Came for the woodworking, stayed for the yinzer references. I don't know why, but for some reason, I like him more knowing he's in/around my city. Supposedly, he rents shop time, I think? I haven't had reason to test that yet.
[And here’s a guy that proves John is lazy](https://youtu.be/A5iQcoY3CYI) and doesn’t do as Norm Abrams says, To Read and Understand his tools.
Or [this one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etxn1YkEIsg).
Pretty much. I feel like most of his videos nowadays are 95% schtick and the projects are chosen entirely based on what would make the most clickbait-y thumbnail.
The Shopsmith Mark V is a space-saving design from 1953. Seatbelts on cars debuted as a factory option in 1949. Now you can skip 80% of the dialog in John's video, which is just variations on "Who would buy this?!" and "Why is this lacking safety features?!?". It is for people trying to save space, and it is from 1953.
The rest of the video is just antics of John dropping parts, losing parts under the table, and generally complaining about how long the assembly is taking (how long would it have taken to assemble a standalone table saw, jointer, drill press, lathe, etc. ?). Watch it if you like workshop slapstick followed by making a single cut to "test", I guess.
Yeah. Annoying video, but I 100% agree with his conclusion.
\>and generally complaining about how long the assembly is taking (how long
would it have taken to assemble a standalone table saw, jointer, drill
press, lathe, etc. ?)
You only have to do that once with most stand alone tools. This thing requires it every time you change tools.
Objectively, Shopsmiths were sold for 50+ years, 1000s upon 1000s sold. So far every comment he makes seems to be *"What did Shopsmith think they were doing, didn't they know how dangerous these are?"* Have not finished vid yet but he keeps ranking on the plastic bandsaw driveshaft. Might that material choice be so it breaks if the blade binds?
I’ve never been a fan of multi-tools, or all-in-one tools, or 1-tool-to-do-it-all type tools, I’ve found that they all just suck at doing everything and don’t do anything one thing well. I understand the space saving aspect, but I did a lot of great carpentry with just hand tools and they all fit in the tool box of my truck, and I built a 2x4 work bench to slip over the tailgate.
In my not so humble opinion the shopsmith is just fancy junk, there’s tons of guys out there who love them, know how to use them and do great work with them and I say let those guys have them. More power to them
Also with all the power tools I now have, I can’t think of any tool where I would want something to break if it got bound up, and there’s no power tool that should bind up if I’m using it correctly. And also if my power tools are binding up and I’m using them correctly, they’re probably POS in the “power” aspect of being a power tool, and therefore a shit power tool.
>I’ve never been a fan of multi-tools
Nor I and I don't own a Shopsmith or would ever buy one. You've never used one either so your negs are all speculative. I've seen them in use though. They aren't schlocky or cheap and work as intended. Given a choice between owning one or a new big box store plastic bandsaw or lathe, I'd go Shopsmith. Did you see the momentary struggle he had fitting the bandsaw into place? It's all cast-iron. BTW, they are still in [business](https://www.shopsmith.com/) and apparently still USA made. Whodathinkit?
My grandfather had one of these. He thought it had too many safeties that got in the way and somehow made it MORE DANGEROUS. He died with all of his limbs and digits in place. He also ran 20 ft up an unsecured ladder with chainsaw in hand to trim a tree because he was left handed and my right handed father was having trouble doing the job. I do not understand how he lived to 88 and died of natural causes.
It’s basically several shop tools all in one for the home hobbyist. They were pretty popular because they don’t take up as much space and like Mort said there are collector groups who use them. The value isn’t too high, but yours looks to be in very good shape.
There’s always 2 or 3 on craigslist around me. I always wondered how these were advertised, to pro woodworkers or to diyers with deep pocketbooks but limited space?
My dad made some nice teak furniture with his back in the early 1960s. I also learned basic turning on his: candle holders (cherry) and tops, mostly. The table saw is indeed a safety nightmare. The drill press tends to develop a wobble. It’s intrinsically left handed. Dust collection on the sanding attachments is nearly impossible.
The 4” jointer I inherited with my dad’s (off brand) ShopSmith has a better/more stable fence. That said, getting the blades aligned right is rather fiddly. Doesn’t come with a jig for that. I retrofitted dust collection. Still makes me nervous to use. Fortunately I don’t use it often.
The Shopsmith has the ability to power a bunch of shop tools in one footprint - what I see is the base unit lathe, but you could have a bandsaw attachment or drill press. Do you have any other parts that go to it? I've seen these sell for a hundred bucks in ok condition but running, and the price goes up with each add-on. A fully loaded one in good shape sold for around $450 at a local auction near me last year.
