9 Replies

I too have thought of buying one. Can the people that own one weigh in?

I had one , yes it can do almost any job but you need to store all of the parts your not using & there are a lot. And setting it up for all the different uses on a project can be a little cumbersome. The table saw attachment is very dangerous the table moves up & down not the blade which makes it higher than a normal one. Mine had a table saw, band saw , horizontal and vertical drill press, lathe, small jointer & disc sander. If your stuck on space & have the time " non production " it’s a great tool. I might have some videos hanging around but I think you can get them on YouTube.

I have a large shop at home in Canada, fully stocked with all the stand alone tools. At my winter place in Az. I have a garage and a ShopSmith 510 with several SPTs (special purpose tools, ie: bandsaw, planer, etc.)
I can do anything in my winter shop that I can in my summer one.
I do not find the SS table saw to be a problem, perhaps because I’m tall and of course the 510 has a much larger potential table size than the 500 or even most stand alone TSs.
If you keep everything waxed and moving easily, you can change from one setup to another in less than a minute in most cases. Over a day in the shop I may do this as many as ten times……. I’ve definitely got ten minutes for that.
My 510 stores under a bench / cabinet and all my SPTs are on a mobile cart making changes very quick and easy.
The SS is a great quality piece of equipment, far superior to any of the cheap box store stuff and can be found used at very reasonable prices.
I’m starting to rave. Suffice to say that as a career woodworker, I always scoffed at them but now having actually tried one I’m totally impressed.

I have re-posted an old blog on my Az. shop featuring my 510. The shop has changed a little but the tools haven’t. I play out there almost every day. :-)

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Thanks for info,i am i little tight for space.And the price is 900 band saw ,gearbox reducer for lower speeds on the lathe,seems like its not to bad of a deal.I got a table saw so no need to use the multi tool for that.
Thanks again guys

If it’s in good shape, that is a very good price. The speed reducer is an expensive add on and the bandsaw is a great small tool. Also 510s are much harder to find than 500s.

I bought a Mark 5 (500) new around 1981 because of the small shop I had at that time. Since, I have upgraded to a larger shop, but I still use my shopsmith very often. I use the bandsaw a lot and use the lathe when I need it. Even though I have other tools that I use like table saw, Jointer, planer, belt sander, etc. I wouldn’t ever think about selling my shopsmith. It is part of the family. My shopsmith is always there when I need it.
Bill

I refer to Shopsmith tools as a Jack of all trades tool. Jack of all trades, ace of none.. My advice is that if you are a professional get dedicated tools. If you have room, that is..

If I could get one I would defiantly use the lathe, and build a thickness drum sander like shipwright has done with his.