Shopsmith History

[chapmanruss]

Early Mark 5 from 1954
April serial numbers started with 263051

[everettdavis]

We have extablished by photos of vent plates:

Early (prior to April) Mark 5 from 1954 261441 has Magna Engineering Vent Plate
Later (prior to July) Mark 5 from 1957 345791 has Magna Power Tool Corp. Vent Plate

This Shopsmith Serial Number data indicated Mark 5, Mark V, and 500. I would like to nail that down more if we can.

I would like to refine this with more vent plate photos to help refine when the model number changed from Mark 5 to Mark V. It has been discussed that some have a handle on this that brackets it into a group of numbers.

The Two Dots represent the two vent plates identified in this thread, NOT exactly the start of the time these references first appeared on the vent plates. That too needs more 'bracketing'

JPG could you elaborate on that some with some photos if you have access to them?

Everett

Mark 5 and Mark V and Company Names Timeline questions.png (635.13 KiB) Viewed 7194 times

[reible]

We have had various name plate discussions before but perhaps it is now time to do it again. I have more but they are not located local to me at this time so here are the three that I do have. These are all "B" headstocks, the "C" I have is missing the plate because I've misplaced it when I did the conversion to the powerpro..... but that is another story.

This first one has the plate and the sticker with the date code, and as I mentioned it is still a "B" so the change over happened sometime after this:

20180220_183252_resized.jpg (122.85 KiB) Viewed 7166 times

This next one is an example of the Vandalia version, it is hard to read in the image but it says Mark V:

20180220_182955_resized.jpg (171.36 KiB) Viewed 7166 times

This is an earlier one in the lost data era but has the Mark 5 listed along with Vandalia:

20180220_184326_resized.jpg (194.57 KiB) Viewed 7166 times

My speculation has been that in the move from Vandalia to Dayton the box or three of records related to those early year shopsmith models were lost.

Ed

[JPG]

I have one Mark5 SS Inc. vent plate from apparently late 1982.

I will check my 510 later(it is not readily accessible).

ss inc m5 vent plate.pdf.jpg (235.51 KiB) Viewed 7158 times

Ignore the pdf in the name

[JPG]

My early 510 vent plate. 6/1986(invoice).

510 jpg vent plate.jpg (280.39 KiB) Viewed 7137 times

[chapmanruss]

JPG's two vent plates are first from a Mark 5 SS13655 made prior to 1978 when the Shopsmith Inc. records start. The other is from an early Mark V 510 Serial Number 51 003056 made in June 1986.

The middle one from Ed, Serial Number SS57336 was made in April of 1980 and is a Mark V which narrows down the change from Mark 5 to Mark V between January and April.

The change from Magna Engineering Corporation to Magna Power Tool Corporation on the tool occurred sometime between December 1955 (Serial # 316944) and September 1956 (Serial # 330794) as far as I can document from plates I have seen.

We all know that changes did not come quickly in the Shopsmith world. It is one of the problems we encounter when trying to date things. Today I saw the cover of the original Owners Manual produced for the 4" Jointer Model 620 and guess what is on the cover. You would think it would be a Model 620 Jointer maybe on a Mark 5, but no it is a Model 4E Jointer on a Model 10ER. I guess it was easier to use a picture they had to get the manual out than to take a new one. I hope the manual shows how to mount and align a Model 620 on the Mark 5 and not the Model 4E on a Model 10ER. This has occurred in catalogs over the years showing pictures of older versions in their listings.

[chapmanruss]

Looking at the information I have as to the locations of Shopsmith Inc. as marked on the Vent/Serial Number Plates of the Mark V/5's.

Tipp City Prior to 1978 Serial Number 12578 (Cannot date because we do not know the production dates)

Vandalia June 1978 to September 1983 Serial Number 22218 to 161521

Dayton November 1984 Serial Number 192661

Mark V-B November 1984 to March 1985 Serial Number 192661 to 199647 (from only three plates) Where all between these dates Mark V-B's? Additional note - These are the only three plates I have seen in this serial number range. The third is 195168.

My information does have gaps to be filled in.

[everettdavis]

Indeed it is a challenge to find the hidden Easter Eggs so to speak.

I have for several months been waiting on Shopsmith to begin to reveal what a cache of previously unknown document archives brought to Shopsmith by Hans Goldschmidt toward the end of his life might reveal.

He apparently thought enough of it to hand carry it to Shopsmith for preservation.

I was told that they had sent it out to their printer for 'scanning'. I offered to personally travel there to do it myself at no cost in high definition as part of research for a book I hope to write when I retire next year. It was already underway apparently.

I hope their printer does extremely precise scanning and due diligence in the preservation of these documents.

Not knowing where their printer is in the process of scanning them, nor how much derivative information they might find that would be of interest to owners that they would then in some way publish, it makes it difficult to project what might be forthcoming.

I am as an owner and a historian, as I am sure many are, intrigued and excited about what we may learn. Is it possible some of the serial number and production records might be a part of that history Hans wanted preserved? Perhaps. He obviously wanted to make the effort to see they survived.

Everett

[Don1519]

Maybe the V-B was the introduction of the 2 bearing quill?

[chapmanruss]

Sounds possible

From Shopsmith records

September 1984, Two Bearing Quill replaced single bearing quill in headstocks Serial number 190000 & above.

The V-B could have been dropped when the Mark V 510 & 505 came out changing the original table system to the Mark V 500