Shopsmith Forums

This same type of dilema was addressed in the Honda Goldwing forum. Honda wasn't about to show owners how to service their Goldwing so one of the more proficient members of the forum produced a series of 8 videos that expained and showed how to do all maintenance and a number of add on accessory installations. They sold like wildfire! He wasn't a professional photographer and it was kind of comical the way he had to move the camera from time to time. They sold for $89 and he often had to make more production runs to satisfy the demand. I sure learned a lot from them and was able to review them before I went to the garage and did the procedure.
He had a segment on how to set the valves which was really helpful and many of the owners were able to complete a valve set with no problem at all. I realize there are many things a person can do with the SS but the maintenance and tool changes would be a good start. I would gladly pay for a set of DVD's so I could review them as often as I wanted. Any of you experienced guys up for doing some?

Hi Putttn,

This sounds like a great idea. And guess what, I have a camera system that will allow me to use all three cameras at a time using a camera switcher, so I can get close-ups or panoramic views without much editing needed, and not having to move the camera for every sequence.
One major problem comes to mind though. I believe it will be a copyright violation to promote these tapes as a Shopsmith learning tool, if Shopsmith does not want tapes like these sold by an independent wood woodworker. One thing you could do is not promote them as a Shopsmith product, instead naming them something else and leaving the Shopsmith name out of them. You would also have to cover any Shopsmith logos or signage on the tools that may appear on camera too. You can use the tools in the videos, but without the support or release from Shopsmith allowing the use of their name, you will have to leave their name out of them.
This is something I will think about doing. If there is enough demand for videos like these, I will start working on them soon. A lawyer friend of mine will probably be able to help me get around the whole copyright problem.
I'll keep everyone posted on the project.

Woodburner, that sounds great. You've got a lot more sophisticated system than the Goldwing guy so I'm sure it will be a lot better. His was fine and very detailed. Everyone loved it thought and he didn't cover up the Honda logo or anything. He did have a big disclaimer that the video was for education and that you shouldn't do the procedures!! Your friend should be able to tell you about any infringement but I would think that since you're just showing procedures of how you do maintenance etc it shouldn't be a problem. I would think Shopsmith would embrace it since it promotes their product and gets newbies involved at a better level.

The person, Dr. Dave Light, who started the http://www.onlineshopclass.com is trying to address these issues. Since we have Shopsmith backing, there are no problem doing videos using Shopsmith equipment. We have done sone alignment procedures for the Shopsmith. The videos are short 4-5 minutes on basic woodworking/remodeling projects. This is our latest update on 03/27/07.

Bill Mayo

Hi folks just another update and a request actually and offer to you guys
first before I look around

The site is exploding with energy. We are at an impasse now in that we have
more requests for segments then we can provide and the ones we do have on
file are backing up nicely for the editing department. Both of these are
GOOD things. I want to thank MANY of you for these "problems"

We are looking for about 3 guys (or gals or combos) who have the vision to
become the next Bob Villa

What I mean by this is that we want a team of woodworkers who will be our
"build team" for the OLSC projects. Right now many of the segments are done
by me (believe it or not) and some by some other "friends" of mine. The
problem with using just me or a friend here or there is we lack the ability
to build long term "name recognition." As many of you know I have
incurable colon, liver and lung cancer so creating an identity for "me" is
all but stupid. I can be PART of a team but not the whole team. We are
looking to recruit 3 or 4 or even 5 folks who want to be part of a HUGE
national project that will teach millions of people how to do home
renovations, DIY stuff and some woodworking for YEARS to come.

Be clear this is NOT a craft site. We are not here to teach intarsia,
scroll saw work, or the like. The market is the DIYer, home renovator, and
or woodworker who wants to integrate his wood skills into bigger projects.

Scroll work for example as it relates to building a bed room set is cool but
scroll work for X-mas tree boxes is not our focus. Same goes for
woodturning. Fine for a few legs for a table but we are not a wood turner
site. This is building construction and the like

Now that we have the make up outlined lets talk about what we are looking to find. We want skilled and partially skilled people who want to demonstrate
tool use skills in video segments online. We will work in massive blasts
rather then a full time job. Massive blasts means that we might spend 3
days a month from 7A till 11P filming tons of stuff then off for a month or
so. We want to have it done in large quantities to support the member's
needs and desires to learn. We have NO shortage of requests. Everything
from how to install windows to how to cut crown moldings to how to lay and
cut hard wood floors. The performance team will do the work after we agree
on how we are going to do it and the film team will record all the steps

The film team is VERY good so we rarely stop and start over again. We
simply go and go and go and they edit the mess together to make it work
This is NOT TV so we have leeway over the production quality. This is about
getting the information across and allowing the user to "get it" I did a
segment on installing a cabinet door hinge. During the install I broke a
screw I was ready to start all over and the video team said NO keep going.
I did and we now have a whole segment on how to fix a boo boo. This is the
type of stuff a home owner might encounter so it was of value.

I want to offer you guys first dibs on a few of these "jobs" before we start
to look nationally on other forums and with guilds and the like

There will be LOTS of notoriety (especially once we close the deal with the
"national firm" you hear me talking about) there will be compensation but
the biggest perk is that there will be equity in ownership of the company
for the chosen team members. The site will easily hit a few million dollars
a year in revenue from the money from the sponsors and part of the equity
will go to the "performance team"

Any takers before I look elsewhere?

This could be a ton of fun for the right person or persons who want to get
out of the same old same old and it will surely get everyone a piece of the
limelight. I noticed that more and more reality shows are about people
looking to "dance with stars" or "Grease you are the one I want" or "Idol"
etc.. This is the Internet version of that without the voting process.

We expect to finalize the team in the next few months and then spend the
summer getting lots of segments ready for launch so that the site has LOTS
of information for members to learn from

So if any of you want to make some fine money create a nice equity position
and grab your few minutes (or hours) of fame let me know. Don't hit reply
if you want to talk email directly at drdave@howtovideoonline.com so that we don't' fill the forum up with discussion.

Our largest sponsor (advertiser) so far is Shopsmith and we use LOTS of the
MK5 and SPTs so this is perfect for you guys who use the tools all day long
and enjoy them. NO we do not ONLY use MK5s but we do support the product
allot.

Dr D

putttn wrote:Woodburner, that sounds great. You've got a lot more sophisticated system than the Goldwing guy so I'm sure it will be a lot better. His was fine and very detailed. Everyone loved it thought and he didn't cover up the Honda logo or anything. He did have a big disclaimer that the video was for education and that you shouldn't do the procedures!! Your friend should be able to tell you about any infringement but I would think that since you're just showing procedures of how you do maintenance etc it shouldn't be a problem. I would think Shopsmith would embrace it since it promotes their product and gets newbies involved at a better level.

WOW! What a great idea. I would think this is exactly what the woodworking hobby needs. It is so much faster and easier when you see techniques in a video and if it can be replayed over and over to see how the experts actually do it, it is a great benefit. Especially for those of us who are pretty much working in the dark as newbies. Specific to the SS would be more helpful here since we are all working with the same tool. I would think it would be nothing but good for SS, anything that makes woodworking more visible is a big help.

I'm all for learning how to use my shop equipment better and classes do just that. The Traveling Academy is very good but I don't feel that its format lends itself to being filmed for educational purposes. It (the format) is designed more for an interactive show and tell where the instructor does nearly all of the showing and most of the telling.

I would not purchase a filming that was nothing more than short shots of what happens in a Traveling Academy session.