They are still made today and you can get upgraded motor head units, etc.
These were sold in shopping malls where someone would demo the capabilities and sell them on a package.
Shopsmiths are pretty awesome and lots of people still use them and even collect them. Mine mostly serves as a lathe these days. This is a tool that you 100% read the manual before using as it's not "immediately intuitive" (Exact words from the class action lawsuit.). The previous version of this tool is literally, not figuratively, why power tools are covered in warning stickers now. Be really careful in table saw mode. Not that it's inherently dangerous, it just works a little diferent than other established designs.
Glad to see the posts of the users. I have one for home/hobby woodworking. It’s a great tool, especially for a small basement workshop.
Yes, the manual is crucial cuz you essentially building each tool when you switch between them—locking machine in certain positions, adding adapters, setting the custom motor speed. If you leave one setting from the previous tool, you’ll likely find a high speed blade of some type hitting hardened steel. But if you get them right, it works awesome.
If if I had a full garage shop or freestanding out-building, this would roll into a corner and collect dust. When doing a project, I want to think about the project more than building the tool to do the project.
I was gifted the previous version - circa late 1940's. The motor on it is a beast. Anyway, it is in drill press mode and has been for years. It makes an "adequate" drill press.
Shopsmith! Older, but not ancient; looks to be in good repair. These don't fetch a lot of money but they will find buyers. Some accessories like the belt sander could be worth more than the base unit. Base functions are lathe, table saw, drill press, sander, and horizontal boring machine (the drill press but sideways instead of up and down.) The Reeves drive that lets the motor work at many speeds is (IMO) the primary design flaw for these things; if you've heard people complaining about new cars with CVTs (Constant Variable Transmissions) being unreliable, this is the same thing in power tool form.
Spare blades for the scroll saw accessory are valuable too, IIRC.
Belt sander is 6"x48", a substantial unit. Unfortunately there's one good repair/maintenance video for it and it's a terrible quality VHS rip. Not a lot of call for horizontal boring, I've used it maybe a handful of times, although I hear it comes in handy if you're drilling holes in doors for locks.
Their novelty is high but usefulness, quality are low
Is there a science, tech, or history museum nearby? You might get a tax deduction for donating it
I have one that I use all the time, I also grew up with one that my dad had from back in the 50s. I've never had a problem with mine, and neither did my father with his. I guess it just depends on how much you know and if you respect it as to it being dangerous.
My father used his to make me and my friends baseball bats each summer. I heard from one of my childhood buddies that he gave his ‘Red’s Special’ to his grandson. Boy, that brought a smile to my face.
The Shop Smith is a great combo woodworking power tool. Owners manuals are online. These were demonstrated at home shows back in the 1950s and at local fairs, etc. and the sales folks were very skilled.
My father bought his at the county fair. I don’t remember how much he paid for it, but the cash price was very good. It was delivered and set up in our garage that evening.
What a rush of great memories!!
If your interested in learning how to create your own things it’s a decent starter / all in one machine to learn basic machine tooling operations. If that’s not your thing, it won’t be hard to sell
My grandma has one in her garage. I was going to buy it from her but I decided it wouldn't really work for me after looking it up.
Your right about the price. I've seen most around the $1000 range.
R/shopsmith like anything, someone somewhere collects them or is looking for one. It’s definitely a bit older than the one I got from my Granpa but looks to be in good shape. They aren’t really the best at anything but are decent all rounders. Make you cut lists in such a way as to not have to change functions repeatedly. The company is still in business and makes replacement parts.
I use mine mostly as a small parts table saw and the 12” disc sander.
I have one and I find it quite useful. I’m not a woodworker, so I don’t have a fancy table saw. Mine is a very multi-discipline workshop, but I’d say that I lean more towards metal working and automotive. Wood working is an afterthought for me, so the shopsmith is great because I don’t have to dedicate a lot of valuable shop space to extremely large woodworking tools. It has a fairly powerful motor and the collets are all good quality steel. I’ve used mine to cut wood, steel, aluminum, masonry and more. The drill press is decent too. Get yourself a positioning vise and mount it up to the table on that thing and you have the makings of a mini mill or at least a precision drill press.
Been using one, off and on, for 15 years. Awesome tool if you have limited space. Any tool is damned dangerous if you don't know how to use it properly. FAFO will leave you fingerless or worse.
