My two cents worth-
Every time I look at Craigslist there seems to be a couple of Shopsmiths
for sale for a few hundred bucks. I understand they haven't changed
much since the 60s, and are well made machines. New ones are advertised
on the Shopsmith site for around $3000. That tells me a lot right there.
My problem with the Shopsmith is the same as with any combination tool,
like the 3 in 1 metalworking lathe/mill/drill presses (which I DID have
once). They do a lot of things, but not very well, and are always set
up for what you don't need to do at the time, so you spend a lot of time
changing the setup. In the meantime, any settings you may have had for
the prior setup are lost. I understand another problem with the
Shopsmith in particular is that they use a lot of proprietary parts and
attachments that you have to buy from the factory. If Shopsmith goes
out of business (which wouldn't surprise me), then you'll be stuck
looking on Ebay for parts.
A lot of people have made some very nice stuff using a Shopsmith, but I
suspect there are a whole lot of them gathering dust because they are a
PITA to set up and use. I suppose if you have a very limited budget and
can find one cheap enough, and are really strapped for space, they would
fill a need, but I prefer individual tools that do one thing well.
Dave C
Patton Dickson wrote:
> I found 1960 Shopsmith for sale w/standard attachments and manuals for
> $125. I haven't gone to look at it yet, but it is allegedly in good
> shape. I am not into woodwork outside of the occasional project, but
> I can get rid of my tablesaw and have the ability to do more if I ever
> get the desire. Any experiences or reccomendations.
>
> Thanks
> Patton
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