My dad was an Army officer and loved to do woodworking. Because we moved a lot he couldn't drag a full shop around the world. He and I were in a mall somewhere and there was a guy demonstrating a Shopsmith. My dad went every weekend to watch this guy demo the machine. He bought one and used it for years. When he got to his last duty station he built a full shop and put the machine away. He gave it away having never had an accident or issue with it. He built some amazing stuff with it. Before he died he bought a CNC for my shop that was delivered three weeks after he died. He and I spent days in the shop together.
The machine actually makes alot of sense and looks really practical as well. I'm surprised someone hasn't made something similar in today's time really.
I had considered one back in the early 90s but an older friend that has one and uses it said I would be happy with it. He does use his a lot. This isn't any worse than the old Black & Decker Fixkit that run off a drill motor. As to the plastic shaft, it is sturdier than most think. Atlas lathes had plastic gears in the 1950s and still run. We used a lot of tools in the past that would be sketchy today. Some are still being used in poor countries.
Hi John, Im in New Zealand and bought a Taiwanese copy in 1981 simply because I didn't have the money to buy a whole lot of expensive power tools. I now have a much more sophisticated workshop but still have my multishop, predominantly as a 300mm (12 inch) disc sander and a horizontal borer (drill press). In the early days I learnt a whole lot using that machine and still have all my fingers and no injuries. I would recommend the machine to people starting out in power tool woodworking because many of the cheap power tools are worse than the Shopsmith or Multishop. Enjoy the fantastic equipment you have, not all of us keen woodworkers or crafters can afford that. Ross
I grew up on my dads purchased in 1980 and being I too have very limited space I have purchased 3 of them. A have made tons and tons of things and I still have all my fingers and toes. I guess it also helps going into it without prejudging and perhaps read the owners manual too. I would hope you are not one to tell fellow wood workers not to diss miss a manual or get familiar with the controls before using it. You need not remove the band saw to rise the drill press either. Also one of the advantages of that press is it can run as a horizontal press. Meaning you need to drill into the top of a table leg or into the side of a large panel that you could not stand up in a regular drill press. Also you can move that quill feed to either side so it can be on the right it takes 30 seconds. The atchements like bandsaw and jointer have a one time adjustment to get the shaft running square to the machine. Also having been around this machine over 40 years I have never broke that shaft But it is made to shear if you jam up a mache doing something stupid much like a shear pin on a bush hog. I have never once had a blade come loose. If you would look you would see the flat on the arbor is a taper. If the screw came loose and I never have had that happen as it came away from the head of the machine it is going up a taper and wedging itself on tighter. It was not a loose set screw it was you did not lock the head or carriage or quill and the long allen will read right under the table to recheck if you needed. Maybe if you had just considered reading a manual or watching a set up and use video before you go bashing. Keep in mind it was never made to be a full on production shop it was made for a hobbiest and it was made to take a small footprint at the back of a garage. That is why they are on a very clever retractable caster. All of that said I Myself would not pay what ShopSmith ask for their machines new. But plenty of used ones on the market and tons more for them used on Ebay. Parts are still made it does not matter if it was a 1996 machine or a 1969 machine or new parts swap. Over a million made. Oh and any vibration is from a 30 year old machine that has been setting without lube. About 5o bucks you can replace every bearing in it and that one would most likely smooth out if you would remove the inspection cover and lube it like you manual you read told you. I do not mean to bust your balls but you are being way bias on this one. I know I have several shop smith tools I have several other non Shopsmith tools but bang for buck small spaces or just starting out 1200 bucks for a table saw, bandsaw, jointer, lathe, Drill press, huge 12 in disk sander and horizontal drill press is really not bad and you did not even look for a deal as you can often find them cheaper. I have a mortising attachment for the drill press and they are cheap and you can drill square holes. Also how many drill presses are variable speed and have tilting tables. I am not saying this is the end all best or last machine a person will ever buy but If you would of took one or two hours out of your day to read a manual on proper set up or watch some free films on shopsmiths site you would not of had 90% of the Issues. Go to my growth rings and look his videos over. The machine does have some drawbacks for sure but if you used it you would aso find a few pluses. I would be more than happy to pay to have it shipped here.
The plastic shaft extension is meant to act like a shear pin on a propeller shaft. It's a safety mechanism. Also, while seemingly outdated now, that machine was once revolutionary, and its features led to a lot of what we see used today.
ABSOLUTELY. Came here to say this. A designed point of failure. Not only will it act for safety, it will save the machine. Would you rather just replace the plastic piece if something goes wrong, or the motor or the tool? I can tell you which of the three is the cheapest. Knew a welder whose whole business was creating points of failure for industrial machinery. He once had this supervisor at a place he was working give him grief for what he was charging for "a crappy connection that would break under stress". He replied by asking how much the machine cost. It was in the millions. He replied, "So, you would rather an unbreakable weld that will wreck this multi-million dollar machine, or pay me to pop back out and re-weld for a few grand?"
@@Young_StarNot sure about that. First of all, I have never seen one nor heard of one failing, and between me and my father we have 70 years of history with shopsmith. It’s simply a coupler, and it’s made of plastic because it doesn’t need to be made of anything stronger. As to ‘saving the motor”. That may be the case with the Newer electronic shopsmith power head with a variable speed motor. But most Shopsmiths have the motor power the shaft thru a pair of variable diameter pulleys. One of them sprung and the other adjusted by the speed crank. So when you crank the active pulley to a wider diameter, the fixed length belt forces the other pulley to a smaller diameter, which is how you get the wide speed range of the shopsmith. I would not say they are outdated. You can STILL buy new shopsmiths, and you can still get parts for the machine and all its accessories. Mine runs a 4” joiner, A 6” belt sander, a 12” planer, An 11” bandsaw, disc and conical sander, drill press, 36” lathe, horizontal borer, drum sander, and shaper. It stores away up against the wall of the shop, usually with the bandsaw attached as I am most likely to use the bandsaw and don’t even have to wheel the shopsmith out onto the flor for that. Next to it is a steel case cabinet that holds all the attachments, tools and acceptors for it. So all those tools take up no more space than 1 tandem bicycle leaned up against the wall. So, for the guy who hasn’t a lot of space, or for whom woodworking is more occasional, the Shopsmith is still the best bang for your buck, especially since you can often pick one up super cheap, and even a 30 year old shopsmith runs just as good as new.
There has GOT to be a program out there to 3D print a replacement plastic drive ... I agree it doubles as shear mechanism. Get one or two printed for a spare, maybe ABS plastic?
I'm a retired 40 year manual and CNC machinist including programming and tool design. That Shopsmith seems well made and extremely versatile with a small footprint for something designed in 1950 so I don't think its fair to compare it with today's equipment! This well made video reminds me of the new guy who rolls into the machine shop proclaiming they know what they're doing and slapstick's setups, breaks tools and equipment then gets fired. I disagree with the evaluation but enjoyed seeing this machine and I will be on the lookout for one to buy! Thanks!
You have done more damage than you know. My Father was a contractor and loved his Smith with all its diversity. For MANY people, this is as close as they will EVER get to enjoying woodworking. Every piece of power equipment is dangerous, but not as dangerous as you are. Thanks for maligning what many people love and appreciate.
My father bought one in 1987 when I was 8 year old. He still has it, along with all his fingers. It’s a great machine for those who don’t have the large wood shop you have John. My dad has turned many bowls, vases, pens, table legs on this thing. Built book cases, desks, our dining room table, and so much more. Maybe 25 years as a helicopter pilot in the Army taught him to start by reading the manual. I agree it’s not for beginners, but those who have experience, just not the space.
Manuals are for reasons, like to read them for 2 reasons. I learn out with what spec I can work without wory it's die on me. Second in WARNING's, and read what people do to better never do.
Seriously. It's not that hard. Millions in use over 80 years but because it's not like today's coddle the user and try to make things foolproof it's "a deathtrap" vs the user having to take any personal responsibility. That's why you can't find radial arm saw anymore. 😢
Literally every manual for it is in pdf form online. Show me another tool that is 70 years old that I can regularly order new parts for and that has a thriving online community to provide help. This entire video is useless. It's the same as saying I can't drive a stick shift so all stick shifts must be death machines
i bought an old shopsmith for cheap and fixed it up during the pandemic, and it has served me well for what i need. i am an experienced carpenter, and know tools, so that helps, and i dont use it much for the table saw. the real gem is the lathe, i turn bowls on it all the time, and it you upgrade to the nova chuck its even better. the drill press is great cause the shop smith comes with a motor that is generally more powerful that your average small shop drill press, plus it can be a horizontal drill press which allows you that much more versatility on it. last thing, since you can control the speed on the side, you can slow down the table saw, making it so that you can put on a low rpm blade to cut metal and use the machine to cut sheet metal. its a great tool for someone who doesnt have the money to buy a bunch of individual tools that take up alot of space.
I agree with most of the comments. I bought mine over 40 years ago because I was an active duty soldier. I still have/use it. Never had an accident or injury. John is snarky because he has a monstrous big shop with all the tools you could want. He also seems to be able to spend his money pretty casually. In all my years in the Army, one thing I learned and taught was RTFMD! (Read the _____ Manual, Dummy. If you don't need or want it, sell it. Most of us love our Shopsmiths.
ShopSmiths aren't bad tools for what they are intended to be-a Jack of All Trades for small shops. These machines were first designed in the 1940s when tilt-top tablesaws were still in common use. They're also still made here in the USA and ShopSmith has excellent support for even their older machines. How many major US tool companies can still say that?
There was a recent video with the new owner of the company, it still all (as much as possible) made in the USA and apparently all the new tools are still interchangeable with the old machines. That is pretty cool if a person picks up a used one and wants to buy more accessories.
I am another longtime, satisfied, user of the Shopsmith machines and have acquired most of the accessories over the years. They are great tools and well suited for their intended purpose. As a teacher with many years of "woodshop" classes under my belt I can say that all tools can be dangerous if used incorrectly, and the Shopsmith is no different from any other tool in that respect. That being said the company has put a lot of time and attention into making these tools as safe as they can. From what I have seen you could definitely benefit from Scott's generous offer to come and provide you some training on that Shopsmith.
My dad, in the 70's used his Shop Smith all the time. Never lost any fingers or even got upset about setting up the tool he wanted to use. His shop was a 10 ft x 16 foot shed, and made anything he wanted or needed. When he passed, I wanted it, but my mom had already sold it to a neighbor, who still uses it to this day. And you even said it, after each tool was setup, each one worked pretty good.
I bought a Shopsmith when I was 17. I'm now 60 and still use it! I have a full wood shop with every tool from lumber mill down to hand files and everything in between. I have workers that don't have the patience to learn something new - like you - and they're not allowed to touch the shopsmith. It's not my production machine, but it allows me to have a second of everything if needed.
I would have enjoyed it more, just could not get past the snark. I have used my Shopsmith for 40+ years. I will admit that I usually use it primarily as a saw. As I have expanded my wood shop, adding a power miter saw, router table, and bandsaw, the Shopsmith still remains the heart of my shop, and recently upgraded the saw table.
I've been using one safely for over 10 years because I read the manual. It's a great space saver for small shops and very versatile. Not as fast as having stand alone tools, but the money and space savings make up for it. True, it does take more patience and attention, but once you get used to it, it's easy.
They are really expensive though compared to what you can get now. Not to mention they dont seem to update much on the newer models. John may be ignorant about setup and operation but hes still not wrong about it being somewhat dated .
@@mikej5959 i think it depends on the area. i for example can find several in my area with the bandsaw for 450$ which is way cheaper than buying a bunch of seperate tools for me who is a small house repair / furniture making hobbiest.
When I was a kid back in the 60s and 70s, if you had one of these you were the envy of the neighborhood. One of my Dad's friends had one and made a lot of furniture for others. He built Mom and Dad a table with bench chairs (like a booth) for their breezeway that was really nice. I'll have to give you credit, you made it look as hard as possible.
I grew up/learned woodworking from my dad on a Shopsmith he had for 25 years before handing it on to me. I still use it regularly. Watching you guys figure out the attachments was something I really needed to see today. I kept telling myself, "if they just read the manual..." lol
It can be every bit as safe as any other machine for someone starting out. I little bitty $200 jobsite saw is not going to be anw safer. To be honest I do not mind using the table saw on it at all. I like the height as my back bothers me a lot to lean over. For 1200 bucks he got a lot of bang for the buck if he only knew how to read. I mean for someone so worried about people's safety you would think he would tell people to read the manual and get familiar with any machine before using it.
@@jvmiller1995 on a hunch, I clicked on one other video from this channel. It took no time at all to find them cutting on their 5k dollar saw without the blade guard on and the guy pushed the board all the way through the cut with their hands. This guy does not care about safety. He cares about clicks. And sadly we are helping him by making all these comments. LOL
@@mikmok_DS Yeah you are right on that. He knew damn good and well there are over a million ShopSmith owners. He was just trying to get people to get pissed off. He wants the clicks and he is just a internet troll douchebag that gets off on the Drama. Oh well this is just another dead channel to me. I only came here in response to mygrowthring channel. I think that is what it is called. Check him out he is areal cool guy. He even offered to fly to this guys shop on his own dime to teach him how to use it. But this dude never was wanting to use it or give it a honest review. I hope his $5k sawstop malfunctions when he slips and gets his hand pulled in it. 🤣🤣🤣🤣
You proved that any tool you don't understand and didn't learn to use is dangerous. Because I don't have a lot of room for a work shop the Shopsmith has proven to be a great tool. Over 30 years of use and never had an issue. Changing over from one tool to another takes about two minutes. You soon to learn how to plan your work. How many tools built in 1947 are still supported by the company that built them. I hear negative comments about Shopsmith all the time and when I do (just as I did with your video) I just smile and enjoy making things safely with my 35 year old Shopsmith.
So a Tylertube 2.0 Tyler always fails to read the instructions manual then gives a bad rating because of his incompetence of not reading the instructions manual.
