Shopsmith Forums

Shopsmith in a Can!

For anyone who has acquired a older vintage Shopsmith machine (Model 10-ER or Mark 5), you might be lucky enough to get a cool old box of stuff that's fun to rummage through - you never know what you might come up with! I'm always surprised at the number of "consumable" items that have survived the decades: old packets of sandpaper discs and drum sander sleeves are pretty common, as are jigsaw blades.

Ones that are more rare are things like tubes of Magna-Lube, but the items featured here seem to be very rare indeed! I just recently acquired a second container of Rust Preventative Spray, and sometime back had found a second can of Liquid Adhesive. I don't know if the variations of these are changes in the spec over time, or simply changes in supplier. Either way, they're an interesting footnote in Magna/Shopsmith history.
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NIB Sawsmith RAS Accessories - Part 1

Not too long ago, I showed an Add-A-Tool bracket that was included with a recent Sawsmith RAS purchase. Well, it seems like when it rains, it pours!

eBay vendor recently posted an amazing collection of unused Sawsmith accessories, all new in box. Couldn’t resist!
. The document pictured and some others from this accessories batch can be found here:
http://www.vintagemachinery.org/mfginde ... =339&tab=3

I’ll post some pics of the rest of these accessories shortly.

Okay, the add a tool is cool. Make sure you check out the full instructions in the link. Thank you for sharing.

Shopsmith Model Lineup, Circa 1958

I recently acquired a very nice set of original publicity proofs from the Founding Fathers at Magna. In this one, Bob Chambers is looking over their multi-tool system lineup for somewhere around 1958. Hope he didn’t lean too heavily on that Mark 2, or it would be in danger of collapsing under him!
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John,

When you said

Hope he didn’t lean too heavily on that Mark 2, or it would be in danger of collapsing under him!

Did you mean this

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Another example of the "quality" of the Mark 2, actually the lack thereof.

Both Mark 2 I have purchased had this happening. The one already restored has the Retractable Casters which helps keep the right and left leg pieces from spreading out. For anyone with a Mark 2 not having the Retractable Casters I would suggest putting a supporting rod between the legs through the Retractable Caster Mounting Holes. Although the Mark 2 uses what looks like the Mark 5 Retractable Casters (as seen below), they are actually about an inch shorter front to back.

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FWIW that leg splaying creates greater stability due to the wider foot print.

It would but the machine is pretty light and really doesn't need that extra stability.

Sorry John,

Hijacking the thread for a little humor.

chapmanruss wrote: ↑Thu Jan 04, 2024 1:45 pm Sorry John,
Hijacking the thread for a little humor.

That’s exactly why I post these - I love to see a little light-hearted back and forth!

So, why exactly do I need a Lathe Tool Rest for my RAS??!

Well, if you owned the world’s most versatile RAS back in the day, your Sawsmith was capable of all sorts of workshop functions if you had the right accessories - including lathe function!
. …nothing complicated or scary about this!

This tool rest is reminiscent of a Mark 2 tool rest, with a flat edge milled into the length of the support tube, since its position would be secured by a set screw in the Add-a-Tool mount, rather than the pinion gear mechanism in the Mark 5 carriage.
. I don’t know the story of the gentleman who originally purchased this accessory, but from its flawless condition, it’s clear that he never found an opportunity to use it…

Other than the paint color and having longer set screws it looks just like my Mark 2 Lathe Tool Rest Assembly shown below.

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