Greetings and Salutations...as Charlotte said, "That's my fancy way of saying hello." (I loved that book...and the movie!)

 

I'm a veteran of six years service in the U.S. Navy, including three years in the engine rooms of the battleship USS Missouri; I sailed as a merchant seaman for another two years, and since then I've generally been in facilities maintenance (with the occasional foray into residential A/C repair and over-the-road truck driving...).

 

I've finally got my home paid off, although I still have a lot of credit card debt to work through. I need to do some refurbishing and renovations, but the debt leaves me in a cash crunch. Next choice: Do it myself!

 

I've been putting together some basic tools over the past year or so, including a Craftsman flex drive table saw, a CCC (my abbreviation for Cheap Chinese Crap) benchtop drill press, a DeWalt planer, and a 1980-vintage Shopsmith with band saw and jointer attachments. I'm learning to use them as time becomes available, albeit slowly...I want to keep my fingers! (And my eyes, and hearing, and...you get the idea.)

 

I've joined a couple of other forums but I was led here by a link on the Shopsmith group page on Facebook. Thanks for letting me sit in and learn!

 

--------Eric H. Bowen

Welcome aboard Eric, glad to have you here.

You will find lots of help here on most any subject, so just start asking!

And; thank you for your Navy service.

Welcome indeed Eric! Glad you found us!

Welcome aboard.  We all started somewhere with tools so CCC is fine.  Now owning a Shopsmith brings alot of potential to the mix.  Several here have them and can offer some good tips.

 

Thanks for your service.

 

Feel free to jump in and comment or ask questions. Easy going group here. No drama, we like it that way.

1 hour ago, ehbowen said:

Thanks for letting me sit in and learn!

Welcome Eric.  We prefer you join in.  Looking forward to your participation.

Welcome Eric. 

Welcome to the forum!

Welcome, Eric! Glad to have another Shopsmith user. You may find that you don't need that CCC drill press....assuming the 'Smith came with a chuck.

1 hour ago, Gene Howe said:

Welcome, Eric! Glad to have another Shopsmith user. You may find that you don't need that CCC drill press....assuming the 'Smith came with a chuck.

Yes, it came pretty much complete. Still, even though it's not much more than a toy I'm keeping the other drill press, at least for now. Convenient to not have to change the setup and tilt the powerhead when all I need is a single hole or two.

Ahhh...so true.

41 minutes ago, ehbowen said:

Convenient to not have to change the setup and tilt the powerhead when all I need is a single hole or two.

I still have my 1st Delta 8 inch Drill Press for just that reason.  Keep a 3/16 bit in it all the time for quick holes.  

Welcome aboard, shipmate.  No anchors aweigh.  We landlubbers like it here.  I gave them 4 years active and 2 years reserve.  Spent 18 months in Vietnam with the Missouri along side in 1970.  From one Shopsmith owner to another, ask away.  Some of us will be very happy to help.  It is a great machine and I do many things with mine.  Like you, I do plan my projects so that I can minimize the setups, however, most of them can be done in less than a minute.  If you don't have a chuck, just shop eBay which is far cheaper than any drill press.  Remember, the shopsmith also makes an excellent horizontal boring machine.  Again, welcome aboard.  

I have what looks to be a very good chuck, although I haven't tried using it yet. Looks like it hasn't been used in 20 years (the seller said that's about how long it sat since his late father ran into health issues). Probably want to give it a good spritz with penetrating oil (I use Kroil) before actually putting it to use.

3 minutes ago, ehbowen said:

(I use Kroil)

Saw this last night but not in a mood for talking. Better after gettingthe zzz. Welcome aboard us landlubers will help when we can.

Welcome and Howdy-do!  

Welcome aboard!  Glad to have you here. 

Welcome aboard Eric. Several Shopsmith guys here, but I'm not included. You'll find lots of friendly woodworkers  here willing to help when they can, and there are no attitudes.

 

Welcome and thank you for your service!