Thread: shopsmith mark v

There are no local dealers for Shopsmith, although I suspect there was one around 20-30 years ago. There have been a few posters who have one, but they seem to have imported their own direct or brought it with them when moving to Australia.

The closest thing locally would be the various Triton machines for the table saw function & router function plus compactness & portability in the shop. Add a cheap bench drill and all you are missing is the lathe.

Cost wise, you are MUCH better off, from an Australian point of view, to buy a 10" table saw such as a Jet or the TSC-10HB in its many re-badgings, a mini or midi lathe and a decent drill press. You can add machinery when you find a need for it, so less budget strain or you can buy a better quality unit and if one part breaks down or is too small you don't have to replace the whole thing, just the inadequate bit.

yes maybe the triton is the way to go. but I kinda liked the idea of one motor for all and the simplicity of the changeover was good. thanx for your reply

Bobby

My Dad has one, and for what it is it works well. There both positives and negatives with it. You only have one motor and everything is variable speed. No complaints there, along with it takes up little space for what it can do. When the downside occurs is the saw table is small. Additional items is that if the one motor fails, you've lost everything till it's repaired. Along with that, you have to switch out when changing from sawing, to drilling etc. You cannot immediately go from one tool to another without changing the parts and settings on the machine.

Having used one, if I had very little space, I'd consider it. As I have a basement shop, I've gotten individual power tools.

Hope that helps.

Paul

I have a Shopsmith which was left to me by my grandfather. It was purchased in Melbourne in about 1986 from memory. The dealer is no longer around and I don't know of anybody who sells them in Australia any more.

As far as a machine goes I have been quite happy with it as a starting point. It manages to do a large number of things adequately, but nothing really outstandingly well. I have had it for the last 10 years and have been replacing the functions with specialised machines as need/cost dictates.

One thing that I like about it is that it can still do so much. Off the top of my head these are the things I can think of .....
Disk sander,
Drum sander,
Drill press horizontal,
Drill press vertical,
Table saw,
4" jointer,
Mortice attachment,
Dodo attachment,
Lathe,
Overhead router,
Shaper.

I don't find the change over of functions too difficult and as with anything you manage to quickly work out how to perform tasks in an order that minimises changes.

If you manage to find a good quality unit cheaply second hand it may be worth the purchase as long as you are comfortable with the limitations. If you want a table saw there is nothing better than buying a table saw, if you want a lathe, buy a lathe. If however you are after a machine which provides some flexibility, the Shopsmith is far more versatile than the Triton.

I have been happy with mine as it has allowed me to perform tasks early on in my woodworking hobby that I would not have been able to do with the basic machines. Now I know where I am heading I will be replacing a number of the functions the Shopsmith can do with dedicated machines, I will still retain the Shopsmith however as there are still a number of small features that make tasks easier.

Originally Posted by bobbyfmax

just looking on the net and I am impressed with the shopsmith mark v. does anyone know if they can be bought in Australia, their price or their approximate price secondhand? Is there a similar product in Australia- brand price etc.
thanx Bob

Bob

We made a few enquiries for a customer a little while back, Shopsmith USA have given all overseas opportunities to their UK distributor, who seem very uninterested in dealing with the 'colonies'.

My opinion was that the Shopsmith concept was suffering at the hands of the chinese machines and really wasn't a viable option.

I hope that this helps.

Regards

Grahame

I've been using a Shopsmith MK5/510 with pretty much everything they offer including a Power Station and a stand-alone Pro Planer handed down from my dad for the last 15 years and although I have have duplicated almost all of its functions with dedicated machines it still is used on a regular basis as my main TS. That will change soon as I am awaiting a shipping date on a General 650R cabinet saw to replace it. The SS is a great system of high quality but there is a definite learning curve as to order of operations to make your work efficient. In my instance, my volume of work is such that the SS becomes a liability timewise and it must bow out for the cabinet saw. The SS is a fine machine for the home woodworker but I can't handle using it anymore on business terms It now gets to be the "second setup" if I need two of the same tool at the same time.

BTW, you could try these guys in Canada as a source...http://www.allinonewood.com/...they sell new and used.

J.R.

I have a Shopsmith Mk5 & so does Apricotripper.

There was one posted for sale on here.

I only use mine as a saw bench now & it is not a actuate as I would like.

I used it as a lathe for several years & the spindle bearings got sloppy.
I got the dual bearing upgrade kit & fitted it but the I didn't use it as a lathe again after that.

Hi, I have a Mark V shopsmith that I bought from a fella a few years ago and I haven't used it much and need the space in my shed so it is up for sale if you are interested.
chris.

Hello! I am interested in your machine. Have sent you a PM

Hi all, I have attached some photo's of the machine and a shopsmith joiner that I want to sell also. There are also some lathe tools not shown in the photo's. I want about $1750 for the lot. I have not enquired into freight costs but they would be on top of that price.

Chris.

Originally Posted by bobbyfmax

just looking on the net and I am impressed with the shopsmith mark v. does anyone know if they can be bought in Australia, their price or their approximate price secondhand? Is there a similar product in Australia- brand price etc.
thanx Bob

I have a Mark V and upgraded it to a 510. Shopsmith is probably the best machine I own. There support, though in the US, is fantastic - they still stock parts even for the earliest model back in the 1950's

The upgrade kit was about $1000 and airfreight was cheaper than shipping via sea at $324.

If you are short on free space, it is well worth it. If you are near Gippsland send me a message and you can come around and play.

https://www.woodworkforums.com/showpo...7&postcount=11

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Table-Saw-Lat...QQcmdZViewItem

Originally Posted by bluter2006

Hi all, I have attached some photo's of the machine and a shopsmith joiner that I want to sell also. There are also some lathe tools not shown in the photo's. I want about $1750 for the lot. I have not enquired into freight costs but they would be on top of that price.

Chris.

Did you end up selling this?

Originally Posted by Cliff Rogers

I have a Shopsmith Mk5 & so does Apricotripper.

There was one posted for sale on here.

I only use mine as a saw bench now & it is not a actuate as I would like.

I used it as a lathe for several years & the spindle bearings got sloppy.
I got the dual bearing upgrade kit & fitted it but the I didn't use it as a lathe again after that.

Hi, Cliff.

Would you still have the headstock drive spur and tailstock dead centre and fittings for your shopsmith, and the lathe toolrest? I am currently renovating a shopsmith 10 ER, and these parts are missing.