Shopsmith Forums

As most here know I am actively searching for answers and history relative to Shopsmith, the early years, the transitional years and collecting documents to restore along the way that I restore and share.

Some including yours truly have asked the question "So why would Hans Goldschmidt select to tilt the table in his 5 in 1 original invention in 1947?"

As I research old tools I occasionally find some breadcrumbs, and so it was this week when I was researching tools in 1947 time period. I found that the Sears Bench Saw 103.0213 in Nov 1947 sported you guessed it, a tilting table opposed to a tilting arbor.

And knowing that, and the success that Sears marketing in the day produced market share, I can see why he went there for a saw that started life as a drill press, tilted back into a horizontal boring machine, that spawned the Shopsmith brand so many decades ago. I found it interesting, and thought you might as well.

Kindest Regards,

Everett

Thanks Everett. Very interesting. I never knew Craftsman had a tilting table saw and boy does it looks like a compact unit. I tried to see if there was a patent for the tilting table by Sears, but I came up empty on my internet search. I don't know if there is one or not, but I guess it makes sense that Craftsman, for some reason, didn't patent the tilting table because a few years later Magna also had one (unless they licensed it). Anyway, in scouting around, I came across this website with a full online woodworking book for anyone that is interested, but it also has a fairly detailed section on Shopsmith and Hans Goldschmidt. I am guessing there is no new information here and this website is probably known to the Shopsmith forum already, but just wanted to pass along the link just in case it is not.

Hans Goldschmidt and his Shopsmith:
http://www.woodworkinghistory.com/appendix_22.htm

A History of Tilting Arbor Saws:
http://www.woodworkinghistory.com/

A History of Woodworking: free online book
http://www.woodworkinghistory.com/

The tilting band saw table was not invented by Sears .The. idea came from wood ship building . because of the heavy timbers. Moving the heavy timbers through the snglee blade was saffer

Chipcarver wrote:The tilting band saw table was not invented by Sears .The. idea came from wood ship building . because of the heavy timbers. Moving the heavy timbers through the snglee blade was saffer

The OP never said band saw.

I have seen it before and it has a good bit of information from a variety of sources. I have striven to collect all sorts of information on the people and the projects, patents and technology.

I have a heretofore unpublished manuscript from Hans and will include that in my upcoming Shopsmith Book. Slow research.

Thanks for re-sharing these links so new folks can review them as they learn of this remarkable company brand and the companies who owned it through the years. There is more and its fun finding it.

Everett

Okay, I think I might have found what is likely the original patent (US #1,742,644) on the tilting table for table saws or other woodworking machinery. Assuming this was a utility type patent and if so, this patent expired shortly before the Sears Bench Saw 103.0213 came out (17 years on utility patents back then). Coincidence? Probably not. This patent was filed by the Boice brothers at Boice-Crane company.

So were there tilting arbor saws before the 1940's? Certainly not for the home hobbyist.

jsburger wrote:So were there tilting arbor saws before the 1940's? Certainly not for the home hobbyist.

John,

Are you referring to my post with the Boice patent? If so, that is a tilting table in the patent, not a tilting arbor...

RFGuy wrote:

jsburger wrote:So were there tilting arbor saws before the 1940's? Certainly not for the home hobbyist.

John,

Are you referring to my post with the Boice patent? If so, that is a tilting table in the patent, not a tilting arbor...

Yes I know that and I am not referring to your post. My question still stands.

Then there is this ancient saw that I am restoring that has a tilting rip fence! Table to blade angle fixed at 90.