my shop, a used 1980 model, it too is now a 520. Yes I’m a shopsmith person and have enjoyed my ownership, and no I don’t work for, nor have I ever worked for shopsmith.

Since some of you may be aware, I wanted to point out that there are resources to be had in the form of user groups. The three I belong to are:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SSusers/
http://www.ssug.org/
and the offical shopsmith sponsored site
http://www.shopsmith.net/forums/

There are now educational videos online at:
http://www.youtube.com/ShopsmithHandsOnline

There are some other goodies as well but you can explore and find them yourselves. And while some of the videos are total shopsmith related some will have a more universal appeal as just woodworking information.

Praki:

There are a lot of considerations to make before spending your hard earned cash. I’ve owned and used Shopsmiths since 1983. My first machine was a 500, which was upgraded to 510 and then later to 520. A lot of complaints and arguments against a Shopsmith are really related to the older 500. The 520 has a larger table and a fence that is equal to the best after market fences. Yes. The table tilts. I suppose that if you cut bevels day in day and out this will be a major disadvantage. I occassionally cut bevels on my Shopsmith and it will do them satisfactorily. There are seldom mentioned advantages to the Shopsmith table saw, starting with variable speed. If you are getting burn marks on your wood you can reduce the speed and eliminate this problem. If you want to cut sheet plastic, you can reduce the speed even more to eliminate melting. With a stand alone saw changing blades is somewhat difficult and even be a blood letting experience. With the Shopsmith you can change to the optim blade quickly and easily. I also need to mention that the 520 can be set up to have over 50 inches of ripping capacity. I don’t have to go outside and cut 4’x8’ sheets with a guide and hand held circular saw. The Shopsmith is a high precision saw. It can be set up to cut 8, 10, 12, and 16 sided segments for segmented bowls with down to the last knat of angle accuracy, and repeat the cuts time after time. You won’t get this kind of capacity and precision in a cheap stand alone saw.

Speaking of bowl segments, my son-in-law has Shopsmith’s Universal Tool Rest accessory and the Ringmaster. He turns bowls as beautiful as could be done on an expensive high end wood lathe. I won’t lenghten this post by describing the many accessories that work on and with the Shopsmith, except to say that they all work and do what they are supposed to – giving you a complete woodworking system that can function successfully in a one car garage.

Unless you have around 1000 sq ft to work in and a lot of electrical capacity, stand alone tools are overated. I have read a lot of books on small shops published by Taunton Press. One thing that stands out in memory is a picture of one poor guy who put all his stand alone tools on castors and various types of home made moble bases, shoving around heavy machines in his small space. To my way of thinking, the “change overs” on the Shopsmith look much easier in comparison.

-- "Heaven is North of the Bridge"

Motthunter – my budget (fiscal and other) for tools doesn’t permit to buy a new Shopsmith anyway. Now that I keep my eyes open for it, I do see quite a few used ones for sale.

Napaman, reible and Biowa – thanks for your opinions. I saw a nice demo of Shopsmith and I could definitely see some advantages to having a Shopsmith. But, I already have a table saw and a router. I want a band saw that Shopsmith won’t be a good match for. I think it is still a good option for a drill press, sander and lathe. That is where I am with my thinking on this machine.

Thanks!

-- Praki, Aspiring Woodworker

Being the grandson of a master machinist, I learned that if you wanted to create somthing special, you needed tools. Not just any tools either. Grandpa always said you should buy the best tools you can afford. I read into this two ways. One, if you buy the best, you don’t buy the inexpensive version at half the price only to be disapointed with the performance and have to spend even more money getting the original one later. And two, most machines can only perform only a few tasks (sometimes only one) well and other features are just marketing hype that don’t pan out in the shop like they say they would.
My friend has a Shopsmith and spent so much time setting it up for each and every different operation, that after a few weeks of trying to master it, he now avoids using it. He’s over in my garage at least once a week using my equipment. I believe his Shopsmith is now listed on Craigslist. (I think he’s becoming a Delta geek too).

-- Anybody can become a woodworker, but only a Craftsman can hide his mistakes.

When I decided to start accumulating woodworking equipment, I called a friend of mine that I grew up with (Lumberjocks didn’t exist at that time). I knew he grew up in a woodworking family and he had purchased a Shopsmith a number of years ago. I hadn’t spoken with him for awhile, so I was unsure if he still had it, but he did still own it. I asked him if that was the route I should take, and he said that he didn’t use his anymore. He advised me to purchase individual tools if I had the room and budget, because changing the machine around for each step got to be quite tedious for him when he used his Shopsmith. He didn’t mention anything negative about the tool itself, just that you had to change it around every time you move on to the next step. He is still in the woodworking industry and uses tools every day. I took his advice and purchased individual tools, but I do believe that a Shopsmith is a good tool if you’re short on space.

-- Tom, Michigan ~ Working with a renewable resource called wood

It is interesting that I always here the “set up” or “change over” time thing but within less then a week of using mine I forgot all about that and have no problems doing changes over… if it takes you much longer then that then it is likely you just don’t get it. Not everyone gets it, those that do love the machine and they will be prying mine out of my cold dead hands…

I think those that don’t use it often or never take the time to learn what they can do will end up selling theirs…... Which is great for those of you who know you want to try one and want to go the used route. I think a lot of woodworkers want a tool to play with as much as they do anything else, for those the shopsmith is also a good solution.

I’ve been an owner for almost 32 years now and I’m still learning new things I can do with my shopsmith. I even manage to find some new attachments that I just have to have. Last fall I got a Jointech system for it and have been enjoying the new experence of owning that. Last summer I added an Incra miter express… I wonder what I might add this year… perhaps a Ring Master?? Heck even buying attachments is a lot of fun!!

Those who criticize the Shopsmith often use the words “change over” and “set up”. These terms are not the same and are not interchangeable.

In the Shopsmith, “change over” is the process of changing machine modes, say, fron saw to drill press. These “change overs” are simple and straight forward. The only tool required is a 5/16” allen head wrench. (supplied with the Shopsmith) My “change overs” seldom take two minutes, sipping coffee in the process.

“Set up” is much different. This is the process that every woodworker must take, regardless of what machine he has, in order to make a particular cut. For example, if he wants to cut a compound miter, this “set up” is rather complex and might take him 1/2 hour to get it just right, possibly with trial cuts in the process. If he goofs, and re-sets his saw to do standard cutting before all his compound miters are cut, then he has to do the whole “set up” all over again, probably mumbling to himself as well. I’ve made the same mistake on my shopsmith, “setting up” for a complex cut and then after tearing it down realizing that I have one more board to cut that I forgot.

It is of course unfair to criticize the Shopsmith unduly in this kind of situation. We all know that we have to plan our cutting and “set ups” for each particul;ar prioject. If we don’t, we will find ourselves repeating “set ups” unnecessarily. As far as “set ups” are concerned, for all practical purposes, the Shopsmith is not different from a stand alone machine.

-- "Heaven is North of the Bridge"

Personally I consider the Eropean combination machines, SCMI, Sicar, Rojek, Felder, Hammer, etc to be the ultimate in a combination machine. You get a sliding table saw, jointer, planer, shaper and slot mortiser. You could buy low priced seperate machines a lot cheaper, but to me the European combo machine features the 5 basic tools that are the heart of a woodshop.