John, I bought my Shopsmith Mark 5 in 1981. Didn't have a shop so I worked out of my garage. My job required me to move around about every 4 years and the family and the Mark 5 made every move and was used to renovate every house we lived in. Built cabinets, desks, furniture, bowls, stairs...etc. In 43 years I never had an accident or a runaway saw blade. My manual was bigger then the one you have but I did read it. I am settled now and have upgraded the Shopsmith to a Mark 7 (DIY project that added a larger motor and computer control). I have actually run into other woodworkers with big shops with multiple Shopsmiths that have set the machines up permanently as a lathe, drill press, table saw, panel routers and bandsaws. Shopsmith also sold tool stands that included motors that turned your band saw and belt sanders into stand alone tools. The biggest complaint I heard was that Shopsmith suffered from accuracy problems because it was trying to be several tools. The fences on the new machines are much better and easier to use. Upgraded table extensions allow me to cut 4X8 sheets of plywood. I don't really think the machine is any more dangerous than any other power tool as long as you read the manual and show it some respect. Thanks for the opportunity to reply.
I taught Industrial Arts in high school for 34 years and had a Shopsmith all in one machine at my home shop. I used this machine for 10 years without problems or accidents and found it was more accurate than most modern day machines sold today. I had every attachment that Shopsmith made and I loved each and everyone of them. Most importantly it was made in the USA and was made with quality materials along with quality engineering. Only reason I sold it was when I got into Segmented woodturning and I needed a larger more rigid tablesaw that would handle large cutting sleds. Don't make up your mind on a Shopsmith by watching this video. The makers of the video seemed to have one thing on their mind and that was to mock the machine. And by the way, it's no more dangerous than any other of today's wood working machines on the market. Give the Shopsmith a BIG two thumbs up.....Great piece of equipment.
Admittedly I only got 1:23 into your video but wanted to comment that I have owned a Mark V for about 17 years now. I had a small garage shop for much of that time and this 5 in one tool was excellent for my situation. It is a robust tool and works extremely well. Like any tool it has its pros and cons but overall it performs the way it was advertised. I am in Canada and there is a dealer 30 minutes from my place that still sells the Mark V and all of its accessories, and there are many. I'll keep watching your video to see what you think but your first photo of the Mark V with an exposed blade and calling it your table saw is certainly misleading. If you use al the proper accessories and guards, it is just as safe as any other tool. Now, back to the video.....
My dad had one of these for years, and he taught me on a Shopsmith as well, it really is a great tool.He or I never lost any digits on it, because he taught me always know where your hands are. Watching you try to assemble this is like watching a monkey hump a football. It’s not that difficult.
Yeah, I can understand his not recommending it to a novice as newbs are generally impatient but it definitely appeared that he was actively sabotaging the process.
My grandfather was a missionary and traveled all around Papua New Guinea for 48 years building infrastructure for the translators and the Papuans with nothing but his Shopsmith. Every time they would move he would build a crate, pack it up, and move to the next location. He loved it because with a single machine he could have an entire shop of tools, though he did mention the finickiness of the machine. He built all sorts of things to make it function better and be easier to work with, and it is still running in my father's shop 65 years later!
The plastic coupler is a safety feature. It's designed to break if the tool ever get jammed up. It's not spinning that fast where it's going to fly out at ballistic speed and kill you. Agreed it's not the safest product out there and you have to be very safe around it for sure. Also agreed that it's not the most convenient thing to set up, it takes a lot of time to set up every cut taking the fun out of it.
The coupler is designed to NOT throw it at you if it fails. Also, the coupler disengages from the headstock first (that is why the spring is there) if the headstock were to move away from the jointer or bandsaw for any reason (like forgetting to tighten the headstock).
Shopsmith has an interesting history and is a different company today than in the past. I own a 1949 model 10er that was bought by an Air Force Pilot. All of the information, instruction manuals, receipts, mail correspondence with the manufacturer (Magna), news letters and such. The thing is a beast and i love it. I've owned it 15 years. Tools are only dangerous as you make them so work safely.
John, there are 2 vital things you need to know whenever using any power tool, they are: 1. READ & understand the manual. Especially when you have to assemble the tool before you can use it! 2. Engage your brain & think about what you are doing & trying to achieve, before turning it on! As for your comment about the Shopsmith being the most dangerouse tool ever, the only dangerous thing about a Shopsmith is the operator! I have 2 Shopsmiths, the 1st one is a 1995 Mk 510 & the 2nd one is a 1997 Mk 520 (now updated with the PowerPro headstock), & neither of them has let me down, that's how well made they are. It's evident, that clearly you did not read the manual or take any notice of how to assemble & operate a Shopsmith! There is a saying that relates to you in particular, it is " All the gear & NO Idea!"
Agreed! You can get away with that sometimes but a shopsmith has a lot to learn to safely operate it. I've had mine for a couple years and found it was best to go slow and not expect to to try every feature the same day. @John Malecki you did admirably well. Maybe pick one function and use it for a while and do a follow-up video on that function.
It really isn’t that hard. For certain circumstances, nothing beats a ShopSmith. What are those circumstances? 1) Limited shop space. With the optional casters, bandsaw, beltsander and jointer attachments, I get a lot of functionality in a very small space. On top of that, it’s a very good drill press and a pretty decent lathe and disk sander. 2) Customer service. ShopSmith is a *great* company. Yes, their products are expensive. But they stand behind everything and no matter how old your Mark V is, parts are available and upgrades can give it every feature of the latest model. In recent years we’ve seen so many venerable tool companies become shells of their former selves. It’s nice to know that, if I need something, I can call Dayton Ohio and talk to someone who has, likely, been with the company for decades and is deeply knowledgeable about the machine. What is that worth? To me, it’s worth a lot. 3) If you don’t mind thinking outside the box. The Shopsmith requires thjnking a bit differently. Not being that sort of person accounts for the large majority of issues that people have with it. In the 30 years I’ve owned my Mark V, it has outlasted three other table saws, one band saw and a jointer which were all just too damned big to move, so they were sold). Again, circumstances,. For one move, I disassembled my Mark V and drove it across three states in the back of a normal station wagon. And, finally, no one runs a naked saw blade in table saw mode. No one. In fact, the Shopsmith has a complete lower guard as well as one of the least intrusive upper blade guards anywhere, I use mine all the time.
@@bunkie2100 did you watch the video? He assembles the table saw. And if you don't have a couple thousand dollars and a fair amount of space for proper tools, this isn't the hobby for you. The time you spend in setting up each facet of this tool each time you need a different function costs more than buying individual tools
used one commercially for 20 years and probably earned 250k on side jobs with it. table saw has both lower and upper guards, its as safe as any tablesaw.
One summer in high school I helped my grandfather built an entire kitchen full of custom cabinets using nothing but a shopsmith and a router. It can be done if you know the tool and put the time in on the setup. That being said, I will stick with my sawstop and modern power tools.
Ya i am with you Dave! Theres amazing craftsman who can build much much better stuff than i ever will with much less tooling. I just cant recommend this tool as a solid investment to my audience but i do know theres a market for it and theres a lot of people who love it!
I'm 65. Bought one when I was 20. Built several sets of kitchen cabinets and other projects over the years. Mostly use the lathe now for turning bowls. I guess I just didn't know any better. Lol
45 years ago there was this and very few other options. You made do with what you had. I am with John on this one now and don't recommend it for the beginners
I have one. I use it for the bandsaw and drill press only. I don't think I would ever recommend it for the table saw or some of the other goofy features that they advertise, but it's definitely a cool vintage machine.
@@jamescraft2789 45 years was 1978, the Ray DeWalt Radial Arm Saw was invented in 1922 and the Delta Unisaw in 1939. There were definitely better tool options 45 years ago.
I've had a Shopsmith for a while and love it. A lot of the "safety" issues you showed are actually *improper use of the tool* - such as lateral movement of the quill in table saw mode. Read the instructions bro - probably less fingers lost to one of these than standard table saws because it teaches you to pay attention to what you are doing, prep/check your setups before cuts, and do things in order. It's a powerful tool in the right hands. It will never be as fast as 5 different purpose-built tools, but it was never meant to be.
I've had a Shopsmith for 22 years and have all my fingers and everything else. I have found the machine to be very delightful and well built. Scott Markwood has invited you to talk it over, why don't you do that.
I have had one of these for over 40 years: Though I don't have the accessories (bandsaw & jointer) you demonstrated. It is still my shop table saw primarily because I don't have a large enough shop for a Delta or a SawStop. Your loose saw arbor was a function of not lining up the saw arbor set screw to the notch on the saw arbor. I have never had that issue with mine. I am speaking from the experience of a retired shop teacher and will note that over the years I have supplemented my shop with a stand alone bandsaw, drill press, lathe and jointer and if I had the space I would probably opt for a table saw: BUT the Shopsmith is an alternative for those who do not have the space. I have found it to be no more dangerous than any of the stand alone tools though the set up has a learning curve!
Space was the primary reason I went with a Shopsmith. The price and availability of components on the used market was another. Supporting a US company also makes me feel good. Still happy with my decision for occasional DIY use.
@@BrianTrezise-phoenixhawke I agree that the SawStop is indeed safer than any other table saw: But I also believe that the ShopSmith is as safe as any other table saw if the directions are followed and the guarding is used.
@Brian Trezise they're too busy shaving with ka-bars and waxing on about responsibility to give any attention to safety. Get your saw stop off my lawn! (And put it in the garage next to my PCS)
The drill press lever will fit on either side so you can feed right handed. And the coupler is plastic so that it breaks instead of the machine. You can also add a piece of wood to the jointer fence. BTW I gave $200 for mine. And paste wax everything, and lube it every 20 hours. And if you had gone through the manual it would have taught you to use the machine.
Yeah funny how when you don't bother to read the manual and have no idea how a tool functions it's suddenly a dangerous tool. What's dangerous is that operator
Good morning John. Yes you should have read the owners manual. I bought my Mark 7 about 9.5 years ago & I love it. Any loss of respect for power tools can be dangerous.
I purchased a shop smith Mark 4 about 5 months ago. The videos available on how to use it are easy to watch and understand. What I love most is that you can still get parts for everything on it. I think the most dangerous element in your shop is you.
You had a plan to show this was dangerous before ever looking at it. They are pretty well built, the reason it’s not so popular is the time it takes to swap the attachments, prevents one piece flow.
In my 27 years as a paramedic I have done calls for 2 full hand amputations and 1 finger amputation courtesy of Shop Smiths. 2 of those calls were the same patient, 2 years apart. The guy lost a finger on the hand that had been previously re-attached.
Sounds like it is as much a matter of the guy as much as it is the tool. Be interesting to see those numbers relative to wider woodworking related injuries as a whole.
The Shop Smith is really good at a couple of things. The band saw is better than any of the 3 I now own for detail work. Won't re-saw, but it's small. The drill press is really good, and it is a tool that I still don't have today, which is a horizontal drill press also. Very handy. The lathe is sort of ok, and I turned more on it than my high end lathes. And the very best thing about the tool was the miter gauge with the hold down feature, which is the best safety feature I've ever seen for the band saw, even thou the table saw is a little sketchy. Worst part about the table saw was the fence, which is not capable of being permanently parallel to the blade, and is often 'fussy'.
I have owned my shop smith for 40 years. I have never had my table saw blade come loose. Don't blame the tool if you don't know how to operate it properly!!!!
If only there were some kind of resource that could help a new user understand how to set up this tool correctly - perhaps even offering tips on how to operate it safely and avoid common mistakes. Ah well... Guess it's just a bad dangerous tool. Although I will admit the table saw looks genuinely sketchy😅 Lastly I just have to say, I've never even used one, but I can still tell the plastic linkage is obviously a smart safety feature, it adds a low-stakes failure point if something jams. It's a feature that would be nice to see on more tools!
I've had one for 25 years. No injuries to speak of. I got it for the compact size and multi-use, like everyone. Ten years ago, I built a larger shop so I could move out of the garage that was used as a garage the entire time before. Just trying to say the ShopSmith accomplished what I wanted it to. I now have a table saw and various other separate tools. In summary, I vastly prefer the separate tools. But that wasn't an option originally. What I will say, today it's a great backup tool in my current shop. Many times have I discovered I wanted to use a table saw while my dado blade and fence was set up. Horizontal boring is nice to have. It's a flexible drill press. A second band saw is nice to have around. I loved it while it was my only tool and now it's a very useful corner of the shop that never gets in the way. A further note: I love the miter gauge. Wish more were like it.
I've had a Shopsmith for many years and have made many small and big projects. Just recently, I built kitchen cabinets. I will agree with most of your comments, but the best upgrade I made was going to the new PowerPro motor. You don't have to ramp up speed and ramp down to turn off. Just push the button to turn off. It also has some preset speeds. No belts and pulleys to deal with. I wish I hadn't invested at the beginning, but for my small work shop space, it had been a lifesaver.
I have had a Shop Smith since the early 70's. No out feed table extensions, jointer, or band saw. I have made many things on it. My instruction manual is a small booklet. It is great machine as it can do so many things and takes up very little space. The down side to that is it takes time to change between each thing you want to do (seems like rarely set up for your next use) and it does not do each process quite as well as a standalone tools. Over the years and with the increase in garage space has allowed me to add many standalone tools. Cutting a sheet of plywood down is easier on the shop smith than my table saw. I always turn the speed down before changing setups so you do not start a lathe or sanding disk at saw blade speed. The arbor on my shop smith has an inward taper cut into it that the set screw screws into to prevent any slippage of the blade or other tool. I do not have the table extension shown and most likely would not use it except in very few cases. Mine has a small side table that fits on either end and can hold the saw fence. Mostly, I use mine now for the disk sander (larger disk is much better than a small disk on my standalone tool), cutting very wide widths that my table saw cannot, drill press when my table top drill press is to small, and for the lathe. I do agree it is not for the novice wood worker that does not have at least a more than basic knowledge of power tools. All tools can be dangerous.
My father had a Shopsmith, and while he eventually bought a lot of stand alone tools, he used that Shopsmith religiously. I have it now, and while I absolutely do not know how to use it properly, I think it will have some value in my small shop space. I know for a fact that my dad used his for over 30 years with no issues, and honestly, I see a lot of them in the wild, and they are all really great tools for what they are. The sheer adaptability of it kinda blows me away, honestly.
I purchased mine almost 60 years ago, and another one years later. I have every accessory made before about 1980. I love it and have used it to make everything. I use machine tools to set it up. As long as you are not stupid and attempt to cut 4X8 sheets of plywood, and very long boards, you will do fine. I have a hand saw for long lumber, and a circular saw with a fence for plywood.
6:51 this part is made of plastic 'cause it was highly likely to be designed as kind of "mechanical fuse cartridge" so if there's anything blocked shafts for any reason, it's just get destroyed (at best, at worst, it'll be shattered like Schrapnel grenade) but, in any case, the steel shafts are saved, which also save you couple of hundred bucks for replacing them...
