Shopsmith "Self Study Course"

[dusty]

However, he has expressed no interest at all in Shopsmith being involved in this project.


Gee I wonder why!

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.

[RFGuy]

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.

[DLB]

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

[stephen_a._draper]

I have deleted this posting because it is obsolete.

[stephen_a._draper]

The new Shopsmith Mark 4/7/520™ Self-Study Course is at Standard Printing & Packaging in LaVista, Nebraska for printing. They are the publisher for all of the editions. Orders start shipping to customers April 1st.

[BuckeyeDennis]

Congratulations, Stephen! That was undoubtedly an epic undertaking, and it should be a great resource for the next generation of Shopsmith woodworkers.

[stephen_a._draper]

The Certificate of Registration for the Shopsmith Mark 4/7/520™ Self-Study Course has been issued by the US Copyright Office effective February 11, 2025.

Shopsmith Mark 47520™ Self-Study Course Copyright.jpg (265.58 KiB) Viewed 85494 times

[stephen_a._draper]

Looseleaf Front Cover No Logo 26 March 2025.jpg (106.85 KiB) Viewed 82847 times

This new course is designed specifically for the 21st century generation of multi-purpose woodworking machines manufactured by Shopsmith L.P. This course is the only course to be field tested by actual owner/users. It draws from the very best teachers and user experiences to teach the beginner to woodworking as well as the experienced woodworker how to safely and accurately use the Mark V 520, Mark 4, Mark 520S, or Mark 7 perform all 7 operations namely: table saw, disc sander, horizontal boring, lathe, vertical drill press, over-table routing, and under-table shaping. Step-by-step instructions with hundreds of full color pictures give clear and detailed explanations. This course also teaches horizontal routing which was not in the original course. It is designed as a stand alone course with no requirement for digital media. However, the author has provided supporting videos on his Shopsmith Mark 4/7/520™ YouTube channel to illustrate each of the 50 assignments for the 10 lessons. NOW INCLUDES 12 MONTHLY ZOOM MEETINGS TO ASK QUESTIONS OF THE AUTHOR AND MEET OTHERS TAKING THE COURSE.!

The new Mark 4/7/520™ Self-Study Course is now available to order from my store at this link:
https://shopsmithmark47520.com/products ... udy-course

[bfairchildSATX]

I just received mine a couple days ago from Stephen. It is well-organized, and on quality paper that will last a long time. At first glance the explanations and pictures appear to be very clear and easy to understand. Thank you stephen_a._draper for putting this together. As a new shop smith owner this is laid out in the exact type of way I need to best learn how to align my machine and use all the functions.