This Month in Shopsmith History!

[thedovetailjoint]

Great post, John, and just like clockwork! Wow, that's quite a drop. This made me curious enough to take the question to ChatGPT and what I learned was fascinating. The feedback contained too many URL's to allow me to post this as a single comment, so I'll break it up, in case anyone is interested int he sources. Hers' what ChatGPT said:

Great question—and there’s a pretty clear “stack” of things happening in ’57–’58 that would have made selling a \$300\* multi-purpose machine a lot harder:

1. A short, sharp recession (Aug 1957–Apr 1958) clobbered durable-goods spending
Industrial production fell \~13.5% and unemployment nearly doubled. Durable goods (cars, appliances… and shop tools) took the brunt, while nondurables held up better. That kind of macro shock reliably dents discretionary shop purchases. ([EBSCO][1], [BEA Apps][2])

2. Housing slowed—fewer new garages and basements to outfit
Higher mid-50s rates cooled homebuilding; new construction slipped by 1957. Housing is a powerful driver of DIY tool demand, so fewer starts = fewer new home shops being set up. (Contemporary summaries and long-run housing-starts series both show the late-’50s dip.) ([Wikipedia][3], [FRASER][4])

3. Sears & DeWalt were pushing dedicated machines hard
By the mid-50s, single-purpose tools—especially the radial arm saw—were heavily promoted to homeowners. Sears’s 1957 power-tool catalog featured DeWalt RAS models; Popular Mechanics ran how-to and accessory pieces on radial saws in 1958; DeWalt advertising was everywhere. That rising tide of affordable, specialized machines undercut the “one tool does five jobs” pitch. ([blackburntools.com][5], [Google Books][6], [eBay][7], [Vintage Machinery][8])

4. A telling retail signal: no Sears power-tools catalog in 1958
Sears (a huge channel for home shop tools) didn’t even issue a standalone power-tools catalog that year—consistent with a soft market. ([Internet Archive][9])

5. Ownership/organizational turbulence around Shopsmith itself
Magna Engineering (originator of Shopsmith) was acquired by/merged into Yuba in the late ’50s. Transitions like that can disrupt sales ops, dealers, parts supply, and marketing cadence right when the market is getting tougher. ([Vintage Machinery][10])

6. The Mark 5’s price point didn’t help during a downturn
The Mark 5 was about \$298.50 in 1957 (roughly mid-four figures in today’s dollars), a big-ticket ask when households were postponing durable purchases. Dedicated tools and hand power tools from Craftsman/Black & Decker often looked cheaper and “good enough.” ([ShopSmith][11], [Stanley Black & Decker][12])

What probably didn’t move the needle yet: the famous Greenman v. Yuba case. The injury occurred in 1957 and the suit followed, but the landmark strict-liability decision wasn’t handed down until 1963—so it’s unlikely to explain a sales drop specifically in 1958. ([Scocal][13], [Wikipedia][14])

# Thumb-rule summary

* Macro: recession + housing slowdown = weaker tool demand. ([EBSCO][1], [BEA Apps][2], [Wikipedia][3])
* Market: strong push for affordable, dedicated machines (especially RAS) pulled buyers away from multipurpose platforms. ([blackburntools.com][5], [Google Books][6], [eBay][7])
* Company: Yuba’s takeover years likely created internal friction just when buyers were skittish. ([Vintage Machinery][10])

\* Mark 5 price example: \$298.50 advertised in 1957. ([ShopSmith][11])

[thedovetailjoint]

Here's the first batch of sources used:
[1]: https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters ... hatgpt.com "Recession of 1957-1958 | Research Starters"
[2]: https://apps.bea.gov/scb/issues/1958/sc ... hatgpt.com "Survey of Current Business October 1958"
[3]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recession ... hatgpt.com "Recession of 1958"
[4]: https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/files/doc ... hatgpt.com "Nonfarm Housing Starts, 1889-1958 - FRASER"
[5]: https://blackburntools.com/articles/ros ... hatgpt.com "Sears Power Tool Catalog (1957)"
[6]: https://books.google.com/books/about/Po ... hatgpt.com "Popular Mechanics"
[7]: https://www.ebay.com/itm/315012382138?u ... hatgpt.com "1958 AMF DeWalt Power Shop Tools W Saw Expert ..."
[8]: https://vintagemachinery.org/mfgindex/i ... hatgpt.com "1958 image - Lathe attachment for radial arm saw"
[9]: https://archive.org/details/sears-craft ... hatgpt.com "Sears Craftsman Power Tools : 1957"