That was my assumption. If you take apart an old Kitchen-Ade stand mixer, you will find all the gears are metal except one that is plastic that is designed to fail if the tool end gets stuck so the motor is saved. Of course if you open a newer Kitchen-Ade, you'll find all the gears are plastic because everything is a rush to cheapness.
It works similar to the breaking bolts on the axles used to connect farm equipment to a tractor. Except those are designed to break without flying in your face
That was the primary workhorse of my dad's shop. He used it primarily as tablesaw and lathe. He had a footstock attachment for the lathe. He made dozens of spindle rocking chairs. When he died 15 years ago, he still had all of his fingers. His was an older model with exposed external belt/pulley speed control. He made some pretty nice stuff over the years, but he was also pretty careful.
I have owned a Shopsmith for 40+ years. Like any tool you need to follow the safety manual. If you miss use any tool it is dangerous. The reason you see so many for sale is that the tool has been sold for over 50 years and replacement parts are avaliable. It has a huge loyal following who use it safely.
P.S. You picture shows that none of the safety equipment it attached, blade gaurd , riving knife, dust guard. Very disappointed that you did not look to real long time users before you jumped to your conclusions.
I've had a Shopsmith for 50 yrs. An older model with jigsaw, disc and drum sanders, and turning equipment. It's made for people who don't have the room for individual machines. It requires patience to do the setups. Made a lot of stuff with it and still have all my fingers and toes. They didn't have bench top equipment back in the 70's like they do today. I have to roll it out of the one car garage to have room to cut an 8 ft. board. My saw table is much smaller than yours at 14" by 18". The saw guard was an expensive optional extra. I would happily pay $1200 to get the setup up have.
Read the manual. You proved to me you are not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Had one for 50+ years. Use it, love it and so do my neighbors. Never had an accident. Still working like a champ. Oh yeah, I read the manual on how to set it up. Very easy and ingenious once you understand it.
My father sold Shopsmith as a side hustle and he had one his whole life. IN all that time the only thing he ever had to replace was the belt. I bought one in the early 90’s And still have it 30 years later, and it still runs like new. Its more awkward to use than a big table saw… but then a big table saw takes up a LOT of space for something I just don’t use all that often. The shopsmith takes up no more space than a bicycle. I’m primarily a sculptor, but occasionally I need to make things out of wood or plastic and its great to have a lathe, drill press, table saw, horizontal borer, belt sander, bandsaw, disc sander, jointer available when I need them while taking up no more space than a bike and a cabinet. The Shopsmith can be easily calibrated to provide excellent results, and the ability to dovetail such operations as miter cuts, and horizontal boring for dowels, Aline with disc sanding all with same table makes it way more versatile than having all those machines separate. There is nothing more unsafe about a Shopsmith than any other table saw, drill press or lathe, other than some guys just being ignorant of how to set one up. My dad Also had an old 1950’s DeWalt Radial arm saw, and a couple years back I bought a 1953 DeWalt 3hp 14” radial that is way safer to use and more versatile than any table saw. Floor space in my shop is limited and I just can’t afford to have it taken up by a huge table saw that I only fire up 6-12 times a year. The shopsmith is perfect for my needs.
I do not have one or want one, but I do think it’s a pretty outstanding piece considering the engineering to make it all work. I’m also kind of looking at it from a decades old point of view. I think today we are spoiled with how easy tools are to set up and use, but it sure is nice.
i grew up using my dad's ShopSmith, especially for the lathe, the disc- and drum-sander, and the drill press features. I was rightly afraid of the table saw and the joiner, as well as how loud it was at every setting. A big difference between what we had and what you tested is the toll time has taken on its fine machining and lubrication. I enjoyed using it as a beginner not that concerned about whether things were square. No accidents that I can recall.
My father had one of these in the 1960s, but I don't remember him using it. I bought an early version - 1953 - of this in 2012 and restored it to full working order. After 6 months of restoration I finally got a chance to use it. I tested every feature and found it to be "workable", BUT I was spending 75% of my shop time doing set up. To go from tablesaw to drill press took >30 min, to go sander took >20 min. Every tool change took a horrendous amount of time. I never completed a project as setup ate all my time. After 3 months of utter frustration, I tore it down and sold it for scrap. The BEST features of this iron hulk are the vertical and horizontal drill press. These were GREAT and worked perfectly every time. Also had least amount of setup. The lathe was another piece of junk as no parts were common with all the chucks and jigs available on the market. To use "modern" accessories you had to buy adapters from the motor spindle to the chuck bores - more setup. NOPE!. It was an excellent experience restoring and refurbishing this albatross, I learned everything about the machine and where not to put any appendages I wanted to keep, The scrap dealer got the better part of the deal. This is not for any serious woodworker or anyone who wants to learn woodworking.
My dad had a Shopsmith. He would make all sorts of furniture with it and he never spent more than 5 minutes swapping modes (like table saw versus band saw). He had it dialed in so that he didn't have to do a lot of fiddling to make it all square and all the right heights and such. I think he had a much earlier version that was made with love by engineers rather than made by a corporate salesman trying to cut corners and extract as much profit as possible. Using the shopsmith meant he could put it in one corner of the garage then pull it out into the driveway to work rather than filling up the garage with 7 different full size woodworking tools.
Watching you try to assemble this is the most entertaining part.. To be fair, my grandfather had this tool, may still be around, and it's not as difficult or as dangerous as you made it look
It's is no more dangerous than any other tool in the shop particularly if you take the time to actually know what you are doing instead of pandering for views
I've had my shop smith for almost 30 years. It is not a do it all machine, however if you read the instructions and learn how to properly use it. It is a good machine. Is it for everyone no but if you have limited space it is good.
I grew up in the 60’s watching my dad use one of these. He had a very limited amount of space in our basement so it was perfect for him. Bear in my mind his family had a cabinet shop when he was very young so he understood the “pros and cons” of the “all-in-one” concept. He was a hobbyist who made a ton of stuff-everything from kitchen cabinets and dining room chairs to very ornate candle sticks on its lathe. I inherited it in the early 90’s but didn’t have a need for it as I had a pretty spacious shop and stand alone tools for what I was doing. One thing that did impress me was the fact the current models were still pretty much identical to this 1963 model I had, and all parts and accessories were still available once you found a dealer. The internet was still in its infancy so you had to do a lot of calling… Ended up selling it to a co-worker in 1995 who was still using it the last time I saw him in 2010! 😊
My old neighbor had one of these and loved it. He had the Shopsmith 5 with the bandsaw attachment, and said it only took a couple of minutes to convert from one tool to another. He told me you just plan your build sequences and there is no problem in using the tool. If you watch the guys doing the demos, they only take about 90 seconds to convert the tool, but they do it all the time. They now have the Shopsmith 7 which has improved a lot of the features, but the cost is also up there, you could buy a decent but not top end table saw, bandsaw, drill press, jointer, planner and disc sander cheaper then the new Shopsmith 7. The main advantage is space saving for we that have a small shop i.e. half a garage. P.S. I don't own a Shopsmith, but wish I did.
My dad who is almost 80 has been using one since I was little. He has all fingers and hands. I welcome you to travel about a hour and a half and we will show you some tips and tricks of the Shopsmith. It's not for high-end furniture but for a hobby guy it's great. Recently he has been turning out planter boxes and fan trellises to take to auction
I work my stuff on an extreme budget. The main power tool I have is a ShopSmith. She is limited in some applications from stuff that I someday aspire to do but for now she is a workhorse. As for safety, just like anything else we do in woodworking, be smart and aware. I can honesty say that I have not ever felt that anything I have done was "sketchy". There are times when I have to do or think a little extra than what I see you and my other favorite makers on You Tube do but that is half of the enjoyment in woodworking for me.
I hear ya Matthew and appreciate that. I think for the price i paid for the tool you could get a few other smaller individual tools and be set up decently.
@@John_Malecki I paid $300 for mine it came with the bandsaw and extension table pack. Honestly speaking, the one thing I do want to figure out a larger out feed table. Because the blade is stationary and the table height adjusts, the out feed table would need to adjust. I have thoughts but I have not put any real time into attacking that yet. Give me your address so I can go dumpster diving when you put that beauty out there. LMAO!
@@matthewcarpenter4716 depending on the width of the cuts you’re making you could add a “2x4” to the table saw fence for outfeed support. It would start on the opposite side of the fence from what your cutting, then connect underneath on the outfeed side. Think of the little flip supports on modern job site saws like the Dewalt. Could make a more permanent one with angle iron. With in-feed and out-feed it’s reversible. With a second fence on the other side there’s zero twist (if you’re lucky enough to have two.) hope this helps!
@@craigmunn9669 It does! Thank you. I was considering some sort of adjustable table that does not permanently attach. I have been keeping a car scissor jack in my shop with hopes of making the table. Still not entirely sure yet.
My dad had an older Mark V. He didn't have the bandsaw attachment, but he still built 2 houses with it and it was one of the first tools I used. His didn't have that funky set screw on the table saw arbor. His used standard blades that attached just like any other tablesaw. Personally, I loved it and would probably still have it today if the motor hadn't gotten water damaged in a flood.
Hi Ken - My Dad had a 1948 model ER with which he finished 2 bedrooms and a bathroom in my folks' first home and a bedroom and a den in their second home. I've been using it since I was in seventh grade. It's very finicky, setup can take a lot of time and the tilting table is downright dangerous (I think they've been outlawed in the US) but you can get a lot of work done in a space normally taken by an 8" jointer. These were the dream machine for a couple of generations of woodworkers like your dad and mine.
Norm Abrams had and used multiple Shopsmith machines in his workshop back in the day. If it was good enough for Norm, its good enough for me! I do have a full size 1951 vintage Delta table saw, with an Incra system on it, and other stand alone machines, but in my smallish work space my Shopsmith, with the "Power Pro" DVR motor equipped headstock, is a quite nice thing to have. A shortened one can also be set up for several functions. It takes some time to initially set up the alignment of the tables and accessories, but once those adjustments have been made, it takes very little time to switch between functions, or accessories. Basically, you can have a 2 car garage workshop, and still have room to park 2 cars in it.
Hey!! I got a Mark V last summer for just $100! It’s been fantastic and I’ve used the bandsaw, table saw, scroll saw, lathe, and used it’s as a drill press! It’s been fantastic for everything! I can 1000% recommend one for people like me with almost no extra garage space. Sounds like John’s needs a little good greasing
I use my Shopsmith constantly, it was a hand-me-down from my father and in my teens almost lost a finger to it due to my stupidity. However, it is a workhorse that has served me wonderfully and continues to be a super configurable, portable, dependable, well made machine. People who maim themselves are idiots who would hurt themselves with spoons if given a chance.
I bought my Mark V back in the 90's and used it to make a wide range of projects, still have it today. Although I have since outfitted my shop with standalone tools like a table saw, drill press and band saw, I still use the ShopSmith lathe, disk sander, shaper, and even the 4" joiner. This is not a cheaply made tool. The ShopSmith is a still great system for someone starting out in woodworking. Afraid of losing your fingers? Except for maybe the SawStop, you can certainly lose your digits on, pretty much, any other saw in your shop. Like anything else, you just have to be smarter than the tool. Oh, and after 25+ years, I have never had to replace that plastic coupler. Also, why are you so afraid of "handling the blade" ?
when I was in the ARMY, we had a shopsmith in the company shop, and I used it for several years to make a lot of wood projects. being a RANGER is an immensely stressful job, and wood working was a way to relax, and detach from the work. as a disabled vet, I can't afford to get a shopsmith, but would love to someday have one, with all of the attachments. i have a few cheap ( harbor freight) wood working tools in my garage, but finances and space both restrict what I can have. I understand that it does not compare to the pro machines you have in your shop, but don't knock the space saving feature. with a little time, and practice, changing tools is fairly easy, and I have made some really nice projects with the one I had access to.
Still use my dad's shopsmith that he bought in the early 80's. Admittedly I only use it in the drill press and horizontal boring modes of operation. I saw my dad use the table saw function to rip many a piece of plywood and his didn't have that extendable arms/support. His just had the table with the naked saw blade sticking through without a guard, and a small support piece that connected to two holes on the far right of the machine. I've found the table flexes slightly when drilling deep holes which is normally fine for most things. Not so great when trying to bore a deep hole for some of my turnings and drilling pen blanks. The horizontal boring is great for drilling out pepper mill blanks considering the small size of my lathe and the size of the peppermills I've been requested to make a few times. Now he loves my bandsaw and rigid table saw and often states he feels like he's lucky to have all his fingers still looking back but for someone without a lot of money back then it provided a number of tools for a new home owner. Though he was a build a deck guy versus doing any fine woodworking like building furniture.
I can't believe that it was 35/40 years ago when I owned mine, but you have to remember, the China market wasn't open back then, and to purchase all these tools that this offered, there was no way a homeowner could afford a tablesaw, drill press, jointer, band saw, lathe, and all the rest. I had moved from my radial arm saw to this and was in love with it. Once you had it setup, it was a beast for it's time for a homeowner.
I've always been curious to see someone use of these setups. Very cool! That said while many of the comments here correctly point out that any tool can be dangerous (especially if you don't read the manual) and that these might be good for people who move around a lot or who don't have a lot of space, the one thing that stands out to me is the amount of time and effort it might take to build a complex project and having to go through multiple dis-assemblies and re-assemblies. I often have projects where I need to go back and use a tool I used earlier and having to break the tool down and then set it up again (maybe multiple times) would get old fast for me. Another good point you brought up is the cost of each component. As you pointed out some of the attachments are just as expensive as buying a standalone equivalent which goes to show that this tool seems to be build with the two kinds of people in mind I mentioned earlier. If you have the space and don't move around much then this might NOT be the tool for you. It is still, however, pretty genius and an engineering marvel to watch in action! And though I probably will never get one I do appreciate seeing one used. Thanks for that!
I've had a shopsmith for 40 years and never have had the plastic drive break. The tool is as safe as the operator. Took a short amount of time to assemble and alignment. Basically only use the disc,belt sander, horizontal drill, and lathe. As with any tool you have to have a competent operator. 😂
The best feature on the tool is the variable speed. You can spend quite a bit of money on just a floor drill press with a VFD. I know 2 people that have one of these and they leave it in drill press mode. Having the "change on the fly" speed control is great.
I understand your comment ... but this is an expensive tool just for the drill press mode to have it for change on the fly. I just bought the WEN 12" drill press that has change on the fly speed control for $255 (Prices appears to have gone up a bit). May not be the same quality, but also nowhere near the same cost.
