Shopsmith Forums

idcook wrote:I find that interesting as it has appeared to me that plastic is usually the first item mentioned (often the only item) regarding quality of the M2.

Make sure the comments are not to be confused with a Mark VII. A Mark 2 is a completely different genre.

rcplaneguy wrote:1958 to 1960 Mark II (5-in-1)
This unit was made exclusively for Montgomery Wards. It was not made of the same quality as the MARK V. These units were NOT manufactured by Shopsmith, Inc. Shopsmith, Inc. has NO repair parts for these tools.

When I was first discovering Shopsmith through the 10ER that was given to me, that statement on the Shopsmith Web site confused me. It can be found on the history page for several past machines. I thought they must have been made by another company and licensed the Shopsmith name or something. But they are authentic Shopsmith machines, made by the official Shopsmith company of their time. It's just that the company currently known as "Shopsmith, Inc" is technically a different company although they hold the Shopsmith legacy.

JPG40504 wrote:Make sure the comments are not to be confused with a Mark VII. A Mark 2 is a completely different genre.

Ah!

Yes, you’re right, I may be mixing up comments I’ve read about both.

I wouldn't mind having a Mark II just because it's sort of an odd hybrid of a 10ER and a Mark 5. Just looking at the machines you would think the development was 10ER, Mark II, then Mark 5.

JPG40504 wrote:Let's call them 'shortcomings'.

The belt guard broke usually.

Looks like the belt guard on the machine linked above is held together with duct tape, so this shortcoming appears to apply to this machine as well…although if everything in my life that was fixed with duct tape was considered a shortcoming, I'd be in trouble

heathicus wrote:I wouldn't mind having a Mark II just because it's sort of an odd hybrid of a 10ER and a Mark 5. Just looking at the machines you would think the development was 10ER, Mark II, then Mark 5.

Heath, in my (never to be) humble opinion, the Mk II was a downgrade from the ER. But then, we all agree the ER was WELL over-engineered. The Mk II was under engineered, to the point of being weak in any phase of the Shopsmith's performance.

If an ER falls off of a truck, you're liable to the most damage to the concrete or (even worse) asphalt. With a Mk II, is it worth picking back up?

Sorry to be such a stick-in-the-mud, but I'm just not impressed.

Save your money for Mk-something else, or the ER.

steve