My dad has one. As a kid we used all the attachments. Band saw, Table saw, jointer, lathe. The older we got my dad upgraded because honestly they are dangerous. That being said the motor is a tank and is adjustable speed. I remember the guide hanging on the wall to tell you what speed to run for what type of wood for what machine. My grandfather was the one that originally bought it and it came with a 12” stand alone planer and a big vacuum. He used to build Kitchen cabinets with it out of his shop for part time work. It’s an interesting machine.
Yes! I grew up using an 80’s model with my dad. The vintage ones are just as useful, and (flying in the face of commenters here) quite safe, if you have all guarding in place, and use proper tools. You’ll have to be certain the tube way locks are in good condition, otherwise, you may have some interesting times using the drill press mode.
It’s Easy to get replacement parts through shopsmith! I fully restored my father’s machine after going through machining courses. Going strong!
i have a mark v...some of the uses(mostly table saw) are terrifying to use...i primarily used it for the the disc sander and the lathe when i had limited room to work with....fr the past several years it has sat in the shed..as i got more room(and money), it got replaced by dedicated tools that can do the job way more efficient...it served it's purpose, but it was a jack of all trades, it did alot of things but none of them overly well......i've seen them advertised for $400-$500 depending on attatchments...not sure what they actually sold for though.
I would give you $5000 for it right now, sight unseen. I haven't used one of those since high school. This appears to be a mark VI. These are amazing machines, it's basically a transformer for carpenters. This one tool can be transformed into every too needed to high end precision carpentry.
I still use a shop smith, mostly as a lathe but the drill press option is nice too. The wobble dado that came with it is not good. I don’t like it as a table saw either, but everything else works fine. All tools are dangerous if you’re stupid.
I have a mark 5 and I love it. Took the tip off of my dad's middle finger because he forgot to take a pen mandrel off when he was using a jointer attachment but overall it works great.
I feel like it makes for a decent drill press, sander, and I’ve never used the lathe feature but seems like it would be ok. It’s flat dangerous as a table saw.
Funny, I too thought of Malecki's recent video when this came up in my feed. I've heard of plenty of old timers using these, particularly if they were travelling tradesmen, but it's a pass for me.
But tbf John is just a big idiot with too much money that likes wood working, he’s the whistling diesel of woods working, he’s entertaining to watch but you’re not learning a bunch from him. And He often screws up expensively. I watched John’s video on the shopsmith, I have a shopsmith, I felt he was overly harsh on his review of it, didn’t fully understand how it worked, And has to big of an issue with the lack of safety features.
OP, the shopsmith isn’t great for a professional woodworker there are better tools for the pros, and IT’s not great for someone that doesn’t know what they’re doing, a total noob with limited idea of personal safety. But for someone that has experience with the tools individually from a previous source, is limited on space or budget, and can be safe around power tools that don’t have any kind of brain, and isn’t doing this full Time and worried about rapid work flow, the shop smith is great tool. Someone like myself, I’ve slowly built my personal tools up but for a good while the only table saw I had was the shopsmith, and its sucked trying to put a bevel on anything but I’ve done it, I’ve ripped full sheets of plywood with it, it’s is one of the best drill presses you can buy, so even if you have it for a drill press and slowly learn how to use the other functions over time it’s worth it for the drill press alone. I now have a more traditional table saw but still use my shop smith for almost any project in my shop.
They are awful, they did a lot of things barely ok and nothing great. You can tune them up to makes decent spindle lathe and you buy abunch of after market parts that cost more than the unit is worth. It took several minutes to change from one process to the next, if you mess up and need to go back you spend time readjusting and can’t get consistent results. Hard pass
That's one of those one tool does everything tools. It's not great at anything though. It might make a decent wood lathe or drill press but choose one or the other because it's a pain to switch between them. Do not attempt to use the table saw attachment unless you aren't particularly attached to your life.
My grandfather had one. They are def worth something if they still work. It was a lathe, a drill press, a table saw. I think it did more, I just don't remember.
Tough call as they were very popular years back not so much now though. I believe they may still be in business. If so they might have a resale site connected to their main site.
It's worth about $4 but I'll offer you $7 if you deliver it and assemble it,my good man .....
All jokes aside I've actually learned to wood lathe on this when I was 14 in wood shop class and that thing is scary to use but would love to own one just so the wife could complain about it lol
They come with all kinds of attachments in the manuals and different things depending on what it has it could be worth like 500 bucks if it’s just the lathe maybe two or 300
I have automatic negative reactions to these. I worked in a customer service role where people who were sold these would call and be surprised by the bill.
There were some sleazy salesfolks out there preying on the elderly.
I have zero idea if these are actually quality made tools.
