I figured that a Shopsmith is sort of a high-end impulse purchase, often made by people who think they're going to get into woodworking and never really do. This is why there always seems to be plenty of them available the the used market. I would never pay full price for one, but when you can get one that's just been gathering dust for less than half price, it becomes an attractive alternative to dedicated tools.

I don't intend to get into building a lot of complex projects, but the various Shopsmith components and attachments would certainly be useful at times. It also seems to me that kayak building lends itself to doing various operations all at once (cutting strips, planing to the desired thickness, milling the cove and bead, cutting out forms, etc.), which would minimize the need to change components frequently and reduce the disadvantage of not having dedicated tools. The fact that I have a table saw (that's ok for small jobs), drill press and router (with table) also helps. My main interest is in the table saw (more horsepower and larger extensions than what I have now), band saw (cutting out forms), planer (for strips), jointer (for furniture projects), sanders (multi purpose) and lathe (for turning recessed fittings). Does this make any sense? My main concern is the quality and durability of the tools. I don't want to buy junk, regardless of the price.