Serial Numbers and Years

[TooTall]

My 10E has Serial # 8443;

My Logo tag says San Francisco.
Does anyone have a shopsmith that has Cleveland on the Logo?

I found this from Skip Campbell who is said to be the leading living authority on Shopsmith:

The 10E went on sale on Nov. 8, 1947 just in time for Christmas. It is possible that 4000 were sold by the end of the year but no way to know that for sure.
They sold 10Es until late 1948 and the serial numbers went into the 20000 range.

If production averaged around 20,000 per year, then chances are I have a 1947 Shopsmith or at very latest, a 1948 . . .
unless the Cleveland plant didn't start up at the same time as the San francisco plant.

Terry

[oldiron]

Hey Terry,

I have number 6834 and have pinned it down to somewhere between December 47 to February 48.

Yours being number 8443 is most likely late February thru March of 48.

Mike

[TooTall]

1948

Perfect!

Now when talking to friends I can finally say, "I've got a '48 Shopsmith."

Thanks,
Terry

[dusty]

You might find this an interesting read. I sure did.

The stated"short comings" back then are being repeated today despite the many years of success.

Table too small, too small a motor, tilting table is dangerous, change over time is time lost. All true in a commercial shop where time is money.

[TooTall]

Ah yes, the proverbial nay sayers League of America.
It's like they can't stand to see something being so praised and venerated, and are bent on having themselves appear in the "more intelligent and most informed" category.

Well all I know for sure, or that counts in my book about the table saw is this. Every tool has its proper application and the 85 year old man Hugh Greenwood who just sold me this SS builds $3,000 to $5,000, flawless classical guitars.

I saw his guitars and played one and he wanted to show me the perfect intonation. For the intonation to be perfect, the frets have to be perfectly spaced to divide the string length exactly and to check intonation one simply plays the harmonic on the string at the 12th fret and then the note at the12th fret on that same string and they both must be identical. His fretting is as perfect as perfect can be and guess what table saw he used to cut the slots in the new fret boards.

You guessed it. He used a super thin circular fret saw blade in this "48 Shopsmith!

He was going to give me that blade too but at the last minute he decided he should hold on to it.
He loves that blade.

Terry

[oldiron]

Excellent Terry!!!

What a legacy......

As you mentioned about the nay sayers, They can say what they want. Every tool has its advantages and disadvantages.

I look at it this way, The ole gals will outperform just about any if not all of the garbage which makes the journey across the Pacific....

Another big thing is, How many other products do you know of in which the manufacturer pulled multiple units off the assembly line and used them to make more of their own self!!!

Unless I'm mistaken, Shopsmith still uses 10Es to manufacture new Shopsmiths...

Mike

[TooTall]

Mike,

You wrote:
"Unless I'm mistaken, Shopsmith still uses 10Es to manufacture new Shopsmiths..."

THAT"S saying something for sure!
The same Head Stock . . . talk about a classic in "tried and true"!

I think this is what a previous poster, Dick (rjent) might have been implying when he said changes after the 10E that constitute the revision part of ER are sort of peripheral or subtle, or minor by comparison, changes.

Given that the Headstock is easily the most important, key component, and that they are still using it, then he was right.

. . . not to mention the Ways, etc., which probably haven't changed either.

Thanks,
Terry

[TooTall]

Mike,

Revised edition :

Based on yours and Skip Campbell's information

Now I can safely say,

To some friend along the way

I've got an early '48!

T

[dusty]

Mike,

You wrote:
"Unless I'm mistaken, Shopsmith still uses 10Es to manufacture new Shopsmiths..."

THAT"S saying something for sure!
The same Head Stock . . . talk about a classic in "tried and true"!

I think this is what a previous poster, Dick (rjent) might have been implying when he said changes after the 10E that constitute the revision part of ER are sort of peripheral or subtle, or minor by comparison, changes.

Given that the Headstock is easily the most important, key component, and that they are still using it, then he was right.

. . . not to mention the Ways, etc., which probably haven't changed either.

Thanks,
Terry

You are likely not mistaken but do remember that Shopsmith, as we know Shopsmith today, had absolutely nothing to do with the 10E. Shopsmith (aka RLF) is simply using the equipment that was left in their facility when they took over.

[oldiron]

10-4 on that Dusty! Yes, The 10E is back when it was Magna engineering. Still amazing though. To think it was built to a standard which is high enough to be used in the manufacturing of production built machines...

There may be another manufactured item with which can lay claim to the same however, I've never heard about it.

I have a old catalog which shows the Western Machinery company and they show the 10Es manufacturing more of their self.

Mike