: Any guidance from the woodworkers out there would be greatly appreciated.

I have used a Shopsmith for years with good results. I bought it back when I had very limited shop space. The most annoying setup change for me was wanting to cycle back and forth between jointing a straight edge and then taking a slice off with the bandsaw - the jointer and the bandsaw have to be interchanged, as they mount off the same end of the motor unit. Now with a standalone bandsaw it's no longer an issue.

One cool thing that hasn't been mentioned is the very useful 12" disc sander. I have set up a fence at a small angle (8:1) to the disk and used it to quickly cut scarf joints. Works great, good glue surface and angle guaranteed consistent...

-- Dave