I inherited a Used Shopsmith...
I wrote this recently to a young aspiring woodworker with a hand-me-down Shopsmith that hadn’t been turned on in 3 decades.
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One must spend the time to care for, maintain, adjust and develop advanced knowledge of the equipment you have.
That comes on the installment plan one day at a time.
Any tool or instrument out of adjustment will not produce superior results, likely unacceptable results, and could be dangerous to operate.
The Shopsmith can be restored to service given time, varying amounts of elbow grease, and perhaps a few modest parts.
Some units need very little, and that coupled with the fact that many of the parts are still available new from Shopsmith, or in the used marketplace speaks to the quality of the design.
The Mark 5 came out almost 70 years ago. Many changes and upgrades exist.
Finding what one now has and how it’s been maintained or upgraded through the years is necessary as they look very similar.
That could not be more important when you’re buying used serviceable parts from folks you don’t know.
You may not know what variant of a part revision you need and they may not know what variant they have.
Knowledge is out there in Shopsmith Forums and groups everywhere.
That said, Wading through myriads of posts to find what you need can be a bit irritating because there are so many folks asking the same questions but phrasing them in different ways.
They often give up looking and ask the same questions over and over, separated by a few days or weeks and hundreds if not thousands of posts apart.
I tried to bring some sensible sources together by providing documents and information I publish free of charge in the Maintenance and Repair Forums at Shopsmith.
Most everything is too large to post in Forums so I do so on a link “My Google Drive” which I will cite below.
KEEP READING before you follow the link.
However, There are some very useful files on the main page in my Shopsmith Forum Post itself so look around on it before you follow the link.
You confirmed you have a machine untouched for over 30 years previously owned by your father and bought initially by your grandfather.
That means you don’t have to research 30 years of changes to know what you might have*, only those in play from the time yours was made until it went idle by your father.
I would suspect any rubber part such as belts should be refreshed with new parts. Don’t forget the power cord.
Next disassemble it carefully and clean everything servicing it with appropriate rust removal, lubrications and waxing or painting where necessary. Next reassemble, properly align and adjust it. Learn the safety devices and how to use them. Make sure they are present.
*Research what safety upgrades may now exist that weren’t present when your machine was made. They exist for a reason. Explore the reason.
I often tell folks; I don’t know of a single safety upgrade that costs as much as even one emergency room visit.
Owning a Shopsmith doesn’t make someone a master woodworker any more than owning a Stradivarius makes one a virtuoso violinist.
Even with the most precise and expensive machines in the world, that remains an inescapable truth.
Considering the artisan a craftsman can produce exceptional results with modest tools.
Shopsmith is an example.
The workmanship that went into its design has to be coupled with it’s alignment, Maintenance, and skill of the operator.
It’s true of the most expensive stand alone tools as well.
There has been some very fine craftsmanship exhibited by some Shopsmith owners.
Don’t get discouraged. Your project whatever it is likely was a tree before someone harvested it.
That was just the first operation done on it.
What joinery techniques one uses is based on what one is making, what species of wood or multiple species of wood are involved, what finish you want to put on, and the environment your creations will live in; indoors or out.
What tools, accessories and joinery techniques you can use are limited by what you have. You may want more.
Can you make pocket screw holes on a Shopsmith - yes. Is it as easy as using a Kreg Pocket Screw Jig - no.
Can you route on a Shopsmith - yes. Is it as easy as a modern variable speed router and router table - no.
Can you make compound miters on a Shopsmith - yes. Is it as easy as using a compound Miter saw - no.
Point is the machine can do many operations as a multi purpose tool designed in the 1950’s.
Some of the newer devices capable of performing one kind of operation only may make you more productive.
Will using those newer tools give you a connection to your father and grandfather before him using your inherited Shopsmith - no.
Will restoring that 30 year inactive Shopsmith so valued by your father and grandfather into service help you honor their memory - I would say likely so.
If you were so inclined as they were toward Woodworking I would say absolutely.
Only you know that, but since you asked me, I think you have already recognized you are that kind of person too.
You will find an ever growing family of like-minded people in the Shopsmith Forums and Facebook and other groups who are on that journey with you.
I have met many friends, met incredible mentors and leaned much in my journey.
Now yours is beginning and someday, perhaps you will be that mentor to the next group who explore this world we call Shopsmith.
Be safe above all and never stop learning.
Everett
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