I just inherited this machine from my late grandfather. He bought it at the NYS Fair many years ago before i was around, i remember him making so many things with it when i was a child. It sat for over 15 years in my grandparents garage until my grandmother passed away this past November, she held onto into in memory of him. Now its mine and its going to see real use for the first time in years.
I have one of these, and they're no more dangerous than any other power tool. If you pay attention to what you're doing, you'll be just fine. I don't like how you have to angle the table versus adjusting the angle of the blade. That's my only complaint on the shopsmith system.
The Shopsmith is a thinking person’s tool. Owing to its versatility, it requires more experience and forethought to use it efficiently. However, in Shopsmith’s individual modes - sawing, drilling, sanding, and turning - it is no more dangerous than stand-alone saws, drills, sanders, and lathes. I can easily set up any table saw to throw a board back at you like a javelin, a drill press to fling its key at you, a sander to catch your fingers between the table and the abrasive, or a lathe to snatch a chisel from your hands. These risks are not exclusive to the Shopmith. In fact, I would argue that they are less common on the Shopsmith because constantly changing from one mode to the other makes you more aware of the dangers that you must deal with for each setup. For decades, tool manufactures have wrestled with the unfortunate fact that any tool that can cut wood can also cut flesh and bone. They have designed and tweaked guard systems, warning labels, motor brakes, even carriages that drop out of harm’s way should you look sideways at the tool. But the fact remains that the most effective deterrent to injury is education and awareness. And on these, Shopsmith scores a good deal higher than any other tool system. It comes with a book and a manual that provides far more information than any other manufacturer that I am aware of, and the constant assembly and reassembly required to use it keeps you thinking ahead, ever aware of what’s coming next. In this way, using a Shopsmith produces safe woodworkers. Even if you go on to other woodworking systems as you build your shop, you retain the habit of thinking ahead as you work, and the knowledge of how to set up a variety of tools to make them more accurate and less dangerous.
I started out woodworking with a Shopsmith in about 1978 as my first woodworking tool. I built several items including a workbench with drawers. The bench and drawers were primitive, but the Shopsmith made everything pretty easy. Perhaps I was very nerdy at the time but I did read the manual and did the lessons. If you haven't given the machine and accessories away yet, I'm interested.
Started my tool journey with one of these at 14 years old. Absolutely love this tool and how stoutly its built. Have rebuilt the drive years ago and its still running great. 1940s safety features are more my speed anyways
I've got an old 1940s shopsmith. Use it all the time. It's the most utilitarian all in one woodworking lathe. Especially made it nice when I got into pen making when I lived in an apartment years ago. The tablesaw - (used correctly and not like the thumbnail lol), drill press, and lathe itself sat in one place on my tiny porch.
I've used mine since 3/82 making everything from kitchens to wooden gear clocks. I have all my fingers and never hand an issue. It runs as nice as the day I set it up. Sometimes the fault lies with the operator.
As a beginner myself I spent quite a bit of time researching options for equipment. Too bad I didn’t know about the Shopsmith before spending money on multiple other tools. The shopsmith is one of the most versatile machines I’ve ever seen. I don’t recommend taking Johns approach with any new-to-you machinery. Same as any machine, lack of basic respect can lead to serious injury or death. Always research/read the manual before setting up or using any piece of equipment for your first time. His lack of knowledge made him dislike a very nice piece of equipment that “as shown in this video” saved him thousands of dollars and a lot of shop space as opposed to buying and storing the equivalent equipment. Fortunately for me, my Uncle had a shopsmith that he wasn’t using and gave it to me. I can’t wait to go pick it up!
This guy has only been using a Shopsmith for a few minutes, so don't take what he says to heart. His goal is to get RUclips views and sell some T-Shirts, which is fine, that's his schtick, but let's not pretend he knows enough about the Shopsmith system to be giving advice to others. I've been using the Shopsmith for decades, and I feel very safe because I've actually taken the time to read the manual and learn how to use the machine.
It's wonderful that 99% of the comments on this video are positive, with people sharing cherished memories of learning woodworking from their Pops or Grandfather on thus machine. This tool has single-handedly introduced the art of woodworking to an entire generation that might not have otherwise had the opportunity to experience it.
Because a person with a brain can see it’s dangerous as heel to even try using it safely. Everything had so much play in it that tied with spinning things it’s nothing but dangerous.
I know how to use all the tools separately. I watched a few hours of tutorials and read the instructions. The tool has some upside but for the most part i don't recommend.
@@John_Malecki If you watched "a few hours" of tutorials, you do not appear to have been paying attention. The basic, and in some cases, dangerous mistakes you made should not have happened if you had been really paying attention.
I have been using a ShopSmith for over 38 years. Once you read the instructions. Set every tool for the correct height. Set it once and never adjust it again. Make sure it’s oiled correctly and wax all the moving parts. Most importantly you all of the safety guides per the instructions. I still have all of my fingers. The only improvement would be to have separate tools. But unfortunately I don’t have the space and the money to buy separate machines. So I need to carefully plan my work out. Do all the joining first. Then the planner. Next all the table sawing. Then the bandsaw. And finally the drill press. I can make everything safely on my Shopsmith that you can make with all of your separate machines. Your biggest problem is you haven’t read the manual. I don’t have any of the problems you are having. I would be glad to buy your machine. The cheap plastic power coupling has lasted me 15 years.
After seeing the shopsmith I'd love to see you dive into a radial arm saw! I grew up woodworking with my dad on one and just don't see them used a ton anymore...
My dad bought one of these in 1980 and he and I built so many pieces of furniture together, including the giant oak desk with walnut inlays I'm using in my office right now as well as all the bedroom furniture in 3 bedrooms of my house. There are small tables that you are missing the mount on the ends of the tool (where you mounted the bandsaw). I have so many memories on this tool. As a teenager I frequently used it alone. I learned to use the sanding disk as a pointer before my father bought the attachment (he has the bandsaw, pointer, and planer now). We also used it as a table router, a shaper, and drum sander -- there are attachments/table inserts/fences for all of those. I remember making compound miter cuts on it to make a picture frame and building a jig to create a cove molding by running the wood diagonally across the saw. Neither of us was ever injured on it because we both read the manual. The drill press can be operated either right-handed or left-handed if you just move the quill (the name for the handle that moves the saw/drill/lathe head. It is a powerful, complex tool that can accomplish many tasks and create beautiful pieces of woodworking. But like any power tool, you should be completely familiar with it and understand how every part of it works before trying to use it. As other have said, I too have so many great memories working with my dad and teaching each other the fine arts of wordworking on this, creating what are sure to be family heirlooms for generations to come.
I was using one of these in Shop Class back when schools actually taught people stuff. Great tool, lot of fun making just about anything that came to mind.
My stepfather bought one new. I bought one second hand years later. What I learned. A jack of all trades is a master of none. 1) table saw. Sucks ass. The fence was hard to square and moved. The table moves up and down not the blade... which isn't to much of an issue but if you want to make an angled cut you have to tip the table and not the blade. You now have to fight gravity to make that beveled cut. 2) drill press. Works great. Unlike most drill presses you don't have to move the belt. It has a CVT inside that can adjust the speed. 3) horizontal booking machine. Your drill press is limited on the hight of the item you want to drill into... not if you can lay it on its side... now you can drill horizontally. 4) lathe. Mine was used so I was missing parts. But I am betting that this is useful for Turing. Little limited in your turning diameter but it is generous when looking at dedicated lathes most garage users will have. 5) disc sander... eh... problem is you have to friction fit the disc on the arbor... hopefully you got it straight. In summation. I would buy one again for use as a lathe and that would be about it. The plastic shaft is incase the machine jams the plastic will snap and you don't damage the power head.
As someone who has a small shop the idea behind this sounds amazing I mean I understand your apprehension about it but I would love a set up like that.
@@GeoffreyBaker yeah my concern with used one is if they still have the manual. But yeah the price does seem drastically lower on the used market. He looks like he lucked up and found a good one.
Do some searches on RUclips and watch videos if you don't have the manual. I've bought 2 of them and a buddy has also bought 2... we had the manuals with the tools every time. You just have to look and ask up front if they have manuals. It is one of my most valued tools for a small 2 car garage where I have to pull cars in after I'm done. The only thing I don't like is tilting the table with the table saw like he demoed and the fact that the table goes up and down instead of the blade. Once all set screws are in place you don't have any hassle like he was hinting toward. At most it takes a minute to change configurations. As with all tools, learn the tool and know all safety precautions and it will be one of the best tools you own. By the way they are also easy to work on and youtube videos out there on how to take apart the motor.
I can buy a fully equipped shopsmith that will last longer than my grandkids cheaper than you can buy an overrated sawstop not to mention a drill press. Why spend 5x as much for a tool when this will do the job better faster and smaller
shopsmith mark V was my first major tool. was great for a small space but yes easily dangerous when not being extra safe. One hospital trip later and bought a table saw and only used the shopsmith for the drill press and lathe until i upgraded those too. now it lives in the barn. with the enormous anount of parts needed to do anything with it.
It's no more dangerous and has no more parts than any other combination of those tools. Many of us would happily take it off your hands and give it the love it deserves
Okay, this guy is genuinely funny and he's not wrong about how dangerous this tool is. But also, the hate in the comments is hilarious. I just bought one of these for $160 and I've only been woodworking for 4 months. This thing is a deathtrap for a new user but I'm really excited to learn to use it. Watching videos like the ones from MyGrowthRings is a very important thing to do for a newbie. And honestly, this video that highlights the dangers is important too. Great video, John. Your follow up video with Mark form MGR was good too. Keep up the good work.
Man thank you for this video. My old man was one of those depression Era "jack of all trades" this was the workshop tool that I cut my teeth on when he was teaching me. His philosophy was " if you can make it good with the shop Smith, survive, and keep all your digits then you can say you know what the hell you're doing. " He had a whole shop full of great tools but honestly I think it was the bamount of these things he could find, I remember one summer he ended up with like 30 replacement motors for the thing. And he molded the hell out of it. I remember it had the longest preasure foot peddle connected to it. He welded and bent a custom exention handle on the drill and made it right handed. He Frankensteind that thing so much. Even got a steel shaft crafted some how. Like I said thanks man you got my brain to knock the cob webs off some of my most favorite memories with my old man.
He could have saved himself a lot of effort if he’d read the manual, since the jack handle can simply be unscrewed and moved to the right hand side. I wonder if he ever wrecked his drive chain by intentionally bypassing the sacrificial shaft coupler designed to prevent catastrophe in case of a jam?
The reason it looks and feel so sketchy is that you are NOT looking at it correctly. The Shopsmith's value is twofold: First, if you are just starting out and don't have a lot of equipment (and you can find one in good shape with all the parts) it gives you a lot of bang for your buck. Second, AFTER you've collected more tools (specifically, a decent tablesaw and maybe a drillpress) it quickly becomes an "extra". When you have your tablesaw set up for repeatable cuts (like cove moldings) and need to make a quick cut, that table saw works (and no, I hate the beveling too and never have used that feature). When I started into woodturning I picked up a small pen lathe, buit for bigger turnings it worked pretty good (and saved me the two grand for a full sized lathe). Of course I needed to buy a couple Nova chucks so I could transfer the turning (to ensure the it was consistently centered) from the Shopsmith (for rough turning) to the pen lathe for fine tuning. The biggest problem I hve is that it does take up a LOT of room and I have a very small shop. So, I keep it in the adjacent garage and wheel it onto the driveway when I need to use it...well, until I sell it (which will probably be this summer) because I don't have the room, I have real nice stand alone tools and I'm pretty much only doing turnings, art projects, and small jewelry boxes anymore. I really do wish they made a drum sander for it. If they did I'd probably keep the Shopsmith since a decent drum sander is expensive and putting a 12" sanding disc on the motorhead really would be helpful. So, if I can turn it into a sanding station I'd keep it? Interesting that after having it for 15 years, that's where I see it's value.
My dad was an Army officer and loved to do woodworking. Because we moved a lot he couldn't drag a full shop around the world. He and I were in a mall somewhere and there was a guy demonstrating a Shopsmith. My dad went every weekend to watch this guy demo the machine. He bought one and used it for years. When he got to his last duty station he built a full shop and put the machine away. He gave it away having never had an accident or issue with it. He built some amazing stuff with it. Before he died he bought a CNC for my shop that was delivered three weeks after he died. He and I spent days in the shop together.
I also learned on my dad's Shopsmith. Fond memories.
The machine actually makes alot of sense and looks really practical as well. I'm surprised someone hasn't made something similar in today's time really.
I had considered one back in the early 90s but an older friend that has one and uses it said I would be happy with it. He does use his a lot. This isn't any worse than the old Black & Decker Fixkit that run off a drill motor. As to the plastic shaft, it is sturdier than most think. Atlas lathes had plastic gears in the 1950s and still run. We used a lot of tools in the past that would be sketchy today. Some are still being used in poor countries.
@@AstrixCloud It's still manufactured today. Newer models with vast improvements.
Hi John, Im in New Zealand and bought a Taiwanese copy in 1981 simply because I didn't have the money to buy a whole lot of expensive power tools. I now have a much more sophisticated workshop but still have my multishop, predominantly as a 300mm (12 inch) disc sander and a horizontal borer (drill press). In the early days I learnt a whole lot using that machine and still have all my fingers and no injuries. I would recommend the machine to people starting out in power tool woodworking because many of the cheap power tools are worse than the Shopsmith or Multishop.
Enjoy the fantastic equipment you have, not all of us keen woodworkers or crafters can afford that. Ross
I learned woodworking with my dad using a Shopsmith. It's a great tool for people without a lot of space or money. Works fine. 👍
Ramsey sets the record straight!
Thanks, Steve. It's nice to get your input on this tool.
Also for people with too many fingers and hands.
Got that right, Steve.
