Ladies and gentlemen: I almost don’t have the words to describe the beauty of this piece of machinery. Ahhh…the Shopsmith Mark V! It will make you sweat just to behold it. If you are a woodworker – nay, if you even rarely work with wood, you must have this in your woodshop. The Shopsmith DOES ALMOST ANYTHING YOU CAN ASK OF IT (without getting naughty). But, like most families, it’s got a few “issues” too.
It’s a drill press (outstanding feature), horizontal drill, table saw (not quite as outstanding), wood lathe and sander. Variable speeds for each accessory is an added bonus; (VERY nice for the sander option). With a couple of adjustments, it transitions from one woodworking tool to another with “relative” ease. (You definitely have to go through the process of converting from one tool to the next a couple times before it goes smoothly.) The space it requires is minimal and you can wheel it out of the way when not in use. Total cost is less than buying each individual tool and piece of equipment. This baby is a woodworker’s dream come true.
Shopsmith 10ER (Model 10, Experimental, “Revised”, in case you’re wondering). It was well received, and Magna made dozens of improvements of the next 7 years, and in 1954 released the Shopsmith Mark V. Although there were other “Marks” − a Mark II and a Mark VII − the Mark V was the flagship. The original Shopsmith 10E and 10ER were invented by Dr. Hans Goldschmidt of Albany, CA, in 1947; made by the Magna America Corporation in Berkeley, CA, from 1947 to 1953; and sold by Montgomery Ward. The Mark 5 debuted in 1953 but went out of production in 1964.
I know, I know…some people are critics: “It takes too long to switch functions.” (Sob.) Or, “I’ve heard it’s a pain in the ass to use.” (Boo-hoo.) Or, “It doesn’t rip a bevel as cleanly as I’d like.” (Tiny violins playing.) Get over it. By the way, I don’t love the table saw function either. The table is too short in my opinion, making it hard to manage lengths of wood; they cantilever off the end and that’s how you end up with sh*%ty cuts.
Besides, most of us aren’t going to get rid of our favorite tools and equipment anyway. Not every feature is perfect; so don’t use the ones you don’t love. On the flip side; some of the features (like the drill press) are as good/accurate, if not better/more accurate than many individual presses on the market. Think of the Shopsmith as a sweet back up or addition to your woodshop.
Example: I have a fully loaded woodshop on the first floor of my barn. It’s equipped with table and miter saws, wood planer, all my favorite hand tools, more space than I usually need…the works. I also have a basement located directly below my fat ass; not across the expanse of an acre. When it’s negative three degrees in the middle of a Central New York January, and I’m not up for tying a guide wire to myself and wading through four foot snowdrifts to get to my barn, only to risk a coronary hauling a friggin’ sander (or whatever) back to the house; guess what? I warmly and comfortably walk down a flight of stairs to where my Shopsmith permanently resides. I roll it out from against the wall and… problem solved. My project moves on undeterred.
The bottom line is; everybody has his or her own opinion. The Shopsmith probably isn’t for everyone. (That’s why you’ll often see POSERS pawning them at really good prices – keep an eye out, but make sure all the accessories and parts are included, and not MIA.) You can often find a Shop Smith Mark V on ebay as well. In all seriousness though, as a backup for your woodshop, or an additional tool when using more than one person for a carpentry project, the ShopSmith Mark V fits the bill. It performs. And in the end, that’s all I care about. That and Sundays off. And a cold beer. And my dog.
Shopsmith Mark VII Woodworking Machine - $700 (Missoula Craigs Mart)
The Shopsmith Mark VII is a versatile 7-in-1 woodworking machine that's designed for the serious woodworker. This Mark VII was originally sold in 1964, and it's not unusual to see these machines in-service decades after purchase. This machine has the 'Magna' speed dial which allow the user to adjust ...
Shopsmith Mark VII 7 - $800 (Pollock)
This is a great condition Shopsmith Mark VII, currently in use in my shop. It has been gone through internally and cleaned and adjusted. The plastic speed cam has been replaced by an aluminum one ($100 upgrade) and it works well throughout the whole speed range. Includes all the accessories shown, i ...
SHOPSMITH MARK VII - $425 (Kennedy, NY)
SHOPSMITH multi function wood working tool. Includes lathe, sander, table saw, drill press with built in dust collector, etc. ...
Shopsmith Mark 5 - $1250 (Bel Air, MD)
FOR SALE : SHOPSMITH MARK V in excellent condition. All features work well and is well maintained. Includes Shopsmith V (5-Powertools in one) and accessory Band Saw and accessory Jointer (with wall mount storage shelves). Also includes Owner's manual, 'Power Woodworking For Everyone' and Shopsmith P ...
Shopsmith Mark V 520 - $1250 (Round Rock, TX 78681)
If you have been lusting for a Shopsmith, don't start with a old 500 or 510. Jump right in with a 520 with the latest, largest table and rail system currently offered by the manufacturer. It costs over $500 just to upgrade an old 500 to a 520! Take back your garage and store your entire wood ...
Shopsmith Mark V model 510 - $1185 (Between Sequim & Port Angeles)
Shopsmith Mark V model 510 $1185Can be used as a Table Saw, Lathe, Drill Press, Disk Sander, and Horizontal Boring Machine without any other accessories. Its huge amount of adjustability allows many custom configurations that cannot be easily achieved by stand alone equipment. It ...
LINCOLN MARK VII PARTS - $1 (CASA GRANDE, AZ)
I RESTORE/REBUILD LINCOLN MARK VII'S AS A HOBBY,AND AS YOU WOULD EXPECT, I HAVE A LARGE SUPPLY OF EXTRA PARTS THAT I DO NOT NEED. SO I AM OFFERING THESE EXTRA PARTS FOR SALE TO YOU,OTHER MARK VII OWNERS WHO WANT TO KEEP YOUR MARK VII'S LOOKING BETTER,WHO WANT TO GET RID OF THOSE RUSTY FRONT FENDERS, ...
Finance Controller - Mark VII arvada, colorado
Job DescriptionAbout our Company:With our Head Office in Arvada, Colorado, Mark VII is the North America subsidiary of WashTec AG, the worlds largest manufacturer of vehicle cleaning systems. Mark VII designs, manufactures, installs and services professional carwash equipment across North America. A ...