http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Dremel-H...QQcmdZViewItem

This is NOT my listing by the way, it's just the first link I found
with a picture of one of these.

There's an ad for these on the back of one of my magazines, the
June 1948 issue of Popular Home Craft, 35 cents, 40 cants in Canada.
That would have put me right at 7 1/2, and I would have killed for one
of them.

The saw is listed at $5.85, complete (with 3 saw blades), POSTPAID.
Blades were 50 cents a dozen. You could even send $2.00 part payment,
and the postman the balance, plus postage, on C.O.D. delivery. Plus
money back after 10 days if not delighted.

They say boys from 8 to 80 (girls too) have fun with them. Now how
many parents today would trust an 8 yo with one f those. And, if they
did, the second the kid got nicked by the blade, they'd probably be
crying lawsuit. Gods above, I would have absolutely loved to have one.
But back in those days, with many families, mine included, $5.85 was
some big bucks, not to be spent on things like that. Besides, I never
even heard of one until many years later. If by some wild whim of fate
had allowed me to own one, I'd have gotten a safety talk that would have
gone something like this, "Be careful with that thing, and don't expect
another if you break it". And, if by some chance I did suffer a wound
with it, I'd hear something like, "Well, serves you right for playing
around". But you can bet I'd ever cut myself with it again Too bad
more parents don't have attitudes like that today.

I could actually use one of these things at times, and they
frequently show up on eBay for less then $10, postage extra. But unless
I find one at a yard sale or flea market, I'll probably live life
without one.

I do like the part of the ad that says, "Safe as a hand saw"; I've
nicked myself plenty of times with hand saws.



JOAT
What is life without challenge and a constant stream of new
humiliations?
- Peter Egan

(J T) wrote:

There's an ad for these on the back of one of my magazines, the
June 1948 issue of Popular Home Craft, 35 cents, 40 cants in Canada.
That would have put me right at 7 1/2, and I would have killed for one
of them.

Yah, seen them on ebay and I've got a foam cutter thingy that looks just
like it except for the motor hanging right out there.

My thing was mid 50s Shopsmiths, Sent away for the Literature from Mechanix
Illustrated. Salesman showed up at the door and my mother showed him the
road. I finally bought one when I was nearing 50. Wasn't nearly as good as
I expected.

Sun, May 27, 2007, 4:47am (EDT+4)
(Lobby*Dosser) doth say:
snip My thing was mid 50s Shopsmiths, Sent away for the Literature
from Mechanix Illustrated. Salesman showed up at the door and my mother
showed him the road. I finally bought one when I was nearing 50. Wasn't
nearly as good as I expected.

Not sure when I firtst heard about Shopsmith, but it sure wasn't in
te '50s. Later, when I finally got my shop, I'd seen demos and tought
one would work well in my small shop, and found a great deal on a used
one. Well, it did work well. Especially after it was painted yellow.
But it got to be a real PITA to change back and forth, especially after
I figured how to make space for separate tools. So sold it for a slight
profit. Good machine tho, and if 'I'd had less space might well still
have it. Grrreat horizontal drill press.



JOAT
What is life without challenge and a constant stream of new
humiliations?
- Peter Egan

I've got one of those myself - it's been in my dad's tool chest in storage
since he died in 1974. By purest coincidence, just a month or so ago I
picked it up and brought it over to my own shop just to hang on the wall.
It's a really nifty little gadget. Mine's complete, works just fine, and had
along with it an unopened package of a dozen replacement blades. I doubt if
I'll ever actually cut any wood with it, but I just like to look at it and
think about my dad using it.

Tom Dacon

"J T" wrote in message
...
http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Dremel-H...QQcmdZViewItem

This is NOT my listing by the way, it's just the first link I found
with a picture of one of these.

There's an ad for these on the back of one of my magazines, the
June 1948 issue of Popular Home Craft, 35 cents, 40 cants in Canada.
That would have put me right at 7 1/2, and I would have killed for one
of them.

The saw is listed at $5.85, complete (with 3 saw blades), POSTPAID.
Blades were 50 cents a dozen. You could even send $2.00 part payment,
and the postman the balance, plus postage, on C.O.D. delivery. Plus
money back after 10 days if not delighted.

They say boys from 8 to 80 (girls too) have fun with them. Now how
many parents today would trust an 8 yo with one f those. And, if they
did, the second the kid got nicked by the blade, they'd probably be
crying lawsuit. Gods above, I would have absolutely loved to have one.
But back in those days, with many families, mine included, $5.85 was
some big bucks, not to be spent on things like that. Besides, I never
even heard of one until many years later. If by some wild whim of fate
had allowed me to own one, I'd have gotten a safety talk that would have
gone something like this, "Be careful with that thing, and don't expect
another if you break it". And, if by some chance I did suffer a wound
with it, I'd hear something like, "Well, serves you right for playing
around". But you can bet I'd ever cut myself with it again Too bad
more parents don't have attitudes like that today.

I could actually use one of these things at times, and they
frequently show up on eBay for less then $10, postage extra. But unless
I find one at a yard sale or flea market, I'll probably live life
without one.

I do like the part of the ad that says, "Safe as a hand saw"; I've
nicked myself plenty of times with hand saws.



JOAT
What is life without challenge and a constant stream of new
humiliations?
- Peter Egan

On Sun, 27 May 2007 00:17:50 -0400, (J T)
wrote:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Dremel-H...QQcmdZViewItem

This is NOT my listing by the way, it's just the first link I found
with a picture of one of these.

There's an ad for these on the back of one of my magazines, the
June 1948 issue of Popular Home Craft, 35 cents, 40 cants in Canada.
That would have put me right at 7 1/2, and I would have killed for one
of them.

The saw is listed at $5.85, complete (with 3 saw blades), POSTPAID.
Blades were 50 cents a dozen. You could even send $2.00 part payment,
and the postman the balance, plus postage, on C.O.D. delivery. Plus
money back after 10 days if not delighted.

They say boys from 8 to 80 (girls too) have fun with them. Now how
many parents today would trust an 8 yo with one f those. And, if they
did, the second the kid got nicked by the blade, they'd probably be
crying lawsuit. Gods above, I would have absolutely loved to have one.
But back in those days, with many families, mine included, $5.85 was
some big bucks, not to be spent on things like that. Besides, I never
even heard of one until many years later. If by some wild whim of fate
had allowed me to own one, I'd have gotten a safety talk that would have
gone something like this, "Be careful with that thing, and don't expect
another if you break it". And, if by some chance I did suffer a wound
with it, I'd hear something like, "Well, serves you right for playing
around". But you can bet I'd ever cut myself with it again Too bad
more parents don't have attitudes like that today.

I could actually use one of these things at times, and they
frequently show up on eBay for less then $10, postage extra. But unless
I find one at a yard sale or flea market, I'll probably live life
without one.

I do like the part of the ad that says, "Safe as a hand saw"; I've
nicked myself plenty of times with hand saws.



JOAT
What is life without challenge and a constant stream of new
humiliations?
- Peter Egan

Had one and it did not live up to the hype. If I still had it, might
be an antique!

Stinky

ps not having one is not that big-a-deal!