I grew up on my dads purchased in 1980 and being I too have very limited space I have purchased 3 of them. A have made tons and tons of things and I still have all my fingers and toes. I guess it also helps going into it without prejudging and perhaps read the owners manual too. I would hope you are not one to tell fellow wood workers not to diss miss a manual or get familiar with the controls before using it. You need not remove the band saw to rise the drill press either. Also one of the advantages of that press is it can run as a horizontal press. Meaning you need to drill into the top of a table leg or into the side of a large panel that you could not stand up in a regular drill press. Also you can move that quill feed to either side so it can be on the right it takes 30 seconds. The atchements like bandsaw and jointer have a one time adjustment to get the shaft running square to the machine. Also having been around this machine over 40 years I have never broke that shaft But it is made to shear if you jam up a mache doing something stupid much like a shear pin on a bush hog. I have never once had a blade come loose. If you would look you would see the flat on the arbor is a taper. If the screw came loose and I never have had that happen as it came away from the head of the machine it is going up a taper and wedging itself on tighter. It was not a loose set screw it was you did not lock the head or carriage or quill and the long allen will read right under the table to recheck if you needed. Maybe if you had just considered reading a manual or watching a set up and use video before you go bashing. Keep in mind it was never made to be a full on production shop it was made for a hobbiest and it was made to take a small footprint at the back of a garage. That is why they are on a very clever retractable caster. All of that said I Myself would not pay what ShopSmith ask for their machines new. But plenty of used ones on the market and tons more for them used on Ebay. Parts are still made it does not matter if it was a 1996 machine or a 1969 machine or new parts swap. Over a million made. Oh and any vibration is from a 30 year old machine that has been setting without lube. About 5o bucks you can replace every bearing in it and that one would most likely smooth out if you would remove the inspection cover and lube it like you manual you read told you. I do not mean to bust your balls but you are being way bias on this one. I know I have several shop smith tools I have several other non Shopsmith tools but bang for buck small spaces or just starting out 1200 bucks for a table saw, bandsaw, jointer, lathe, Drill press, huge 12 in disk sander and horizontal drill press is really not bad and you did not even look for a deal as you can often find them cheaper. I have a mortising attachment for the drill press and they are cheap and you can drill square holes. Also how many drill presses are variable speed and have tilting tables. I am not saying this is the end all best or last machine a person will ever buy but If you would of took one or two hours out of your day to read a manual on proper set up or watch some free films on shopsmiths site you would not of had 90% of the Issues. Go to my growth rings and look his videos over. The machine does have some drawbacks for sure but if you used it you would aso find a few pluses. I would be more than happy to pay to have it shipped here.
The plastic shaft extension is meant to act like a shear pin on a propeller shaft. It's a safety mechanism.
Also, while seemingly outdated now, that machine was once revolutionary, and its features led to a lot of what we see used today.
ABSOLUTELY. Came here to say this. A designed point of failure. Not only will it act for safety, it will save the machine. Would you rather just replace the plastic piece if something goes wrong, or the motor or the tool? I can tell you which of the three is the cheapest. Knew a welder whose whole business was creating points of failure for industrial machinery. He once had this supervisor at a place he was working give him grief for what he was charging for "a crappy connection that would break under stress". He replied by asking how much the machine cost. It was in the millions. He replied, "So, you would rather an unbreakable weld that will wreck this multi-million dollar machine, or pay me to pop back out and re-weld for a few grand?"
Who has a sheer pin on their woodworking shop tools? It's not a brush hog!
That was my first thought when they showed it. It was designed to be an intended fail point to save the motor.
@@Young_StarNot sure about that. First of all, I have never seen one nor heard of one failing, and between me and my father we have 70 years of history with shopsmith. It’s simply a coupler, and it’s made of plastic because it doesn’t need to be made of anything stronger. As to ‘saving the motor”. That may be the case with the Newer electronic shopsmith power head with a variable speed motor. But most Shopsmiths have the motor power the shaft thru a pair of variable diameter pulleys. One of them sprung and the other adjusted by the speed crank. So when you crank the active pulley to a wider diameter, the fixed length belt forces the other pulley to a smaller diameter, which is how you get the wide speed range of the shopsmith.
I would not say they are outdated. You can STILL buy new shopsmiths, and you can still get parts for the machine and all its accessories. Mine runs a 4” joiner, A 6” belt sander, a 12” planer, An 11” bandsaw, disc and conical sander, drill press, 36” lathe, horizontal borer, drum sander, and shaper. It stores away up against the wall of the shop, usually with the bandsaw attached as I am most likely to use the bandsaw and don’t even have to wheel the shopsmith out onto the flor for that. Next to it is a steel case cabinet that holds all the attachments, tools and acceptors for it. So all those tools take up no more space than 1 tandem bicycle leaned up against the wall. So, for the guy who hasn’t a lot of space, or for whom woodworking is more occasional, the Shopsmith is still the best bang for your buck, especially since you can often pick one up super cheap, and even a 30 year old shopsmith runs just as good as new.
There has GOT to be a program out there to 3D print a replacement plastic drive ... I agree it doubles as shear mechanism. Get one or two printed for a spare, maybe ABS plastic?
I'm a retired 40 year manual and CNC machinist including programming and tool design. That Shopsmith seems well made and extremely versatile with a small footprint for something designed in 1950 so I don't think its fair to compare it with today's equipment! This well made video reminds me of the new guy who rolls into the machine shop proclaiming they know what they're doing and slapstick's setups, breaks tools and equipment then gets fired. I disagree with the evaluation but enjoyed seeing this machine and I will be on the lookout for one to buy! Thanks!
I got one you can buy almost never been used
You have done more damage than you know. My Father was a contractor and loved his Smith with all its diversity. For MANY people, this is as close as they will EVER get to enjoying woodworking. Every piece of power equipment is dangerous, but not as dangerous as you are. Thanks for maligning what many people love and appreciate.
My father bought one in 1987 when I was 8 year old. He still has it, along with all his fingers. It’s a great machine for those who don’t have the large wood shop you have John. My dad has turned many bowls, vases, pens, table legs on this thing. Built book cases, desks, our dining room table, and so much more. Maybe 25 years as a helicopter pilot in the Army taught him to start by reading the manual. I agree it’s not for beginners, but those who have experience, just not the space.
Manuals are for reasons, like to read them for 2 reasons. I learn out with what spec I can work without wory it's die on me. Second in WARNING's, and read what people do to better never do.
Johns videos proof to me over and over again that reading the manual is indeed the right thing to do
That was his big mistake. It makes him look completely useless. 0:32
Seriously. It's not that hard. Millions in use over 80 years but because it's not like today's coddle the user and try to make things foolproof it's "a deathtrap" vs the user having to take any personal responsibility. That's why you can't find radial arm saw anymore. 😢
Lost pretty much all respect for John after this video. You got to be smarter than the tool you’re using.
Literally every manual for it is in pdf form online. Show me another tool that is 70 years old that I can regularly order new parts for and that has a thriving online community to provide help. This entire video is useless. It's the same as saying I can't drive a stick shift so all stick shifts must be death machines
One of my fav memes is "Men say women need to come with a manual? Why? Men never read the manual as it is..." 😀
i bought an old shopsmith for cheap and fixed it up during the pandemic, and it has served me well for what i need. i am an experienced carpenter, and know tools, so that helps, and i dont use it much for the table saw. the real gem is the lathe, i turn bowls on it all the time, and it you upgrade to the nova chuck its even better. the drill press is great cause the shop smith comes with a motor that is generally more powerful that your average small shop drill press, plus it can be a horizontal drill press which allows you that much more versatility on it. last thing, since you can control the speed on the side, you can slow down the table saw, making it so that you can put on a low rpm blade to cut metal and use the machine to cut sheet metal. its a great tool for someone who doesnt have the money to buy a bunch of individual tools that take up alot of space.
Exactly what I use mine for and use the Nova chuck as well. Mine is a 47 10ER. Mine has the speed changer which is an awesome feature.
I agree with most of the comments. I bought mine over 40 years ago because I was an active duty soldier. I still have/use it. Never had an accident or injury. John is snarky because he has a monstrous big shop with all the tools you could want. He also seems to be able to spend his money pretty casually. In all my years in the Army, one thing I learned and taught was RTFMD! (Read the _____ Manual, Dummy.
If you don't need or want it, sell it. Most of us love our Shopsmiths.
ShopSmiths aren't bad tools for what they are intended to be-a Jack of All Trades for small shops. These machines were first designed in the 1940s when tilt-top tablesaws were still in common use. They're also still made here in the USA and ShopSmith has excellent support for even their older machines. How many major US tool companies can still say that?
There was a recent video with the new owner of the company, it still all (as much as possible) made in the USA and apparently all the new tools are still interchangeable with the old machines. That is pretty cool if a person picks up a used one and wants to buy more accessories.
I am another longtime, satisfied, user of the Shopsmith machines and have acquired most of the accessories over the years. They are great tools and well suited for their intended purpose. As a teacher with many years of "woodshop" classes under my belt I can say that all tools can be dangerous if used incorrectly, and the Shopsmith is no different from any other tool in that respect. That being said the company has put a lot of time and attention into making these tools as safe as they can. From what I have seen you could definitely benefit from Scott's generous offer to come and provide you some training on that Shopsmith.
My dad, in the 70's used his Shop Smith all the time. Never lost any fingers or even got upset about setting up the tool he wanted to use. His shop was a 10 ft x 16 foot shed, and made anything he wanted or needed. When he passed, I wanted it, but my mom had already sold it to a neighbor, who still uses it to this day. And you even said it, after each tool was setup, each one worked pretty good.
I bought a Shopsmith when I was 17. I'm now 60 and still use it! I have a full wood shop with every tool from lumber mill down to hand files and everything in between. I have workers that don't have the patience to learn something new - like you - and they're not allowed to touch the shopsmith. It's not my production machine, but it allows me to have a second of everything if needed.
I would have enjoyed it more, just could not get past the snark. I have used my Shopsmith for 40+ years. I will admit that I usually use it primarily as a saw. As I have expanded my wood shop, adding a power miter saw, router table, and bandsaw, the Shopsmith still remains the heart of my shop, and recently upgraded the saw table.
I've been using one safely for over 10 years because I read the manual. It's a great space saver for small shops and very versatile. Not as fast as having stand alone tools, but the money and space savings make up for it. True, it does take more patience and attention, but once you get used to it, it's easy.
They are really expensive though compared to what you can get now. Not to mention they dont seem to update much on the newer models. John may be ignorant about setup and operation but hes still not wrong about it being somewhat dated .
@@mikej5959 i think it depends on the area. i for example can find several in my area with the bandsaw for 450$ which is way cheaper than buying a bunch of seperate tools for me who is a small house repair / furniture making hobbiest.
When I was a kid back in the 60s and 70s, if you had one of these you were the envy of the neighborhood. One of my Dad's friends had one and made a lot of furniture for others. He built Mom and Dad a table with bench chairs (like a booth) for their breezeway that was really nice.
I'll have to give you credit, you made it look as hard as possible.
I grew up/learned woodworking from my dad on a Shopsmith he had for 25 years before handing it on to me. I still use it regularly. Watching you guys figure out the attachments was something I really needed to see today. I kept telling myself, "if they just read the manual..." lol
OR, watched a RUclips video...
It can be every bit as safe as any other machine for someone starting out. I little bitty $200 jobsite saw is not going to be anw safer. To be honest I do not mind using the table saw on it at all. I like the height as my back bothers me a lot to lean over. For 1200 bucks he got a lot of bang for the buck if he only knew how to read. I mean for someone so worried about people's safety you would think he would tell people to read the manual and get familiar with any machine before using it.
@@jvmiller1995 on a hunch, I clicked on one other video from this channel. It took no time at all to find them cutting on their 5k dollar saw without the blade guard on and the guy pushed the board all the way through the cut with their hands. This guy does not care about safety. He cares about clicks. And sadly we are helping him by making all these comments. LOL
@@mikmok_DS Yeah you are right on that. He knew damn good and well there are over a million ShopSmith owners. He was just trying to get people to get pissed off. He wants the clicks and he is just a internet troll douchebag that gets off on the Drama. Oh well this is just another dead channel to me. I only came here in response to mygrowthring channel. I think that is what it is called. Check him out he is areal cool guy. He even offered to fly to this guys shop on his own dime to teach him how to use it. But this dude never was wanting to use it or give it a honest review. I hope his $5k sawstop malfunctions when he slips and gets his hand pulled in it. 🤣🤣🤣🤣
You proved that any tool you don't understand and didn't learn to use is dangerous. Because I don't have a lot of room for a work shop the Shopsmith has proven to be a great tool. Over 30 years of use and never had an issue. Changing over from one tool to another takes about two minutes. You soon to learn how to plan your work. How many tools built in 1947 are still supported by the company that built them. I hear negative comments about Shopsmith all the time and when I do (just as I did with your video) I just smile and enjoy making things safely with my 35 year old Shopsmith.
So a Tylertube 2.0 Tyler always fails to read the instructions manual then gives a bad rating because of his incompetence of not reading the instructions manual.
Still I wouldn't trust a machine where the crucial part is fucking plastic.
@@michealpersicko9531I take it you haven’t looked under the hood of any modern car. Countless crucial parts are made of plastic.
John, I bought my Shopsmith Mark 5 in 1981. Didn't have a shop so I worked out of my garage. My job required me to move around about every 4 years and the family and the Mark 5 made every move and was used to renovate every house we lived in. Built cabinets, desks, furniture, bowls, stairs...etc. In 43 years I never had an accident or a runaway saw blade. My manual was bigger then the one you have but I did read it. I am settled now and have upgraded the Shopsmith to a Mark 7 (DIY project that added a larger motor and computer control). I have actually run into other woodworkers with big shops with multiple Shopsmiths that have set the machines up permanently as a lathe, drill press, table saw, panel routers and bandsaws. Shopsmith also sold tool stands that included motors that turned your band saw and belt sanders into stand alone tools. The biggest complaint I heard was that Shopsmith suffered from accuracy problems because it was trying to be several tools. The fences on the new machines are much better and easier to use. Upgraded table extensions allow me to cut 4X8 sheets of plywood. I don't really think the machine is any more dangerous than any other power tool as long as you read the manual and show it some respect. Thanks for the opportunity to reply.
I taught Industrial Arts in high school for 34 years and had a Shopsmith all in one machine at my home shop. I used this machine for 10 years without problems or accidents and found it was more accurate than most modern day machines sold today. I had every attachment that Shopsmith made and I loved each and everyone of them. Most importantly it was made in the USA and was made with quality materials along with quality engineering. Only reason I sold it was when I got into Segmented woodturning and I needed a larger more rigid tablesaw that would handle large cutting sleds. Don't make up your mind on a Shopsmith by watching this video. The makers of the video seemed to have one thing on their mind and that was to mock the machine. And by the way, it's no more dangerous than any other of today's wood working machines on the market. Give the Shopsmith a BIG two thumbs up.....Great piece of equipment.
