Shopsmith Forums

Hello all,
I finally got my 1955 vintage Shopsmith up and running. I upgraded it to 520 standards and love it’s design. I rely upon it for all all 5 stated tools, but really need a bandsaw. My question is whether to continue down the Shopsmith path or to get a stand alone unit. Price is not the concern, but performance is. I like the small footprint and the use of the Shopsmith variable speed motor, but I am concerned that the Shopsmith bandsaw is too lightweight to be useful for many things. Resawing, in particular, is limited to probably less than 6” with no path to increase. I might add I am a hobbyist, but with aspirations of making furniture and processing rough cut lumber. My problem with getting a bigger saw is the weight and room. I can accommodate a bandsaw, but if possible prefer to keep my one car garage shop as open as possible. I would really appreciate the thoughts and experience of this group on the subject.

jbwoodshop wrote:Hello all,
I finally got my 1955 vintage Shopsmith up and running. I upgraded it to 520 standards and love it’s design. I rely upon it for all all 5 stated tools, but really need a bandsaw. My question is whether to continue down the Shopsmith path or to get a stand alone unit. Price is not the concern, but performance is. I like the small footprint and the use of the Shopsmith variable speed motor, but I am concerned that the Shopsmith bandsaw is too lightweight to be useful for many things. Resawing, in particular, is limited to probably less than 6” with no path to increase. I might add I am a hobbyist, but with aspirations of making furniture and processing rough cut lumber. My problem with getting a bigger saw is the weight and room. I can accommodate a bandsaw, but if possible prefer to keep my one car garage shop as open as possible. I would really appreciate the thoughts and experience of this group on the subject.

There is nothing wrong with the SS band saw. It is NOT light weight. It will do everything an 11" band saw will do and last you a life time with proper care. The SS band saw will resaw just fine up to it's capacity. If at some time you need bigger resaw capacity then get a larger band saw. I have a SS band saw on it's own power stand. I also have a Powermatic 14" band saw with the 6"
riser block that gives me 12" resaw capability. They both provide the same results. The only difference is the capacity.

There are SS band saws out there over 50 years old that work like new.

I love my SS bandsaw. It is the only bandsaw that is self tracking. No fussing with tracking when changing blades.
Some things to remember when resawing is that the surface of the stock that will be against the fence has to be flattened on the jointer and the edge that rides against the table also has to be jointed and at a 90 deg angle to the face. If the face of the board is not flattened it will not ride true to the fence but will follow the un-flattened surface of the board and will be difficult to control the cut.
Bill V

I find that my Shopsmith bandsaw is an excellent one. It does everything I ask of it. Plus, it has a 1 1/8 hp behind it.

Thank you all for the insightful and positive feedback on the Shopsmith bandsaw. Based upon your feedback, I think I’m ready to buy. Really like the Shopsmith approach although I must admit, I sometimes get table saw envy when around my brothers SawStop cabinet saw. Of course that takes up a lot of room and was pricy. One additional question: are there recommended additional items to purchase or is the SS bandsaw ready to go out of the box?

jbwoodshop wrote: One additional question: are there recommended additional items to purchase or is the SS bandsaw ready to go out of the box?

You'll need a power coupler and blades besides a 1/4.

Be careful where you leave the speed control when shifting from table saw mode to the bandsaw. Starting the bandsaw at 3450 RPM will most likely throw the blade and tire and cause some additional damage.
Bill V

Thank you everyone for the advice on what else to get as well as speed control and planing the board and edges flat. I’ve been away from and serious woodworking for quite a while, but just retired and have revitalized my Greenie Shopsmith. Looking forward to incorporating some curves into my designs.

I havent had any real complaints about the SS bandsaw...except this one-which may simply be my lack of creativity in finding a solution or not having anything else to compare to.

The distance between the blade and the plastic body of the bandsaw limits me to roughly an 11" wide cut.

Normal band saw operation doesn't involve a cut this wide (as you're off the table), but sometimes I feel more comfortable on the lower speeds of the bandsaw than trying to do a large board cut on the table saw.

I could do multiple passes and whittle it down-but Im lazy and would rather wish for a larger gap

b

The band saw from shopsmith can use a few upgrades, either the Carter system or the bearing replacements found in posts here. With those in place the bandsaw is a decent saw. I'd also look to get some better quality blades.

The only issue I have in my shop is that I can not resaw more then 6" with either of the bandsaws I have. I have thought about getting another but with having no room and not knowing how much longer I will be woodworking has pretty much taken my desire for such a saw out of the picture.

Ed