Shopsmith Forums

Posted: **Mon May 19, 2008 6:51 pm**

kalynzoo wrote:Totally agree. I get a plethora of wood magazines. Usually with a review of one tool or another, or a blade in an assortment of saws. Never have I seen SS on the list. OK, SS probably does not advertize in all the magazines, but still. Some of the tools tested are very high end, and I doubt the availability in most shops.

Sounds like the politics of marketing.

Posted: **Mon May 19, 2008 7:37 pm**

ryanbp01 wrote:I just took a survey from Taunton Press. I subscribe to "Fine Woodworking". They wanted to know what tools in their survey that I use. Needless to say, it was very short. I told them in the comment section of the survey that I own a Shopsmith 520 and that it does so much more than the tools they were asking about and that I thought the survey was a waste of time. It just just goes to show the shortsightedness of such surveys. It really gets my back up when woodworking publications don't even acknowledge the Shopsmith and the versatility it offers!

Have a good weekend,
BPR

Hi BPR! I was gone for several days, but now catching up on computer stuff. I took the e-mail survey of tools. Could review some chisels, the DeWalt thickness planer.

In comments- suggested they should ask about the Shopsmith Mark V, Multipurpose tool.

Posted: **Mon May 19, 2008 9:40 pm**

charlese wrote:Hi BPR! I was gone for several days, but now catching up on computer stuff. I took the e-mail survey of tools. Could review some chisels, the DeWalt thickness planer.

In comments- suggested they should ask about the Shopsmith Mark V, Multipurpose tool.

I did the same. If there are 200K/1,000,000 Shopsmith model 5xx in use/Existence what other individual power pool model has that kind of installed base?

Why is there a vibrant third party for other tools and not the Shopsmith?

How many Delta Lathes have been sold? Or Powermatic table saws?

Posted: **Tue May 20, 2008 8:25 am**

Nick wrote:By the way, folks, our best estimate is there are 200,000 active Shopsmith users (people who make at least one project per year) out there. That's not an insignificant portion of the woodworking magazine readership.

True, but it IS an insignificant portion of the "Fine Woodworking" readership.

There's a preconceived notion that any tool that performs multiple functions ultimitely does none of them well. As many of you have proven here that doesn't have to be the case, but it's a stigma that Shopsmith owners can either live with or ignore.

Posted: **Tue May 20, 2008 2:30 pm**

jg300da wrote:True, but it IS an insignificant portion of the "Fine Woodworking" readership.

There's a preconceived notion that any tool that performs multiple functions ultimately does none of them well. As many of you have proven here that doesn't have to be the case, but it's a stigma that Shopsmith owners can either live with or ignore.

Actually my point is I thought it was a very significant portion, maybe the largest single model of any tool. Before I retired I used the Shopsmith logo as my computer background and every day someone stopped by and commented that they also had one. For my retirement gift my coworkers gave me a shopsmith gift certificate that I will be spending soon.

Posted: **Tue May 20, 2008 9:04 pm**

paulmcohen wrote: For my retirement gift my coworkers gave me a shopsmith gift certificate that I will be spending soon.

Happy Retirement, Paul!!!:D

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2008 12:32 am**

charlese wrote:Happy Retirement, Paul!!!:D

Thanks for your thoughts.

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2008 12:58 am**

Happy Retirement, Paul: Now you can make more sawdust!

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2008 7:34 am**

paulmcohen wrote:Actually my point is I thought it was a very significant portion, maybe the largest single model of any tool. Before I retired I used the Shopsmith logo as my computer background and every day someone stopped by and commented that they also had one. For my retirement gift my coworkers gave me a shopsmith gift certificate that I will be spending soon.

Paul, I'm jealous. For me, retirement is a light that is so far at the other end of the tunnel that I've turned the light switch off to save energy!:D

BPR

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2008 10:58 am**

Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending you your point of view, Shopsmith, like Apple, chose to design their tool to only accept proprietary components, thus making any aftermarket jigs and accessories incompatible.

Apple may have a great platform, but in the early going, little serious software was available for anything but graphics.

I wonder what success and popularity Shopsmith would be enjoying had the manufacturer not bucked the standards.

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