How can we help Shopsmith?

[dusty]

Other than being loyal Shopsmith customers who openly proclaim our satisfaction with Shopsmith and Shopsmith products, I don't know what we can do to help Shopsmith.

Shopsmith does not outright ask for our help. Therefore, it is nearly impossible for us to do anything to help - except, as I said, remain loyal and exuberant customers.

It has been said that we should buy American made. It would sure be interesting to see a list of the major manufacturers of woodworking equipment and where their headquarters and factories are located and where they buy their raw materials and assembled parts.

Shopsmith .....................Makita
Festool .........................Black and Decker
Delta ............................DeWalt
Incra ............................Bosch
Porter Cable ...................Freud
Stanley .........................Hawk
Jet ...............................Hitachi
Grizzley .........................Clayton
Makita ...........................Powermatic
Forrest ..........................Performax
Rockwell ........................Beisemeyer

Take an inventory of your shop and see for yourself. Do you buy "American Made"? If I am wrong, jump on this. Set me straight.

So far we have only highlighted power tool manufacturers. If we are going to start a campaign we need to add wood, glues, fasteners, finishes, handtools and many more. We don't buy American Made because America has quite making much of what we buy.

They can't afford to manufacturer American Made products because of the high labor costs. The labor costs would force selling prices that are totally out of reach. Thirty, forty, fifty, sixty dollar an hour jobs result in $4000 table saws.

I'm happy with my Shopsmith and the price I paid and am paying. I would like to have a 12" table saw of comparable quality, made in the USA for a price I can afford. But I don't think there is one! Therefore, I shall remain a content Shopsmith user.

[john]

I guess Ed was right, this site has been highjacked. However let me put in my 2 cents on the latest rant.

First a little story: Several years ago during one of my frequent visits to Burlington, Vt., a sales clerk asked if he could help me. I responded that "he could if he had had some U.S. made goods. When in the U.S., I try to buy U.S. made goods and while at home I try to buy Canadian made goods. Since he only had offshore made goods, I could buy the same the same things at home, so no he could not help me."

Unfortunatley as stated here buying locally made goods of any kind is increasingly more difficult, but in my opinion, we have only ourselves to blame. Many years ago when the company I worked for was closing yet another manufacturing plant due to foreign competition, I observed that we want to earn high North American salaries so that we could buy lots of cheap Japanese goods (this was obviously long before China became dominant). Well we are paying the price for that today.

Now back to Ed's topic, "how can WE help Shopsmith?" I think he cover it in only two sentences. Buy more SS products and promote the name. We can't do much more than that which is why I presume many have branched out to suggest how Shopsmith can help themselves and attract New users.

Well that's my rant for today!

Happy woodwrking!

John

[dusty]

How about helping by registering for and participating in the Hands Online Classes. Woodworking classes right in our own home.

I have attached the Class Schedule for your reference. Call customer service to register.

http://www.shopsmithacademy.com/Class_schedule.htm

[Ed in Tampa]

Firstly, I must say that I make every effort to purchase products that are USA made. That is true even if I have to pay a little more. The fact that people buy the cheaper foriegn made products is understandable though. What they do not understand is that they are perpetuating the problem of keeping good paying jobs here in this country. As toolpig pointed out, most companies have moved their manufacturing out of country. What are all of those misplaced workers doing now? Working at Wal Mart or McDonalds? This is a very complicated and emotionally charged subject and I will definitly receive opposing views and will probably make some enemies here, but I believe that most of the problems that face us have been brought about by UNIOINS. I know that unions have done many good things for the workers of our country, but, and this is a big but, for the last number of years and even now, they are putting the American workers out of work. I am not anti-union and appreciate the good things that they have done and still do today, but they go too far. I do not want to be long winded here, so I am not going to express all of the things that I believe, but here are a few things to think about:

How can a person working at Wal Mart at $12 per hour be expected to buy a car made by workers that earn in excess of $100 per hour?

What are the unions doing for former workers of the manufacturers that have moved overseas?

How many union workers buy only union made products?

How many American auto workers drive other than American made cars?

How many companies have told their union employees that if they vote for the extravagant wages and benefits, their jobs would have to be outsourced and they would be out of work, and yet that is exactly what the unions succeeded in convincing their members to do?

Checker Car simply shut it's doors.

