Eating Chocolate and Buying Tools

Eat Chocolate and Buy Tools

Because life’s too short for empty shops and empty bellies.

 
I’ve learned a few basic truths in this wild ride called life:

Chocolate is basically its own food group.
Tools are therapy, especially when things go punch-drunk boring.
If it was made in 1962 and still works—respect it, clean it, and plug it in.
 
Chapter 1: The Shopsmith Quest

For months—six glorious procrastination-filled months—I hunted for the perfect all-in-one tool. I wasn’t after pro-level gear. I just wanted to make wooden bowls—something satisfying and hands-on.

Then fate (and Craigslist) delivered: a 1962 Shopsmith Mark 5, sun-baked but intact, found in Wellton, Arizona. The owner hadn’t used it in years and, in a rare act of neighborly niceness, delivered it straight into my family room—turning my living space into restoration central.

 
Chapter 2: Restoration Invasion

Yes—neighbors, my family room now smells like WD 40 and genuine ambition. Why not? Homes these days host Pelotons and SUVs indoors; I’m just rolling out a motorcycle-sized multitool, removing some rust and dust.

And here's the kicker: the factory behind this beast is still going strong, all-American and still churning out parts for my tool, 60+ years later. Try finding parts for your 2014 cordless drill—I'll wait.

 
Chapter 3: Value That Lasts

This isn’t just a lathe. It’s:

A table saw
A drill press
A horizontal boring machine
A disc sander
(And if you're clever enough) a jointer
All wrapped into one glorious, space-saving package. It takes up about as much real estate as a motorcycle and probably works better.

These vintage Shopsmiths are collectors’ favorites for a reason—they’re efficient, durable, and frankly, brag-worthy. Seeing engineering that lasts nearly a lifetime? That’s unmatched value.

Want to See ShopSmith Website Click here! 

Chapter 4: Chocolate, Mortality, and Motivation

I recently read Backwards: Returning to Our Source for Answers, by Nanci L. Danison, a near-death experiencer who advised—quite wisely—that we should eat chocolate now because “there is none in heaven.”

Let me extend that: no chocolate, no tools. If it brings you joy—and doesn’t land you in debt or debtor’s prison—buy it now. And yes, that includes that dusty dream-tool you keep telling yourself you’ll “get one day.”  I was so lucky to find this, about 30 miles from me in Wellton, Arizona.

 
Chapter 5: Risk is the Spice of Life (and Shopsmiths)

I’m still knee-deep in the 60-year-old instruction manual—making sure everything is calibrated just right before crafting my first bowl.

Plus: I got this machine at a steal. Even after cleaning and refurbishment, I could sell it at a small profit. But who cares? If I lose money, so be it—no risk, no reward.

Final Thought: Go Do It Now!

I’m dying to turn that first bowl. But more than that—I’m living proof that dreams don’t wait.

So here’s my challenge to you:

Eat the chocolate.
Buy the tool.
Do the thing you’ve been talking about.
If it tanks, laugh and call it “research.”
Life’s short. Heaven has no chocolate. And frankly, I doubt there are any Shopsmiths up there. But down here? They’re waiting—with endless possibilities.