Shopsmith Forums

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

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.

With all good wishes,

Nick
Is that statistic made available to the Woodworking media?
I would think that would affect their view of the Shopsmiths to some degree.
Ed

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. For my part, I usually discount the article as insignificant. Then again, if I add the cost of each tool tested over a years time, my SS purchase was a real bargin.

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.

With all good wishes,

Has Shopsmith gotten their summer get together into the calendars of the various magazines or invited the editors?

I have been watching Cool Tools and there has been a Shopsmith in the background of almost every show (whey the host announces the URL of their website) without a word on what it is.

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.

WOW! As a retail business owner, my first thought was 'incremental sales' (yours too, obviously! Thus the email specials, etc. )

Is that estimate based on your active e-mail list, number of people who order annually, etc. or is it just an educated guess?

Any estimate on inactive users (not people with rusty boat anchors in the basement, but ones who just need a LITTLE motivation)?

I know you're crazy busy, so feel free to answer anytime in the next 10 minutes. Just kidding!

Just about any city with a "decent" popultion on craigslist has multiple shopsmith's for sale from the 1950's up. So I bet there's even more.

Is there any number for the total number of Mark5s sold since they have been made.

More likely than not, very few of them have probably NOT been thrown away so I would think they are still in peoples hands. The other consideration is how many are in storage vs. those they get any kind of usage. Intersting statistics.

Then again statistics are like bikinis. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital.

-Tim

Reading about woodworking magazine editorial policies reminds me of the shortsighted fellow who sat down in front of a cold wood stove on a freezing winter day and said to the stove; "Give me warmth and I will give you wood!":eek: Jim

Am I reading that "write". If "timster68" wrote what I believe he did, it reads like that most Shopsmith's have been thrown away.

What I hope he meant to say is "very few Shopsmith's have probably been thrown away", instead of "very few Shopsmith's have probably NOT been thrown away."

How the English language is written, what fun.

Sorry to poke some fun at you. I always like to catch fun things like that, being a former journalist. I'm sure we all know what you meant. I know I have had my moments.

woodburner wrote:Am I reading that "write". If "timster68" wrote what I believe he did, it reads like that most Shopsmith's have been thrown away.

What I hope he meant to say is "very few Shopsmith's have probably been thrown away", instead of "very few Shopsmith's have probably NOT been thrown away."

How the English language is written, what fun.

Sorry to poke some fun at you. I always like to catch fun things like that, being a former journalist. I'm sure we all know what you meant. I know I have had my moments.

Hi woodburner,
Speaking of ing a little fun, I wood appreciate it if you used proper punctuation.

Example:

Am I reading that "write".

As a (former) journalist, you should know that questions end with a "?" and not a ".".

Example:

How the English language is written, what fun.

I could be wrong, but that comma, IMHO, should be a semicolon! Sorry!