Admittedly I only got 1:23 into your video but wanted to comment that I have owned a Mark V for about 17 years now. I had a small garage shop for much of that time and this 5 in one tool was excellent for my situation. It is a robust tool and works extremely well. Like any tool it has its pros and cons but overall it performs the way it was advertised. I am in Canada and there is a dealer 30 minutes from my place that still sells the Mark V and all of its accessories, and there are many. I'll keep watching your video to see what you think but your first photo of the Mark V with an exposed blade and calling it your table saw is certainly misleading. If you use al the proper accessories and guards, it is just as safe as any other tool. Now, back to the video.....
My dad had one of these for years, and he taught me on a Shopsmith as well, it really is a great tool.He or I never lost any digits on it, because he taught me always know where your hands are. Watching you try to assemble this is like watching a monkey hump a football. It’s not that difficult.
I know, right? He struggles with the simplest of things sometimes
Yeah, I can understand his not recommending it to a novice as newbs are generally impatient but it definitely appeared that he was actively sabotaging the process.
Nah even a monkey would get it.right eventually and the monkey won't turn around and blame the football
Had to flip this off, couldn’t take any more of his whining …
@@wilburrrrr742 I think the video was meant to be clickbait. He really can't be that clueless, or he wouldn't have all his fingers still.
My grandfather was a missionary and traveled all around Papua New Guinea for 48 years building infrastructure for the translators and the Papuans with nothing but his Shopsmith. Every time they would move he would build a crate, pack it up, and move to the next location. He loved it because with a single machine he could have an entire shop of tools, though he did mention the finickiness of the machine. He built all sorts of things to make it function better and be easier to work with, and it is still running in my father's shop 65 years later!
Your granddad sounds like a BOSS.
That sounds like a valid use for this deathtrap
You will start a question if the new ShopSmith is made with lower quality parts imported from 'world-famous low-quality mass produce country".
Not really surprising that it's still running; they are built like tanks, especially the older ones.
As a missionary, clearly he was protected by God! LOL!!!!
The plastic coupler is a safety feature. It's designed to break if the tool ever get jammed up. It's not spinning that fast where it's going to fly out at ballistic speed and kill you. Agreed it's not the safest product out there and you have to be very safe around it for sure. Also agreed that it's not the most convenient thing to set up, it takes a lot of time to set up every cut taking the fun out of it.
I knew it!
Just like a LoveJoy coupler.
The coupler is designed to NOT throw it at you if it fails. Also, the coupler disengages from the headstock first (that is why the spring is there) if the headstock were to move away from the jointer or bandsaw for any reason (like forgetting to tighten the headstock).
Shopsmith has an interesting history and is a different company today than in the past. I own a 1949 model 10er that was bought by an Air Force Pilot. All of the information, instruction manuals, receipts, mail correspondence with the manufacturer (Magna), news letters and such. The thing is a beast and i love it. I've owned it 15 years. Tools are only dangerous as you make them so work safely.
John, there are 2 vital things you need to know whenever using any power tool, they are: 1. READ & understand the manual. Especially when you have to assemble the tool before you can use it! 2. Engage your brain & think about what you are doing & trying to achieve, before turning it on!
As for your comment about the Shopsmith being the most dangerouse tool ever, the only dangerous thing about a Shopsmith is the operator!
I have 2 Shopsmiths, the 1st one is a 1995 Mk 510 & the 2nd one is a 1997 Mk 520 (now updated with the PowerPro headstock), & neither of them has let me down, that's how well made they are.
It's evident, that clearly you did not read the manual or take any notice of how to assemble & operate a Shopsmith! There is a saying that relates to you in particular, it is " All the gear & NO Idea!"
Wow just a great example of how you can make something look so much harder than it actually is
Kinda seems like an infomercial. I was expecting another tool to be advertised that was a better replacement…
You know those infomercials where they act like the guy is a bumbling fool? That's what this video reminded me of.
Half the danger of the tool appears to be John not wanting to read the instruction manual.
Agreed! You can get away with that sometimes but a shopsmith has a lot to learn to safely operate it. I've had mine for a couple years and found it was best to go slow and not expect to to try every feature the same day. @John Malecki you did admirably well. Maybe pick one function and use it for a while and do a follow-up video on that function.
100% correct LOL!
It really isn’t that hard. For certain circumstances, nothing beats a ShopSmith. What are those circumstances?
1) Limited shop space. With the optional casters, bandsaw, beltsander and jointer attachments, I get a lot of functionality in a very small space. On top of that, it’s a very good drill press and a pretty decent lathe and disk sander.
2) Customer service. ShopSmith is a *great* company. Yes, their products are expensive. But they stand behind everything and no matter how old your Mark V is, parts are available and upgrades can give it every feature of the latest model. In recent years we’ve seen so many venerable tool companies become shells of their former selves. It’s nice to know that, if I need something, I can call Dayton Ohio and talk to someone who has, likely, been with the company for decades and is deeply knowledgeable about the machine. What is that worth? To me, it’s worth a lot.
3) If you don’t mind thinking outside the box. The Shopsmith requires thjnking a bit differently. Not being that sort of person accounts for the large majority of issues that people have with it.
In the 30 years I’ve owned my Mark V, it has outlasted three other table saws, one band saw and a jointer which were all just too damned big to move, so they were sold). Again, circumstances,. For one move, I disassembled my Mark V and drove it across three states in the back of a normal station wagon.
And, finally, no one runs a naked saw blade in table saw mode. No one. In fact, the Shopsmith has a complete lower guard as well as one of the least intrusive upper blade guards anywhere, I use mine all the time.
@@bunkie2100 did you watch the video? He assembles the table saw.
And if you don't have a couple thousand dollars and a fair amount of space for proper tools, this isn't the hobby for you. The time you spend in setting up each facet of this tool each time you need a different function costs more than buying individual tools
used one commercially for 20 years and probably earned 250k on side jobs with it. table saw has both lower and upper guards, its as safe as any tablesaw.
One summer in high school I helped my grandfather built an entire kitchen full of custom cabinets using nothing but a shopsmith and a router. It can be done if you know the tool and put the time in on the setup. That being said, I will stick with my sawstop and modern power tools.
Ya i am with you Dave! Theres amazing craftsman who can build much much better stuff than i ever will with much less tooling. I just cant recommend this tool as a solid investment to my audience but i do know theres a market for it and theres a lot of people who love it!
I'm 65. Bought one when I was 20. Built several sets of kitchen cabinets and other projects over the years. Mostly use the lathe now for turning bowls. I guess I just didn't know any better. Lol
45 years ago there was this and very few other options. You made do with what you had. I am with John on this one now and don't recommend it for the beginners
I have one. I use it for the bandsaw and drill press only. I don't think I would ever recommend it for the table saw or some of the other goofy features that they advertise, but it's definitely a cool vintage machine.
@@jamescraft2789 45 years was 1978, the Ray DeWalt Radial Arm Saw was invented in 1922 and the Delta Unisaw in 1939. There were definitely better tool options 45 years ago.
I've had a Shopsmith for a while and love it. A lot of the "safety" issues you showed are actually *improper use of the tool* - such as lateral movement of the quill in table saw mode. Read the instructions bro - probably less fingers lost to one of these than standard table saws because it teaches you to pay attention to what you are doing, prep/check your setups before cuts, and do things in order. It's a powerful tool in the right hands. It will never be as fast as 5 different purpose-built tools, but it was never meant to be.
I've had a Shopsmith for 22 years and have all my fingers and everything else. I have found the machine to be very delightful and well built. Scott Markwood has invited you to talk it over, why don't you do that.
I have had one of these for over 40 years: Though I don't have the accessories (bandsaw & jointer) you demonstrated. It is still my shop table saw primarily because I don't have a large enough shop for a Delta or a SawStop. Your loose saw arbor was a function of not lining up the saw arbor set screw to the notch on the saw arbor. I have never had that issue with mine. I am speaking from the experience of a retired shop teacher and will note that over the years I have supplemented my shop with a stand alone bandsaw, drill press, lathe and jointer and if I had the space I would probably opt for a table saw: BUT the Shopsmith is an alternative for those who do not have the space. I have found it to be no more dangerous than any of the stand alone tools though the set up has a learning curve!
Buy a saw stop job site or their new compact table saw and throw this in the trash. No bigger footprint and orders of magnitude safer
Space was the primary reason I went with a Shopsmith. The price and availability of components on the used market was another. Supporting a US company also makes me feel good. Still happy with my decision for occasional DIY use.
@@BrianTrezise-phoenixhawke I agree that the SawStop is indeed safer than any other table saw: But I also believe that the ShopSmith is as safe as any other table saw if the directions are followed and the guarding is used.
@Brian Trezise they're too busy shaving with ka-bars and waxing on about responsibility to give any attention to safety. Get your saw stop off my lawn! (And put it in the garage next to my PCS)
@@gregtaylor3432 how can this be as safe as the sawstop when the sawstop is safer than all others? 😉
The drill press lever will fit on either side so you can feed right handed. And the coupler is plastic so that it breaks instead of the machine. You can also add a piece of wood to the jointer fence. BTW I gave $200 for mine. And paste wax everything, and lube it every 20 hours. And if you had gone through the manual it would have taught you to use the machine.
Yeah funny how when you don't bother to read the manual and have no idea how a tool functions it's suddenly a dangerous tool. What's dangerous is that operator
Good morning John. Yes you should have read the owners manual.
I bought my Mark 7 about 9.5 years ago & I love it. Any loss of respect for power tools can be dangerous.
I purchased a shop smith Mark 4 about 5 months ago. The videos available on how to use it are easy to watch and understand. What I love most is that you can still get parts for everything on it. I think the most dangerous element in your shop is you.
true, a egative attitude to start, my brother has one since the 70s and it's fantastic
You had a plan to show this was dangerous before ever looking at it.
They are pretty well built, the reason it’s not so popular is the time it takes to swap the attachments, prevents one piece flow.
In my 27 years as a paramedic I have done calls for 2 full hand amputations and 1 finger amputation courtesy of Shop Smiths. 2 of those calls were the same patient, 2 years apart. The guy lost a finger on the hand that had been previously re-attached.
That's wild
Sounds like it is as much a matter of the guy as much as it is the tool. Be interesting to see those numbers relative to wider woodworking related injuries as a whole.
Nice try Big Tool! We’re not gonna fall for you trying to take down the Shop Smith. Your propaganda won’t work on us!
I hope you nominated him for the Darwin Awards
I don't know, at that point you're asking for it.
The Shop Smith is really good at a couple of things. The band saw is better than any of the 3 I now own for detail work. Won't re-saw, but it's small. The drill press is really good, and it is a tool that I still don't have today, which is a horizontal drill press also. Very handy. The lathe is sort of ok, and I turned more on it than my high end lathes. And the very best thing about the tool was the miter gauge with the hold down feature, which is the best safety feature I've ever seen for the band saw, even thou the table saw is a little sketchy. Worst part about the table saw was the fence, which is not capable of being permanently parallel to the blade, and is often 'fussy'.
I have owned my shop smith for 40 years. I have never had my table saw blade come loose. Don't blame the tool if you don't know how to operate it properly!!!!
Wow.... I have never used one before but after reading the overwhelming comments of positivity towards the machine, I would totally buy one.
Got to almost brand new ones you can buy
If only there were some kind of resource that could help a new user understand how to set up this tool correctly - perhaps even offering tips on how to operate it safely and avoid common mistakes. Ah well... Guess it's just a bad dangerous tool.
Although I will admit the table saw looks genuinely sketchy😅
Lastly I just have to say, I've never even used one, but I can still tell the plastic linkage is obviously a smart safety feature, it adds a low-stakes failure point if something jams. It's a feature that would be nice to see on more tools!
I've had one for 25 years. No injuries to speak of. I got it for the compact size and multi-use, like everyone. Ten years ago, I built a larger shop so I could move out of the garage that was used as a garage the entire time before. Just trying to say the ShopSmith accomplished what I wanted it to. I now have a table saw and various other separate tools. In summary, I vastly prefer the separate tools. But that wasn't an option originally. What I will say, today it's a great backup tool in my current shop. Many times have I discovered I wanted to use a table saw while my dado blade and fence was set up. Horizontal boring is nice to have. It's a flexible drill press. A second band saw is nice to have around. I loved it while it was my only tool and now it's a very useful corner of the shop that never gets in the way.
A further note: I love the miter gauge. Wish more were like it.
I've had a Shopsmith for many years and have made many small and big projects. Just recently, I built kitchen cabinets. I will agree with most of your comments, but the best upgrade I made was going to the new PowerPro motor. You don't have to ramp up speed and ramp down to turn off. Just push the button to turn off. It also has some preset speeds. No belts and pulleys to deal with. I wish I hadn't invested at the beginning, but for my small work shop space, it had been a lifesaver.
I have had a Shop Smith since the early 70's. No out feed table extensions, jointer, or band saw. I have made many things on it. My instruction manual is a small booklet. It is great machine as it can do so many things and takes up very little space. The down side to that is it takes time to change between each thing you want to do (seems like rarely set up for your next use) and it does not do each process quite as well as a standalone tools. Over the years and with the increase in garage space has allowed me to add many standalone tools. Cutting a sheet of plywood down is easier on the shop smith than my table saw. I always turn the speed down before changing setups so you do not start a lathe or sanding disk at saw blade speed. The arbor on my shop smith has an inward taper cut into it that the set screw screws into to prevent any slippage of the blade or other tool. I do not have the table extension shown and most likely would not use it except in very few cases. Mine has a small side table that fits on either end and can hold the saw fence.
Mostly, I use mine now for the disk sander (larger disk is much better than a small disk on my standalone tool), cutting very wide widths that my table saw cannot, drill press when my table top drill press is to small, and for the lathe.
I do agree it is not for the novice wood worker that does not have at least a more than basic knowledge of power tools. All tools can be dangerous.
Agreed! Just ran across your comment which are in line with mine.
My father had a Shopsmith, and while he eventually bought a lot of stand alone tools, he used that Shopsmith religiously. I have it now, and while I absolutely do not know how to use it properly, I think it will have some value in my small shop space. I know for a fact that my dad used his for over 30 years with no issues, and honestly, I see a lot of them in the wild, and they are all really great tools for what they are. The sheer adaptability of it kinda blows me away, honestly.
I purchased mine almost 60 years ago, and another one years later. I have every accessory made before about 1980. I love it and have used it to make everything. I use machine tools to set it up. As long as you are not stupid and attempt to cut 4X8 sheets of plywood, and very long boards, you will do fine. I have a hand saw for long lumber, and a circular saw with a fence for plywood.
