Shop Smiths, still use it?

Welcome Bob, I use mine mainly for sanding and lath work. I have everything else set up in the shop.

About 8 years ago I bought an 18-year-old Model 500. A local acquaintance had a friend in WA state whose husband had passed on. She was moving to an apartment, etc etc.

Her asking price was $1000 if I picked it up, $1200 delivered. I went for the delivery option. On her next visit to my area, she pulled up with her mini van, and we (and the neighbors!) started unloading. I don't know how she got it all in there by herself.

All I was expecting was the base Model 500, but it came with:

• an installed set of raise-able wheels
• a Shopsmith-brand wooden shelf installed between the legs

and several attachments:

• 4" jointer
• 11" band saw
• jigsaw
• belt sander
• mortising setup

and various other stuff:

• drum sanding set for a drill press
• old hand chisels
• some large drill bits

Among all the paraphernalia were some old Hands On magazines and a marked-up Shopsmith catalog. I glanced through the catalog at the original prices of the attachments, etc and everything added up to $4000+. (!!)

Anyway ... since my Shopsmith is a Model 500 it doesn't have all of the extra tables, leg pieces, etc. I don't mind the tilting table TOO much, but I feel limited by the size of the table. The worst part for me is the "rickety" feeling of the table-raising mechanism. I dunno if this particular machine has just sustained a lot of wear or what, but I don't feel like I can do any kind of precision work with the tablesaw feature.

I use the band saw all the time, and I usually leave the 12" disc sander attached. The belt sander has come in quite handy, and the 4" jointer opened my eyes to what a smooth surface looks like. The jigsaw (scrollsaw) works pretty well too. I used the lathe feature a time or two, but I must not have done a good job of leveling the machine with the floor. It "walked" a little too much, and the lowest speed felt too high for my (beginner's) comfort level.

Over time I have replaced various functions with stand-alone machines. (Delta Midi lathe, DeWalt 20" scrollsaw, Craftsman 6" benchtop jointer) The one thing that I "really need" is a good table saw, but I have no place to put it. If a good clean out will buy me enough space, I will probably get a table saw and a 14+ inch band saw and put the Shopsmith up for sale. It was a great machine to get started on, but I (personally) feel the need to move on.

Hey Frank, I see that we share antoher passion, muzzle loaders.
I have a old smooth bore from 1728 hanging over my mantle.
Still works fine. I take it out in the back yard everyso often and put lead into the old maple.
I have been building a brown bess repro for a year or two along with a flintlock pistol. Just don't have the time to put 100% into it right now. I'll post a picture.


I have quite a few friends that are into reinactment. There is a club close by. They have asked me to join but times the issue again.

Wow that was a great deal. Mine cost about that much long ago.
You really need 3 hands to raise or lower the table. one to hold the depth gauge, one to tuurn the crank and one to lock it before it moves.
All in all I really love the machine but also long for all stationary tools.
Norm Abram has a Shopsmith so I guess we are in good company.

Dave Hawksford said:

I try to get the pic;s up some are to big all these are 14x17" except the 2 bottom left are 18"x24"

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Dan did you do these paintings? i know no one said anything about these but they look fantastic I always wanted to make my living as an artist but just wasn't good enough. do you have any formal training or just a natural ability.
Steve

Bob Gibson said:

The other pain in the neck is having to buy saw blades from Shopsmith. I believe the arbor hole is 1-1/4". I couldnt find any sources for those elsewhere.

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Shopsmith sells a 5/8" arbor on sale for all the time (and available on eBay) that allows you to use any blade.

Several high end blade vendors will offer their blades with 1-1/4" holes on special order, sometimes at no extra cost.

Frank Fusco said:

There seems to be an almost cult following for the Shop Smiths.
I have heard it said that the old ones were much better than the newer models.
I have also heard it said that the newer made ones are superior to the old ones.
What say y'all that have experience with them?

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There is virtually no difference between an "old one" and a "new one" unless you are talking about over 40 years. There have been minor upgrades over the years, the 500 had tables that were too small and many very early units had too small a motor (3/4 HP) and a 1 bearing quill, most 510's except the very earliest have a 2 bearing quill. The 520 has large tables, and a built-in rip scale but the basic powertrain is the same as the 500. All units in since the 1960's have a 1 1/4 HP motor.

