Should I buy a Shop Smith for lathe?

[gjat]

Came across a deal on a Shop Smith Mark 6 that's a little old and seems to run well. The guy bought it used 10+ years ago as a lathe/table saw and hadn't used in last 5 years. It looks decent, runs, has rust on the pipes. Asking for $100, has table saw, disk sander, drill press, and lathe attachments. I'm a little crowded in my 1 car shop, but this seems like a deal and I've been wanting a lathe to try. Does this seem like a great deal to experiment with, or too marginal considering the hassle of crowding my shop for a tool that won't be worthwile?

[Uncle Cracker]

Some will probably disagree, but I feel that flatbed cast-iron construction makes for a more stable lathe, rather than the tubular construction found on the Shopsmith. Only the cheapest of the dedicated lathes are built this way, and they get little respect among serious turners. That said, it may very well be all you need, but I still wouldn't buy a SS if I were only gonna use it as a lathe. I'd just buy a lathe instead.

[LCHIEN]

Some will probably disagree, but I feel that flatbed cast-iron construction makes for a more stable lathe, rather than the tubular construction found on the Shopsmith. Only the cheapest of the dedicated lathes are built this way, and they get little respect among serious turners. That said, it may very well be all you need, but I still wouldn't buy a SS if I were only gonna use it as a lathe. I'd just buy a lathe instead.

I don't have a lathe but, somehow, UC sounds very wise.

[cabinetman]

If you want it just for the lathe, it's still a cheap way to try out turning. If you have the room for the SS, you will also get the benefit of other procedures, like a drill press, horizontal borer, and a table saw. As individual tools they may not exceed ones expectation of excellence, but you still have those options.

Space may be a problem, and just a lathe in general doesn't take a large footprint. The price may be fair enough for you to find out if you'll like turning or not. I'm not a serious turner, and have a cheap import lathe that does impressive work for the little that I need it.

For that money, it might be worthwhile as a trade item later for a better lathe.
.

[Pappy]

I would tend to agree with CMan. The tubes on the cheap lathes are nowhere near as heavy as the ones on the Shop Smith. Even if you have a drill press, you are still looking at a disc sander and horizontal boring machine in addition to the lathe.

[gjat]

I'm going to pass on this. I spent the morning in the shop seeing if I can fit it, and I can't. Doing a bit of research gives me concern about the power head being maintained. For the effort to clean it up, make room for it, I may as well wait and get a regular lathe. The Shopsmith doesn't offer anything I don't have (or need) except a lathe and I just don't have the room. However, if anyone wants this guys phone number, give me a PM. He's in the Odessa/Land Of Lakes area (north of Tampa).

However, came across a Shop Fox 10" lathe, practically new with tools for $200. That may be more practical.