Prices?

boozeclues · Post by **boozeclues** » Sat Sep 26, 2009 4:57 am

So after looking through my mark v owners manual it states that they made the arbors affordable so its worthwhile to buy a bunch of them and keep them mounted on all your saws.

I have a hard time beliving that 33 bucks plus 12 for shipping is affordable. Maybe im just a shopsmith newb but im starting to wonder if i made a good buy. my gilmer belt broke and was almost as much as a serpentine belt installed on a car! I didnt have a cup center for my tailstock so i didnt know that the tailstock is about the only thing that uses a universal part, a #2 MT. I was dumb and paid 20 bucks for a shopsmith dead center, a week later i get a woodcraft cat. and LIVE centers are all under 20 bucks, yet the shopsmith live center is like 50.

I know they are a buisness and all but if woodcraft can sell them so cheap why do they sell them for so much? im guessing had i looked better i probally could have found the belt for much less money too. oh and 28 bucks for a toggle switch????? really?????

Basiclly is there anyone on here that has suggestions for repair/ replacement of stuff like belts or other stuff that i dont have to go through shopsmith for?

BigSky · Post by **BigSky** » Sat Sep 26, 2009 8:11 am

Yes, the prices tend to be a bit higher than elsewhere; however, so does the quality. Show me another nonprofessional woodworking machine that has lasted as long as your machine. Plan your orders so as to minimize the shipping; put off buying until you have a good size order.

Check the catalog and online specials regularly. If you paid $33 for an arbor you paid too much - the catalog lists them at $23.99.

RobertTaylor · Post by **RobertTaylor** » Sat Sep 26, 2009 12:09 pm

you must have an "old" catalog. check out,

http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/cata ... arbors.htm

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Sat Sep 26, 2009 12:49 pm

bettyt44720 wrote:you must have an "old" catalog. check out,

http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/catalog/swd_sawbladearbors.htm

You are absolutely correct, I guess you did not pay too much boozeclues.

I'll just have to blame this on the fact that there hasn't been a new catalog in a while.

a1gutterman · Post by **a1gutterman** » Sat Sep 26, 2009 2:17 pm

boozeclues wrote:So after looking through my mark v owners manual it states that they made the arbors affordable so its worthwhile to buy a bunch of them and keep them mounted on all your saws.

I have a hard time beliving that 33 bucks plus 12 for shipping is affordable. Maybe im just a shopsmith newb but im starting to wonder if i made a good buy. my gilmer belt broke and was almost as much as a serpentine belt installed on a car! I didnt have a cup center for my tailstock so i didnt know that the tailstock is about the only thing that uses a universal part, a #2 MT. I was dumb and paid 20 bucks for a shopsmith dead center, a week later i get a woodcraft cat. and LIVE centers are all under 20 bucks, yet the shopsmith live center is like 50.

I know they are a buisness and all but if woodcraft can sell them so cheap why do they sell them for so much? im guessing had i looked better i probally could have found the belt for much less money too. oh and 28 bucks for a toggle switch????? really?????

Basiclly is there anyone on here that has suggestions for repair/ replacement of stuff like belts or other stuff that i dont have to go through shopsmith for?

To justify the price difference, there was a time that I wood have stated that the SS parts were probably made in the US (which they may or may knot be) where as the Woodcraft parts (based only on the prices that you are giving) may be made somewhere else (China?), but I am no longer willing to state that. I have said this before, and I still feel this way: ShopSmith should state in ther catolog where each part is made. I wood even be happy with a statement that tells us the percentage of items that are made in the US.

fjimp · Post by **fjimp** » Sat Sep 26, 2009 3:18 pm

a1gutterman wrote:To justify the price difference, there was a time that I wood have stated that the SS parts were probably made in the US (which they may or may knot be) where as the Woodcraft parts (based only on the prices that you are giving) may be made somewhere else (China?), but I am no longer willing to state that. I have said this before, and I still feel this way: ShopSmith should state in ther catolog where each part is made. I wood even be happy with a statement that tells us the percentage of items that are made in the US.