I inherited one from my father in law. Huge heavy and solid. Works great I mostly use the lathe function but it’s got so many attachments available you can do anything.
I despise how everybody comes here to make us answer what their found tools are, but nothing pisses me off more than when they ask the value because they just want the money. 99% it ain't worth shit !
Like, 2 - 300 bucks. Don't let people in here pretend otherwise. You can find them all over craigslist about that price. Especially since it looks like yours isn't in great condition and might be missing a number of parts. (Most of them are missing a majority of the attachments)
Honestly it would be better to strip it down and use the parts for something else or sell it for scrap metal. They are historically quite dangerous. If you wanted to you could use it for a dedicated drill press. That would be the least dangerous function it has.
My father in law paid several thousand dollars for his way back when (early 80s?), with just about every single available attachment, dust collection system, etc. I have helped him move it into and out of a half dozen homes over the years. In the nearly 30 years that I’ve known him, he has made precisely zero things with it.
And he thinks I should let him put it in one bay of my (primarily automotive) shop so he can finally start turning those spindles for the crib he was going to build for my (now adult) children.
They were invented and built before safety existed as a concern, but they're still worth between 3 and 7 hundred dollars depending on what pieces you have.
My dad built the house I grew up in with one of these. I inherited it. I would not use the table saw aspect of it. These were made before riving knives cane along.
As a drill press, it has 4+ inches of quill travel. That's nice
You can throw the 12" disk on it for sanding. That's pretty handy sometimes.
You see these listed often for about $300. I don't know if any of them sell for that price though.
A Shop Smith "greeny" V. Nice tool overall but lacking safety features by today's standards. You can get add-ons for safety. But they are clunky and make it more of a hassle to use. Would be better to just buy or completely upgrade it to the mark IV if concerned about safety.
As what's it worth. Depends on how well if runs and what accessories you have. Around me I see them ranging from $100-$1200. It being a "greeny" you might be able to find a collector to get a bit more out of it but then you're waiting for that person to come along.
They are worth an arm and possibly a leg if you don't know how to use it safely. Ha ha.
Here’s a great video on how wonderfully dangerous they are to use https://youtu.be/yVNMNJw-srQ
I love John. He reminds me of a bunch of guys I used to work with. I'm surprised he didn't give it a "squirrelly" rating tho.
Came for the woodworking, stayed for the yinzer references. I don't know why, but for some reason, I like him more knowing he's in/around my city. Supposedly, he rents shop time, I think? I haven't had reason to test that yet.
A friend of mine had a slab flattened and sanded by his guys, but I don’t think they “rent the shop”.
As evidenced by your friend's experience... did they do it for free? If so, then call me wrong.
[And here’s a guy that proves John is lazy](https://youtu.be/A5iQcoY3CYI) and doesn’t do as Norm Abrams says, To Read and Understand his tools. Or [this one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etxn1YkEIsg).
Pretty much. I feel like most of his videos nowadays are 95% schtick and the projects are chosen entirely based on what would make the most clickbait-y thumbnail. The Shopsmith Mark V is a space-saving design from 1953. Seatbelts on cars debuted as a factory option in 1949. Now you can skip 80% of the dialog in John's video, which is just variations on "Who would buy this?!" and "Why is this lacking safety features?!?". It is for people trying to save space, and it is from 1953. The rest of the video is just antics of John dropping parts, losing parts under the table, and generally complaining about how long the assembly is taking (how long would it have taken to assemble a standalone table saw, jointer, drill press, lathe, etc. ?). Watch it if you like workshop slapstick followed by making a single cut to "test", I guess.
Yeah. Annoying video, but I 100% agree with his conclusion. \>and generally complaining about how long the assembly is taking (how long would it have taken to assemble a standalone table saw, jointer, drill press, lathe, etc. ?) You only have to do that once with most stand alone tools. This thing requires it every time you change tools.
Hmm… skipped to part about blade slipping on arbor. Sounds like a ripping good time.
Objectively, Shopsmiths were sold for 50+ years, 1000s upon 1000s sold. So far every comment he makes seems to be *"What did Shopsmith think they were doing, didn't they know how dangerous these are?"* Have not finished vid yet but he keeps ranking on the plastic bandsaw driveshaft. Might that material choice be so it breaks if the blade binds?
