Shopsmith "Self Study Course"

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dusty
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Re: Shopsmith "Self Study Course"

Post by dusty »

JPG wrote: Sun Dec 15, 2024 1:43 pm However, he has expressed no interest at all in Shopsmith being involved in this project.


Gee I wonder why! :rolleyes:
It seems to me as though this forum is ONLY TOLERATED. Yes, I know that it is being supported (paid for) by Shopsmith but there has never been a great deal of participation. Does Nick even know we exist here.
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RFGuy
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Re: Shopsmith "Self Study Course"

Post by RFGuy »

dusty wrote: Mon Dec 16, 2024 7:33 am It seems to me as though this forum is ONLY TOLERATED. Yes, I know that it is being supported (paid for) by Shopsmith but there has never been a great deal of participation. Does Nick even know we exist here.
Not sure that he does...it seems like his main focus is selling more "marks". Annoys me every time he says that instead of saying an actual machine name because "Mark" is a prefix and is meaningless without a product identifier. IF sales increased on the Marks (Mark 7) in October, that is great and I am happy for them. I do wonder how much of their sales logged in October was for Mark 7 and how much was for part sales and how much was for accessory sales and how much was for SPT sales. Maybe there are so many used Marks out there and used accessories/SPT's that they don't really sell accessories/SPT's anymore, except to new Mark 7 customers? Is the core of their business today selling mostly Marks (Mark 7) and parts to owners of used Marks (Mark 7, Mark V, Mark VII, Mark 5, Mark 2)? Or do some owners of used Marks (Mark 7, Mark V, Mark VII, Mark 5, Mark 2), up and decide to purchase new accessories, SPT's, etc. from the mothership? Their communications thus far seem to indicate that 99% of their time/energy is focused on selling new Marks (Mark 7), so the assumption we make is this is where customer demand is, i.e. bulk of orders placed. It just seems counter-intuitive to me though, with so many used Marks (Mark 7, Mark V, Mark VII, Mark 5, Mark 2) out there and with some owners choosing to restore them, I would expect a reasonably healthy demand for used parts for these machines. IF that were true, then why are we treated like 2nd class citizens by the mothership? A good portion of their business has to be parts, SPT's and accessories to support owners of used Marks (Mark 7, Mark V, Mark VII, Mark 5, Mark 2) IMHO.

Fellow forum members, please don't follow my example above and start referring to Shopsmith equipment as "Marks" on the forum. I did it for effect up above and hopefully reading it was as painful for you as it was for me to write it in this manner, but I chose to do so to make a point.
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DLB
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Re: Shopsmith "Self Study Course"

Post by DLB »

dusty wrote: Mon Dec 16, 2024 7:33 am It seems to me as though this forum is ONLY TOLERATED. Yes, I know that it is being supported (paid for) by Shopsmith but there has never been a great deal of participation. Does Nick even know we exist here.
Nick evidently knows that Mr. Draper is working on this project for a M4, M7, and MV-520 Self Study Course. But I interpret Stephen's entries here as keeping Forum Folks informed, not much detail has been discussed here. I don't find it surprising that Shopsmith does not want to take an active role in the new course. Shopsmith's interest in woodworker education used to be significant, but dropped off dramatically with the bankruptcy of Shopsmith Inc (like a lot of things).

Interesting side note that two of the three "Marks" that the course is being developed for have been discontinued since course development started.

- David
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stephen_a._draper
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Re: Shopsmith "Self Study Course"

Post by stephen_a._draper »

Document_2025-01-19_194612.jpg
Document_2025-01-19_194612.jpg (92.47 KiB) Viewed 6045 times
The original Shopsmith Self-Study Woodworking Course sold in 1975 by Shopsmith Inc. for $17 plus 85 cents shipping. It was black & white with no photographs and no videos. The inflation adjusted 2025 price for that course is $128.35 plus shipping & handling.


The new Shopsmith Mark 4/7/520™ Self-Study Course will be released on April 1st. The ten lesson course has 50 assignments. The printed manual consists of one 3 D-ring binder with ten tabs. The manual has hundreds of full color photos and illustrations with step by step instructions for each assignment. Each assignment has a corresponding demonstration video. The price will be $125 plus $20 shipping & handling.


I am taking pre-publication orders from now until March 31st for $125, FREE SHIPPING. To place your order, send an e-mail to Stephen_A._Draper@msn.com with Shopsmith Mark 4/7/520 Self-Study Course as the Subject. In the body provide your shipping name, address, and telephone number. Provide your Pay-pal account information and I will send you an invoice for payment. Payment must be paid before April 1st to receive the free shipping. If you do not have a PayPal account, you may mail me a check for $125 and I will ship it to you by April 1st.
Shopsmith Mark 4, Mark 7, Mark 5 shorty, planer, bandsaw, jointer, belt sander. Grizzly central dust collection 4" PVC trunk. Shopsmith Routing System stand-alone overhead pin router.

Stephen A. Draper
Author of 2024 New Revised Shopsmith Mark4/7/520 Self Study Course
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