6:51 this part is made of plastic 'cause it was highly likely to be designed as kind of "mechanical fuse cartridge" so if there's anything blocked shafts for any reason, it's just get destroyed (at best, at worst, it'll be shattered like Schrapnel grenade) but, in any case, the steel shafts are saved, which also save you couple of hundred bucks for replacing them...
I’d say it’s also to compensate for any miss alignment , just like donuts on old prop shafts
I have a shopsmith from the 1950s and use the original couple shaft. If the machine is dialed in, it works well.
That was my assumption. If you take apart an old Kitchen-Ade stand mixer, you will find all the gears are metal except one that is plastic that is designed to fail if the tool end gets stuck so the motor is saved. Of course if you open a newer Kitchen-Ade, you'll find all the gears are plastic because everything is a rush to cheapness.
You are right. Designed to break if any problem. Saves the tools. I understand that they don't break very often.
It works similar to the breaking bolts on the axles used to connect farm equipment to a tractor. Except those are designed to break without flying in your face
That was the primary workhorse of my dad's shop. He used it primarily as tablesaw and lathe. He had a footstock attachment for the lathe. He made dozens of spindle rocking chairs. When he died 15 years ago, he still had all of his fingers. His was an older model with exposed external belt/pulley speed control. He made some pretty nice stuff over the years, but he was also pretty careful.
I think your dad had one of the original models! So cool, and definitely proves safety mostly comes from the craftsman, not the tool.
How does the speed control work? Some kind of pushbelt CVT?
@@ailivac Yes a CVT called a Reeves drive.🙂 The two sheaves of the pulley are splined into each other.
I have owned a Shopsmith for 40+ years. Like any tool you need to follow the safety manual. If you miss use any tool it is dangerous. The reason you see so many for sale is that the tool has been sold for over 50 years and replacement parts are avaliable. It has a huge loyal following who use it safely.
P.S. You picture shows that none of the safety equipment it attached, blade gaurd , riving knife, dust guard. Very disappointed that you did not look to real long time users before you jumped to your conclusions.
I've had a Shopsmith for 50 yrs. An older model with jigsaw, disc and drum sanders, and turning equipment. It's made for people who don't have the room for individual machines. It requires patience to do the setups. Made a lot of stuff with it and still have all my fingers and toes. They didn't have bench top equipment back in the 70's like they do today. I have to roll it out of the one car garage to have room to cut an 8 ft. board. My saw table is much smaller than yours at 14" by 18". The saw guard was an expensive optional extra. I would happily pay $1200 to get the setup up have.
Read the manual. You proved to me you are not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Had one for 50+ years. Use it, love it and so do my neighbors. Never had an accident. Still working like a champ. Oh yeah, I read the manual on how to set it up. Very easy and ingenious once you understand it.
My dad built an entire house of furniture with one of those. Pretty amazing tool for back in the day.
My father sold Shopsmith as a side hustle and he had one his whole life. IN all that time the only thing he ever had to replace was the belt. I bought one in the early 90’s And still have it 30 years later, and it still runs like new. Its more awkward to use than a big table saw… but then a big table saw takes up a LOT of space for something I just don’t use all that often. The shopsmith takes up no more space than a bicycle. I’m primarily a sculptor, but occasionally I need to make things out of wood or plastic and its great to have a lathe, drill press, table saw, horizontal borer, belt sander, bandsaw, disc sander, jointer available when I need them while taking up no more space than a bike and a cabinet. The Shopsmith can be easily calibrated to provide excellent results, and the ability to dovetail such operations as miter cuts, and horizontal boring for dowels, Aline with disc sanding all with same table makes it way more versatile than having all those machines separate. There is nothing more unsafe about a Shopsmith than any other table saw, drill press or lathe, other than some guys just being ignorant of how to set one up.
My dad Also had an old 1950’s DeWalt Radial arm saw, and a couple years back I bought a 1953 DeWalt 3hp 14” radial that is way safer to use and more versatile than any table saw. Floor space in my shop is limited and I just can’t afford to have it taken up by a huge table saw that I only fire up 6-12 times a year. The shopsmith is perfect for my needs.
I do not have one or want one, but I do think it’s a pretty outstanding piece considering the engineering to make it all work. I’m also kind of looking at it from a decades old point of view. I think today we are spoiled with how easy tools are to set up and use, but it sure is nice.
i grew up using my dad's ShopSmith, especially for the lathe, the disc- and drum-sander, and the drill press features. I was rightly afraid of the table saw and the joiner, as well as how loud it was at every setting. A big difference between what we had and what you tested is the toll time has taken on its fine machining and lubrication. I enjoyed using it as a beginner not that concerned about whether things were square. No accidents that I can recall.
My father had one of these in the 1960s, but I don't remember him using it. I bought an early version - 1953 - of this in 2012 and restored it to full working order. After 6 months of restoration I finally got a chance to use it. I tested every feature and found it to be "workable", BUT I was spending 75% of my shop time doing set up. To go from tablesaw to drill press took >30 min, to go sander took >20 min. Every tool change took a horrendous amount of time. I never completed a project as setup ate all my time. After 3 months of utter frustration, I tore it down and sold it for scrap. The BEST features of this iron hulk are the vertical and horizontal drill press. These were GREAT and worked perfectly every time. Also had least amount of setup. The lathe was another piece of junk as no parts were common with all the chucks and jigs available on the market. To use "modern" accessories you had to buy adapters from the motor spindle to the chuck bores - more setup. NOPE!. It was an excellent experience restoring and refurbishing this albatross, I learned everything about the machine and where not to put any appendages I wanted to keep, The scrap dealer got the better part of the deal. This is not for any serious woodworker or anyone who wants to learn woodworking.
My dad had a Shopsmith. He would make all sorts of furniture with it and he never spent more than 5 minutes swapping modes (like table saw versus band saw). He had it dialed in so that he didn't have to do a lot of fiddling to make it all square and all the right heights and such. I think he had a much earlier version that was made with love by engineers rather than made by a corporate salesman trying to cut corners and extract as much profit as possible. Using the shopsmith meant he could put it in one corner of the garage then pull it out into the driveway to work rather than filling up the garage with 7 different full size woodworking tools.
Watching you try to assemble this is the most entertaining part.. To be fair, my grandfather had this tool, may still be around, and it's not as difficult or as dangerous as you made it look
It's is no more dangerous than any other tool in the shop particularly if you take the time to actually know what you are doing instead of pandering for views
Listening to him piss and moan like a teenage girl on her period ruined this channel for me…
he's like a mo nkey Fn football
I've had my shop smith for almost 30 years. It is not a do it all machine, however if you read the instructions and learn how to properly use it.
It is a good machine.
Is it for everyone no but if you have limited space it is good.
I grew up in the 60’s watching my dad use one of these. He had a very limited amount of space in our basement so it was perfect for him. Bear in my mind his family had a cabinet shop when he was very young so he understood the “pros and cons” of the “all-in-one” concept. He was a hobbyist who made a ton of stuff-everything from kitchen cabinets and dining room chairs to very ornate candle sticks on its lathe. I inherited it in the early 90’s but didn’t have a need for it as I had a pretty spacious shop and stand alone tools for what I was doing.
One thing that did impress me was the fact the current models were still pretty much identical to this 1963 model I had, and all parts and accessories were still available once you found a dealer. The internet was still in its infancy so you had to do a lot of calling…
Ended up selling it to a co-worker in 1995 who was still using it the last time I saw him in 2010! 😊
My old neighbor had one of these and loved it. He had the Shopsmith 5 with the bandsaw attachment, and said it only took a couple of minutes to convert from one tool to another. He told me you just plan your build sequences and there is no problem in using the tool. If you watch the guys doing the demos, they only take about 90 seconds to convert the tool, but they do it all the time. They now have the Shopsmith 7 which has improved a lot of the features, but the cost is also up there, you could buy a decent but not top end table saw, bandsaw, drill press, jointer, planner and disc sander cheaper then the new Shopsmith 7. The main advantage is space saving for we that have a small shop i.e. half a garage. P.S. I don't own a Shopsmith, but wish I did.
My dad who is almost 80 has been using one since I was little. He has all fingers and hands. I welcome you to travel about a hour and a half and we will show you some tips and tricks of the Shopsmith. It's not for high-end furniture but for a hobby guy it's great. Recently he has been turning out planter boxes and fan trellises to take to auction
I work my stuff on an extreme budget. The main power tool I have is a ShopSmith. She is limited in some applications from stuff that I someday aspire to do but for now she is a workhorse. As for safety, just like anything else we do in woodworking, be smart and aware. I can honesty say that I have not ever felt that anything I have done was "sketchy".
There are times when I have to do or think a little extra than what I see you and my other favorite makers on You Tube do but that is half of the enjoyment in woodworking for me.
I hear ya Matthew and appreciate that. I think for the price i paid for the tool you could get a few other smaller individual tools and be set up decently.
@@John_Malecki I paid $300 for mine it came with the bandsaw and extension table pack. Honestly speaking, the one thing I do want to figure out a larger out feed table. Because the blade is stationary and the table height adjusts, the out feed table would need to adjust. I have thoughts but I have not put any real time into attacking that yet.
Give me your address so I can go dumpster diving when you put that beauty out there. LMAO!
@@matthewcarpenter4716 I'll race you to the dumpster!
@@matthewcarpenter4716 depending on the width of the cuts you’re making you could add a “2x4” to the table saw fence for outfeed support. It would start on the opposite side of the fence from what your cutting, then connect underneath on the outfeed side. Think of the little flip supports on modern job site saws like the Dewalt. Could make a more permanent one with angle iron. With in-feed and out-feed it’s reversible. With a second fence on the other side there’s zero twist (if you’re lucky enough to have two.) hope this helps!
@@craigmunn9669 It does! Thank you. I was considering some sort of adjustable table that does not permanently attach. I have been keeping a car scissor jack in my shop with hopes of making the table. Still not entirely sure yet.
My dad had an older Mark V. He didn't have the bandsaw attachment, but he still built 2 houses with it and it was one of the first tools I used. His didn't have that funky set screw on the table saw arbor. His used standard blades that attached just like any other tablesaw.
Personally, I loved it and would probably still have it today if the motor hadn't gotten water damaged in a flood.
Hi Ken - My Dad had a 1948 model ER with which he finished 2 bedrooms and a bathroom in my folks' first home and a bedroom and a den in their second home. I've been using it since I was in seventh grade. It's very finicky, setup can take a lot of time and the tilting table is downright dangerous (I think they've been outlawed in the US) but you can get a lot of work done in a space normally taken by an 8" jointer. These were the dream machine for a couple of generations of woodworkers like your dad and mine.
I think you can either get a replacement Mk V motor, or take it as an opportunity to upgrade to the Mk VII digital motor
Norm Abrams had and used multiple Shopsmith machines in his workshop back in the day.
If it was good enough for Norm, its good enough for me!
I do have a full size 1951 vintage Delta table saw, with an Incra system on it, and other stand alone machines, but in my smallish work space my Shopsmith, with the "Power Pro" DVR motor equipped headstock, is a quite nice thing to have. A shortened one can also be set up for several functions.
It takes some time to initially set up the alignment of the tables and accessories, but once those adjustments have been made, it takes very little time to switch between functions, or accessories.
Basically, you can have a 2 car garage workshop, and still have room to park 2 cars in it.
Hey!! I got a Mark V last summer for just $100! It’s been fantastic and I’ve used the bandsaw, table saw, scroll saw, lathe, and used it’s as a drill press! It’s been fantastic for everything! I can 1000% recommend one for people like me with almost no extra garage space. Sounds like John’s needs a little good greasing
I use my Shopsmith constantly, it was a hand-me-down from my father and in my teens almost lost a finger to it due to my stupidity. However, it is a workhorse that has served me wonderfully and continues to be a super configurable, portable, dependable, well made machine. People who maim themselves are idiots who would hurt themselves with spoons if given a chance.
I bought my Mark V back in the 90's and used it to make a wide range of projects, still have it today. Although I have since outfitted my shop with standalone tools like a table saw, drill press and band saw, I still use the ShopSmith lathe, disk sander, shaper, and even the 4" joiner. This is not a cheaply made tool. The ShopSmith is a still great system for someone starting out in woodworking. Afraid of losing your fingers? Except for maybe the SawStop, you can certainly lose your digits on, pretty much, any other saw in your shop. Like anything else, you just have to be smarter than the tool. Oh, and after 25+ years, I have never had to replace that plastic coupler. Also, why are you so afraid of "handling the blade" ?
when I was in the ARMY, we had a shopsmith in the company shop, and I used it for several years to make a lot of wood projects. being a RANGER is an immensely stressful job, and wood working was a way to relax, and detach from the work. as a disabled vet, I can't afford to get a shopsmith, but would love to someday have one, with all of the attachments. i have a few cheap ( harbor freight) wood working tools in my garage, but finances and space both restrict what I can have. I understand that it does not compare to the pro machines you have in your shop, but don't knock the space saving feature. with a little time, and practice, changing tools is fairly easy, and I have made some really nice projects with the one I had access to.
Still use my dad's shopsmith that he bought in the early 80's. Admittedly I only use it in the drill press and horizontal boring modes of operation. I saw my dad use the table saw function to rip many a piece of plywood and his didn't have that extendable arms/support. His just had the table with the naked saw blade sticking through without a guard, and a small support piece that connected to two holes on the far right of the machine. I've found the table flexes slightly when drilling deep holes which is normally fine for most things. Not so great when trying to bore a deep hole for some of my turnings and drilling pen blanks. The horizontal boring is great for drilling out pepper mill blanks considering the small size of my lathe and the size of the peppermills I've been requested to make a few times.
Now he loves my bandsaw and rigid table saw and often states he feels like he's lucky to have all his fingers still looking back but for someone without a lot of money back then it provided a number of tools for a new home owner. Though he was a build a deck guy versus doing any fine woodworking like building furniture.
Tyler's the MVP of safety unplugging the machine.
John constantly saying, “this thing sucks, it’s so unintuitive!”
Me thinking, “ummm, the unintuitive assembly is the least of your worries.”
I can't believe that it was 35/40 years ago when I owned mine, but you have to remember, the China market wasn't open back then, and to purchase all these tools that this offered, there was no way a homeowner could afford a tablesaw, drill press, jointer, band saw, lathe, and all the rest. I had moved from my radial arm saw to this and was in love with it. Once you had it setup, it was a beast for it's time for a homeowner.
