The Shopsmith is a tool, a very good tool, but as such is no better than the
person using it. It is well made and the support from the company is
tremendous. If you are considering purchasing one check out their web site
(www.shopsmith.com) for demos in your area. Another option would be
contacting the user group on Yahoo, there might be a user in your area who
would be willing to let you spend a little time in his shop with his/her
Shopsmith to get a feel for it. A great way to get a feel for the tool
would be to take one of their Traveling Academy classes, a schedule is
available on the site. This would give you a chance to spend a day with the
tool and an instructor for a tiny amount of money. Another option would be
to take one of the woodworking classes Shopsmith puts on in Dayton - spend 3
days with the Shopsmith and make a piece of furniture, with expert
instruction. You will take away a piece of furniture and a firm decision as
to whether the Shopsmith is for you or not.

As has been mentioned, there are numerous ads for Shopsmiths, some have
never even been setup - the purchaser got seduced by the demo, wanted to do
"something," but never found a round tuit. On the other hand, a number of
those for sale are well-used machines whose owners have passed on, and now
their children are selling them off - still running after years of good use.

In short:
Takes minimal space, readily movable.
Well-built, well-supported machine.
When properly setup, as is the case with any machine, is fully capable of
the most accurate woodworking you could ask for.
Changeover time is really not much of an issue - takes minimal time, and
when well planned out is no problem. What is the difference whether you
stay in one place, changeover the machine and set it up, or move across the
shop to another machine and set that one up? This really is only a
potential issue for production workers, and there are still plenty of
professionals out there making a living on Shopsmiths.
The table of the newer Shopsmith (510 or 520) are much better as far as a
roomy table, and the fence on the 520 is really good. That said, it can't
replace the capacity of a Unisaw, but who has the money or room for one?
There are plenty of options for supporting larger work.

Sorry for the long-winded answer, but I have owned (and enjoyed my
Shopsmith) for 20+ years. This is actually my second - the first one had to
be sold due to a financial need at the time, but I vowed at the time that I
would have another as soon as I could - a did! For me, the Shopsmith has
been great. My shop is only 14 x 23, I have the 520 with bandsaw, jointer,
and belt sander, a Dewalt planer, a Dewalt jigsaw, a router table, and a Jet
mini lathe comfortably placed in this space.

Regards,
Fred Bearman
Port Huron, Michigan


"Ronald L. Schloss" wrote in message
...
Anyone care to comment on the effectiveness of a Shopsmith??

Ron Schloss