In 1883 George L. Richardson founded a machinery business in Lowell. Two years later he sold out to Joel Knapp. Knapp's son, Arthur P. Knapp, joined the business in 1890. Previously, both Knapps had worked in the bolt and nut department at the Lowell Machine Shops. Joel was foreman of that department for twenty years, and his son was foreman for five years after that.
The Knapps' line of woodworking machinery was largely based on the old J. P. Grosvenor line of machinery. Grosvenor had introduced the first successful tilting-arbor tablesaw, and the Knapps made further improvements on Grosvenor's design. By 1891 the business was grossing $50,000 per year. Other products included Grosvenor's molding machine and patent loose pulley.
Information Sources
- Listed in the 1891 book, Inland Massachusetts Illustrated. It provides the connected to George L. Richardson, Lowell Machine Shops, and J. P. Grosvenor. It also provides the business data from 1891.