# Gibbs buys a Shopsmith (NCIS fans)



## Lifesaver2000 (Nov 17, 2009)

As any NCIS fan knows, Leroy Jethro Gibbs is a woodworker, primarily building boats in the early seasons, later working on other types of projects in his basement. Through it all, Gibbs seemed to be a confirmed hand tool only user, even being known to make the occasional insulting comment about power tools.

Well, in tonight's episode (10-30-12) Gibbs was in a pawn shop on a case, and finds what he says is a Shopsmith 10ER (I don't know them well enough to confirm or deny), and seems very interested. Later, we find that he has actually purchased the Shopsmith, and even see him finishing setting it up, apparently ready to use. Looks like Gibbs has gone Normite!

I am looking forward to seeing what projects Gibbs has planned for the rest of this season.

Not sure why I am posting this, but I just find it interesting how much Gibb's woodworking hobby finds it's way into the show. Not something you see very often. Now, if more shows just had ham radio operators (besides Tim Allen).


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## davidmicraig (Nov 21, 2009)

Now if you could only share how he gets them boats out of his workshop


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## GrandpaLen (Mar 6, 2012)

He worked as a carpenter before making a success of his acting career, according to wikipedia.

Long live NCIS. - Grandpa Len


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

It looked like a 10 ER….from the little that could be seen in the two scenes it was in. 
Since the writers on NCIS rarely leave anything hanging, I'll wager we'll see a lot more of that "solid machine" in future episodes. 
I don't think I've ever seen Gibbs cut anything. Mostly planing and sanding and some hammering home of some pegs.


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## MoPower (Feb 6, 2009)

He'll be installing a dust collection system next. That's a can of worms that will never be solved in one episode !


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

Uhhhh, what is NCIS?
Bill


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## BinghamtonEd (Nov 30, 2011)

My wife and I were watching that episode and I was trying to explain to her what a Shopsmith was. I kinda get the feeling she didn't care.


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## hairy (Sep 23, 2008)

He likes working in the dark,too.


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## BinghamtonEd (Nov 30, 2011)

I was under the impression he used hand tools only because he likes to drink while he works.


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## Lifesaver2000 (Nov 17, 2009)

In the last scene of the episode, he was pouring out something out of a bottle while he was standing there at the machine, so I wouldn't rule out his drinking while using the Shopsmith too. It did seem like it was a smaller shot that what he usually has though.

Bill, N.C.I.S. is a television program on the CBS Television Network about a group of investigators of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. The lead character that I mention above is a woodworker. The actor, Mark Harmon, who plays him is supposed to be a woodworker also, and I have been told that the tools shown on the show actually belong to Harmon.


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

Thanks Lifesaver. I hope I never have any criminal actions around my navel.  
Sorry! Just had to make a smart a$$ remark.
I'll have to try to watch the show.
Bill


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## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

*david*

grizzly gave him a tool cart 
big enough for the whole house









push out of the way
and flood the basement
(drink some whiskey while doing this)

and wait for the boat to float to ground level
(i think the whiskey got to him on the first boat
and it floated away)
so he made a second one

roll the house back
and drink some more whiskey
go to work
and smack everyone on the back of the head


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## carlosponti (Sep 9, 2008)

I have a shopsmith 10er that looked like one. its not easy to tell the difference between 10e an 10er but it looked like the er model.


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

I had a 10ER. Great machine; like any other machine, requires one to adjust to it's excentriciities.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

I stopped watching NCIS a couple seasons ago, this almost makes me wish I hadn't because buying a Shopsmith is a marked change in Gibb's character. I always got the impression that it was never really about the boat but about the woodwork which is why he was never in a hurry or concerned about how to the boat would be moved from the basement. Or perhaps that the boat was for his retirement and so he was in no hurry to finish. But didn't something catastrophic happen and the boat was destroyed?


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## davidmicraig (Nov 21, 2009)

*David* - thank you for the well thought out explanation 

The boat he works on is the same one he started on season 1. Other ones that he has made were burned because they would have an ex-wife's name on it.

He did move the boat out of the basement, once, to make room for a temporary project. How he moved it and where it went was never disclosed. I would assume the writers steer clear of explaining that mystery knowing that the mailbox would have some 50,000 emails from lumberjocks around the world explaining why that method would have been impossible.

