Shopsmith History

[rsheffe]

My father-in-Law has a green SS, but the serial number is very low: 85004. It was bought a LONG time ago...most likely in the 50's or 60's. See the pic. He says it is a Mark IV (4), but doesn't have any documentation. Any clue what this thing is?

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[jpdalton]

My father-in-Law has a green SS, but the serial number is very low: 85004. It was bought a LONG time ago...most likely in the 50's or 60's. See the pic. He says it is a Mark IV (4), but doesn't have any documentation. Any clue what this thing is?

That’s a Mark 2 - a low-cost 5–in-1 machine produced by Magna in the 1958-1959 timeframe. It was meant to capture the budget-conscious market, but what they took out to achieve the cost savings unfortunately made for a pretty low caliber machine.

Here’s Magna president, Bob Chambers, standing with both a Mark 5 and a Mark 2, circa 1958.
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[jpdalton]

It is the same Shopsmith History that I questioned at the beginning of this topic. And since we are on the history page again does anyone know when Magna American Corporation actually closed. The history page has it as 1964 but I have seen items dated later than that making me believe it was closer to 1967.

Russ - I can’t say for sure when they closed, but I can say they were still shipping parts as late as 1969.
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[chapmanruss]

rsheffe,

You stated,

My father-in-Law has a green SS, but the serial number is very low: 85004. It was bought a LONG time ago...most likely in the 50's or 60's. See the pic. He says it is a Mark IV (4), but doesn't have any documentation. Any clue what this thing is?

The answer is in the picture below you posted in the other thread.

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As it says right there on the headstock below the Motor adjusting handle, it is a Mark 2. These were made in the late 1950's into 1960. John's picture above shows Magna president, Bob Chambers in a promotional picture with both a Mark 2 and a Mark 5 about the time the Mark 2 was introduced in December 1957.

Below is what I have previously posted about the Mark 2

Shopsmith Mark 2

1958 to 1960 Mark 2 (5-in-1)

Introduced in December of 1957 by Magna Power Tool Corporation. This unit was made at Montgomery Ward’s request and sold primarily by them. It was not made to the same quality standards as the Mark 5 and was a lower cost alternative while still providing the same five functions. It has an 8” saw blade capacity instead of the 9” saw blade of the Mark 5 at the time. The Mark 2 uses a ½ HP or optional ¾ HP motor while the Mark 5 had a ¾ HP motor that later changed to a 1-1/8 HP motor. It uses two 2-step pulleys (a 2”/3” and a 3”/4”) to change the 7 speeds much like the Model 10E and 10ER instead of the variable speed of the Mark 5. The Way Tubes are shorter at 48” long. An interesting feature of the Mark 2 is the Headrest which is a pin-able version of the Base and Arm which functions much like the newer Mark 7 Double Tilt feature. It has lower quality locks to hold the headstock, carriage, etc. in place. They work like the locks found on the Model 10’s but are made of lower quality materials and finish. It has an extra saw blade slot on the main table (a feature added to the Mark 5 in the 1960’s and 1970’s). Some Mark 2’s have round metal bench tubes while others have rounded top rails made out of wood to connect the bench ends and legs together. It could be purchased with or without the bench. Instructions included making your own wood bench. The Miter looks similar but is different than the Mark 5’s as it has no angle stops and a shorter bar without the lock to hold it in place in the table slot. It has a narrow step shape extension table that creates its own fence and serves as the tailstock with a small block attachment. There are very few individual parts that are interchangeable with the Mark 5. The Mark 5 Headstock will fit on the Mark 2 frame. Even the table system can be changed to the Mark V or 7’s. The Mark 2 can also hold and power Add-a-tools later known as Special Purpose Tools made for the Mark 5/V’s and Mark VII/7’s. It has only one hub for powering SPT’s so different length posts may be needed for some SPT’s. It started out with the “Greenie” colors and later changed to gray.

At the time of its introduction the Mark 2 was priced at $179.90 (less bench and motor) compared to the Mark 5 at $329.50. The Bench legs with tubes cost $19.95 and the ½ HP motor was $34.95 making the total for a Mark 2 to be comparably equipped to the Mark 5 at $234.80 and still considerably less than the Mark 5.

The Mark 2 works more like it’s a Model 10 trying to look more like a Mark 5.

At some point it was sold with a Wards Powr-Kraft label replacing the Shopsmith logo/serial number plate.

Below is my restored Mark 2.

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[chapmanruss]

John,

You are correct in that Magna American Corporation was still in business into 1969. The proof is in that March 1969 Packing Slip. My guess is by that time they were only selling parts and accessories. The Mark 5 was discontinued in 1964 followed by the Mark VII and Sawsmith Radial Arm Saw by the end of 1968. Sales for the Mark 5 had been dwindling through the Yuba years and with the introduction of the Mark VII in 1963, Mark 5 sales dropped dramatically.