Shopsmith tools were made in San Francisco by Magna Engineering Corp. from 1947 to the late 1950s. Yuba Power Products, Inc. of Cleveland bought Magna Engineering, but soon sold the Shopsmith line to some employees, who used the name Magna American Corp. They also eventually failed to make a go of it, and the Shopsmith manufacture ceased in 1966.

Shopsmith, Inc., was formed in 1972 to resume manufacturing using all the original equipment. This new company began operations in Troy, but moved to Dayton in the late 1970s.

Montgomery Ward sold "Shopsmith" tools, but they were lesser-quality items manufactured by a third party.

In the 1960s, Magna/Yuba made the Sawsmith, a radial arm saw that could be provided with a set of attachments à la the Shopsmith 5-in-1. One unusual feature of the Sawsmith was that the blade could be mounted on either end of the motor shaft, which made it easier for left-handed users and also provided more flexibility when doing miter cuts.

In the 1980s & 1990s Shopsmith manufactured a planer, scroll saw, 11" bandsaw, and 4" jointer.

A version of Shopsmith is still in business and has a web site.

Other Shopsmith Resources

• Shopsmith 10ER users group.
• Shopsmith User Group
• Shopsmith Users group on Yahoo
• Sawsmith Users group on Yahoo
• Aftermarket, used and reconditioned Shopsmith parts from CalifSawdustMan
• Shopsmith FAQ. Lots of information on parts availability, selling prices, tips and techniques.
• MKC Tools. Texas-based Shopsmith restorer and parts source.
• Ray McGinnis' history of the Shopsmith 10ER.
• owwm.org discussion on the quality of Sawsmith radial arm saws.

Information Sources

• Since 1972; the name was registered with the State of Ohio on January 13 of that year.
• Thanks to Skip Campbell of MKC Tools for providing some of the links.
• Dayton, The Gem City, by Bruce W. Ronald and Virginia Ronald, has this quote (via Google Books): "But before the year was over, Folkerth obtained a limited stock offering and a loan to form Shopsmith Inc. "The line of ... In 1976, the company moved to Vandalia and, in 1979-1980, expanded to several different locations in Dayton. ..."
• Correspondent Martin Thomas provided us the results of his Shopsmith research in the California, Ohio and Mississippi business registration databases.
  • Weber Engineering became Yuba Power Products, Inc. on 1958-06-25.
  • Magna American Corporation was formed 1961-07-20.
  • Magna American Corporation dissolved in Cincinnati, OH 1966-12-23
  • Magna American Corporation was formed in Raymond, Miss 1966-09-15
  • An amendment to the articles of incorporation was filed 1967-05-29 but is not available for viewing
  • Magna American Corporation was dissolved in Jackson, Miss 1988-12-22
  • John Folkerth incorporated Shopsmith, Inc in Oakwood, OH 1972-01-13
  • Shopsmith was "Merged Out Of Existence" 2009-04-07
  • Shopsmith, Inc became RLFSHOP, LLC 2009-07-01