Shop Smith to buy or not to buy?

[AmishWarlord]

I have the chance to get a Shop Smith Mark V with a good assortment of accessories for $1,000. How ever I already have a table saw, band saw, router table, radial arm saw, planer, drill press, biscuit cutter, spindle sander and scroll saw. So do a really need a Shop Smith?

At one time I wanted one of those lathe,mill,drill machines. I asked about it and just about everyone said those tings where OK but having a separate lathe, mill, drill was better because those machines did one thing really well where the combo unit did every thing so so. Dose this apply to the Shop Smith as well?

 

[Mark Gottesman]

Yep.

 

[AmishWarlord]

Yep?

LOL

 

[FredP]

having all those tools as stand alone's I would pass:icon_thum what you've heard is spot on. it does it all but not as good as a dedicated tool.

 

[Woodman2k]

Take your $1K and find a Good used lathe and never look back. The lathe/mill/drills like the garbage at HF leave alot to be desired. It might be me but when I'm spinning metal I want to know that it was built to do exactly that.I have a 2 hp 3 phase Jet Milling machine and would never compare the two.I guess it would depend what you wanted to do with it but the Shopsmith purchase considering the tools you already have would seem like a waste of money and room.
Greg

 

[merrill77]

Sounds like you already have everything you would use a SS for, except for the lathe. I dunno much about lathes, but I'm sure $1k will buy you a far better lathe than a SS.

 

[AmishWarlord]

Oh yeah.

http://www.micromark.com/MicroLux-7x16-Mini-Lathe,9615.html