Shopsmith Forums

fixit wrote:It appears some folks are ultra "sensitive". While I agree with the recommendation to keep political speech confined to the Community Forum it is in no way necessary to "police" all other forums to exclude occasional political (or any other subject) remarks.

Remember while we have the right of free speech we should be aware of others' sensibilities. And it's necessary for those of the other viewpoint to remember we do NOT have the "right" to not be offended.

Suggest everyone lighten up. Let's keep the Shopsmith Forums the friendly place it has been for years and not get our noses out of joint unnecessarily over minutia.

I agree with what you said, except being called "ultra sensitive." I don't believe in policing every post and thread and I understand the right to free speech. However, I do believe that we should be respectful towards others.

I sent Dusty a private message letting him know that he didn't offend me. I believe this forum is a great group of very helpful people and I would never want to discourage people from posting. Maybe my criticism should be targeted to the one individual and his posts. I just didn't see the need that every post he made needed to degrade to a rant about politics.

Now that we have that past us. On to the original topic on this thread.

Shopsmith is great! Although I have a table saw that I am more than happy with, I purchased a used machine more for the other features. Instead of going out and buying a cheap drill press I got a machine with a much more powerful motor. I never thought I would get into turning, but some free cherry came along and now I will get the chance to see if I can make a project for my wife at Chrismas.

Even though I have a table saw, I probably will use the Shopsmith for dado cuts. The sanding disk is a great help in speeding up that process and doesn’t have the numbness that a random orbital sander has. I was able to get my hands on a planer and it is simply amazing. I'm sure it will be even more after I get the new blades installed.

Shopsmith is second to none when it comes to providing repair advice and replacement parts. Look at how many people are still using machines built in the 50s and the fact that most repairs can be done by the user. Also, their customer service has always been good for giving advice. Although I didn’t buy my unit directly from them, I’ve supported them by buying parts from them. They continue to support the user of their products through this forum and many things like keeping the Sawdust Sessions archived.

Well, politics are part of our daily life and when politicians make promises they don't keep, they should be called out on that. And, when that calling out offends someone, then I guess they need to be offended.

Thanks for all the post.
All I really wished to do was tell everyone was how impressed I am with a Company that will sacrifice sales and profit to support the customer base that supported them. Yes: backorders and price are real issues, but THE company is still their and developing and shipping and supporting. A person with a limp is still walking.

RICK

I totally agree with the admiration of the tool. But not the admiration of the customer support. I recently got an old Mark VII and the support people told me that none of the parts from the company would fit it and they just hoped I did not pay much for the machine.

drdale wrote:I totally agree with the admiration of the tool. But not the admiration of the customer support. I recently got an old Mark VII and the support people told me that none of the parts from the company would fit it and they just hoped I did not pay much for the machine.

I think you are expecting too much from the company. There are some current parts that can be used on the VII. Not everything is available such as the plastic speed control, but some have had it machined it out of aluminum. Yes, you can make it work with parts from EBay, but at what cost. When it comes to the Mark VII you have to be choosey regarding the condition of the machine.

It hasn't been manufactured since 1964 and several designs while new didn't stand the test of time, i.e. the plastic speed control and plastic rack. Also keep in mind that Yuba and Magna made the machine and when Shopsmiths were no longer manufactered no parts were available. Yes, that is right no Shopsmiths or parts were being made from 1964-1972. When The current Shopsmith formed in 1972 they decided to focused on the Mark V which had a better and longer track record. The decisions they made to keep the platform the same and allow for upgrades which is why we still can get Mark V parts today.

Just hang around and I'm sure that several users here who own the Mark VII will point you in the right direction where to find the info you need.

On a side note, I bought a table saw from Home Depot that they currently sell. They don't even carry the replacement safety keys in store and the manufacturer doesn't have them in stock. Oh, and they only give you one key anymore. What is the point of a safey key it you are too afraid to lose the only one they give you because you may have to replace the switch if it is lost.

Another 'side note'. Recently it has been apparent to me that parts unique to the '500' or Mark 5 are no longer being produced. Sad news indeed.

FWIW only 'Magna American' produced the Mark VII.

JPG are you sure? According to the Shopsmith website, parts unique to the 500 are still available. I can't imagine they would discontinue 500 parts as they constitute the majority of units "out there". Alec

I'd expect that the main reason Shopsmith says that current parts don't fit the Mark VII is for liability insurance reasons. They didn't make the Mark VII, so they don't want to be liable for any accidents that might occur with one. And, it probably has more to do with the insurance company's policies than with Shopsmith's.

pennview wrote:I'd expect that the main reason Shopsmith says that current parts don't fit the Mark VII is for liability insurance reasons. They didn't make the Mark VII, so they don't want to be liable for any accidents that might occur with one. And, it probably has more to do with the insurance company's policies than with Shopsmith's.

I wonder if even Shopsmith has "official" documentation on Mark VII parts.