Although, I am sure they might have already received a few thousand suggestions on what method might work best


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## Dennisgrosen (Nov 14, 2009)

here we only havwe gotten to the 9 season of ncis 
so don´t reweal wat happens too much 
but I´m looking forward to see him tackle the shopsmith 
didn´t knew Gibs was a carpenter before I just love that the writters 
use his skill (sort of ) in the story´s and they show its not the finished project that counts 
but the jurney and the pleasure of making something with your hand 
even though we all hate sanding more or less … lol
its great to see he introduce it to people who wants to help him while they reflect over … 
life and whats happen 
beside its a way to tell people slow down and relax with what you like 
your mind don´t have to stay in the rush hour all the time

Dennis


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## Magnum (Feb 5, 2010)

*Well said and Explained Dennis!!*

"beside its a way to tell people slow down and relax with what you like 
your mind don´t have to stay in the rush hour all the time"

For me. Fishing is all about that. I don't really care how many fish I catch, they all go back in anyway.

It's about "Being Lost out there." Mother Nature is good to me.

The show? I so much want to see the "New Guy (Forgot the word they use. OH. Probby?) say to the "Ladies Man."* "OKAY! That's it! I'm tired of your Crap! You and Me! Outside! Now!" *

The Chick that runs the Lab? You seen the 32 Ford Three Window Street Rod she drives? NICE!!! Who cares that she sleps in a Coffin???

Like this one, but more Original. *I WISH!!!*

===========================================================


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## Magnum (Feb 5, 2010)

*You Guys Drive Me Nuts!! I forgot a name or two so I had to go and search for them. *

Sean Murray As "*Timothy McGee",* Michael Weatherly As* "Anthony DiNozzo", *

Pauley Perette As *"Abby Sciuto",*

Cote de Pablo As *"Ziva David"* WHOOO!!

David McCallum As *"Donald "Ducky" Mallard"*

AND …... Lauren Holly As *"Jenny Shepard"* (I'm getting Goose Bumps or Somethiing??)

*I know. Gethro ain't here.* ................ *He Is Now!!*

I had a hard time getting past *JENNY!!! ;-} *

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*OOPS!! I lost David McCallums Picture Somewhere!!!*

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*Okay!! GEEZ!!! "Ducky" & "Gethro" & "The Whole Fam Damly"*
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*RICK*


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## Howie (May 25, 2010)

Another point of useless info…Mark Harmon is the highest paid TV personality on TV. I read he gets $500,000.00
per episode.
This show is our favorites. Did anyone see the halloween episode when Abbey dressed as Marilyn Monroe?Wow.
Like others I'm still trying to figure out how he gets the boat out of the basement.


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## darinS (Jul 20, 2010)

David Craig - you said "The boat he works on is the same one he started on season 1. Other ones that he has made were burned because they would have an ex-wife's name on it." I thought the boats all had the same name…."Kelly" named for his daughter that was killed by the drug lord.

Like the others though, I would like to know how he gets the boats out of the basement.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

I have a feeling the last episode will be Gibs taking his boat out through a set of storm doors on the side of his house.


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## BinghamtonEd (Nov 30, 2011)

Nah, the last episode will end with him standing in his basement. Gibbs looks at finished boat. Gibbs looks at door. Gibbs looks at boat. Gibbs looks at door. Gibbs looks down at ground and mutters "Sh*t." Credits roll.


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## MT_Stringer (Jul 21, 2009)

I saw that episode last night also. The ShopSmith caught my eye too.


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## Howie (May 25, 2010)

I had a friend in southern Ohio that was rebuilding a Piper Cub in the top of his barn. Old smarty me said thats nice but how do you get it out? He took me outside the barn(which was built into the side of a hill) and showed me his….hinged roof section! The barn was 40×50! Maybe Jethro's basement wall is hinged.


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## Lifesaver2000 (Nov 17, 2009)

As best as I can remember, Gibbs said at one point that he has built four boats. Only one is reported as burned. The one being built in the first several seasons is named after his deceased daughter. At some point he sails it to Mexico and leaves it with Mike Franks, who then sets it adrift with dead bodies on it where it will end up in a harbor on the California coast, knowing that the Navy is likely to be involved and that will have Gibbs involved.

