Shopsmith Mark V

[Luckbox]

Does anyone have any experence with the Shopsmith Mark V? These seem to pop up every so often on Craigslist, for about half the price of a new one. Usually about 10 to 15 years old, but wasn't sure if it is actually as good as they claim it to be.

[Tom Slick]

I have read that some people love them. to me the phrase "jack of all trades, master or none" comes to mind. I've never seen any type of combination machine that is as good as any of the individual machines it replaces.

[twistsol]

My dad had one for years.

The table saw functionality compares favorably to consumer grade table saws of the 70's and 80's but time has passed it by. The fence, even after upgrades, is so-so by today's standards and the pistol grip miter gauge hasn't been innovative for decades. Changing blades is faster than any other saw on the market. He used his B&D radial arm saw for everything, and at 84, he still does.

The drill press is functionality is quite good. The ability to tilt and lock the table and quickly return it to square, and use the fence on the table is nice. The dial speed control is much better than changing belts.

Disc sander, no big deal.

Horizontal boring might be useful if you frequently drill holes into the ends of long boards.

Lathe seems reasonable, but I never used it as a kid and don't have a lathe now so I have nothing to compare it to.

The extras my dad had were the 4" jointer which was useless both in width and length for all but the smallest projects. He also had the bandsaw which worked quite well but other than the speed control I don't remember it being any better than my harbor freight bandsaw.

[psjbob]

I owned one. The time it took to set up the different tasks was a pain. If you forgot to do a task you had to go back and set it up all over again. If you need to make a quick cut after you took the saw apart you were stuck. I think any money would be better spent on stand alone tools.

[SawdustSam]

First let me say that I joined today. I found you while doing a Google search for a ShopSmith Speed Chart I could print out for my Grandson.
I joined so I could respond to this thread.

I bought a used (1957 vintage) Shopsmith for my father-in-law when he retired in 1979 and moved out of his large shop. Actually, I took it as payment for a job I was doing. He said the same things I'm reading above until he actually started using it. He then used it exclusively until 2000 when he once again retired and offered it back to me. I used it until last summer when I answered an ad for a bandsaw and ended up buying a complete 2002 model. Complete means bandsaw, jointer, belt and strip sanders, a separate power station, and the basic machine.

The father-in-law built and sold custom oak furniture with it. We have a kitchen island and a very large entertainment center he made.
I have remodeled a 2500 square foot lake home almost entirely with this machine. I have a friend, an artist, who creates everything he sells on an old green Shopsmith. http://stantonworks.com/Gallery1.htm . His pieces sell for thousands.
We have a local cabinetmaker who will come to your home with his SS in tow and build the most beautiful kitchen cabinetry and another who builds and sells muzzleloading rifle stocks out of rough cut lumber.
I don't do this for a living and found my garage was being overtaken by woodworking tools. After I got that old saw from Walt, I found I wasn't using the other stuff. I started getting rid of my RA saw, Drill press, and finally my table saw. All I have now are portables, a Makita compound miter, and the ShopSmith. The Makita is covered in dust.