A couple of errors here. First, the entire width of the disc cannot be used, as you can only sand on the downward-rotating portion of the disc which is about half the diameter. Also, putting the sanding disc to the left of the table is fine, and does provide more table surface, but you can also add extension or floating tables to the main table if you want more support. However, the main issue is when you want to sand with the table at a 45 deg angle. It won't work if the disc is to the left of the table as the table assembly cannot be lowered enough. The shopsmith sanding insert has a beveled edge on the right side specifically to allow sanding with the table at 45 degrees, as well as a wider slot than the sawing insert. (The insert you have in the video doesn't look like the official shopsmith part.) So, this accessory is essential and shopsmith should continue to sell it.
Today's carbide saw blades have eliminated the use of sanding discs for 45 degrees. In 50 years of cabinet making and woodworking, I have never disc sanded any piece of wood on a disc sander at anything but 90 degrees.
Not true, I have the grizzly 12" double end sander. Length of what can be sanded is depending on skill and table angle. If the table is tilted into the disk, only sand on the downhill side. If the table is tilted away from the disk you can sand as long as you can safely hold.
Hey Steve, great video! ShopSmith discontinued the planar because it was not profitable. If you missed it, ShopNation interviewed the new owner and toured the factory, the new owner specifically mentions the planar. I would love to see a product like a combo planar/jointer that grizzly sells.
Not *entirely* accurate. In that video, Nick said he discontinued the planer because it wasn’t profitable _enough_ It was profitable, but he didn’t like the profit *margin* ($1600 cost to manufacture, selling at $2000) Personally, I think he made a HUGE mistake. Incredibly huge mistake.
one this he didnt say was how many they actually sell. If its 10 a year why bother? We didnt get that information in that interview. You don't know all the infprmation.@@DocHogan
the new owner said it cost 1600 to make the planner and it sold for 2 k. Unless Shopsmith by some very small chance takes off and really starts to mass produce stuff again and gets its cost down then it is pretty much done for on all items. They are a victim of their own success. It is way cheaper to go buy a used 510 or 520 for as low as 6 to 800 with a bandsaw and jointer on facebook and give it a little love. As the oldest lasting tool company in the US making in the US it saddens me. I am just glad they got a new owner that loves them and not thinking clearly enough to let them go.
The first Shopsmith was introduced in the mid 1940s. All of the succeeding models have made sure that they were backward compatible so the miter slot size did not change. This ensured that accessories did not need to be purchased again when upgrading to a newer model. Table saws were not the standard 3/4" wide by 3/8" deep that you see everywhere today. The size varied by manufacturer.
Many years ago i looked watched a shop smith demo at a mall, mid 80s i think. A complete waste of money for.any serious woodworking. Too much tool changing to get a job done.