(Well, I typed this earlier today and got called away and never hit "Post." Hope it still makes sense)


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## davidmicraig (Nov 21, 2009)

Too bad the plot twist of his boat being found with the bodies didn't include a court scene where Gibbs says "It couldn't have been my boat. How could I have gotten it out of the basement?"


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## affyx (Jan 1, 2008)

10ER made an appearance again last night…


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## distrbd (Sep 14, 2011)

Gibbs named the boat after his daughter* Kelly* ,I don't think that boat will ever leave that house.


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## dbray45 (Oct 19, 2010)

The boat Kelly did leave the house - Went to Mike's niece (if I remember correctly) and to South America to Mike's cabin, and was found adrift near Florida with bullet holes. Gibbs told Abbey to cut it up to get the evidence about what happened. Abbey cut it into sections. All this happened in one episode.


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## dbray45 (Oct 19, 2010)

Harmon is an avid woodworker, so I am told, and the producers put his projects into the show because it added a lot to the show - and he does really nice work. From what I read, he really does like using hand tools over power tools.

In the show, it showed the progression of Kelly - to a finished boat. Jenny asked him how he got the boat out of the basement and he just smiled at her. One of the few shows I watch -


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## Lifesaver2000 (Nov 17, 2009)

David, as I stated above, the Kelly ended up in California with two dead bodies, specifically in San Diego Harbor. See the info here:

http://ncis.wikia.com/wiki/Outlaws_and_In-Laws_%28episode%29

Also, it was Mike Frank's granddaughter, not niece.

About Harmon being a woodworker, I have wondered if he ever gets on Lumberjocks anonymously. I have heard stories of other celebrities doing that kind of thing, just for the chance at a little normal interaction with people. Probably something I would do if I were famous.


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## GFYS (Nov 23, 2008)

*slap to the back of the head*


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## dbray45 (Oct 19, 2010)

My bad - I thought it was on the east coast. Anyway, Abby had to cut it up - under duress - but Gibbs ordered it. That's why it doesn't make sense, the work would have been done under Henrietta's team if it was on the west coast. No reason to ship the boat to DC.

If he gets on here - I have a few questions about some of the construction of the Kelly. He can PM me. Don't remember if it had a lap strake hull or smooth hull.


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## Hammerthumb (Dec 28, 2012)

I believe it was smooth hull


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

That is the only show I watch on TV. I love their team. Too bad Ziva is gone!
Gibbs is alwasy working on some wooden thing but usually by hand. I'll have to watch to see if they show any power tools n the show. He must have had a good sized table saw and jig saw for those big boat frame members. But, being a TV show where nothing is real, they were most likely made by the people who build those sets!.............Jim


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## dbray45 (Oct 19, 2010)

Did some looking around - on this link facts about NCIS - they use boat kits.

http://www.ncisfanwiki.com/page/Did+You+Know%3F+Fun+Facts+about+NCIS

The boat that Gibbs is building is an Amigo Kit from Glen-L.

That the hand tools that Mark Harmon uses on the set of NCIS, are mostly his own. Those are the tools that he uses in his own personal workshop, the publicists would have us believe. However, the boats are bought as kits and it is hard to imagine that Harmon had to bring his own tools when the props department is so well set up….


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## Lifesaver2000 (Nov 17, 2009)

David, as for why the NCIS:LA wasn't called in and Gibbs was, I can see two reasons. One is that they are called the " Office of Special Projects" and they seem to usually only investigate things that are more big picture, vs the more day to day cases that Gibbs' team normally deals with (although they get their share of "big" cases also). The other reason is that the local San Diego NCIS agent ran the registration of the Kelly and it came back as still registered to Gibbs.

Also, I found reference to this episode where the officer on the ship actually calls the boat a "hand built Amigo kit" when it first drifts into view, so I don't suppose they are trying to hide that fact from the viewers. Of course, most people wouldn't know what that means anyway.

Jim, prior to the episode that prompted my starting this thread, I don't recall Gibbs having any interest in or using any power tools. In the most recent episode, we do see him in his basement with a can of oil and a rag standing at the Shopsmith (see the picture posted by John above), so looks like he is cleaning it up to use. There are also a couple of big beams on sawhorses nearby, so have to wonder if he is getting ready to start something new.


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## htl (Mar 24, 2015)




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