ShopSmith shutting down - up for sale

[smorgasbord]

You may have heard a month ago that ShopSmith was shutting down. It was purchased almost 2 years ago to the day by Nick Cupps, who was not a woodworker and apparently unable to make a go of the business.

There's a ShopSmith repair shop attempting to buy the company before it is sold for its assets (parts):


You can read my comment on that in the video, but long story short, woodworking technology and pricing has long rendered the raison d'etre for its existence moot. It's the end of an era, and rightly so, unfortunately IMO.

 

[luvmytoolz]

Just saw the video and as sad as it makes me to see yet another dying industry and i certainly wish him all the best, I think your comments are bang on. I did see he's raised about $4600 from some very generous donors.

I did actually buy a complete Shopsmith system last year for next to nothing as they were struggling to sell it, but I only wanted the head unit and rails and have scrapped the rest, as no one was interested in the parts I was offering for free. It also came with all the original documentation as well as full project manuals, but again no-one was at all interested in them when they were for free!

The manuals not being wanted by anyone really surprised me, as there's a massive growing market in engineering and electronic manuals that have been realising quite high resale values, so it broke my heart when all the manuals went into the recycle bin.

 

[Duckler]

Yes. A sad turn of events.
Technology has a strange habit of making older technology obsolete.
Never mind about the planned obsolescence that is too common.

 

[peter halle]

I got into Shopsmith a few years. ago when I found a "used" never used machine on Facebook Marketplace. It had been partially assembled but never turned on. Went thru tearing it back down and doing maintenance before assembling and adjusting the machine that had been purchased in the 1990's.

Turns out I just don't use it. The table saw is impossible for me to like even though it makes great cuts.

I didn't have high opes when Mr. Cupps purchased it (I doubted he really understood what he was buying) and I just don't see a purchase out of bankruptcy to continue on making replacement parts as viable - unless the purchase price is so ridiculously low. However, I do wish them well!

Peter

 

[luvmytoolz]

When I looked at the one I bought, the table saw looked like a relic from the past, as most of these "all machines in one" are.

So far as I'm concerned, any table saw over 15 or so years old aimed for DIY'ers and hobbyists just doesn't cut it nowadays from a safety and usability perspective.

And while they were good and filled a niche back in the day, these hybrid machines generally are the worst of the lot now. I don't know how anyone would think it would be a viable market now.

 

[Duckler]

I have read that the Shopsmith bandsaw is a pretty good attempt.
In fact, I agree. I bought 3 of the SS bandsaws at various times and have gotten some good use out of them.

 

[peter halle]

I have read that the Shopsmith bandsaw is a pretty good attempt.
In fact, I agree. I bought 3 of the SS bandsaws at various times and have gotten some good use out of them.

They actually were pretty innovative with the bandsaw.

 

[Automender]

I bought a Shopsmith new some 40 years ago. While I moved on to stand alone table saw and drill press but I keep the Shopsmith around for the lathe and disk sander. I find that the Shopsmith drill press has virtually zero quill play compared to my Delta drill press.

 

[tdorey]

I have a shopsmith that has many of the upgrades. It is well made and can do many things. I think the younger generation have a tough time with it because it does take some patience and planning. Nothing against the youth, even when I was younger I was always rushing or trying to shortcut projects.

It’s also a high investment for a new one. Someone new to woodworking is buying a single tool at a time, not a single tool that does 5 things even if it’s a better price overall. $200 vers $2000.

The table saw has large capacity but when you go to another tool, going back to table saw sucks. I use mine for bandsaw, drilling, sanding and when I need a certain jig setup.

I hope they stay in business just for the parts.

 

[tdorey]

My shopsmith.

 

[Cheese]

I'll not condemn the product as I don't own one or choose to own one, but it is a victim of the past. It was a viable product when money was tight and shop space was tight because houses and even businesses were small. At some time, things changed on so many fronts and this universal wood working tool became an albatross that was just plain ungainly to use. As work flows progressed and became shorter and quicker, this dinosaur needed to be manually changed over to provide this capability...thus, the original relevance of the tool was eventually lost.

 

[luvmytoolz]

When I was pulling my one apart one thing i thought was really cool was the pistol grip mitre with the pivoting lever arm to clamp timber down. Pretty handy design and function.

 

[smorgasbord]

Interesting that the guy took down his original video, linked in my first post here.

My comment on that video was to the effect that while it was a viable solution for its day, in the more than half century since technology and market forces have given us alternatives that are mostly superior for most people. With brushless motors, CNC and offshore machining, a thriving DIY market, battery power packs, and lots of smart people thinking up new tools and new approaches to woodworking, the raison d'etre for ShopSmith's particular solution is almost completely gone. ShopSmith saved by repurposing just one motor, which might have been a big deal when phones had literal dials, but not today. The one notable exception is if you're crammed for space and do a lot of lathe work.

If we're going to be bringing mid-20th-century tools back, lets start with the radial arm saw instead

 

[Cheese]

If we're going to be bringing mid-20th-century tools back, lets start with the radial arm saw instead

Northfield is still in the business if you have the $$$$$.00 and your floor can stand the weight.

Uni-Point Radial Saw

 

[peter halle]

Lots of good radial arm saws out there. Original Saw, Omega, etc. Not cheap.

Peter

 

[smorgasbord]

Yeah, the "not cheap" is quite the understatement.
OTOH, there seem to be various old DeWalts floating around. Condition is the issue there.

 

[leakyroof]

Shop Smith was part of our lives on my Mom's side of the family. The man who married her Sister had one, and this Uncle made things from time to time that I was impressed could come out of working with an earlier model versus stand alone machines. When he passed in the 90s, they looked to me for passing it on, but I was already invested in those stand alone machines, so it went to another older gentleman in the area. Which was for the best.
I watched a few YouTube videos this year or last out of Nostalgia , on Shop Smith Maintenance- the gearbox oil change, other adjustments. Sorry to see they are fading into history.