Shopsmith Forums

Well, as of yesterday I've ordered or acquired all the parts needed to complete my Shopsmith. Now it is time to become a woodworker.

My past experience includes a woodworking class in Junior High and nine months working in a shop producing trade show displays (more carpentry than woodworking.)

I've been reading woodworking web sites, watching Sawdust Sessions, and picking the brains of woodworking-savvy friends and family. The depth and breadth of woodworking is such that the best I can hope for is to work safely and learn a small fraction of what there is to know.

One thing I've been wondering is how worthwhile the self-study course that comes with the Shopsmith is toward learning basic skills and terminology? Is it worthwhile working through the course page-by-page? Or better to use it to learn particular skills as the need arises? My gut feeling after looking it over is that it would be well worth the effort, but sometimes looks can be deceiving (take for example my first wife....)

paulrussell wrote: . . .

One thing I've been wondering is how worthwhile the self-study course that comes with the Shopsmith is toward learning basic skills and terminology? Is it worthwhile working through the course page-by-page? Or better to use it to learn particular skills as the need arises? My gut feeling after looking it over is that it would be well worth the effort, but sometimes looks can be deceiving (take for example my first wife....)

And just how much did you think she would know about woodworking?:D

JPG40504 wrote:And just how much did you think she would know about woodworking?:D

Insert questionable taste joke incorporating woodworking terminology such as "wood" "screwed" "boring" "buff" "nailed" or "drilled" here -->

I bought my Mark V new in 1978 for $995 at a mall demonstration in Biloxi, Mississippi. I saved the $35 shipping cost taking the one they used at the demo because they were heading back to Dayton, Ohio the next day. I received all the accessories with it and it included the course.

The first thing I did was to buy and prepare all the individual pieces of wood that is used in the course. I completed all the lessons in order and became very confident in short order with all the different operations as well as being impressed with the excellent results. That gave me the confidence to go on and build some very nice furniture for our home that we still have.

Over the years I added the bandsaw, jointer, belt sander, and planer plus other accessories when they had good sales like at Father's Day.

Definitely complete the course as I did! You will be very glad you did.

Thanks Stephen -- just the sort of feedback I was looking for.

stephen_a._draper wrote:I bought my Mark V new in 1978 for $995 at a mall demonstration in Biloxi, Mississippi. I saved the $35 shipping cost taking the one they used at the demo because they were heading back to Dayton, Ohio the next day. I received all the accessories with it and it included the course.

The first thing I did was to buy and prepare all the individual pieces of wood that is used in the course. I completed all the lessons in order and became very confident in short order with all the different operations as well as being impressed with the excellent results. That gave me the confidence to go on and build some very nice furniture for our home that we still have.

Over the years I added the bandsaw, jointer, belt sander, and planer plus other accessories when they had good sales like at Father's Day.

Definitely complete the course as I did! You will be very glad you did.

A familiar story. Jr and High school woodclass. Years in a different profession. Then a wood project making a "firetruck" bed" with the help of a mentor master craftsman. A few more years, then finally time for a hobby. I had the benefit of the Shopsmith (SS) traveling academy class. Without the offer of the class I don't know if I would have invested in a new 510 at State Fair. (Are you reading this SS execs!). Anyway, in my humble opinion: The SS DVD on care, tuning, setup is probably valuable. At very least it will increase your comfort zone before you power up the spinning blade. As for woodworking skills, I found the hands on 4 hour classes at WoodCraft stores to be excellent. Also the if the traveling Woodworking Show http://cms.thewoodworkingshows.com/cms/ comes to your neighborhood it is a good place to meet experts and see presentations. I could tell you to start simple and don't expect perfection, but I didn't and I do. But even with my less than satisfied view of my hobbycraft, I still find woodwork to be a relaxing, rewarding, fun hobby.
Enjoy the sawdust.

Hello Paul, My recommendation is that it is well worth it to do the exercises, even though some of the sections are very basic. These will help get you more familiar with the machine and how to set up the functions along with making some actual small projects, like the planter box. I found this course to be very helpful, informative, and worth the time. Also, if you do not already have a copy of "Power Tool Woodworking for Everyone" it would be worthwhile to get one. The newer version of this is also on the SS website to look at if you haven't already. http://www.shopsmith.com/academy/glossary.htm. I find myself reviewing sections of both on a pretty regular basis. Good luck, John McCrossen

johnmccrossen wrote:Hello Paul, My recommendation is that it is well worth it to do the exercises, even though some of the sections are very basic. These will help get you more familiar with the machine and how to set up the functions along with making some actual small projects, like the planter box. I found this course to be very helpful, informative, and worth the time. Also, if you do not already have a copy of "Power Tool Woodworking for Everyone" it would be worthwhile to get one.

John - Thanks! And yes, I have ordered a copy of Power Tool Woodworking off Amazon along with a book on beginning lathe turning since my knowledge in that area is especially limited.

Paul,

I've pick my way through the lessons as needed. It would have been better to just spent the time up front to do them, but I've had fun.

I purchased my SS at the State Fair and SS at the time offered 1 day introduction classes to the SS. I took it in combination with a 3 day academy basic wood working class. They were excellent, it is too bad SS doesn't offer them any more. The classes are what made me make the commitment to purchase a SS.

In the class they taught you to plan your work so that you made the fewest changes between the tools used. For example to do all the rough cutting of the parts, then the drilling, then joining, etc... Also learned to have my joiner on the SS at the same time as performing the final sizing. It is handy to join the edge, then rip the next piece, or cut to size and then do the final joining of the finished edge.

Work through the self study course will give you the confidence and experience before you need to use the skills to build your finished piece.

I have been carving longer that I have been doing basic wood working. I found the study course to be a great help. As other have said it gave me confidence in using my SS.