Boeing should call itself the American Design and Assembly Company.

How many American tool companies still manufacture in this country?

We can still have unions; they are NEEDED to keep in check companies that take over advantage of the worker. They, in turn, need to be controlled somehow, so that they do not continue to put the American worker out of work with their own zealousness.

I go out of my way to buy American.
I buy union made products.
I have owned 11 cars and trucks, 7 used, 4 new, all of which have been American made.
My 2007 Impala has a sticker on it that states it is 95% American made and that the engine is 100% American made.
I buy American made appliances.
I buy American made tools.
The small John Deer tractors are made in the Japanese Janmar factory.
Many parts of the small Kubota tractors are made in the USA.
I own a Kubota.
I buy American made shoes, and that is not easy!

I buy foriegn made products only when there is not an American solution.

toolpig is helping move American manufacturing jobs out of the country by buying foriegn made products. The Domino Effect of his self-proclaimed actions will effect all of us eventually. This is not an attack on toolpig; who among us is not guilty of the same action? It has already effected many of us. Be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

Okay, I am done venting, but I do want to point out one more thing: Not ALL of SS products are made in the USA.


Tim
I'm not a fan of unions also but the problem is not unions nor is the company the problem. The problem is HUMAN GREED. As someone else stated American workers demanded huge salaries so they could buy tons of Japanese goods made by workers making far less. Now Japanese workers are demanding high salaries so they can buy Korean goods made by workers making far less.

However I do have a fear and I think it is a very real fear. This idea of buying from China is NUTS. China is a declared enemy, they wants us in subjection to them. Yet we are sending billions of US dollars to them by buying goods from them. Are they using it to improve living conditions in the country yes to a small degree but mostly it is used to fund their millitary. If there is anything I can do to avoid buying a product made I China I will. I don't want to give them the dollar to buy the bullet to shoot me.
Ed

[al_killian]

One thing that has left a sour taste in my mouth abot Shop Smith is there not stocking parts for older items. I own a Mark V 500 and a 18" Magna jigsaw, When I tried to order parts for it they told me they stop ordering parts for it the day the new model came out.:confused: This oneway to either force pepole to buy new or switch brands. I for one cannot afford new and find it poor service. Delta for example carries parts all the way pack to the rockwell day.

[Nick]

"...not stocking parts for older items."

I don't know who gave you this information, Al, but it's just not true. We stock many parts for older items and we have carefully managed the designs of our new Mark Vs so you can upgrade without having to buy a brand new machine. Yes, we stop making parts for older machines that are no longer part of our line, such as the old Magna jigsaw. But this is a necessary practice amongst manufacturers; keeping and replenishing an inventory for everything manufactured in the last century is financial suicide.

As far as Rockwell/Delta goes, my counterpart here at the Academy, Drew, has a '60s vintage Rockwell jointer. He can't get new parts for it other than standard-size bearings. But you can get a new fence, cutterhead, infeed table, outfeed table, what have you for your '50s and '60s Magna jointer here at Shopsmith. Furthermore, you can upgrade it with a fence extension and featherboard/guard. I doubt Delta can match that.

With all good wishes,

[reible]

Just a few thoughts for you.

This tread is the 5th most viewed one in the forum. When I just looked the top two were in the tool review area the third in the general area then back to the review area then comes this thread.

Now if we look at replies it is now number 2, only a posting in tool review area has it beat.

So how would you rate this thread? If you can figure out how to do it go give it a rating and if you wish explain why you gave it the rating you did... we are only 20 replies short of being number one! All of those additional post will then translate in to move views and before long this thread can have the most views too.

Ed

[ryanbp01]

I really have enjoyed reading and participating in this discussion. I do not believe there are any people more devoted to their machines than Shopsmith owners! I love the product and the concept of having a machine that truly "does it all". I have owned other table saws over the years and the Shopsmith leaves them far, far behind. I believe all of the comments made here have had something valuable within them. We all want to see Shopsmith not just survive, but thrive. So what if someone gives advice: maybe there is something good that will come out of it. It is my belief this thread is #1 on the thoughts of many owners. Contrary to what some may think, I do not think this thread has been hijacked. I prefer to think that owners are concerned and want to offer their help and give advice, no matter what their perception is. After all, one definition of truth is what our perception of reality is.

BPR