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Re: Share your Magna memorabilia!
Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2022 5:52 pm
by jpdalton
“I’m going to a demo, and I haven’t a thing to wear…”
So, anyone who has looked at early Magna/Shopsmith history knows they very cleverly stressed the importance of demonstrating the product to help promote sales. They taught this to their retailers, and they took that show on the road!
Below are some images from a vintage photograph of the Shopsmith demonstration booth at what I believe is the “Dayton Colosseum” in 1955. You can see the familiar logo, and although they’re clearly demonstrating the Mark 5 (although the banner says “Mark V”…), the original blue cover PTWFE is for sale in the booth…
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What’s also interesting to me is what the staffer is wearing in the booth - a lab coat with dark collar, belt, and cuffs, with the Shopsmith logo. I actually saw one similar on eBay quite a few years back with an asking price so outrageous, that I didn’t even bother with a “reasonable” offer…
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Demonstrator’s Lab Coat
Well, I recently saw another one offered at a somewhat reasonable price by a vintage clothing collector, and I jumped at the opportunity to acquire it! For its age and the journey it’s likely been on, it’s in great condition! The collar, belt, and cuffs are a vibrant royal blue, the logos are in excellent condition. Something the photographs didn’t show was the very large logo on the back - beautiful! The white fabric needs a little cleaning up, but that’ll be for another day.
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Re: Share your Magna memorabilia!
Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2022 12:01 pm
by jpdalton
12” Assorted Sandpaper Packets
Not all disc sanding users changed their sandpaper as often as they should have… Lucky for me as a few of these have survived some decades in various workshops!
Here’s a sampling in the various packaging options from the Magna/Magna American period.
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Re: Share your Magna memorabilia!
Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2022 2:35 pm
by jpdalton
PTWFE Versions
Many Shopsmith users have had the chance to reference RJ DeCristoforo’s “Power Tool Woodworking For Everyone” - it’s a great work that reflects the versatility of any Shopsmith system when a little creativity is applied. Versions of this book have been around since the 10-ER days, and editions have been created for most Shopsmith systems (I don’t believe a special PTWFE edition was ever created for the Mark 2 - has anyone seen such a volume?).
Here’s my collection. It contains a branded printing for each of the manufacturers during the greenie-goldie era - Magna, Yuba, and Magna American - and even an edition for the Mark VII with a slightly different title: “Modern Power Tool Woodworking”. My library contains an odd 1979 printing of the Mark VII book, well after its demise, that I suspect may have been an effort to capitalize on the renewed popularity of the Mark V that had been resurrected by the Folkerth family a few years prior.
And while I don’t have a DeCristoforo-signed volume, Jim McCann was kind enough to autograph a copy of the white-covered 4th edition after our meeting during a factory tour!
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Re: Share your Magna memorabilia!
Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2022 10:10 am
by jpdalton
Miter Gauge Safety Grip
Here’s another accessory that appears to never have been used, and as most of us are aware, the Miter Gauge Safety Grip is one of the
handiest accessories in the Shopsmith catalog! Pun intended?? You be the judge…
Since this one is from the Yuba years, it’s probably from around 1960, give or take a year or so, and it has the familiar patent number cast into one side of the handle. Those of you with early Mark 5’s with a miter including a safety grip may notice your grip instead has “Pat. Apl. For” in the same casting, which noted the patent had been applied for, but not yet issued.
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Patent number cast in…
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Pre-patent casting…
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I also have a Magna American era grip in box, with a slightly different branding on the cover.
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Re: Share your Magna memorabilia!
Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2022 4:34 pm
by jsburger
Re: Share your Magna memorabilia!
Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2022 5:35 pm
by jpdalton
jsburger wrote: ↑Thu Apr 14, 2022 4:34 pm
I have two first edition copies of PTWFE that were owned by Hans Goldschmidt.
Thanks so much for sharing! These are real treasures for sure!
Re: Share your Magna memorabilia!
Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2022 11:38 pm
by jpdalton
Your Shopsmith featured in what??!
One thing I’ve always given the Magna team a lot of credit for is their great marketing efforts in the early days of Shopsmith that had those machines featured in all sorts of publications. That being said, I wouldn’t have expected Better Homes & Gardens readers to be a target audience, but they published a series of Handyman Books that were like one-volume encyclopedias for DIY homeowners - so precisely Shopsmith’s target audience!
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The first edition (red cover) from 1951 featured the 10-ER in the volume’s explanation of how to use a multipurpose tool (while the Magna product was featured, it wasn’t permitted to show its logo plate to properly identify it).
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While a later edition featured the Mark 5 (again, branding has been removed from the speed controller dial).
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Re: Share your Magna memorabilia!
Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2022 8:18 pm
by jsburger
Here is another book I got from Skip Campbell with the signed copy of PTWFE that belonged to Hand Goldschmidt. It is a book written by Chris' (R.J. De Christaforo) wife. Her pen name was Mary Cristy. She was a writer like her husband Chris. This book is about their life together as writers. Chapter 18 is titled "Power Tool Woodworking For Everyone". In it she describes Chris' writing of the book. In particular she talks about Chris finishing the book and not knowing when it would actually be published. She describes a party at Hans Goldschmidt's house where the Chambers brothers (Bob and Frank) were present along with many of the Magna Engineering employees.The Chambers brothers were the ones that financed Hans and started Magna Engineering and the Shopsmith brand. At the party Chris was presented with the first pre-publication copy of PTWFE.
This book was owned by Bob Chambers. It includes a hand written note fron Mary Cristy to Bob and June Chambers.
Re: Share your Magna memorabilia!
Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2022 9:24 pm
by jsburger
Here is one you don't see very often. It is the only one I have ever seen in years of looking. It is a key switch for the Model 10. It appears to be unused. The box is in good shape except for the lid.
Re: Share your Magna memorabilia!
Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2022 7:44 am
by jpdalton
jsburger wrote: ↑Fri Apr 15, 2022 9:24 pm
Here is one you don't see very often. It is the only one I have ever seen in years of looking. It is a key switch for the Model 10. It appears to be unused. The box is in good shape except for the lid.
John - thanks for sharing this and the very unique signed books. It’s great to see how much this thread has grown since I started it a couple of months ago. At this point it may have grown
too long for people to see all the great memorabilia that’s been posted! Russ Chapman shared one of those key switch locks early in the thread - page 2 - (now we know there are two of that vintage!). I posted one as well, but in the later, mustard colored box with the 5-digit part number.
Keep those posts coming!!
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