I loved this feature because it allowed you to adjust the fence quickly to compensate for inevitable drift and once it was adjusted the fence could be moved closer to or further away from the blade without losing the drift setting. The other slot allowed for a miter gauge to be used as a fence. One was used with the miter gauge for feeding wood into the blade in cross cuts. The old cast iron table was glass smooth and had two intersecting miter slots. SS introduced a set of extremely off-set tubes for users who miss the ability to leave the bandsaw in place when lifting the unit into the drill press, and all was forgotten. So one of the guys unlocked the base and BANG!, the way-tube tie bar smacked the bottom of the table! The product manager’s face went beet-red and the crowd busted out laughing. “No, that can’t be!” said the proud product manager. I was at a Shopsmith Store Manager’s meeting at Pinehurst, NC when this new table was unveiled, and after the initial, oohs and ahs one of the guys in the room said “Hey, it doesn’t look like it will lift into the drill press mode without hitting the table”.

I put “improved” in quotes because the improvement caused about as many problems as it solved. This upgrade is offered by Shopsmith for all old bandsaws, so don’t let the lack of this feature scare you off and if the saw has a serial # higher than 97932 your saw already has this feature.Īnother change came in the late '80s when SS introduced an “improved” table. Prior to this, the SS bandsaw would have to be oiled regularly to prevent it from screaming like a thousand fingernails on a blackboard. There have been a few minor improvements made to the SS bandsaw over the years with the best yet most subtle being the move from bushings to ball bearings in the back-up positions above and below the table and in the auto-track system.

(As of March 2021)įYI, The Shopsmith Bandsaw is one of the best band saws on the market! You can power it on your Shopsmith 10er, Mark I, Mark II, Mark V, Mark VII, and even with the Sawsmith Radial Arm Saw! It can also be powered by what Shopsmith calls an SPT Stand (Single Purpose Tool), the Power Station, or the Crafters Station. D on't get so excited with eBay prices that you pay more than the price of a new tool! The current MSRP of the Shopsmith Bandsaw is $599.99.

Shopcraft drill press parts