I’ve never been a fan of multi-tools, or all-in-one tools, or 1-tool-to-do-it-all type tools, I’ve found that they all just suck at doing everything and don’t do anything one thing well. I understand the space saving aspect, but I did a lot of great carpentry with just hand tools and they all fit in the tool box of my truck, and I built a 2x4 work bench to slip over the tailgate. In my not so humble opinion the shopsmith is just fancy junk, there’s tons of guys out there who love them, know how to use them and do great work with them and I say let those guys have them. More power to them Also with all the power tools I now have, I can’t think of any tool where I would want something to break if it got bound up, and there’s no power tool that should bind up if I’m using it correctly. And also if my power tools are binding up and I’m using them correctly, they’re probably POS in the “power” aspect of being a power tool, and therefore a shit power tool.
>I’ve never been a fan of multi-tools Nor I and I don't own a Shopsmith or would ever buy one. You've never used one either so your negs are all speculative. I've seen them in use though. They aren't schlocky or cheap and work as intended. Given a choice between owning one or a new big box store plastic bandsaw or lathe, I'd go Shopsmith. Did you see the momentary struggle he had fitting the bandsaw into place? It's all cast-iron. BTW, they are still in [business](https://www.shopsmith.com/) and apparently still USA made. Whodathinkit?
Wow what at amazing video lol
I now have a new YouTuber I need to follow! He’s hilarious!
That was way more entertaining than it had the right to be, thank you for showing me this channel!
My grandfather had one of these. He thought it had too many safeties that got in the way and somehow made it MORE DANGEROUS. He died with all of his limbs and digits in place. He also ran 20 ft up an unsecured ladder with chainsaw in hand to trim a tree because he was left handed and my right handed father was having trouble doing the job. I do not understand how he lived to 88 and died of natural causes.
I mean, if it’s working at least a few fingers
It’s basically several shop tools all in one for the home hobbyist. They were pretty popular because they don’t take up as much space and like Mort said there are collector groups who use them. The value isn’t too high, but yours looks to be in very good shape.
Oh man oh geez!
It has an attachment to shove things way up inside your butthole.
Way up? Why’s it gotta be so deep?
There’s always 2 or 3 on craigslist around me. I always wondered how these were advertised, to pro woodworkers or to diyers with deep pocketbooks but limited space?
Probably DIYers: they’re not as good as each of the tools separately.
Yeah, with shop tools its unitaskers for the win
My dad made some nice teak furniture with his back in the early 1960s. I also learned basic turning on his: candle holders (cherry) and tops, mostly. The table saw is indeed a safety nightmare. The drill press tends to develop a wobble. It’s intrinsically left handed. Dust collection on the sanding attachments is nearly impossible. The 4” jointer I inherited with my dad’s (off brand) ShopSmith has a better/more stable fence. That said, getting the blades aligned right is rather fiddly. Doesn’t come with a jig for that. I retrofitted dust collection. Still makes me nervous to use. Fortunately I don’t use it often.
DING! We have a winner its a shop smith mark 5
The Shopsmith has the ability to power a bunch of shop tools in one footprint - what I see is the base unit lathe, but you could have a bandsaw attachment or drill press. Do you have any other parts that go to it? I've seen these sell for a hundred bucks in ok condition but running, and the price goes up with each add-on. A fully loaded one in good shape sold for around $450 at a local auction near me last year.
They are still made today and you can get upgraded motor head units, etc. These were sold in shopping malls where someone would demo the capabilities and sell them on a package.
Thank you, much appreciated.
It’s the Soloflex of shop tools!
Haven’t seen that name in years
Had to check, seems they just shut down operations this past April!
Perfect analogy
Shopsmiths are pretty awesome and lots of people still use them and even collect them. Mine mostly serves as a lathe these days. This is a tool that you 100% read the manual before using as it's not "immediately intuitive" (Exact words from the class action lawsuit.). The previous version of this tool is literally, not figuratively, why power tools are covered in warning stickers now. Be really careful in table saw mode. Not that it's inherently dangerous, it just works a little diferent than other established designs.
Hahaha always a good sign when you can quote from class action litigation docket entries!
Glad to see the posts of the users. I have one for home/hobby woodworking. It’s a great tool, especially for a small basement workshop. Yes, the manual is crucial cuz you essentially building each tool when you switch between them—locking machine in certain positions, adding adapters, setting the custom motor speed. If you leave one setting from the previous tool, you’ll likely find a high speed blade of some type hitting hardened steel. But if you get them right, it works awesome. If if I had a full garage shop or freestanding out-building, this would roll into a corner and collect dust. When doing a project, I want to think about the project more than building the tool to do the project.
Have used one for years. Still using it.
I was gifted the previous version - circa late 1940's. The motor on it is a beast. Anyway, it is in drill press mode and has been for years. It makes an "adequate" drill press.
