What's so great about the Shopsmith 10E's & 10ER's anyway?

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chapmanruss
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Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2014 8:16 pm
Location: near Portland, Oregon

Re: What's so great about the Shopsmith 10E's & 10ER's anyway?

Post by chapmanruss »

For those of you thinking about a dedicated Drill Press you may like this idea.
Drill Press.jpg
Drill Press.jpg (32.76 KiB) Viewed 1484 times
It is not one of mine but I do like the setup. Add a Speed Changer to make it a variable speed Drill Press. Maybe that's what I could do with the other one I have most of the parts for. Then I just need to find some wall space for it.
Russ

Mark V completely upgraded to Mark 7
Mark V 520
All SPT's & 2 Power Stations
Model 10ER S/N R64000 first one I restored on bench w/ metal ends & retractable casters.
Has Speed Changer, 4E Jointer, Jig Saw with lamp, a complete set of original accessories & much more.
Model 10E's S/N's 1076 & 1077 oldest ones I have restored. Mark 2 S/N 85959 restored. Others to be restored.
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Chad
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Joined: Wed Jul 25, 2018 4:07 pm
Location: West Milton, Ohio

Re: What's so great about the Shopsmith 10E's & 10ER's anyway?

Post by Chad »

So, when the Mark V started production in the early 1950's. Was the model 10ER still being produced and offered after the Mark V was on the market?

Sort of like what Shopsmith has done since the Folkerth's have done since they've owned Shopsmith. The model 510 was brought out in the 1980's, and the model 500 was still available well into the 1990's. Most recently the model 510 was still available until late last year, or early this year, well after the model 520 had been brought to the market in the late 1990's.
Chad Nevels
  • ---------------------------------------------------------------------
    1963 Shopsmith Mark V "Goldie" 1-1/8 hp Serial # 379185
    1980 Shopsmith Mark V 500
    1994 Shopsmith Mark V 510
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    1994 OKUMA LB15 II OSP7000
    2017 OKUMA LB3000 EXII SPACE TURN MY OSP P300LA
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chapmanruss
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Posts: 3448
Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2014 8:16 pm
Location: near Portland, Oregon

Re: What's so great about the Shopsmith 10E's & 10ER's anyway?

Post by chapmanruss »

Chad asked,
So, when the Mark V started production in the early 1950's. Was the model 10ER still being produced and offered after the Mark V was on the market?
First off, the Mark V was not in production until early 1980. Before that it was called the Mark 5.

To answer your question, No, not with everything I have seen about the Model 10ER production ending and the beginning of the Mark 5. The Mark 5 was in concept, design and testing for about three years before being introduced and released in March of 1954. Mark 5 production started some time before it's introduction but we can only guess at that date.
Russ

Mark V completely upgraded to Mark 7
Mark V 520
All SPT's & 2 Power Stations
Model 10ER S/N R64000 first one I restored on bench w/ metal ends & retractable casters.
Has Speed Changer, 4E Jointer, Jig Saw with lamp, a complete set of original accessories & much more.
Model 10E's S/N's 1076 & 1077 oldest ones I have restored. Mark 2 S/N 85959 restored. Others to be restored.
Rfrank1234
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Joined: Sat Dec 05, 2020 10:39 am

Re: What's so great about the Shopsmith 10E's & 10ER's anyway?

Post by Rfrank1234 »

I have a Mark V and a couple of 10ERs. I learned appreciate both models and I find both of them a pleasure to use. However, each model has their unique set of quirks.

For example I find setting adjusting the table height on the ER challenging. The 10ER table is heavy and the tight tolerance on its guide tubes makes it hard to setup when switching between table saw and sanding operations. That being said, it clearly cuts better than my mid level 10" contractor saw that has a larger table, better splitter, more horse power and a better fence. I purchased my 10er with accessories for less than what I paid for my contractor saw.

I know some people feel 10e/ers are under power, but I am not sure this is a accurate. Once my 10er was setup and found the right spindle speed configurations, I found it capable of producing as good if not better cuts than many more powerful saws I have used. I think my 10er cuts better than my Mark V; maybe this is due a setup/tuning issue or blades.

For certain functions, like table saw or lathe operations, my Mark V is clearly easier to setup than my 10ers. This means my Mark V more often used for these functions.

My 10ERs are so quiet compared to my Mark V and my stand alone tools. Their low noise level is wonderful and really adds to the user experience. They are quiet like high end stand alone machines. Sure they may not provide the same convenience or power as high end stand alone tools, but with the right operator these "outdated and under powered" 1950s era machines can produce wonderful works of art or functional items.

Not to drift off topic too much, I have a short story regarding my SS experience. I purchased my first Shopsmith 20 years ago, a used Mark V 500. After using it on some semi successful projects, I started moving towards stand alone machines. I call them semi successful because I was never really satisfied the the results. I thought stand alone machines had to be better and I thought using stand alone machines would improve the quality of my work.

I discovered I was wrong about both my SS and stand alone tools. After using my standalone machines, I realized my semi successful results were due to my lack of knowledge and were independent from my tools. Even after using what I though were better tools, my project results were not any better than what I produced with my SS. I learned I needed a better understanding of the craft in order to produce good results. After coming to this conclusion, I slowly came up to speed to learn how to produce consistent high quality results and everyday I seem to learn a little bit more about the craft. After letting my Mark V sit idle for a many years a couple things got be reexcited about using the tool. I found a couple classic Shopsmith promotional videos I found on Youtube that were produced in the 1950s or 1960s. After watching these videos, I took some time to read Power Tool Woodworking For Everyone. The videos and book really go me excited about my Mark V. I pulled out my Mark V and started trying the techniques outlined in the videos and book. With a better understanding of the craft and SS my projects results improved along with my enjoyment. This motivated me to explore the SS history, which I find very interesting. This rabbit hole led me to me discovering the 10ER. After purchasing a 10ER it reinforced the growing appreciation of the SS concept. I really like the SS tools, both the Mark and 10 series tools, and I now collect them along with their accessories.

When I need to get something done quickly I will likely use my stand alone tools, like my contractor saw or drill press. However, if I time and I want to enjoy the process and the creative experience of a given project, my Shopsmith tools become my first choice.

I appreciate both my Mark V and 10ERs. Both machine models are quite capable in the hands of a skilled operator.
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