Is this shopsmith worth it.

Check out the Shopsmith Forum for people that know all about them. Pricing would depend on model and condition but with all the special tools included it looks like a good deal if you need them.

-- Paul, Beaverton OR, www.TravelbyPaul.com

I purchased one of the original shopsmiths about 15 years ago,1954 vintage and paid 350.00. 7 years ago I bought a brand new unit cost 3000.00. I certainly enjoy both for different reasons. The 1200.00 price is not out of line, I would suggest that it would be a great buy at 800.00 or 1,000.00.

No. It’s priced very high. While some folks collect Shop Smith, they aren’t that big of a cult following. Many times you can find them for less than half that price.

-- Thanks, Rich

Woodtools, the prices you paid at least for the new unit did not include a planer, bandsaw, vacuum or any of the other extra stuff, included in this package. Of course if he can get it for less that is all the better.

RichRiddle, prices depend on the model, what is included and knowledge of the seller. This machine seems to come with a lot of extra stuff, but I can’t judge the value without knowing the model. For a 520 this would be an excellent price, for a 500 not so much.

-- Paul, Beaverton OR, www.TravelbyPaul.com

all he told me was that it was a mark 5. what is the difference from 500 to 520. will the planer and jointer do a good job since they are not dedicated systems?

-- Whoever said nothing is impossible has obviously never tried to staple water to a tree

SS planer is worth about $400-500 used, jointer about $100, band saw
$150-200. This is based on watching ebay selling prices from sellers
who box and ship, not sellers who insist on pickup (which severely
depresses selling prices).

Basic SS units are not hard to come by and values suffer as a result
but some of the accessories hold value and the SS is an interesting,
accurate and versatile tool. The system makes lots of compromises
in terms of capacity and speed of setup. The quality of manufacture
is excellent for a hobby machine.

The 500 has a small table, a single bearing quill and possibly a 3/4 HP motor. The 510 has larger tables and more of them, a larger fence, better saw guard, vacuum ports including for Disk Sander, a 1 1/8 HP motor with a dual bearing quill, better lathe banjo and a crank to adjust table position, there are a lot of other difference but to me those are the most significant. The 520 has a everything the 510 has plus a much better fence and possibly a direct reading rip scale.

That said there have been upgrades available forever so it is impossible to tell exactly what you have without close inspection. The serial number will give you a good idea of when the machine was made and what it started out with, also some of the upgrades came with new serial numbers.

-- Paul, Beaverton OR, www.TravelbyPaul.com