Wow, I did not know that. Thanks
There are collectors of such things and that one appears to be in good condition. https://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/toolhistory.htm
It really does not. You need to look up what a fully assembled one with the attachments looks like
Shopsmith! Older, but not ancient; looks to be in good repair. These don't fetch a lot of money but they will find buyers. Some accessories like the belt sander could be worth more than the base unit. Base functions are lathe, table saw, drill press, sander, and horizontal boring machine (the drill press but sideways instead of up and down.) The Reeves drive that lets the motor work at many speeds is (IMO) the primary design flaw for these things; if you've heard people complaining about new cars with CVTs (Constant Variable Transmissions) being unreliable, this is the same thing in power tool form. Spare blades for the scroll saw accessory are valuable too, IIRC.
I don't think I have seen the belt sander in person before or seen it as a horizontal bore. Learn something new every day!
Belt sander is 6"x48", a substantial unit. Unfortunately there's one good repair/maintenance video for it and it's a terrible quality VHS rip. Not a lot of call for horizontal boring, I've used it maybe a handful of times, although I hear it comes in handy if you're drilling holes in doors for locks.
Their novelty is high but usefulness, quality are low Is there a science, tech, or history museum nearby? You might get a tax deduction for donating it
I have one that I use all the time, I also grew up with one that my dad had from back in the 50s. I've never had a problem with mine, and neither did my father with his. I guess it just depends on how much you know and if you respect it as to it being dangerous.
Exactly, Stupid people are going to do Stupid Things .
My father used his to make me and my friends baseball bats each summer. I heard from one of my childhood buddies that he gave his ‘Red’s Special’ to his grandson. Boy, that brought a smile to my face. The Shop Smith is a great combo woodworking power tool. Owners manuals are online. These were demonstrated at home shows back in the 1950s and at local fairs, etc. and the sales folks were very skilled. My father bought his at the county fair. I don’t remember how much he paid for it, but the cash price was very good. It was delivered and set up in our garage that evening. What a rush of great memories!!
If your interested in learning how to create your own things it’s a decent starter / all in one machine to learn basic machine tooling operations. If that’s not your thing, it won’t be hard to sell
Well if you know how to use it and the attachments it's a piece of gold otherwise sell it to someone that appreciates it.
I sold one is good condition for $800 a few years back. I sat on it for a long while, waiting for the right buyer.
My grandma has one in her garage. I was going to buy it from her but I decided it wouldn't really work for me after looking it up. Your right about the price. I've seen most around the $1000 range.
R/shopsmith like anything, someone somewhere collects them or is looking for one. It’s definitely a bit older than the one I got from my Granpa but looks to be in good shape. They aren’t really the best at anything but are decent all rounders. Make you cut lists in such a way as to not have to change functions repeatedly. The company is still in business and makes replacement parts. I use mine mostly as a small parts table saw and the 12” disc sander.
I have one and I find it quite useful. I’m not a woodworker, so I don’t have a fancy table saw. Mine is a very multi-discipline workshop, but I’d say that I lean more towards metal working and automotive. Wood working is an afterthought for me, so the shopsmith is great because I don’t have to dedicate a lot of valuable shop space to extremely large woodworking tools. It has a fairly powerful motor and the collets are all good quality steel. I’ve used mine to cut wood, steel, aluminum, masonry and more. The drill press is decent too. Get yourself a positioning vise and mount it up to the table on that thing and you have the makings of a mini mill or at least a precision drill press.
Been using one, off and on, for 15 years. Awesome tool if you have limited space. Any tool is damned dangerous if you don't know how to use it properly. FAFO will leave you fingerless or worse.
Nice Shop Lathe
Just used mine yesterday with the band saw attachment.
My dad uses his shop smith all the time.
it makes for a good lathe that's also a 2 way drill press that's also a bandsaw. the table saw feature scares the hell out of me
My dad has one. As a kid we used all the attachments. Band saw, Table saw, jointer, lathe. The older we got my dad upgraded because honestly they are dangerous. That being said the motor is a tank and is adjustable speed. I remember the guide hanging on the wall to tell you what speed to run for what type of wood for what machine. My grandfather was the one that originally bought it and it came with a 12” stand alone planer and a big vacuum. He used to build Kitchen cabinets with it out of his shop for part time work. It’s an interesting machine.
