ShopSmith shutting down - up for sale

[smorgasbord]

You may have heard a month ago that ShopSmith was shutting down. It was purchased almost 2 years ago to the day by Nick Cupps, who was not a woodworker and apparently unable to make a go of the business.

There's a ShopSmith repair shop attempting to buy the company before it is sold for its assets (parts):


You can read my comment on that in the video, but long story short, woodworking technology and pricing has long rendered the raison d'etre for its existence moot. It's the end of an era, and rightly so, unfortunately IMO.

 

[luvmytoolz]

Just saw the video and as sad as it makes me to see yet another dying industry and i certainly wish him all the best, I think your comments are bang on. I did see he's raised about $4600 from some very generous donors.

I did actually buy a complete Shopsmith system last year for next to nothing as they were struggling to sell it, but I only wanted the head unit and rails and have scrapped the rest, as no one was interested in the parts I was offering for free. It also came with all the original documentation as well as full project manuals, but again no-one was at all interested in them when they were for free!

The manuals not being wanted by anyone really surprised me, as there's a massive growing market in engineering and electronic manuals that have been realising quite high resale values, so it broke my heart when all the manuals went into the recycle bin.

 

[Duckler]

Yes. A sad turn of events.
Technology has a strange habit of making older technology obsolete.
Never mind about the planned obsolescence that is too common.

 

[peter halle]

I got into Shopsmith a few years. ago when I found a "used" never used machine on Facebook Marketplace. It had been partially assembled but never turned on. Went thru tearing it back down and doing maintenance before assembling and adjusting the machine that had been purchased in the 1990's.

Turns out I just don't use it. The table saw is impossible for me to like even though it makes great cuts.

I didn't have high opes when Mr. Cupps purchased it (I doubted he really understood what he was buying) and I just don't see a purchase out of bankruptcy to continue on making replacement parts as viable - unless the purchase price is so ridiculously low. However, I do wish them well!

Peter

 

[luvmytoolz]

When I looked at the one I bought, the table saw looked like a relic from the past, as most of these "all machines in one" are.

So far as I'm concerned, any table saw over 15 or so years old aimed for DIY'ers and hobbyists just doesn't cut it nowadays from a safety and usability perspective.

And while they were good and filled a niche back in the day, these hybrid machines generally are the worst of the lot now. I don't know how anyone would think it would be a viable market now.

 

[Duckler]

I have read that the Shopsmith bandsaw is a pretty good attempt.
In fact, I agree. I bought 3 of the SS bandsaws at various times and have gotten some good use out of them.

 

[peter halle]

I have read that the Shopsmith bandsaw is a pretty good attempt.
In fact, I agree. I bought 3 of the SS bandsaws at various times and have gotten some good use out of them.

They actually were pretty innovative with the bandsaw.

 

[Automender]

I bought a Shopsmith new some 40 years ago. While I moved on to stand alone table saw and drill press but I keep the Shopsmith around for the lathe and disk sander. I find that the Shopsmith drill press has virtually zero quill play compared to my Delta drill press.