I recently received a Rawhide Mallet from Shopsmith. I actually expected to see a sticker that it was manufactured elsewhere. I am pleasantly surprised that it clearly states Made in "The United States of America" fjimp:):D

a1gutterman · Post by **a1gutterman** » Sat Sep 26, 2009 3:53 pm

fjimp wrote:I recently received a Rawhide Mallet from Shopsmith. I actually expected to see a sticker that it was manufactured elsewhere. I am pleasantly surprised that it clearly states Made in "The United States of America" fjimp:):D

I am glad that the mallet was made in the US. I am sure that was a nice surprise for you! I am certain that many SS items are made in the US, and I am just as certain that many are made "overseas". I just want to know which ones are which, and exactly where they are made.

iclark · Post by **iclark** » Sat Sep 26, 2009 4:22 pm

we all need to vent occasionally. this group has certainly been tolerant and helpful when I have done it. do I think the Mark V is worth having? I have more than one. I made good use of the first one and then added more to my shop. that is as strong an answer as I can give anyone: I liked it so much that I bought more.

boozeclues wrote:I have a hard time beliving that 33 bucks plus 12 for shipping is affordable. Maybe im just a shopsmith newb but im starting to wonder if i made a good buy.

precision machined parts tend to be expensive. the way that SS has treated us when things wear out or get damaged has made me willing to pay extra for a SS-made part. please note that I was not of that mindset when I bought my first one. their customer service and make-it-right attitude has won me over. whenever possible, I do try to wait for sales, though.

boozeclues wrote:my gilmer belt broke and was almost as much as a serpentine belt installed on a car!

based on your original post about using unsharpened lathe chisels on an unbalanced hunk of wood without using the tailstock, you may have been lucky that it was the belt that broke. if you stick a blunt metal rod into a gear driven system, something is going to give. the belt is the easiest part to replace.

if you have a place that will sell you a serpentine belt and install it for $31.99, then I am very impressed.

boozeclues wrote:I didnt have a cup center for my tailstock so i didnt know that the tailstock is about the only thing that uses a universal part, a #2 MT. I was dumb and paid 20 bucks for a shopsmith dead center, a week later i get a woodcraft cat. and LIVE centers are all under 20 bucks, yet the shopsmith live center is like 50.

you paid $20 for a quality part that will last for decades with proper use AND for the education that a "#2 Morse Taper" is an international standard term. any time that you see a term in a catalog with its name capitalized, you are likely seeing a reference to another product that they make or to a standard. while you may have been able to get it cheaper elsewhere, it seems to me that you still got good value for your dollar.

boozeclues wrote:Basiclly is there anyone on here that has suggestions for repair/ replacement of stuff like belts or other stuff that i dont have to go through shopsmith for?

there have been lots of discussions here about where to get parts when someone has a machine down and SS is on backorder.
replacing or upgrading the Gilmer belt and the switch have definitely been discussed repeatedly including part numbers and alternatives. the search engine for the forum is your friend.

bottom line:
1) you have a good machine that can do wonders when you learn how to use it safely.
2) this is a great group of people who will do whatever they can to help you if you give them a chance.
3) SS is struggling but they are still maintaining and paying for this forum. With all of the graphics here, I believe that this and their video areas are a non-trivial expense for them. many of the other companies that had forums have closed them. (Teknatool among them)

Ivan
(edited to remove Jointech from the closed fora. they aren't closed. they just haven't been able to fix it in the last year so that some of us are allowed to see it.)

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Sat Sep 26, 2009 4:22 pm

a1gutterman wrote:I am glad that the mallet was made in the US. I am sure that was a nice surprise for you! I am certain that many SS items are made in the US, and I am just as certain that many are made "overseas". I just want to know which ones are which, and exactly where they are made.

That can probably be said for a very, very large percentage of everything in the house. Much of what is purchased these days, even from name brand companies based in the USA, is made elsewhere. Like it or not, this is the wave of the future.

iclark · Post by **iclark** » Sat Sep 26, 2009 4:28 pm

dusty wrote:That can probably be said for a very, very large percentage of everything in the house. Much of what is purchased these days, even from name brand companies based in the USA, is made elsewhere. Like it or not, this is the wave of the future.

most, if not all, of the Delta Unisaw is made in the USA. the Delta guy who did the demo at the local Woodcraft was carefule to point out that they had even gone back to using made-in-USA Marathon motors because their customers asked them to.

FWIW,
Ivan