I can think of no reason technical reason an older unit would be "superior".

Even the oldest 500 units can be upgraded to be the same as a new 520.

The are also planning to come out with a high speed, high torque and higher HP VR motor later this year, you will be able to upgrade a 500, 510 or 520 to this new motor/headstock.

Kerry Burton said:

Anyway ... since my Shopsmith is a Model 500 it doesn't have all of the extra tables, leg pieces, etc. I don't mind the tilting table TOO much, but I feel limited by the size of the table. The worst part for me is the "rickety" feeling of the table-raising mechanism. I dunno if this particular machine has just sustained a lot of wear or what, but I don't feel like I can do any kind of precision work with the tablesaw feature.

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My Shopsmith started as a 500 in 1975 and is now a 520 with a table surface of over 5" wide and 4" front to back, it cuts a 4x8 sheet without flexing I just need help lifting it. All machines can be upgraded. Given your limited space it is a great option.
The 510/520 also has a new table lift me mechanism that is much more solid and has an optional precision lift collar that raises or lowers the table in 1000's of an inch increments, something I have never seen on a conventional tablesaw.

I don't know many people with 35 year old tablesaws that can upgrade them to the lastest features or that can still get parts if something goes wrong.

I find mine to be a bit underpowered. It tends to seriously bog down when ripping maple and oak. I bought the motor refit kit to replace some of the internal belts to see if that helps at all but have yet to install them. Since I bought a table saw its not on the top of my to do list.
Still, Its the best tool I ever bought.

Thanks for the info on the arbor adaptor. I must of missed it.

Paul M Cohen said:

...I don't know many people with 35 year old tablesaws that can upgrade them to the lastest features or that can still get parts if something goes wrong.

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[size=+1]The Delta Unisaw comes immediately to mind...[/size]

Paul M Cohen said:

All units in since the 1960's have a 1 1/4 HP motor.

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Not quite, I have a 1980 built ShopSmith that has a 3/4 hp. I felt it was loosing power so I replaced the motor. Took them 4 months to get it to me after numerous promises that I should have it within the week, but that's another story. They started to offer me the 1 1/4 motor, but said that it wouldn't fit in my head stock. Still don't understand that since all the information says that the new VS motor will fit all ShopSmiths.

Doug Miller said:

Not quite, I have a 1980 built ShopSmith that has a 3/4 hp. I felt it was loosing power so I replaced the motor. Took them 4 months to get it to me after numerous promises that I should have it within the week, but that's another story. They started to offer me the 1 1/4 motor, but said that it wouldn't fit in my head stock. Still don't understand that since all the information says that the new VS motor will fit all ShopSmiths.

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My machine purchased in 1975 had the 1 1/4 HP motor, I can't understand how you got one in 1980 with the smaller motor since the motor was changed to 1 1/4 HP in 1962, http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/toolhistory.htm. They have been offering the larger HP motor for older machines for years in fact it was on sale in July, I am suprised you were told otherwise.

The upgrade is a new headstock not a new motor.

Almost sold my old (60s I think) Shopsmith, but after some thought I now use it for Beall buffs. I also use it in horizontal drill press mode to drill tool handles. There is no better way to do that in my opinion.

Stephen, I was doing very good at art before I attended college for art. I just started painting again last year after 28 years away from it.

Dave Hawksford said:

Stephen, I was doing very good at art before I attended college for art. I just started painting again last year after 28 years away from it.

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Dave i never really got into colors alot. My thing was ink and of corse pencil. I just always liked the black and white. Now if i could mix my colors like yourself and a few others i know i might just change my mind.
Steve

I have an early 1949 Shopsmith 10ER I inherited from my father who got it from my grandfather. I use it mainly for the lathe, but have built an adapter to mount the newer 4" jointer, and a 1950's Darra James 9" bandsaw. I have a small garage and my other hobby is Hotrods so I am limited for space.

I had some problems with the spline drive for the quill causing some vibrations when turning, so I removed the quill and had a solid shaft machined with 1" x 8tpi and MT2 with 3/8" bore through it as well as machined the headstock for a new bearing to support the shaft. I added a tailstock from an old 10" lathe to it and have made many pieces on it now. I can now easily use many normal lathe accessories. Next project is to try to make a vacuum chuck to use that through hole.

I have even taken the shopsmith outside to turn in some wonderfull sunny weather.