Father's Day Catalog

[dusty]

Pleased to see the release of the 2008 Father's Day Catalog.

Congratulations on the return of this catalog in PDF Format; complete with exploded parts views.

[charlese]

O.K. I'll look BUT!!!! MOTHER'S DAY IS THIS COMING SUNDAY MAY 11.

[fjimp]

Hey Chuck does this mean you don't order your wife something you want for Mothers Day? I have a friend that bought his wife a hand gun he wanted one year.

[Bruce]

Hey Chuck does this mean you don't order your wife something you want for Mothers Day? I have a friend that bought his wife a hand gun he wanted one year.

Your friend must have had a death wish!

[fjimp]

Lets just say she never let him forget. Each year of her life after that he received numerous reminders of that particular shortcoming.

[backhertz]

Holy moly, has anyone compared the prices from the Spring Project Days catalog to this one? My spousal unit of 34 years was on my case for spending a lot of money the past few months on Shopsmith stuff. I am so glad I did & now so is she after I pointed out the price savings on several items.

I don't understand why the Shopsmith company doesn't compete with their main competition with their own products: Ebay. Especially when I see some items sell for more on Ebay than the Shopsmith regular price and since there is rumor of the company's demise as well as people making small fortunes by simply purchasing used Shopsmiths, cleaning them up, and then taking them apart and selling them piece by piece.

I paid only $125 for my 1981 Model V 500 and only $225 for a 1989 Model V 510. I cleaned them up well and am rebuiding the headstocks right now by replacing all the belts & bearings. It's not really hard at all, but it's gonna cost more!

[Nick]

Once upon a time, I was watching one of those early morning news shows and the host interviewed a couple that was celebrating their 75th wedding anniversary. She asked the wife if she had ever considered divorce in that three-quarters of a century? The woman screwed up her face, thought a moment, and said, "No, never divorce. Murder, yes; but divorce, no."

Then she asked the husband what was his secret to remaining happily married for 75 years? He replied, "Every morning when we wake up, I look at my wife and say those two magic words."

"Which are?" prompted the host.

"I'm sorry," said the husband. "That covers me for the rest of the day."

With all good wishes,

[nuhobby]

Yes, I saw the prices are up. But I think Shopsmith is asserting itself as a premium USA brand.... they probably froze prices the last couple of years trying to increase sales, and it sounds as though sales are up this year.

The other thing I noticed on a quick glance-through of the Fathers Day catalog is slightly fewer Model 500 specific offerings? Such as the 1 adjustable tube to hold up the drill-press table? Maybe I missed it. Also I think the print-catalog's service-parts diagram pages have started omitting model-500-specific items such as the carriage and worktable. But who could blame them, having not built a model 500 in over 15 years now?

[Nick]

Just a thought, Chris, but something you 500-owners should be aware of. There are very, very few consumer tool manufacturers that service a 60+-year-old product line, and none so small as us. We may not be able to do this forever if we are going to move forward on other products. I can't say anything more on this subject because there really isn't anything to say, but this is a concern that we grapple with daily. If you need 500 repair parts, it may be smart to order them sooner rather than later. That comment is not based on inside information, just common sense.

With all good wishes,

[paulmcohen]

If you need 500 repair parts, it may be smart to order them sooner rather than later. That comment is not based on inside information, just common sense.

With all good wishes,

Can I assume that a 1980's 500 upgraded to a 520 with Rip Scales and two bearing quill is the same as a new 520 or are there unique items I might need in the future?

There are few noticeable difference, a few holes in the table, a shaft-guard and the switch I don't know of others.