Shopsmith count?

[reible]

I have no idea how many shopsmiths exist....... I'd like to know or at least have a ball park idea.

So why would I like to know? I was thinking about dropping some notes to some of the woodworking magazines about the lack of coverage of anything shopsmith. If I could say there are a hundred machines out there they might not take notice but on the other had if I could say a million they might...

I know Shopsmith has numbers but I doubt they will make them public but then there are still a lot of "shopsmith" machines produced like the various companies that proceeded Shopsmith. Machines like the 10E and 10ER, the Mark VII and early Mark V's.

So has anyone seen any data on this? I'd like to have facts but feel free to post guess if you wish... and if "fact" please post the place you found it.

Ed

[greitz]

Hi, Ed- The Chairman's message on http://www.shopsmith.com says there are over 600,000 Shopsmith customers. So that's not a direct count of functional Mark V's, but it's a ballpark figure. At least we could say there are 600,000 of us who'd like to see direct comparisons with Shopsmith.
Gary

[reible]

Good point, now that you mention it I remember reading that... and 600,000 sounds like a big number to me...

Ed

[paulmcohen]

I have asked this before and not gotten an answer. Does 600,000 make Shopsmith anything like "The most popular Lathe on the planet" or "The most widely sold table saw" or owned by 1 in 20 woodworkers. This originally came up when I could not find accessories from third parties and when I inquired it was like I was asking about accessories for a Edsel.

These kinds of statements would help magazines spend more time covering the subject. I also agree the value of other Shopsmith tools is less obvious unless you are an owner you would never even know they existed.

[reible]

Hey Paul I remember your question and as back then I have no idea as to how popular this makes Shopsmith........ but it would be a good piece of market hipe.....

As to why more companies don't look to the shopsmith market.... at least some did as there were several clones out for a while... I think at this time there are none being advertised.

Attachments are the things you were thinking about and again I know of only a few places that mention shopsmith.... and a few that say plain-end 5/8".

Perhaps it is a vast right wing or is that left wing or.... maybe it has something to do with space aliens trying to hold us earthlings back... or maybe they don't even know we are here....

Ed

[curly57]

Go get'em Ed!! Woo Hoo!! I think we should all send in something like this, I know I subscribe to a few, I think I'll send something to them as well!!

Happy Woodworking and God Bless!!
Curly....

[butcherboy]

In a Woodworkers Journal magazine recently there was a comparision test
by B. Scarpino, a notable wood turner, of several models of lathes.
Nowhere was Shopsmith even given a word. Why is this? This would have been a perfect opportunity for Shopsmith to shine brightly.
So they have them in Lowes Homecenters, don't stop there get them into
Home Depot and Menards and everywhere else that woodworkers may shop for tools and supplies.
butcherboy

[Bruce]

So they have them in Lowes Homecenters

I've never seen any literature or demo in my local Lowes store. I guess they're only in the larger markets.

[a1gutterman]

The latest that I heard was from Rick Davis @ the Traveling academy that I recently attended: Rick said that there are over 2.5 million SS machines out there. He also mentioned that SS was leaving Lowes and going into Home Depot.