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All posts by shopsmithdoug
My brother goes Shopsmith!
via My brother goes Shopsmith!
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Shopsmith Webinars with Doug Reid
Join me for a free Shopsmith webinar! We talk about new products, meet with other owners, and make discount offers on all Shopsmith products.
In addition, I can give honest evaluations on Shopsmith and other tools. I own 95%+ of all Shopsmith tools, but there are a few things I don’t like, so don’t recommend.
To get an invitation to a webinar email me at Shopsmithdoug@gmail.com.
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Life just gets better…
Remember? ShopsmRemember? Shopsmith rev 11-29-17
I was not able to (yet) insert the information I wanted to here, but you can click on the link to view, I think.
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Want to stay in touch?
If you want to stay in touch with me and other Shopsmith owners, fill in the form below. Your information is private and will not be used for anything but sharing information on this site. Your email address will not be shown, or shared.
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I thought I was tech savvy, but…
Well, I guess its true that the pace and scope of computer technology sometimes leaves us old guys behind.
I have tried to stay current; I have Facebook accounts (that I don’t know why but am told I need them); I have a blog that confuses me and my visitors. I have a twitter account that I don’t get; I had a Linked In account that drove me crazy and was difficult to stop; I have a Tumbler account, unused; I have several unused Yahoo accounts, several Gmail accounts, even some old Aol accounts, long dormant. I have a YouTube account that actually works well for me. I have a google+account that somehow ties into my YouTube stuff, I think. I would like to be able to email a lot of people at once, but that seems impossible as a DIY project.
In our home of two adults, we have two Mac desktops, two iPhone 6’s, one Mac laptop, one iPad, three apple TV boxes, one Kindle, and high speed internet service. I have a closet full of old printers, old computers, and untold numbers of wires and connectors.
I host live webinars through WebEx and that works OK. We Skype with the grandkids. I make and post dozens of videos on YouTube. I have looked at Vimeo, but don’t see the point.
We buy a lot of stuff through Amazon, with good results.
I get way to much junk mail, and don’t know why. (At least the porn offerings have stopped.)
In addition to the above activities, I like to garden, to woodwork, to play with my dogs, to enjoy my wife, to cook, to follow politics, and I am learning to play the dulcimer.
I don’t want to sound like the late Andy Rooney, (who loved his Shopsmith by the way) but maybe that’s why old guys have trouble staying current with technology. We have lives to live.
Anyone feel the same way?
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Woodworking in retirement
When I started selling Shopsmith products in 1986, most of the buyers were in their 30’s and 40’s. Almost all of them were husbands, homeowners, and well educated. There were dentists, firefighters, orthopedic surgeons, policemen, service men, engineers, and more.Very few were women, unfortunately.
30 years later, we have seen a big increase in women woodworkers (Hoorah! My wife and two daughters are both skilled with the Shopsmith tools), but the biggest change that I have seen: most Shopsmith buyers now are retired, or close to retiring.
In my shop with my grandson, Russell. We were making him a sword…10 years later, he still has it…no longer played with, now hanging on a wall, but still prized. My favorite projects are those I made for, or with, someone else…wife, kids, in-laws, grandkids, hopefully someday great grandkids.
And as I think about it, it makes sense. So many men I talked with over the years truly wanted to own a Shopsmith, but family obligations took precedence.
Now, the kids are through college, the house is paid for, and most importantly, they have the time, and money, to fulfill their dreams. 
If you have always dreamed of making furniture, turning bowls, making things for the kids and grandkids, teaching woodworking to kids or grandkids (or just hanging out together making sawdust and memories), finishing DIY projects, getting out of your spouses hair, earning some extra income, etc. contact me.
If you are ready for a Shopsmith, contact me at shopsmithdoug@gmail.com. Good advice, honest opinions, and discounts.
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My brother goes Shopsmith!
My younger brother, Kip, is an excellent woodworker, but recently decided to sell off his PowerMatic table saw, jointer, planer, bandsaw etc.
He has had an old Mark V, unused for years. He is now learning how to work with the Shopsmith system, and I get to play big brother teacher.
I look forward to this experience (really!) and I will keep you posted, pros and cons.
He has already learned to love his Shopsmith bandsaw.
9-7-16: Kip has been using his Mark V for a few months now and he seems to be really enjoying it. He remarked that “I love that horizontal boring!” Not the first comment I expected, but that’s OK.
He is a talented guy and one of the first things he did was to build an indeed-outfeed system that will let him rip 4×8, ¾” hardboard. It is pretty amazing.The slotted pieces are his big “featherboard”. The rig takes about 10 minutes to set up and take down.
The ropes are part of a block and tackle for lifting the 90# panels onto the MarkV.
He says he also likes the conical sander (who doesn’t?) We used it for sharpening his jointer knives, and for dressing the edges of the hardboard. Beautiful!
9/20/16 Kip continues to reorganize his Shopsmith-based shop. I was concerned that he would have negative comments after owning individual tools for so long. But so far, he has had nothing but positive things to say.
He had started a project, adding wainscoating to his living room, then realized his shop needed reorganization and cleaning before he could continue. (Sound familiar?)
And he decided that before adding the wainscoating, he really should paint the living room. He removed the drapes before painting, then his wife decided the drapes would be in order. So paint, order new drapes, install new drapes, (borrow Little Giant ladder from his brother, me)…wash the windows…
Anyone have a story they would like to share about starting a small project that turned into something else?
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Other new (to me) tools I like
I have most everything Shopsmith offers, but I also have some other tools I really like. Three recent acquisitions:
- The Gripper, for safety and control when ripping. I’m not convinced it is better than using the standard Shopsmith safety gear. Any thoughts?
2.The MiterSet (miterset.com.) This is a really nice product for setting up your miter gauge for any angle cuts. I think it is going to invaluable for
making segmented projects. And the miter bar is available for our Shopsmiths!
3.TrueTrac. I have looked at many, and tried a few tools for making cuts using my Skil saw. This is
now my favorite; reasonably priced, easy to set up, easy to use, and very accurate. I have been cutting down a lot of plywood recently, and this has been great!
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Owners comments
Thank you for the Webinar. I very much enjoyed it.I purchased the Mark 7 upgrade last May.
I haven’t had time to use it much, but I did recently rip some ¾” MDF with it. It cut through it like butter! I am really looking forward to using my Mark 7 more!
Thanks again,
Steven–Reno, NV
