Was I Wrong About Woodworkings Most Dangerous Tool?

I accept the challenge from Scott at My Growth Rings and he tries to convince me that the Shopsmith isn't awful.

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#throwdown #ToolReview #woodworking

[anthonyraye]

Takes a real man to be open about learning from someone else. Good on you John.

[TeddyWestside]

I want to see you and Scott build something vs each other. Scott uses the shop smith and you use the tools you showed at the end to see who builds the better item.

[robertgillcrist]

The fact that you allowed this man to come into your house and critique you on video and both of you remained respectful. I am.even more of a fan than I already was.

[Kpagenuc]

Soooo.... I bought a Shopsmith 510 (just like the one you had) for my SMALL garage shop. I'm a hobbyist and don't do professional stuff for sale. I love it as it has all the main tools I need. Being a retired Nuclear Power Plant Maintenance person, I DO read and refer to manuals (after working in a heavily rule-based work environment) AND I have the time. When I first got mine, I went completely through all the maintenance and setup. Yes, I took awhile, BUT once it's done, you only have to do it every so often, based on the use. Yes, it does take a little more time and effort to change setups (vice just moving from tool to tool) but it is still VERY convenient for someone with a shop with the square footage of (probably) a corner of your warehouse sized operation!!

[ryanbradley]

29 year old Lead trim carpenter here, been doing all kinds of woodworking for nearly a decade, and I 100% fall into John's camp on all of his 1st video and concerns, but good on you John for taking the criticism and push beyond the discomfort that is the Shop smith!!

[chris]

John, I have a Shopsmith and a table saw (integrated into a workbench). I use the Shopsmith for the drill press, bandsaw and sander. It works very well for those. This video was a much fairer evaluation that the first one. Thank you for doing it.

[trevcdeal]

I'm not a beginning but I'm definitely an amateur woodworker. I've built a workbench, mitersaw station and other things and this tool is extremely intimidating. For the community to attack you and name call you over your concerns or opinion on a tool is crazy. You responded much better than I would have. Good on you and Scott for making this together.

[greglear]

I started out with a shopsmith mark v in 1979 as my 1st tool. I never had most of the problems you are talking about. I bought the mark v new after watch a live demo which showed most of the capabilities. It took me TWO DAYS to get through the assembly and setup. On the 3rd day I began using it. I haven't loss any fingers. I too have never had a plastic coupler fail and I'm still using the one that I got back then.

[birdack]

As a safety engineer, being respectfully scared of a power tool is the best way to keep your fingers/hands...

[joefairfax]

I inherited my grandfathers shopsmith and I have used it a ton, as a drill press. It does drill press really well, the thought of trying to convert it to do anything else is just daunting. I couldn't see myself buying one to be a "do all" tool. Good on you John for being open to having Scott out to help clarify just how complicated and time consuming that thing is.

[thepagan]

WoW, that was awesome. As a lifelong mechanical engineer one of the most important aspects is patience, I've been watching John long enough to know he is not blessed with a lot of it. Scott reminds me of my tutor during my apprenticeship, blessed with so much patience, he's nearly a Saint. Real life lives somewhere between John and Scott. Most people read the manual when they get stuck or inquisitive, but Scott's right we should read the manual and perhaps note the salient points. Very generous of John to let Scott sort out the next owner of the Shop Smith, and a great post too. Thanks John and Scott 👍

[nexusofcrisis]

I didn't hear it mentioned in the video nor do I see it in the comments anywhere, but it should be noted that Shopsmith is the only tool manufacturer left in US. They still make pretty much everything except the electronics right here in the good ol' USA. Also, the new stuff is backwards compatible with the old systems if you need to get replacement parts or want to upgrade them. The fact that so many still exist is a testament to how sturdy they were made (or how seldom the were used).

[nzphilly]

Please tell me you gave him a "time to get squirrelly" shirt 😂
Great to see there's still true men out there who are willing to admit when they're wrong and made mistakes, and accept advice/help. And men out their willing to come and help out. Props to the both of you guys.

[jamesstrathy]

Great vid very fun. I have never woodworked other than felling trees and bucking up firewood. This lived in my father inlaw's basement. I cleaned and set it up over a winter and felt I could use it after watching the Shopsmith community's videos. My Growth Rings in particular. As for content Woodshop Nerdery proved that high quality pieces could be made. Being retired time for setup was not a worry. Storage is the main feature in Shopsmith's favour. Being free was also an attractive feature!

[swr]

How dare John say this tool is unsafe. All you need is 40 years experience and it's safe as hell.

[terremolander]

Thank you for taking the time to bring in Scott. Glad you emphasized safety in your video.

[Icantball]

I love the video. I love 2 people willing to learn, willing to teach, willing to adjust their thinking for the better, and willing to adjust their terminology to get across a clearer point. I know we didn’t see all of their conversations but it’s clear to see John came away with a drastically different view of the tool than he came in with. That’s the impact of a real teacher on a real student. My only wish for the video was that we saw more of the conversations about the tool between these 2 gentlemen. I’m also thankful for Johns guest. He came and was willing to teach and not reprimand John for his mistakes. How many of the other critics would’ve done the same. Some but not all.

[mirozen_]

It never ceases to amaze me how people who have plenty of space for a shop can't understand that there are those of us who's big issue is that we lack the space to store away all the shop tools we desire when we aren't using them!!! When you have a big shop and plan to leave everything set up all the time then you have the luxury to only worry about the size of things while you are using them. But for those of us who seriously lack space it's storage size that is most critical. And when it comes to weekend woodworking hobbyists I think those of us lacking shop space may be the majority.

[helimech]

Well done John. I am an owner of one built in 1957, and bought new in the box in 1958 by my Father. I still have the original catalog from Montgomery Ward where the original tool was advertises from about 1952 or 3. I turned 71 this year. I am currently in section 8 housing through the VA, and my tools are in my storage locker here in Southern California. I think the give away of the unit you bought is a wonderful idea.

[janderson]

I once was asked by a contractor that I worked for to cut about a dozen fake rafter tails for a job using his bandsaw. He had bought the saw a year or two before and I think he had used it a few times. The first piece was a disaster and I realized he had just mounted the saw on the stand and used it without ever adjusting the blade guides. Found the manual spent some time getting things right and it cut like a dream.