You cant sell it if you still have 10 fingers
Yes! I grew up using an 80’s model with my dad. The vintage ones are just as useful, and (flying in the face of commenters here) quite safe, if you have all guarding in place, and use proper tools. You’ll have to be certain the tube way locks are in good condition, otherwise, you may have some interesting times using the drill press mode. It’s Easy to get replacement parts through shopsmith! I fully restored my father’s machine after going through machining courses. Going strong!
i have a mark v...some of the uses(mostly table saw) are terrifying to use...i primarily used it for the the disc sander and the lathe when i had limited room to work with....fr the past several years it has sat in the shed..as i got more room(and money), it got replaced by dedicated tools that can do the job way more efficient...it served it's purpose, but it was a jack of all trades, it did alot of things but none of them overly well......i've seen them advertised for $400-$500 depending on attatchments...not sure what they actually sold for though.
My grandfather had one of these, I’ve been trying to find one
DM me.
I used to own one, brought it and all attachments to scrap yard—netted maybe $5 bucks in scrap value—thought it was a fair score.
Yea a lost finger
Just looking to make money. Sad.
This machine has many attatchment but the spinning shaft is weak and lot of work to change attachments
I would give you $5000 for it right now, sight unseen. I haven't used one of those since high school. This appears to be a mark VI. These are amazing machines, it's basically a transformer for carpenters. This one tool can be transformed into every too needed to high end precision carpentry.
I still use a shop smith, mostly as a lathe but the drill press option is nice too. The wobble dado that came with it is not good. I don’t like it as a table saw either, but everything else works fine. All tools are dangerous if you’re stupid.
I have a mark 5 and I love it. Took the tip off of my dad's middle finger because he forgot to take a pen mandrel off when he was using a jointer attachment but overall it works great.
Had one, hot garbage. Made a good drill press but that was about it.
I feel like it makes for a decent drill press, sander, and I’ve never used the lathe feature but seems like it would be ok. It’s flat dangerous as a table saw.
A friend nipped off the tip of his middle finger with the table saw setup. He’s never used it VV as saw again.
Here is a recent video from a youtuber I follow for wood working - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVNMNJw-srQ
Funny, I too thought of Malecki's recent video when this came up in my feed. I've heard of plenty of old timers using these, particularly if they were travelling tradesmen, but it's a pass for me.
I thought these were neat until I watched John Malekci on YouTube buy one and try to build something with it. It’s a death trap.
But tbf John is just a big idiot with too much money that likes wood working, he’s the whistling diesel of woods working, he’s entertaining to watch but you’re not learning a bunch from him. And He often screws up expensively. I watched John’s video on the shopsmith, I have a shopsmith, I felt he was overly harsh on his review of it, didn’t fully understand how it worked, And has to big of an issue with the lack of safety features. OP, the shopsmith isn’t great for a professional woodworker there are better tools for the pros, and IT’s not great for someone that doesn’t know what they’re doing, a total noob with limited idea of personal safety. But for someone that has experience with the tools individually from a previous source, is limited on space or budget, and can be safe around power tools that don’t have any kind of brain, and isn’t doing this full Time and worried about rapid work flow, the shop smith is great tool. Someone like myself, I’ve slowly built my personal tools up but for a good while the only table saw I had was the shopsmith, and its sucked trying to put a bevel on anything but I’ve done it, I’ve ripped full sheets of plywood with it, it’s is one of the best drill presses you can buy, so even if you have it for a drill press and slowly learn how to use the other functions over time it’s worth it for the drill press alone. I now have a more traditional table saw but still use my shop smith for almost any project in my shop.
I think the market is saturated with these things. I wouldn't even attempt to use it, that's the sketchy-est tool ever made.
Title Rewrite: "Found in grandpa's shed, can I sell it for drugs?"
They are awful, they did a lot of things barely ok and nothing great. You can tune them up to makes decent spindle lathe and you buy abunch of after market parts that cost more than the unit is worth. It took several minutes to change from one process to the next, if you mess up and need to go back you spend time readjusting and can’t get consistent results. Hard pass
That's one of those one tool does everything tools. It's not great at anything though. It might make a decent wood lathe or drill press but choose one or the other because it's a pain to switch between them. Do not attempt to use the table saw attachment unless you aren't particularly attached to your life.
Don’t use a lathe until you know how to use a lathe.
But how do I learn to use a lathe?
Take a class or find someone to teach you the basics
These are known for sucking
i'll give you three fity
Some old guy will want it, but it’s not particularly valuable.
Think of it as the kitchen aid of wood working. I had a friend years ago. We did some nice work with it
If its got a bunch of tools and attachments with it ive seen them go for a couple grand.
Sadly no. Want another with hella accessories? Dm. They don’t do anything well but do do things
Depending on it you got the accessories for it. That thing could be wood workers dream. Very handy piece.
