Shopsmith Forums

I plan to purchase a Mark 7 this spring. I see there are accessories that come standard with the Mark 7 but I am curious as to what else you have discovered you wished you had purchased at the same time. I'm talking the arbors and chucks and so on. I'm pretty sure I'll be getting the Mortise cutter and the biscuit cutter attachments. I also saw the MiterSet Jig that looks pretty slick. I have most of the bigger tools. (belt sander, jointer, planner, bandsaw, scroll saw) I'm interested only in shopsmith gizmos and gadgets you have or wish you had gotten when you bought your Mark 5 or 7.

Great question!

Here's my two cents: The machine comes with the combo thin kerf saw blade and one saw arbor. It is sufficient; but I wish I had bought the other thin kerf blades (dedicated ripping and dedicated cross-cut) -- each with a saw blade arbor -- at the start.

Having all three blades is great but having them on their own arbors really makes changing blades on the Shopsmith super easy and quick.

Also, buy a second arbor wrench. Machine comes with one but you really need two. You will really wish you had two when mounting blades or especially when changing dado sizes.

Enjoy your future purchase!

algale wrote:Great question!

Here's my two cents: The machine comes with the combo thin kerf saw blade and one saw arbor. It is sufficient; but I wish I had bought the other thin kerf blades (dedicated ripping and dedicated cross-cut) -- each with a saw blade arbor -- at the start.

Having all three blades is great but having them on their own arbors really makes changing blades on the Shopsmith super easy and quick.

Also, buy a second arbor wrench. Machine comes with one but you really need two. You will really wish you had two when mounting blades or especially when changing dado sizes.

Enjoy your future purchase!

I recommend getting a box end and an open end wrench of the required sizes(or combination wrenchES).

Those SS wrenches are hard on the hands and somewhat unreliable.

More steel sanding discs. They are one of the great features of a Shopsmith, but changing PSA (adhesive-backed) sandpaper just because you need to change grits is a major PITA. It’s best to have a steel disc dedicated to each grit.

Also, I like to have a 5/8” saw blade arbor, so that I can use third-party blades if I want.

A wood chuck, if you plan to do any turning on your SS, is very nice to have. I bought the Nova G3 that Shopsmith sells, and have been pleased with it.

All of the above. Arbors for each blade make blade changes a piece of cake. Multiple sanding disks the same. Also, if you plan to do under table routing (or over table for that matter) the SS 1/4 and 1/2 inch router chucks.

A dado arbor and stacked dado set are also needed. The riving knife, for those times you can not use the top guard is nice to have. The 5 ft connector tubes are nice for large projects but not necessary. You will want to either purchase or build a cross cut sled. The accessory shelf is nice to have but you can make your own or a storage cabinet for under the SS to help keep all the parts handy.

Tailstock chuck arbor.

If it does not come with it, a lift assist as the PP head stock is a lot heavier than the conventional one. Even if you do not get it now, you will want to put it on your wish list for later.

All of the above plus a couple of conical disks and paper. Conical sanding is amazing.
+1 on the lift assist.

You are right about the miter set...it works great...very useful. Additionally, If you plan on doing any more than just an occasional turning in the lathe mode, you will find that the Universal Tool Rest makes a big difference. Easy to adjust, rock solid and adds a nice stabilizing amount of weight.