Shopsmith Forums

Ed (reible) had an interesting suggestion: a poll of how old you were when you first got your Shopsmith. So, here it is...

It looks like 26-35 is winning now and I'm in that group. For me, that's when I had small kids and a house that needed furniture. It turns out that I only built bunk beds for the boys, a doll cradle for my daughter, and an entertainment center before other things stole my time away from the shop. The SS sat pretty much unused until I was in my late 40's. Happily, I did not have the problems that some have written about with machines that went unused for years.

I was almost positive that the 36 and older crowd would've led the way and am a bit surprised that it's the twenty-somethings that are far ahead of the pack. I had figured that an older generation of woodworkers with steady incomes, higher incomes, more stable lifestyles, would've come out higher. I know there are a lot of us that got into woodworking at an early age, then life interrupted, and we resumed woodworking later in life when the kids were grown and we were settling into middle age with a lot more time on our hands. Hmmm... I wonder how Shopsmith gears their marketing to age groups... Older? Younger? Middle of the road?

Eric

I hate to be difficult, but I was 11 when Dad brought the SS home. After taking 8th grade shop, I was allowed to use it and have been using it ever since.

I'm now 60 and using the same unit.

My story is the same as Greenvilleguy's...My dad brought home a Greenie in '56 when I was 10 and I started using it shortly thereafter. Since then I have bought one 10ER and 4 Mkv 500's and sold all but the last MkV . The MkV I have now, #4, was purchased about 20 years ago. The 10ER was the first SS I purchased for my own use, and that was back in 1970 or 71, when I was about 24. Other than when I was moving from one home to another, I can't really remember a time when there wasn't a Shopsmith in my life.

Ed

bought my mark VII when I was 23 for four hundred at wards in Robinsdale MN. Largest lath item was a 34" x 8" candle holder. Worst thing I have done on the Shopsmith is remove three fingers on the saw, but thanks to great Doctor have all threee back in working order.

Still looking to know if the Mark V parts will work on the Mark VII. They look in the diagrams as though they are the same.

Anybody try to do this? I am trying to fix the idler shaft assembly.

Floyd@wood2quilters

I hate to be difficult, but I was 11 when Dad brought the SS home.

I only wish my sons had taken an interest when they were young.

Bruce

Found this old poll that hadn't been updated for a while.

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Greenvilleguy wrote:I hate to be difficult, but I was 11 when Dad brought the SS home. After taking 8th grade shop, I was allowed to use it and have been using it ever since.

I'm now 60 and using the same unit.

Danged shame they didn't make it to last...