When was my Shopsmith made?

[------------------------]

I actually have two:
#56112 and #5010
They look almost identical and the manual on 56112 was printed in 1951
Thanks, Mark

[dusty]

I actually have two:
#56112 and #5010
They look almost identical and the manual on 56112 was printed in 1951
Thanks, Mark

http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/serialnumber.htm

http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/faq/markv.htm

[mickyd]

It wasn't mentioned in his post but based on mark-b's newbie post yesterday, he mentioned owning only ER10's. Links above are only for the Mark 5 (V) series.

mark-b - I am not aware of any SN to specific month/year date info being available. The only info I know of is from this post and this pdf survey data compilation [ATTACH]7166[/ATTACH] from the ER yahoo user group. The date on the left of the pdf was provided by owners with actual receipts of the purchase.

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One of my Shopsmiths is a CR? If that helps

[a1gutterman]

One of my Shopsmiths is a CR? If that helps

A CR? What is that?

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I am a newbie, so bear with my lack of knowledge :-}

On the nameplate the serial # is CR5010
The "R" is painted and the C and 5010 are stamped

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Ok, They are both ER's. Just one has a "c" stamped on the serial #
Mark

[a1gutterman]

Ok, They are both ER's. Just one has a "c" stamped on the serial #
Mark

Oh, oakay. I do knot know the 10's. Maybe another 10 owner can help you out.

[heathicus]

Take a closer look. I'd bet you just about anything that "C" is really an "E."

Here's my understanding of Model 10 serial number prefixes. I could be wrong on a few points.

The first Shopsmiths produced in 1947 were "Model 10E." The "E" stood for "Experimental." I don't know why it was a Model 10. Serial numbers had an "E" prefix. In late 1948, the Model 10 was slightly revised and enhanced. Saw guards and pulley guards, a depth indicator on the quill feed, a longer auxiliary table extension bracket, and such. With these Revisions, it became the Model 10ER (Experimental Revised). The 10E machines that were still in the factory were factory retrofitted with the revisions. The logo plate on those machines say they are a 10ER, but the serial number has just the E prefix. Newly manufactured 10ERs would have either an ER or R prefix to the serial number.

Using the document that MickyD linked to, I would guess that SN 5010 is from 1949 and SN 56112 is from late 1951 or early 1952.

[wlhayesmfs]

Here is a little more history:
Here is a chronicle of the changes introduced during the production years.
Unless your are strictly a collector and want to keep an original 10E, I recommend the 10ER or a 10E
upgraded to 10ER. Some of the changes are significant and definitely improve performance.
Skip Campbell

Nov. 8, 1947
Magna 10E Shopsmith introduced at Montgomery ward stores
nation wide and in their catalog.

Late 1948
10ER introduced with revised:
table trunnion
tailstock and extension table
chrome quill spring housing and depth gage
rip fence with rear lock and mortise hold down hole
miter gage with angle detents
table raiser arm and crank
belt/pulley guard (flat top for more saw depth)

1949
Jigsaw and other accessories added
no machine changes that I can tell.

Oct. 1950 (manual edition)

Jan, 1951
vertical lock knob, from alum. knob to steel (101-12x to 101-10?)
tailstock lock knob, from alum knob to steel w/hex (pic chg, same #)

April 1951:
Solid saw guard
sanding disc
knurled hubs, quill pinion shaft
pivot base footprint change
raiser crank? part number change (103-40x to 103-39x)
tool rest arm, set screw moved
vertical lock screw, part number change (101-12x to 101-10)
tailstock locking knob, part # chg. same pic (104-7RX to 104-9)

Feb. 1952
One piece wedge locks

Sept. 1952
hollow table support tubes

Feb. 1953
thin way tubes (Mark V style)