[thedovetailjoint]

Here's the final batch of sources:
[10]: https://www.vintagemachinery.org/mfgind ... hatgpt.com "Yuba Power Products, Inc. - History"
[11]: https://shopsmith.fandom.com/wiki/Price ... hatgpt.com "Price History | ShopSmith Wiki - Fandom"
[12]: https://www.stanleyblackanddecker.com/n ... hatgpt.com "The DIY Market: Embracing Self-Reliance"
[13]: https://scocal.stanford.edu/opinion/gre ... hatgpt.com "Greenman v. Yuba Power Products, Inc. - 59 Cal.2d 57"
[14]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenman_ ... hatgpt.com "Greenman v. Yuba Power Products, Inc."

And yes, I am suffering from cognitive decline from using Ai!

[chapmanruss]

Scott and John,

Definite cause and effect based on the economy at the time.

Well on the brighter side for September the Jig Saw made from 1954 (first Serial # on Shopsmith’s records 50001, Sept. 1954) until Magna American discontinued the line in (approx.) 1967. They had “Greenie”, “Goldie” than gray paint. Back being manufactured by Shopsmith Inc. in 1973 beginning with serial number SS1001 and continued past date coding December 1987. The Jig Saw is shown in the 1987 Christmas Catalog. The Jig Saw was eventually discontinued and replaced by the grey version of the Scroll Saw which was already in production. The Grey Scroll Saw began in 1987 (new in the 1987-1988 Winter Catalog) and the Teal Scroll Saw began in 1993, both have only date code serial numbers. The book Power Tool Woodworking for Everyone 4th edition in chapter 16 for the Jig Saw starts with the sentence The Shopsmith Jigsaw is no longer manufactured. PTWFE 4th edition was copyrighted 1989. 1984 Catalogs still show the Magna Logo Housing Cover and 1985 Catalogs show the Shopsmith Logo Housing Cover. The cover logo changed between April and May 1984. Early Model 610 Jig Saws had a serial number prefix of EX for some unknown reason which ended in November 1954.

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[jpdalton]

This made me curious enough to take the question to ChatGPT and what I learned was fascinating.

Scott - thanks for the really interesting follow up information! I always appreciate community participation in these threads, so thanks for jumping in…

[jpdalton]

first Serial # on Shopsmith’s records 50001, Sept. 1954

Russ - thanks for adding to this month’s content! I’m betting the dates for the jigsaw may be no better than the dates we’ve seen for the Mark 5 itself.

My earliest reference for the jigsaw is the February 1954 printing of the original glossy brochure for the new Mark 5. I’ll have to see if I can find any other references to pinpoint this better…
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[jpdalton]

first Serial # on Shopsmith’s records 50001, Sept. 1954

Russ - so while it’s not a definitive indicator of production dates, the dealer price list below leads me to believe the jigsaws were available prior to September 1954. Maybe not all the way back to Day 1 of Mark 5 shipments, but presumably by summer.
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[chapmanruss]

What is the * for after the (Model 610)? Something at the bottom of the page perhaps? I don't have that page in my Dealer Books.

Just a bit of related Add-A-Tool information since it is listed on the Dealers page. The Jointer was a change to the Base/Outfeed Table from the Model 4E adding the Mounting Posts holes and including the Mounting Posts and set screws with it. It may have been changed to the Model 620 and for sale prior to the Mark 5 introduction.

[jpdalton]

What is the * for after the (Model 610)?

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[chapmanruss]

John,

Thanks for clearing up the * question. That still leaves us with when the actual introduction month of the Jig Saw was. I have not seen a serial number lower than 50001 for the Jig Saw and only 12 were listed as made in September of 1954.

It then does bring up another question as to why the Jig Saw was not for use on the Model 10ER. After the Jig Saw was introduced the first POWER-MOUNT ADAPTER Accessory No, 11 800 (with just the A Adapter) came out for using, at that time, the Jig Saw Model 610 and the Sprayer Model 660 (compressor) with "other tools to be introduced soon." A PDF of the instructions I have is dated 1:55 (attached below) but I don't believe it was the first publishing of those instructions. I guess at the time that July 1954 Price List was made they didn't have a way for the Jig Saw to mount on a Model 10 yet, so it was noted that way.

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Power-Mount Adapter 11-800 01-55.pdf

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The 1:55 is in a different type than the rest of the printing. Also, the spelling and grammar checker for this document should have been fired.
I quote from the instructions "Magna Jiasow (Model 610)"