Shopsmith Forums

Hey Folks, I have just acquired a shopsmith Mark 5 manufactured in 1986. I know nothing about this equipment and trying to decide if I should sell it or keep it. It's quite interesting in that it has NEVER been used. It is a basic model with no accessories. Can anyone give me advice as to it's value. Also, with it is a BRASS Belt Buckle which I can find no information about and am curious as to the value of the belt buckle. Thanks in advance for help.

The answer...less than you think.

Craigslist is a good indicator of what prices don't sell because what listed are usually the items that sit for months on end and never sell, or behind the scenes you don't see that the person dropped the price by 50-75% to get it to sell. The $1,000 units never sell. It is a used item and is missing many of the features of the new units that sell for $3500+. It has smaller tables, a older fence style and will likely need belts or bearings replaced.

A 500 from 1985 with some use probably around $200-$400
A 500 without any use in the box never unpacked might get you another $100 or $200 to the right person. You might get more than $500, but I guarantee you'll sit for 6 months or longer to get the right person - if you are lucky. It also depends where you live and how available they are.

However, I'll say that almost every unit on Craigslist is advertised as having little to no use so I doubt you will get much more for it as being not used.

You can also look at Ebay at the items that sell, but keep in mind location matters and most people sell items as "pickup only" because shipping is so heavy.

However, it is quite a machine and if you hang around here long enough or do some looking over the old posts you'll find good information and repair knowledge that will help you get the most out of your machine. In the realm of Shopsmith a 26-27 year old machine isn't that old. We have several members here who are using machines that are 50-60 years old.

I would be interested in that belt buckle. Private message me a price if your interested in selling it.

Here is a pic of the Belt Buckle

Nice buckle. I remember seeing another some years ago on Ebay, I believe. They are rare like the Shopsmith clocks. I have too much Shopsmith stuff and a belt buckle is honestly the last thing I think I would want. But seriously, to the right person, that buckle might go for far more than you think and offset your Mark V cost or help you buy some more stuff.

Here is one that sold on Ebay for $32.50:
http://www.ebay.com/csc/i.html?_sacat=0 ... ld=1&rt=nc

Where are you located?

The op is in Alabama. A bit of a drive to Colorado.