guvnuh4
01-25-2008, 03:43 PM
Caution: People call me long-winded... (skip to end for readers digest version!)
Brief personal introduction: I'm a 24 year old Network/Server/Workstation administrator for a Rural Electric Coop in Iowa. I've had 3 generations worth of woodworkers in my family, so it's always been a goal of mine to have a shop with my first home. This past summer the "boss" and I bought a house with a nice, deep 2 car garage ("perfect for my shop" says I, "you'd better not get my car dirty" says the boss...)
I had a few small tools (job site table saw, 10" compound miter saw, and router/router table) from when I still had my discount from Lowes. I was still needing some of the other handy things to have around a shop (no any real hand tools or clamps) so my dad and I went to an estate auction (and I promised the boss I wouldn't spend more than $250, there probably wasn't anything there I'll want any way... WRONG). As soon as we walk under the tent I see her in all of her glory: a 1979 SS MarkV 500. That little puppy was totally mine... unfortunately I had to wait 4 hours until we got to it :(. Bidding started at $100 (SCORE!) it dwindled down to me and one other guy at about $200. At $300 he started slowing down. Finally I get the "SOLD" at $375 (I was so excited my hands were shaking...).
I talked to the niece of the owner, she told me that he had kept it great condition up until he couldn't use it anymore a few years back. I could almost tell that the last time he used it, he didn't realize it would be the _last_ time... It wasn't in great shape, with dried, crusty sawdust all over the way and support tubes and the headstock, the tailstock and lathe toolrest had been retrofitted with a fixed piece that (he being a machinist) made when it broke, and the table top was in sad shape. But I couldn't've been happier (SWMBO had other feelings on the pricetag... but once I told her how much a new one was (or the pieces individually) she calmed down).
Spring forward to today: it's been so God Blessed cold here (it bottomed out at -20 last week, and yesterday was pretty bone-chilling cold too) since I bought it, that it's been sitting in my garage... looking all sad and lonely, I keep reassuring it every morning when I pull my car out of the garage that it will get the tending and love that it needs once my fingers won't fall off by touching it...
To tide me over, I purchased the PTWFE (i think that's the name...) and I've been looking through the manuals and the self-study things that it came with it, as well as this website in order to dive right it come warm weather (not to mention the drooling over the wishlists that I keep coming up with for addons, since it didn't come with anything).
Reader's Digest version:
Come from woodworking family. Bought Shopsmith at estate sale (no addons) for $375. Too stinking cold out to do anything with it...
Edit:
I just wanted to add, this forum is great to help me realize some of the potential that this workhorse is capable, and ask questions if I'm not certain of something.
Brief personal introduction: I'm a 24 year old Network/Server/Workstation administrator for a Rural Electric Coop in Iowa. I've had 3 generations worth of woodworkers in my family, so it's always been a goal of mine to have a shop with my first home. This past summer the "boss" and I bought a house with a nice, deep 2 car garage ("perfect for my shop" says I, "you'd better not get my car dirty" says the boss...)
I had a few small tools (job site table saw, 10" compound miter saw, and router/router table) from when I still had my discount from Lowes. I was still needing some of the other handy things to have around a shop (no any real hand tools or clamps) so my dad and I went to an estate auction (and I promised the boss I wouldn't spend more than $250, there probably wasn't anything there I'll want any way... WRONG). As soon as we walk under the tent I see her in all of her glory: a 1979 SS MarkV 500. That little puppy was totally mine... unfortunately I had to wait 4 hours until we got to it :(. Bidding started at $100 (SCORE!) it dwindled down to me and one other guy at about $200. At $300 he started slowing down. Finally I get the "SOLD" at $375 (I was so excited my hands were shaking...).
I talked to the niece of the owner, she told me that he had kept it great condition up until he couldn't use it anymore a few years back. I could almost tell that the last time he used it, he didn't realize it would be the _last_ time... It wasn't in great shape, with dried, crusty sawdust all over the way and support tubes and the headstock, the tailstock and lathe toolrest had been retrofitted with a fixed piece that (he being a machinist) made when it broke, and the table top was in sad shape. But I couldn't've been happier (SWMBO had other feelings on the pricetag... but once I told her how much a new one was (or the pieces individually) she calmed down).
Spring forward to today: it's been so God Blessed cold here (it bottomed out at -20 last week, and yesterday was pretty bone-chilling cold too) since I bought it, that it's been sitting in my garage... looking all sad and lonely, I keep reassuring it every morning when I pull my car out of the garage that it will get the tending and love that it needs once my fingers won't fall off by touching it...
To tide me over, I purchased the PTWFE (i think that's the name...) and I've been looking through the manuals and the self-study things that it came with it, as well as this website in order to dive right it come warm weather (not to mention the drooling over the wishlists that I keep coming up with for addons, since it didn't come with anything).
Reader's Digest version:
Come from woodworking family. Bought Shopsmith at estate sale (no addons) for $375. Too stinking cold out to do anything with it...
Edit:
I just wanted to add, this forum is great to help me realize some of the potential that this workhorse is capable, and ask questions if I'm not certain of something.