Shopsmith Forums

This is a terrific thread! Every Shopsmith owner should see this stuff.

I don't understand the "branding" thing. Above, we see a "Handyman's Book" which very obviously references a Shopsmith but consistently refers to it only as a "multipurpose tool". Also there is an old promotional film out there (on Youtube) in which a Shopsmith is prominently displayed but is still referenced only as an otherwise anonymous "multipurpose tool". Gee, I wonder who makes that kind of tool???

There must have been some arrangement with Shopsmith in the making of these promotionals; why they just didn't call it a Shopsmith is a mystery to me. I get the impression that Magna/Shopsmith was not very good at self-promotion.

It is a matter of "non-advertising". Or at least non-paid.

We often see products especially on TV where the actual name is not used. As an example, how many times have you seen a can of soda that looks just like a Coca Cola can but simply says Cola?

As JPG said

It is a matter of "non-advertising". Or at least non-paid.

I mentioned this before on the Forum that I to have a signed copy of the original first edition of Power Tool Woodworking for Everyone but to an employee of Magna that apparently helped R. J. DeCristoforo. I still need to make a display box for mine similar to what John is going to make for his.

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I bought it when looking for the first edition featuring the Model 10ER for a very very reasonable price and was surprised to find what it said on the inside cover after receiving it.

In days of yore companies were for some reason worried about being sued for mentioning brand names without specific permission, and that permission was often difficult to obtain based on similar fears. I don't know if there was any basis for these fears or any solid marketing strategy behind the idea either. A big change occurred when the movie ET was made. The producers requested permission from M&M Mars to use M&Ms in the movie and permission was denied. Reeses gave permission to use their Reeses Pieces which were no where near as popular as M&Ms before the movie was released and Reeses Pieces sales skyrocketed. I also knew someone who was in marketing back in the 60s and 70s, he was the model for the main character in a cable series about ad men in the 60s. He produced a commercial for shaving cream that showed his client's product next to the top selling competitor's and simply suggested the audience try both and decide which one was better. Whether it led to increased sales directly was irrelevant, it was a great way to increase exposure and link his client's product with the top selling product at the time. He was also involved with the Pepsi Taste Test that compared Pepsi and Coca Cola side by side. No law suits resulted.

Anyway, in those olden days it is not surprising to see mentions of brand names avoided due to a fear of lawsuits, none of which may ever have materialized. Briefly, a company is free to mention brand names all they like, even in other commercial products, so long as they don't misrepresent the brand name as their own or commit libel or slander.

Here is another very rare model 10 accessory, the lower belt guard. I have two of them. One I got on eBay. The other one I got from Skip Campbell. The one from Skip is new old stock and has never been installed according to Skip. I agree with him. The pictures are of that one. You can clearly see in the pictures of the mounting tabs that it has never been installed.

jsburger wrote: ↑Sat Apr 16, 2022 7:32 pm Here is another very rare model 10 accessory, the lower belt guard. I have two of them.

John - I like your style!! You’re not wasting time with trivial memorabilia, but going right for the crème de la crème! Bravo!!

So, what else have you got to share??

SteveMaryland wrote: ↑Sat Apr 16, 2022 8:11 am This is a terrific thread! Every Shopsmith owner should see this stuff.

I don't understand the "branding" thing. Above, we see a "Handyman's Book" which very obviously references a Shopsmith but consistently refers to it only as a "multipurpose tool".

I get the impression that Magna/Shopsmith was not very good at self-promotion.

Steve - thanks for adding to the discussion, and I’m glad you’re enjoying the thread. I’ve been collecting these items for years, and it’s great to see so many other enthusiasts out there have interesting items to share, and are interested in the stories behind them.

To respond to your statement about the branding mystery, at least in the case of the “Handyman’s Book”, I think that was Better Homes & Gardens’ attempt to not endorse any particular brand of product in that reference book, but I’m sure they were happy to take money from Magna for the privilege of featuring their product in the publication!

I would also take a different position on Magna’s prowess at self promotion - I have all sorts of publications in my collection that featured Shopsmith systems prominently. Handyman references seemed to be a popular publication of that period, and Shopsmith systems were often front and center.

Here’s a special edition of True Magazine (sort of the Maxim of its day…) with recommendations for stocking your home workshop. Not only is the 10-ER on the cover, but the Mark 5 is featured inside. There were a lot of pretenders in the multi tool market back then, but only one of those is still in production today!
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chapmanruss wrote: ↑Sat Apr 16, 2022 1:55 pm I mentioned this before on the Forum that I to have a signed copy of the original first edition of Power Tool Woodworking for Everyone but to an employee of Magna that apparently helped R. J. DeCristoforo.
I bought it when looking for the first edition featuring the Model 10ER for a very very reasonable price and was surprised to find what it said on the inside cover after receiving it.

What an amazing find! That’s part of the fun of collecting - you never know what’s going to end up being part of that purchase…

Miter Gauge Stop-Rod

Here’s an unheralded accessory from my in-box collection. This one has seen plenty of use, but came complete in its original box, and still had the original instruction sheet folded in there. And although the instruction sheet is a March 1953 print date, this one includes an envelope of thumb screws that’s marked “FOR MARK 5”, so I know it’s at least 1954 vintage.
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A lot of accessories retained the same part numbers during the change from the Model 10ER to the Mark 5. The parts of the accessories did change in the size of set screw they used going from either a 1/4" or 3/8" to set screws using a 5/32" Allen Wrench aka the Shopsmith Toolbox. I imagine for a time the Miter Gauge Stop Rod was sold with either 5/16" thumb screws for the Mark 5 or 1/4" thumb screws for the Model 10's.