That plastic shaft is probably intended to be a mechanical fuse so you don't break any expensive bits.
I've always been curious to see someone use of these setups. Very cool!
That said while many of the comments here correctly point out that any tool can be dangerous (especially if you don't read the manual) and that these might be good for people who move around a lot or who don't have a lot of space, the one thing that stands out to me is the amount of time and effort it might take to build a complex project and having to go through multiple dis-assemblies and re-assemblies. I often have projects where I need to go back and use a tool I used earlier and having to break the tool down and then set it up again (maybe multiple times) would get old fast for me. Another good point you brought up is the cost of each component. As you pointed out some of the attachments are just as expensive as buying a standalone equivalent which goes to show that this tool seems to be build with the two kinds of people in mind I mentioned earlier. If you have the space and don't move around much then this might NOT be the tool for you. It is still, however, pretty genius and an engineering marvel to watch in action! And though I probably will never get one I do appreciate seeing one used. Thanks for that!
I've had a shopsmith for 40 years and never have had the plastic drive break. The tool is as safe as the operator. Took a short amount of time to assemble and alignment. Basically only use the disc,belt sander, horizontal drill, and lathe. As with any tool you have to have a competent operator. 😂
The best feature on the tool is the variable speed. You can spend quite a bit of money on just a floor drill press with a VFD. I know 2 people that have one of these and they leave it in drill press mode. Having the "change on the fly" speed control is great.
I understand your comment ... but this is an expensive tool just for the drill press mode to have it for change on the fly. I just bought the WEN 12" drill press that has change on the fly speed control for $255 (Prices appears to have gone up a bit). May not be the same quality, but also nowhere near the same cost.
I just inherited this machine from my late grandfather. He bought it at the NYS Fair many years ago before i was around, i remember him making so many things with it when i was a child. It sat for over 15 years in my grandparents garage until my grandmother passed away this past November, she held onto into in memory of him. Now its mine and its going to see real use for the first time in years.
NYSF that's where I bought mine!!!
I have one of these, and they're no more dangerous than any other power tool. If you pay attention to what you're doing, you'll be just fine. I don't like how you have to angle the table versus adjusting the angle of the blade. That's my only complaint on the shopsmith system.
The Shopsmith is a thinking person’s tool. Owing to its versatility, it requires more experience and forethought to use it efficiently. However, in Shopsmith’s individual modes - sawing, drilling, sanding, and turning - it is no more dangerous than stand-alone saws, drills, sanders, and lathes. I can easily set up any table saw to throw a board back at you like a javelin, a drill press to fling its key at you, a sander to catch your fingers between the table and the abrasive, or a lathe to snatch a chisel from your hands. These risks are not exclusive to the Shopmith. In fact, I would argue that they are less common on the Shopsmith because constantly changing from one mode to the other makes you more aware of the dangers that you must deal with for each setup.
For decades, tool manufactures have wrestled with the unfortunate fact that any tool that can cut wood can also cut flesh and bone. They have designed and tweaked guard systems, warning labels, motor brakes, even carriages that drop out of harm’s way should you look sideways at the tool. But the fact remains that the most effective deterrent to injury is education and awareness. And on these, Shopsmith scores a good deal higher than any other tool system. It comes with a book and a manual that provides far more information than any other manufacturer that I am aware of, and the constant assembly and reassembly required to use it keeps you thinking ahead, ever aware of what’s coming next.
In this way, using a Shopsmith produces safe woodworkers. Even if you go on to other woodworking systems as you build your shop, you retain the habit of thinking ahead as you work, and the knowledge of how to set up a variety of tools to make them more accurate and less dangerous.
I started out woodworking with a Shopsmith in about 1978 as my first woodworking tool. I built several items including a workbench with drawers. The bench and drawers were primitive, but the Shopsmith made everything pretty easy. Perhaps I was very nerdy at the time but I did read the manual and did the lessons. If you haven't given the machine and accessories away yet, I'm interested.
Started my tool journey with one of these at 14 years old. Absolutely love this tool and how stoutly its built. Have rebuilt the drive years ago and its still running great. 1940s safety features are more my speed anyways
I've got an old 1940s shopsmith. Use it all the time. It's the most utilitarian all in one woodworking lathe. Especially made it nice when I got into pen making when I lived in an apartment years ago. The tablesaw - (used correctly and not like the thumbnail lol), drill press, and lathe itself sat in one place on my tiny porch.
I've used mine since 3/82 making everything from kitchens to wooden gear clocks. I have all my fingers and never hand an issue. It runs as nice as the day I set it up. Sometimes the fault lies with the operator.
As a beginner myself I spent quite a bit of time researching options for equipment. Too bad I didn’t know about the Shopsmith before spending money on multiple other tools. The shopsmith is one of the most versatile machines I’ve ever seen. I don’t recommend taking Johns approach with any new-to-you machinery. Same as any machine, lack of basic respect can lead to serious injury or death. Always research/read the manual before setting up or using any piece of equipment for your first time. His lack of knowledge made him dislike a very nice piece of equipment that “as shown in this video” saved him thousands of dollars and a lot of shop space as opposed to buying and storing the equivalent equipment. Fortunately for me, my Uncle had a shopsmith that he wasn’t using and gave it to me. I can’t wait to go pick it up!
This guy has only been using a Shopsmith for a few minutes, so don't take what he says to heart. His goal is to get RUclips views and sell some T-Shirts, which is fine, that's his schtick, but let's not pretend he knows enough about the Shopsmith system to be giving advice to others. I've been using the Shopsmith for decades, and I feel very safe because I've actually taken the time to read the manual and learn how to use the machine.
It's wonderful that 99% of the comments on this video are positive, with people sharing cherished memories of learning woodworking from their Pops or Grandfather on thus machine. This tool has single-handedly introduced the art of woodworking to an entire generation that might not have otherwise had the opportunity to experience it.
How can you judge a tool if you don't know how to use it. I think your mind was already made up, to trash the tool, before you even bought it.
Because a person with a brain can see it’s dangerous as heel to even try using it safely. Everything had so much play in it that tied with spinning things it’s nothing but dangerous.
I know how to use all the tools separately. I watched a few hours of tutorials and read the instructions. The tool has some upside but for the most part i don't recommend.
So, you intentionally sandbagged setup just so you could get views. Are you going to crash a plane intentionally after you parachute out of it?
@@John_Malecki If you watched "a few hours" of tutorials, you do not appear to have been paying attention. The basic, and in some cases, dangerous mistakes you made should not have happened if you had been really paying attention.
I have been using a ShopSmith for over 38 years. Once you read the instructions. Set every tool for the correct height. Set it once and never adjust it again. Make sure it’s oiled correctly and wax all the moving parts.
Most importantly you all of the safety guides per the instructions. I still have all of my fingers.
The only improvement would be to have separate tools. But unfortunately I don’t have the space and the money to buy separate machines.
So I need to carefully plan my work out. Do all the joining first. Then the planner. Next all the table sawing. Then the bandsaw. And finally the drill press.
I can make everything safely on my Shopsmith that you can make with all of your separate machines.
Your biggest problem is you haven’t read the manual. I don’t have any of the problems you are having.
I would be glad to buy your machine.
The cheap plastic power coupling has lasted me 15 years.
After seeing the shopsmith I'd love to see you dive into a radial arm saw! I grew up woodworking with my dad on one and just don't see them used a ton anymore...
Definitely need a build video where a project is made by only using the shopsmith.
I do it all the time
My dad bought one of these in 1980 and he and I built so many pieces of furniture together, including the giant oak desk with walnut inlays I'm using in my office right now as well as all the bedroom furniture in 3 bedrooms of my house. There are small tables that you are missing the mount on the ends of the tool (where you mounted the bandsaw). I have so many memories on this tool. As a teenager I frequently used it alone. I learned to use the sanding disk as a pointer before my father bought the attachment (he has the bandsaw, pointer, and planer now). We also used it as a table router, a shaper, and drum sander -- there are attachments/table inserts/fences for all of those. I remember making compound miter cuts on it to make a picture frame and building a jig to create a cove molding by running the wood diagonally across the saw. Neither of us was ever injured on it because we both read the manual. The drill press can be operated either right-handed or left-handed if you just move the quill (the name for the handle that moves the saw/drill/lathe head.
It is a powerful, complex tool that can accomplish many tasks and create beautiful pieces of woodworking. But like any power tool, you should be completely familiar with it and understand how every part of it works before trying to use it. As other have said, I too have so many great memories working with my dad and teaching each other the fine arts of wordworking on this, creating what are sure to be family heirlooms for generations to come.
I was using one of these in Shop Class back when schools actually taught people stuff. Great tool, lot of fun making just about anything that came to mind.
I know several very talented woodworkers who use this tool. Your lack of competence with it doesnt make it a bad tool.
My stepfather bought one new. I bought one second hand years later. What I learned.
A jack of all trades is a master of none.
1) table saw. Sucks ass. The fence was hard to square and moved. The table moves up and down not the blade... which isn't to much of an issue but if you want to make an angled cut you have to tip the table and not the blade. You now have to fight gravity to make that beveled cut.
2) drill press. Works great. Unlike most drill presses you don't have to move the belt. It has a CVT inside that can adjust the speed.
3) horizontal booking machine. Your drill press is limited on the hight of the item you want to drill into... not if you can lay it on its side... now you can drill horizontally.
4) lathe. Mine was used so I was missing parts. But I am betting that this is useful for Turing. Little limited in your turning diameter but it is generous when looking at dedicated lathes most garage users will have.
5) disc sander... eh... problem is you have to friction fit the disc on the arbor... hopefully you got it straight.
In summation. I would buy one again for use as a lathe and that would be about it.
The plastic shaft is incase the machine jams the plastic will snap and you don't damage the power head.
As someone who has a small shop the idea behind this sounds amazing I mean I understand your apprehension about it but I would love a set up like that.
Get one. You'll love it. Best value tool in the woodworking world - pick it up used and read the manual!
@@GeoffreyBaker yeah my concern with used one is if they still have the manual. But yeah the price does seem drastically lower on the used market. He looks like he lucked up and found a good one.
Nah, a track saw, Sawstop job-site saw, and cheap, small modern bandsaw will be better, safer, and take up less space.
Do some searches on RUclips and watch videos if you don't have the manual. I've bought 2 of them and a buddy has also bought 2... we had the manuals with the tools every time. You just have to look and ask up front if they have manuals. It is one of my most valued tools for a small 2 car garage where I have to pull cars in after I'm done. The only thing I don't like is tilting the table with the table saw like he demoed and the fact that the table goes up and down instead of the blade. Once all set screws are in place you don't have any hassle like he was hinting toward. At most it takes a minute to change configurations. As with all tools, learn the tool and know all safety precautions and it will be one of the best tools you own. By the way they are also easy to work on and youtube videos out there on how to take apart the motor.
I can buy a fully equipped shopsmith that will last longer than my grandkids cheaper than you can buy an overrated sawstop not to mention a drill press. Why spend 5x as much for a tool when this will do the job better faster and smaller
shopsmith mark V was my first major tool. was great for a small space but yes easily dangerous when not being extra safe. One hospital trip later and bought a table saw and only used the shopsmith for the drill press and lathe until i upgraded those too. now it lives in the barn. with the enormous anount of parts needed to do anything with it.
It's no more dangerous and has no more parts than any other combination of those tools. Many of us would happily take it off your hands and give it the love it deserves
Bet Johnny has a hard time loading a dishwasher as well.
Okay, this guy is genuinely funny and he's not wrong about how dangerous this tool is. But also, the hate in the comments is hilarious. I just bought one of these for $160 and I've only been woodworking for 4 months. This thing is a deathtrap for a new user but I'm really excited to learn to use it. Watching videos like the ones from MyGrowthRings is a very important thing to do for a newbie. And honestly, this video that highlights the dangers is important too. Great video, John. Your follow up video with Mark form MGR was good too. Keep up the good work.
Man thank you for this video. My old man was one of those depression Era "jack of all trades" this was the workshop tool that I cut my teeth on when he was teaching me. His philosophy was " if you can make it good with the shop Smith, survive, and keep all your digits then you can say you know what the hell you're doing. " He had a whole shop full of great tools but honestly I think it was the bamount of these things he could find, I remember one summer he ended up with like 30 replacement motors for the thing. And he molded the hell out of it. I remember it had the longest preasure foot peddle connected to it. He welded and bent a custom exention handle on the drill and made it right handed. He Frankensteind that thing so much. Even got a steel shaft crafted some how. Like I said thanks man you got my brain to knock the cob webs off some of my most favorite memories with my old man.
He could have saved himself a lot of effort if he’d read the manual, since the jack handle can simply be unscrewed and moved to the right hand side.
I wonder if he ever wrecked his drive chain by intentionally bypassing the sacrificial shaft coupler designed to prevent catastrophe in case of a jam?
The reason it looks and feel so sketchy is that you are NOT looking at it correctly. The Shopsmith's value is twofold: First, if you are just starting out and don't have a lot of equipment (and you can find one in good shape with all the parts) it gives you a lot of bang for your buck. Second, AFTER you've collected more tools (specifically, a decent tablesaw and maybe a drillpress) it quickly becomes an "extra". When you have your tablesaw set up for repeatable cuts (like cove moldings) and need to make a quick cut, that table saw works (and no, I hate the beveling too and never have used that feature). When I started into woodturning I picked up a small pen lathe, buit for bigger turnings it worked pretty good (and saved me the two grand for a full sized lathe). Of course I needed to buy a couple Nova chucks so I could transfer the turning (to ensure the it was consistently centered) from the Shopsmith (for rough turning) to the pen lathe for fine tuning. The biggest problem I hve is that it does take up a LOT of room and I have a very small shop. So, I keep it in the adjacent garage and wheel it onto the driveway when I need to use it...well, until I sell it (which will probably be this summer) because I don't have the room, I have real nice stand alone tools and I'm pretty much only doing turnings, art projects, and small jewelry boxes anymore. I really do wish they made a drum sander for it. If they did I'd probably keep the Shopsmith since a decent drum sander is expensive and putting a 12" sanding disc on the motorhead really would be helpful. So, if I can turn it into a sanding station I'd keep it? Interesting that after having it for 15 years, that's where I see it's value.
And now I've begun researching how to make a drum sander for the Shopsmith. Darn it, I was looking forward to getting the money for selling it.