Share your Magna memorabilia!

[jpdalton]

Here's a few more items from the Magna and Yuba eras.

The coupler seems to be the original from 1954. The hubs and interior packaging are missing. I never used that one, kind of worried how it would hold up, and it wasn't even 40 years old when I got it.

They changed up the packaging for this item pretty substantially by the time of the Magna American ownership of the Shopsmith brand. And this is also the point at which the modern form of the coupler emerged. I’m guessing the availability of “Zytel” (see bottom picture below) made the single-piece molded coupler possible. And for the curious…

Zytel, more commonly referred to as Nylon, is the trademark name for DuPonts product. One of the more common thermoplastic materials, Zytel is a stiff, very strong lightweight material, with outstanding bearing and wear properties.
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[chapmanruss]

I hadn't seen that style of coupler before. The Magna American couplers I have are the ones shown below (3rd down from the top) with a stick-on label. One came in an Add-a-Tool Coupling Kit box like John's but part number 505631 instead of the earlier part number 22401.

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[jpdalton]

I hadn't seen that style of coupler before. The Magna American couplers I have are the ones shown below (3rd down from the top) with a stick-on label. One came in an Add-a-Tool Coupling Kit box like John's but part number 505631 instead of the earlier part number 22401.

Russ - great collection! I’ve never seen an example like the top one in your picture. Do you have any additional history on that one??

[jpdalton]

I wish I’d had this package when I was restoring my Magna Sprayer compressor - it would have saved me from solving the virtual himitsu-bako puzzle of that compressor, working with no instructions!

I ended up building my own version of the spanner wrench, so that would have been handy as well…
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[chapmanruss]

The original "Add-a-Tool" coupler, shown at the top of my picture above, didn't use the hubs and connected directly to the 5/8" upper or lower Drive Spindles on the headstock and the 1/2" drive shaft of the Jointer or Jig Saw. This coupler was only used a short time. A change was needed not only because the Bandsaw and Belt Sander that were being introduced in the Summer of 1955 have 5/8" shafts but also for the Magna Sprayer (air compressor) that came out at the beginning of 1955 and the special Power Mount Adapter Kit that came out by 1955 for the Model 10's to use the Mark 5 "Add-a-Tools". They needed a connection between the Model 10's pulley Drive Shaft and the "Add-a-Tools" the first being the Jig Saw and Magna Sprayer. The Model 10 Jointer Headrest Mount was still available for some time after the Mark 5 came out and the change from the Model 4E Jointer to the 620 Jointer still included the mounting holes for the Model 10 Jointer Headrest Mount. The Magna Sprayer (air compressor) had a slightly smaller at 15/32" drive shaft so the special flywheel and combo pulley couplers it used were bored for that size.

[jpdalton]

The original "Add-a-Tool" coupler, shown at the top of my picture above, didn't use the hubs and connected directly to the 5/8" upper or lower Drive Spindles on the headstock and the 1/2" drive shaft of the Jointer or Jig Saw. This coupler was only used a short time. A change was needed not only because the Bandsaw and Belt Sander that were being introduced in the Summer of 1955 have 5/8" shafts but also for the Magna Sprayer (air compressor) that came out at the beginning of 1955 and the special Power Mount Adapter Kit that came out by 1955 for the Model 10's to use the Mark 5 "Add-a-Tools". They needed a connection between the Model 10's pulley Drive Shaft and the "Add-a-Tools" the first being the Jig Saw and Magna Sprayer. The Model 10 Jointer Headrest Mount was still available for some time after the Mark 5 came out and the change from the Model 4E Jointer to the 620 Jointer still included the mounting holes for the Model 10 Jointer Headrest Mount. The Magna Sprayer (air compressor) had a slightly smaller at 15/32" drive shaft so the special flywheel and combo pulley couplers it used were bored for that size.

That’s a great piece and a great story!

[jpdalton]

A little later in the history of the greenie-era Mark 5, if you responded to one of Magna Power Tool Corp’s frequent national magazine advertisements, you got a little different assortment of items sent to your home, compared to what Magna Engineering would have sent a couple of years earlier.

You of course got the latest glossy brochure and a copy of, “what to look for when you’re buying power tools…”, along with a personal pitch from Bob Chambers, but recently added at that time was a “Project Digest” that was a primer on Magna’s latest collaboration with Fawcett Books - “Power Tool Projects You Can Make”, featuring the revolutionary Mark 5 on the cover. The full volume was a separate purchase, and I’ve included a picture of that book here for reference.
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[edma194]

I'd forgotten about this one, a 1/2" Universal Adaptor that came with my first machine, a 1954 Greenie. I haven't used it for a while that I recall, it's clearly old, but I still have the special locking washer.

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[chapmanruss]

The use of the locking washer was started with the introduction of the Mark 5 "Greenies" for both the 1/2" and 5/8" Arbors. Yours is a little past the "Greenie" era being from Magna American but before the part number changing to 505505 in 1964 and the black protective coating being added. Great to see it still has all the parts.

[chapmanruss]

Last week I posted a picture of the Brad Point Drill Bits I have that came in a box marked Auger Bits. In that post I mentioned they actually sold Auger Bits and the Brad Point Bit set was relabeled. Below is my Auger Bits from Magna Engineering Corporation.

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The bits are in great shape and unused but the box, well, not so good.

The Auger bits were still available into the 1960's. I have seen a box from Magna American Corp with the part number 505585 making them still available after the part numbers changed in the beginning of 1964.