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From: christensen@apollo.uucp (Wendy Christensen)
Newsgroups: net.rec.wood
Subject: Shopsmith
Message-ID: <27e04fd2.a51@apollo.uucp>
Date: Mon, 22-Jul-85 15:58:54 EDT
Article-I.D.: apollo.27e04fd2.a51
Posted: Mon Jul 22 15:58:54 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 25-Jul-85 23:45:57 EDT
Organization: Apollo Computer, Chelmsford, Mass.
Lines: 23


I saw part of an exchange about Shopsmith, whether a combination tool
is a compromise, etc. My father was an engineer by profession, a 
excellent woodworker by avocation, and a perfectionist by temperament.
He bought his Shopsmith in the early sixties (might have been late
fifties - I remember it as always being in his shop). He used it
heavily, never had any trouble with it, and recommended Shopsmith
to anyone who would listen. I started with woodworking by using the
jigsaw when I was about eight or nine years old. My younger brother,
who is a carpenter by trade, inherited the machine, and uses it daily
to this day. He has never had any problems with it either, and, like
my father, he is something of a perfectionist. I recently bought my own
Mark V (with the bandsaw) and am eagerly waiting for it to be delivered.
I never heard anyone say anything negative about Shopsmith, other than
quibblings about accessory prices and such. As far as I am concerned,
the few extra dollars are more than worth it. There is nothing more
depressing than poor-quality tools. As far as a combination tool
being a compromise, I sometimes think that this is an opinion that
tends to come from the "golden-ear" snobs (to use a phrase from
net.audio) for whom nothing is quite good enough, ESPECIALLY if
it is used and appreciated by anyone else. 

w. christensen