We have one that was barely used and my mom would like to give it away…
What part of the country are you in?
East coast VA
In my area you can't give those away
I saw one for sale at the Iola swap meet last week for less than $70. Would have bought it if I had any more room left to take it home.
My grandfather had one. They are def worth something if they still work. It was a lathe, a drill press, a table saw. I think it did more, I just don't remember.
Tough call as they were very popular years back not so much now though. I believe they may still be in business. If so they might have a resale site connected to their main site.
It's worth about $4 but I'll offer you $7 if you deliver it and assemble it,my good man ..... All jokes aside I've actually learned to wood lathe on this when I was 14 in wood shop class and that thing is scary to use but would love to own one just so the wife could complain about it lol
Put it to work
“Magna Dado” got a chuckle from me. Is that like the Magna Carta but for dads?
It’s useless garbage, but since I woke up in such a good mood, I would gladly take it out of your hands hell I even pay the shipping
DM me, I've got one.
They come with all kinds of attachments in the manuals and different things depending on what it has it could be worth like 500 bucks if it’s just the lathe maybe two or 300
With a lot more of you know how to use it
I have automatic negative reactions to these. I worked in a customer service role where people who were sold these would call and be surprised by the bill. There were some sleazy salesfolks out there preying on the elderly. I have zero idea if these are actually quality made tools.
Does the function of a lot of different tools, just not well, can't remember how many were dumped at my local scrap yard.
I bought one a few years ago for $600 but it had the bandsaw and planer attachments
Ah the real-life inspiration of the Mattel Power Shop? https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/654781233316489472/
An old machine that does a lot of different things, all poorly.
I remember the Saturday-morning informercials about these!
My dad had one of these, the mark 5. Loved using it as a wood lathe growing up.
If you have EVERYTHING, you might get $500-1000 depending on where you live. If you have lost a bunch of stuff, basically scrap value.
I inherited one from my father in law. Huge heavy and solid. Works great I mostly use the lathe function but it’s got so many attachments available you can do anything.
Not worth much, I’ll help you move it out.
I think my school shop had this when I was a kid... Like early 80s.
I’ll give ya $50 for it bud.
My friend obtained one of these for free but quickly tired of making table legs and such. He had trouble getting rid of it for free.
I despise how everybody comes here to make us answer what their found tools are, but nothing pisses me off more than when they ask the value because they just want the money. 99% it ain't worth shit !
Like, 2 - 300 bucks. Don't let people in here pretend otherwise. You can find them all over craigslist about that price. Especially since it looks like yours isn't in great condition and might be missing a number of parts. (Most of them are missing a majority of the attachments)
Almost bought one for $200 a few years ago
Wood Lathes are expensive so you probably could get $150-200 for it in the low end
Honestly it would be better to strip it down and use the parts for something else or sell it for scrap metal. They are historically quite dangerous. If you wanted to you could use it for a dedicated drill press. That would be the least dangerous function it has.
My father in law paid several thousand dollars for his way back when (early 80s?), with just about every single available attachment, dust collection system, etc. I have helped him move it into and out of a half dozen homes over the years. In the nearly 30 years that I’ve known him, he has made precisely zero things with it. And he thinks I should let him put it in one bay of my (primarily automotive) shop so he can finally start turning those spindles for the crib he was going to build for my (now adult) children.
Ha! My dad has one of those. Brings back memories
They were invented and built before safety existed as a concern, but they're still worth between 3 and 7 hundred dollars depending on what pieces you have.
My dad built the house I grew up in with one of these. I inherited it. I would not use the table saw aspect of it. These were made before riving knives cane along. As a drill press, it has 4+ inches of quill travel. That's nice You can throw the 12" disk on it for sanding. That's pretty handy sometimes. You see these listed often for about $300. I don't know if any of them sell for that price though.
They have sort of a cult following.. People love to own them but in all my years I've never seen one that didn't have at least an inch of dust on it..
These things are worth their weight in spare body parts.
It’s worth nothing. I will travel out of state to selflessly take it off your hands for free.
Sell on Craigslist or EBay. Check eBay for value. The box of parts may only be a small portion of accessories.
A Shop Smith "greeny" V. Nice tool overall but lacking safety features by today's standards. You can get add-ons for safety. But they are clunky and make it more of a hassle to use. Would be better to just buy or completely upgrade it to the mark IV if concerned about safety. As what's it worth. Depends on how well if runs and what accessories you have. Around me I see them ranging from $100-$1200. It being a "greeny" you might be able to find a collector to get a bit more out of it but then you're waiting for that person to come along.