I started a new hobby.

Wood turning is fun. We have a tabletop lathe we work with now, making small stuff. I also picked up a full size lathe that I just need to get a motor for and set up in our shop. I usually turn driftwood I pick up, some of the colors have come out amazing.
 
Reclaimed wood is beautiful when some of the rough exterior is removed by turning or sanding. I haven't used a lathe in a very long time, but have done some other woodworking. We just finished building another cabin in Gatlinburg; again we used reclaimed hardwood of different species together for the floors. We think it's nice.
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Lathes are fun. I haven't used a wood turning lathe since high school shop, but I've played around a lot with metal lathes.
 
^ Same. Lately I've been wanting to get a potters wheel. A mud lathe.
 
No lathe… yet… but I’ve discovered I really enjoy woodworking. Especially the kind that results in bits of airplane being created.
 
I've got a pen lathe that my FIL gave me...handy for odds and ends that need to be turned. (for the record, my grandsons have a very large collection of turned hammers!) I made an extension for it that I've only used once. Usually it's for making components for other projects rather than being the primary project tool.
 
Anyone ever heard of a ShopSmith? I seem to collect them. I've had maybe 8. I'm down to 3 right now. I don't do any woodwork in the hangar as it messes up the place with a lot of dust and FOD. I've made some simple projects like a cabinet and coffee table.

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Barrett50 said:
Anyone ever heard of a ShopSmith? I seem to collect them. I've had maybe 8. I'm down to 3 right now. I don't do any woodwork in the hangar as it messes up the place with a lot of dust and FOD. I've made some simple projects like a cabinet and coffee table.

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Aren't those things supposed to be ridiculously dangerous? I've never been around one.
That reminds me, I need to get my radial arm saw set up.
 
Barrett50 said:
Anyone ever heard of a ShopSmith? I seem to collect them. I've had maybe 8. I'm down to 3 right now. I don't do any woodwork in the hangar as it messes up the place with a lot of dust and FOD. I've made some simple projects like a cabinet and coffee table.

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I know ShopSmith quite well. A close friend had one and there was a dealer quite close to me that I used to buy accessories from (push blocks, etc...) from.

Actually, the lathe feature of it isn't that bad. However the tablesaw feature runs from being a pain in the ass to outright scary. The fact that they call the "drill press" and "horizontal boring" two different things in the "5" that they support is laughable.
 
I had a Shopsmith. I didn’t see any safety issues; it had a blade guard, and it didn’t come equipped with a common sense override.

I sold it a few years ago because it was a pain. Jack of all trades, master of none. Well-made, good design for what it is, but frustrating to have to switch everything around for different operations. The table saw is different than a dedicated one in that the table moves up and down and the blade stays put. It was useful when we had a tiny workshop.
 
ateamer said:
I had a Shopsmith. I didn’t see any safety issues; it had a blade guard, and it didn’t come equipped with a common sense override.

I sold it a few years ago because it was a pain. Jack of all trades, master of none. Well-made, good design for what it is, but frustrating to have to switch everything around for different operations. The table saw is different than a dedicated one in that the table moves up and down and the blade stays put. It was useful when we had a tiny workshop.
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Blade guard that was a PITA so often removed. Ancient so no riving knife The table is so woefully small that it's difficult to cut anything of any size or length. The fact you have to hold things up a foot higher than most saws, etc...
 
flyingron said:
Blade guard that was a PITA so often removed. Ancient so no riving knife The table is so woefully small that it's difficult to cut anything of any size or length. The fact you have to hold things up a foot higher than most saws, etc...
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Ooh - my amateur opinion is that the riving knife is more critical to safety than a blade guard. Not sure I'd risk ripping any amount of substantial stock in a saw that didn't have one.
 
All of the complaints of the ShopSmith ring very true. It does nothing real well. Changing modes is a bit of a hassle to set up, then measure, then cut or shape, or sand, or drill, or route, or vacuum or whatever. I don't see the safety issue. There is an aftermarket blade guard but mine are so old I never fitted it. It's no more dangerous than any other saw without dynamic braking. I like them because they are built so tough. The three I have were all built in NY in the mid-70s. Tell me your DeWalt table saw will be around almost 60 years from new. The vertical one is a dedicated drill press. It's fine for that, but the slowest speed is 600RPM and that's a bit fast for large bore bits. There is a speed reduction unit that slows it 3X but it's pricey and I don't drill that much.

The planer, belt sander, and band saw are very fine tools that I tend to use quite a bit for wood, and even metal. There is a polishing pad that I use to polish alum stuff I've made with rouge, and I'm getting good at making a nice shiny bit that looks factor made.
 
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