injun Posted February 16, 2009 Report Share Posted February 16, 2009 I was recently given a Shopsmith Mark V from an old family friend. It's in decent shape and quite an interesting piece of gear. I especially like the idea of having a lathe now. I just have to replace the motor, which was given to me also, and clean it up a bit. Since I am not very familiar with this, I was wondering if anyone here has ever used one and if you have any tips. I'll post a few pics after I replace the motor and clean her up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Ross Posted February 16, 2009 Report Share Posted February 16, 2009 I use one - it's my main tool since my shop is the size of a 1 car garage. My one piece of advice -- plan everything out in advance so you don't have to keep switching back and forth between modes. If I had my druthers, I'd get individual machines. Let me know if you have any specific questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
injun Posted February 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2009 Thanks DC. Nice to hear that it works for you. After studying the manuals, I can see why planning each step is necessary! While I already own a bandsaw,tablesaw,etc., I do not own a jointer yet. Have you had a chance to try out the jointer attachment for it? If I run into any problems, I'll let you know. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Ross Posted February 16, 2009 Report Share Posted February 16, 2009 Unfortunately, the Shopsmith jointer is the only one I have. It's only 4", so it's unsuitable for flattening body halves. An 8" jointer will more than likely be my next purchase. I like the belt sander, that one's really handy, as is the disc sander. The lathe is cool for doing knobs and the drill press is definitely useful. The planer is decent, but it's kind of a pain since you can't really have anything else going at the same time. All in all, it was worth the $1200 (including all the attachments) I have into it. Check out the Shopsmith forums as well at www.shopsmith.net/forums. There are some really knowledgable guys there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
injun Posted February 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2009 I registered on the forum earlier and found a wealth of info that is going to help alot on the shopsmith site. The jointer is not quite large enough for anything other than truing up neck blanks and such. But all in all, I'm pretty impressed and looking forward to using it. I think I'll pick up the sand-flee attachment when I scrap a little cash together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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