In article ,
Electric Comet wrote:

i see a lot of shop smiths on craigslist

they must have sold well and the pitch was working

but i always thought they just were not up to par

anyone have one or used one

maybe they are adequate in the right hands

My first lathe was a 1953 greenie.

They are light, and the low speed is too fast for a lathe (OK if only
working with small spindles or very well balanced bowl blanks, but
generally it's too fast) the 5/8 plain spindle size is also a little
wimpy. The newer replacement spindles have better bearings. The
odd-sized Gilmer belt likes to spew teeth - if you spend a good bit of
money you can upgrade the whole drive system to newer quill, and poly-V
belt (unless they are out of business again, in which case sourcing the
parts will be a pain - I have not kept track of the status, and they go
in and out of business semi-regularly.) That money might be better put
into a better lathe, if it's lathe you are after.

Still a good drill press, horizontal boring machine, 12" disk sander, 6
x 48 belt sander (accessory).

Rather scary as a table saw, shaper or router. Jointer (accessory) is no
gem, either.

I would not suggest getting one as a lathe, particularly - there are
better options; still, it beat no lathe at all and got me started. I'd
rate it above a Sears monotube, for instance, or the godawful things
with stamped sheet metal ways.

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