Shopsmiths

mike9801

New User
Mike
I have two Shopsmiths a bunch of attachments all the lathe tools bandsaw table saw metal brake . They both need some TLC lot of rust both power heads work great I also have an old Montgomery wards radial arm saw
Wondering what both shops Miss and I'll attachments would be worth
 

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bob vaughan

Bob Vaughan
Senior User
Look at it this way. How much would you charge to remove all the rust and get the tools and accessories back in perfect working condition?
 

Echd

C
User
Shopsmiths have their fans, but its a small group and they have a poor reputation outside of that fanbase, although I know people do speak fairly well of the lathe attachment. I think you will find it a very difficult item to move in the current market at almost any price, unfortunately. It is an item where someone with dedicated machinery is unlikely to want to dedicate the substantial floorspace to a shopsmith but a new prospective woodworker who might utilize multiple tools on one probably is going to be gunshy about it, and even more afraid to tackle a rusty tool.

Same for the radial arm saw. Much like the shopsmith they have their fans... but it's a rather small group, and there are many, many, many old radial arm saws out there at next to nothing pricing.
 

Craptastic

Matt
Corporate Member
Shopsmiths have their fans, but its a small group and they have a poor reputation outside of that fanbase, although I know people do speak fairly well of the lathe attachment. I think you will find it a very difficult item to move in the current market at almost any price, unfortunately. It is an item where someone with dedicated machinery is unlikely to want to dedicate the substantial floorspace to a shopsmith but a new prospective woodworker who might utilize multiple tools on one probably is going to be gunshy about it, and even more afraid to tackle a rusty tool.

Same for the radial arm saw. Much like the shopsmith they have their fans... but it's a rather small group, and there are many, many, many old radial arm saws out there at next to nothing pricing.
I'd have to agree. Figure out what it's all worth weight wise in scrap metal, multiply by 1.1 (maybe 1.2), and hope you find a buyer willing to pick it up at that.

Sorry to tell you that a Shopsmith in needs to be restored condition isn't really worth much more than the metal. They have their fans, but you may need to sit and wait a couple of years to find a buyer at any higher price.
 

NCPAPAOF2

Curtis
Senior User
I've been intrigued by Shopsmiths since my dad and went to a demo back in their hayday. Would love to restore one and if closer might be interested, but the gas to get them would be more than I'd want t spend for the lot. As suggested I might go the scrap metal route.
 

tvrgeek

Scott
Corporate Member
Sure glad I did not buy one "back in the day" Way too dangerous. Do all translates to do nothing very well. The TS is too small and no riving knife. DP too flexible and not as good as a cheap WEN. Had a few "baby' BS, never again. Where the SM shined is space and portability. Now, with casters and the much improved job-site saws, not much of an advantage any more. I also dumped my RAS. Thinking back, it is a wonder I never got hurt. OK for cross-cuts only. I would never do anything else any more. Planer, molder, rip. GASP!

Now, a S-M may make a really nice variable speed multi-wheel buffer.
 

Echd

C
User
I'd have to agree. Figure out what it's all worth weight wise in scrap metal, multiply by 1.1 (maybe 1.2), and hope you find a buyer willing to pick it up at that.

Sorry to tell you that a Shopsmith in needs to be restored condition isn't really worth much more than the metal. They have their fans, but you may need to sit and wait a couple of years to find a buyer at any higher price.
I suspect like many package deals selling the attachments may be easier than the base machine. They seem to be in decent shape compared to the powerhead and base as well. I still wouldn't expect that to be an easy task, but perhaps on ebay one might move the easier to ship parts?

I was trying to be nicer than to say sell it for scrap, but that unfortunately is probably what the main units are worth, particularly in their condition.

I was amazed to find out shopsmith is still in business fairly recently as well as made entirely in the USA- very laudable. But I cannot imagine it being a company with much future or room to grow as they seem to have stuck with the same product line.

For others interested in the shopsmith I did enjoy these two videos.



The first was the guy hamming it up and being uninitiated with the machine. In the second he brings in an expert with the machine. I can't say that the expert dropping a telephone book sized manual and acting as if six million tune up tweaks and fixes was as simple as child's play (telephone books being another shopsmith level anachronism if I'm allowed another cheap shot) and being a bit of a jerk really changed my mind much, or at all, but I did enjoy seeing the machine. I suspect he was probably playing up being a jerk for the camera (I hope?) but he did come off a bit too strong.
 
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CatBike

Kevin
User
I have an older shopsmith, a 10er, and I love it. It functions well as a lathe, and mine is very stable as the drill press, both in vertical and horizontal mode. It actually has less run out than my Delta when the spindles are extended. I've heard that there is the difference between the 10er and later models of the added weight and extra spindle bearings that the earlier models have. I'll use it for just about any of its functions other than as a table saw as it performs the rest of them well enough.

That said, despite being one of the fans, the others are right that unless it's restored enough to be functional you really won't get much money for it as functional shopsmiths are a dime a dozen.
 

bob vaughan

Bob Vaughan
Senior User
The scroll saws aren't too bad and can be made to run rather smoothly. The band saw also isn't too bad either for a small band saw. Way better built than the Asian-made small band saws available today. Both of those accessories can make good stand-alone machines if one wanted to supply a motor, stand, switch, and belts.

The turning tools aren't much compared to what's available these days.

I started woodworking with a 10ER (cast iron body) as mentioned above. My Mom got one for my Dad in 1948 and in 1970 I inherited it. Traded it off in 1982. To this day I still miss the horizontal boring feature and the disc sander.

The newer models are a rather thin aluminum casting but at least they don't rust up after being abandoned in a shed for decades although the inner steel shafts may well rust.

ss - 1 (1).jpg

Taken in 2005.
 

Gotcha6

Dennis
Staff member
Corporate Member
All things considered, I believe they would make good lathes, and the motor and Reeves drive could be readily adapted for other uses with minimal effort.
Having said that, I would value a used one at ~$150 if it had a chuck with it. The odd spindle thread would require an adapter, although I'm sure someone makes that.
I was bitten by the SS bug early on and considered buying a used model from a family friend. He loaned me that 'telephone book' user's manual and I looked at it with trepidation. After some second thoughts, I declined. He said he found a buyer and wanted the manual back, but I had moved since I got it and I NEVER found it. It might have been an omen for the both of us.
But keep in mind, this product was marketed before the safety issues came up for table saws and the like, as was the RAS.
 

Clfton Glasgow

Cliff
User
Sure glad I did not buy one "back in the day" Way too dangerous. Do all translates to do nothing very well. The TS is too small and no riving knife. DP too flexible and not as good as a cheap WEN. Had a few "baby' BS, never again. Where the SM shined is space and portability. Now, with casters and the much improved job-site saws, not much of an advantage any more. I also dumped my RAS. Thinking back, it is a wonder I never got hurt. OK for cross-cuts only. I would never do anything else any more. Planer, molder, rip. GASP!

Now, a S-M may make a really nice variable speed multi-wheel buffer.
For the record, newer Shopsmiths (which the one being discussed here aren't) have much larger tables and also have riving knives. I've not found mine in DP mode to be flexible except when mortising, in which case legs under the table took care of it. I've found mine to be a very well-designed, well-built, capable machine.

That said, I'm afraid the ones being discussed here are not going to bring much -- they're too far gone. Maybe a couple of hundred for everything?

IMG_8344.jpeg
 

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