A man's word is not what it used to be.

[robinson46176]

I have a pretty standard policy on such things... After a run of no-shows I will no longer hold items for days or a week. I now tell people that I don't but if they call on a day that they can make the trip and tell me that they are "on the way", then I will hold it for that day. And... I "WILL" hold it for that day. Any one else that calls I will tell that I will call them the next day to let them know if I still have the item.
I will never sell out from under someone that is "on the way"... I have been bitten by such sellers selling out from under me when I was on the way before.

[garys]

That is unfair. If someone says he will hold it until you can get there, he should hold it. Now you have a day of driving and cost for nothing.

I have dreamed of getting a planer at a price like that, but in my part of the country, any Shopsmith tools sell very high as not many seem to be sold up here.

I did pick up a complete Mark V 500 today that has a planer with it. I will finally have my planer, and the 500 and all the other accessories go to my Son who has been looking for a reasonable priced one for a couple of years.

I had to pay a lot more than that $45 however. I paid $500 for the complete set-up, and that is cheap here. All the previous Shopsmiths I've found for sale here with a planer are $1500-$2000.

[ddub]

garys,
I am in ND also. I see the prices that these southern people find and say, "that sure would be a great price". But alas, they are what they are. Supply and demand. We must not have much supply up here?

[Ed in Tampa]

Yeah but you probably don't have any traffic to deal with to get the machine. Where there is a large supply there is also lots of traffic.

[garys]

You are right about the traffic. It took me a few minutes to drive across town and pick up the 500 last week. But, we end up paying a lot more for these tools because our supply never seems to match demand in these parts.

This is typically what we see around here.
http://www.bismanonline.com/mandan_nd/s ... mark_5_saw

[robinson46176]

After reading these I went to Indianapolis Craigslist to see what was currently listed. There were maybe 15 or 16 Shopsmith's. Some really high $$$ and some in the middle, no big bargains that I saw. The thing that struck me though was that there two (2) Mark II's for sale there. It was years before I ever saw a Mark II anywhere and now here are 2 of them at once. Not that I have any interest in one (but having one sitting over in a corner somewhere maybe next to a Shopsmith radial saw and maybe one of those Sawsmith movable arbor table saws would be kind of cool just as a collectible. ) but I wouldn't want one for production work.

.

[JPG]

Many here are guilty of the thing we complain about re negative comments from stand alone devotees.(they ain't tried it but know it is a piece of crap).

I do not say it is comparable to a Mark 5, but it has its uses.

Let us list the things that are shared with a Mark 5.

Main table trunion
Way tubes
Miter gauge
Tilt up for drill press

Then the things 'different'. Yes all of them are inferior to a Mark 5.

Headstock - three speed via cone pulleys(same as a 10E/ER)
Pulley cover - truly a flimsy design
End castings - less robust
Legs - you made yer own - like the 10 again
Aux table/lathe center - far inferior
Main table - slightly shallower
Rip fence - smaller - stamped parts for registration
All the 'clamps' are of the bent screw variety, some with knobs, some with bumpy ends
No table raise lower other than the screw crank below the carriage - model 10 again
Smaller hp motor

I am sure this is not a complete list, but consider:

Other than the smaller table it cross cuts essentially as well as a Mark 5.
The Mark 5 aux table and tailstock will fit
Ripping is compromised by the small fence, but a Mark 5 fence can be used on the mark 5 aux table(for wider rips)

Finally a Mark 5 headstock will fit



It will serve a need as does a Mark 5, but at a lower durability, operator convenience level.