How many Shopsmiths are there out there?

Ed in Tampa · Post by **Ed in Tampa** » Sat Mar 07, 2009 10:11 am

There is also Sharkguard and many blade manufactures that will bore their blade arbor holes to SS's size. Also most bandsaw blade manufacture's manufacture blades that will work on SS bandsaws.

Reible
I more or less agree with you in this statement, "Think of it like this. Henry Ford made over 18,000,000 model T's but if you came out with some thing for a model T you are not going to expect to sell very many of them. Same thing for shopsmith's, there might be a million made but the market for something new for them just isn't there for large sales."

However I go back to the Ridgid TS3650 I can't believe their sales exceed even 100,000 and I would guess the same percentage of their saws are broken, used to hold stuff in the garage, or generally unused as are SS. I would guess their user base would have a similar percentage of participation on the internet and etc. Therefore I question why a manufacture would make a product that is model dependant for a Ridgid TS3650 and not for a Shopsmith.

I have been thinking about this since I posted the question and I suspect the real reason is accessory manufactures realize Shopsmith is very active in the accessory business themselves and as such make it hard for someone to come out with something to compete with something SS already has.

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Sat Mar 07, 2009 12:03 pm

Ed in Tampa wrote:.......

However I go back to the Ridgid TS3650 I can't believe their sales exceed even 100,000 and I would guess the same percentage of their saws are broken, used to hold stuff in the garage, or generally unused as are SS. I would guess their user base would have a similar percentage of participation on the internet and etc. Therefore I question why a manufacture would make a product that is model dependant for a Ridgid TS3650 and not for a Shopsmith.

I have been thinking about this since I posted the question and I suspect the real reason is accessory manufactures realize Shopsmith is very active in the accessory business themselves and as such make it hard for someone to come out with something to compete with something SS already has.

You may be right Ed but this is the very reason why Shopsmith needs to become more aggressive. The money available to support existing owners with accessories is insufficient to sustain Shopsmith, Inc.

They need to release that new version (530) that we have so often discussed. Something new and exciting but still a Shopsmith.

However, the timing just isn't right. To introduce an expensive new product into these economic times would be extreme high risk.

miterset · Post by **miterset** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 10:45 am

Interesting thread.

I don't have a clue how many SS are in use today, but it seems to me that I read somewhere on the SS web site that they have 2.5 million customers. If I could make a tenth of them happy with MiterSet I couldn't keep up with my present operation. some major changes would have to be made here.
Probably a laser to engrave the fixture, additional CNC equipment, and 3 or 4 more grandkids to do the grunt work, and last but not least another older grand kid to help Sandi in the shipping department.

Thanks guys for all of your support. By the way how is Miterset working out for you?

Dick Pattee, Inventor

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 11:59 am

miterset wrote:Interesting thread.

I don't have a clue how many SS are in use today, but it seems to me that I read somewhere on the SS web site that they have 2.5 million customers. If I could make a tenth of them happy with MiterSet I couldn't keep up with my present operation. some major changes would have to be made here.
Probably a laser to engrave the fixture, additional CNC equipment, and 3 or 4 more grandkids to do the grunt work, and last but not least another older grand kid to help Sandi in the shipping department.

Thanks guys for all of your support. By the way how is Miterset working out for you?

Dick Pattee, Inventor

Thank You for the view 'from the far side'. I do not think 10% will happen. Unless they are also on this forum or other relevant ones they are not aware of its existence let alone its virtues. Thanks for YOUR attention!

Hope y'all stay busy!!!!:D

miterset · Post by **miterset** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 8:57 pm

JPG40504 wrote:Thank You for the view 'from the far side'. I do not think 10% will happen. Unless they are also on this forum or other relevant ones they are not aware of its existence let alone its virtues. Thanks for YOUR attention!

I offered SS a dealership for MiterSet for ShopSmith. They evidently don't understand its usefulness or know of the interest you guys have shown, as they flat let me know the weren't interested at this time.

Dick

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 9:13 pm

I have had my MiterSet for a rather short time, a few weeks. But I find it very useful. I keep it on my benchtop all the time and use it whenever I utilize the miter gauge while working on anything where accuracy of cut is important

It is too bad that Shopsmith didn't want to pardner with you at this time. However, this might not have been a strategically valid time to have approached them.

I'd retry them in a few months when the economy is a bit less of an unknown.

For goodness sake, don't stop marketing it.

dicksterp · Post by **dicksterp** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 12:13 am

dusty wrote:A number that might not be quite so fuzzy is XXXXXX. This is the number reported to have been built from 1954 to the end of 1987 (I think).

Reason for my confusion - what is the number that we read in these charts. Examples: the 222390 reported in November 1987 - is that the first unit built or the last. I interpret the chart as the last.

Then there is the first number recorded in the chart, April 1954 (263051). Am I to conclude that there were 263 thousand units built that year. I doubt that number. What is the serial number of machine #1 and what is the serial number of the first 510? Then there is that month when the chart indicates that 4040 units were built in one month.

Still fuzzy! If you start doing some cross comparison between the two "official" serial number charts contained on the shopsmith.com web site they get even fuzzier. The two charts disagree or should I say don't appear to agree.

https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?t=1061&highlight=vertical+mode

I don't know. I did a spreadsheet that shows something entirely different. I don't think we are suppose to know and these charts do a good job of making the data fuzzy. I withdraw all my estimates.

This may throw more mud on the subject of serial numbers for Mark Vs, but I happen to own the first production unit of the strip sander. Its serial number is 100488. What this means, I don't know. Take it for what it is worth. There may not be any clear cut reason to the serial numbers.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 12:38 am

dicksterp wrote:This may throw more mud on the subject of serial numbers for Mark Vs, but I happen to own the first production unit of the strip sander. Its serial number is 100488. What this means, I don't know. Take it for what it is worth. There may not be any clear cut reason to the serial numbers.

What year was it manufactured?

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 5:08 am

dicksterp wrote:This may throw more mud on the subject of serial numbers for Mark Vs, but I happen to own the first production unit of the strip sander. Its serial number is 100488. What this means, I don't know. Take it for what it is worth. There may not be any clear cut reason to the serial numbers.

We don't know what the serial numbering scheme is/was! There are examples all over the charts.

The Belt Sander for example: the first production period ended with S/N 10755 in 1956. Then in Jan 1978, after the long break in production, the first production period ended with 3475.

The charts are were for general reference only!

Ed in Tampa · Post by **Ed in Tampa** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 11:45 am

You know if you tink about it Shopsmith would be crazy to let their total production numbers out. I'm sure they (SS) know so they know their exact market size why would they want to give this intel to a competitor?

Think about it, if you were a competitor and had the numbers you could analyze them and make fairly accurate guessimates of market potential. If that potential was high enough or profitable enough you could zoom in on it.

I think the real reason we don't see more OEM manufactures making SS accessories is they know SS has done an excellent job meeting the market demands internally. In fact I imagine it makes more than one manufacture mad and thus explains a lot of negative comments that sort of drift through space about SS.

I just hope SS stays aware of the economy and continues to lower it's prices through sales so that sufficient sustainable income is generated and SS makes it through this economic mess.