This firm was the original manufacturer of the Comet radial arm saw, beginning about 1939. The subsequent history of the Comet saw is confusing due to the many mergers and acquisitions of the California entities involved. In late 1958 the saw became a product of Comet Manufacturing Co. (Division of Siegler Corp.) Sometime between 1960 and 1963, ownership changed to Comet Industries Corp., then it switched to Essick Manufacturing Co., then to M.I.T. International of Gothenburg, then to Comet Engineering Co. Somewhere in there it was owned by Boice-Crane Radial Arm Saw Co.

Information Sources

• Data points for the various owners of the Comet saw:
  • Consolidated Machinery & Supply Co.: 1939-1959.
  • Comet Manufacturing Co. (Division of Siegler Corp.): 1958-1960.
  • Comet Industries Corp.: 1963-1964.
  • Essick Manufacturing Co.: 1966.
  • Boice-Crane Radial Arm Saw Co.: (no dated materials found so far).
  • M.I.T. International of Gothenburg: 1997.
  • Comet Engineering Co. 1997-2003.
• The Wood-Worker carried an item dated August 1952: "Consolidated re-designs 'Comet Cub'. Consolidated Machinery & Supply Company has changed the design..."
• The Photo Index has pictures of a dado head from this firm. The label gives a patent number, which was issued in July 1954.
• An ad in a 1957 issue of Canadian Woodworker claims "a quarter-century of Comet quality..." which puts their origin about 1932. This ad indicates that the company was also a distributor for Davis & Wells.
• Ad in a 1958 Hitchcock's Wood Working Digest: dado head, "for radial arm saw or table saw... Comet Manufacturing Company a division of the Siegler Corporation..."
• The December 1958 Popular Science has an item in the "What's New" section on the Comet dado head: "It's sold for $19.95 by Comet Mfg. Co., 2033 Sante Fe Ave., Los Angeles. The same manufacturer also has a new 9-inch radial arm saw with a one-hp. double-ended motor for driving accessories as well as sawing. The saw has a speed of 3,600 r.p.m. The model F Falcon, it sells for about $239."
• April 1959 Popular Mechanics has an article on 6" jointers, including one from Boice-Crane Co. and a "Comet" model radial arm saw from Consolidated Machinery & Supply Co. The same issue had a dado-head ad from Comet Manufacturing Co.
• Price list dated 1959-06-01 is Comet Manufacturing Co., 2033 Santa Fe Ave., Los Angeles 21, a division of the Siegler Corp."; price list is for Davis & Wells machinery, not radial arm saws.)
• Dado head from Comet Mfg Co., Pasadena, 1960-10—1961-09 Popular Mechanics ads. 1960-11 ad for dado head shows it on a Comet RAS, clearly labeled as such. 1959-09 ad in Popular Science.
• 1963 Catalog of Comet and Davis & Wells machinery, "Comet Industries Corp., 2043 Imperial Street, Los Angeles 21, California" (cover letter dated 1963-10-28 says Comet Industries).
• Industrial Arts and Vocational Educatin of 1964 mentions Comet Industries Corp.
• Address for Consolidated Machinery & Supply Co. (1950 Popular Mechanics): 2029 Santa Fe Ave, Los Angeles 21, California
• Northern Logger and Timber Processor from 1966: "Essick-Comet Junior Saw—The Essick-Comet Junior radial arm saw, with over ten years of trade acceptance, will be built and marketed by Essick Manufacturing Company..."
• From 2000-04-07 archive of the now-defunct website http://www.cometradialarmsaw.com/: "COMET ENGINEERING, INC. began doing business in 1997. COMET ENGINEERING, INC. purchased the product line and all rights to the manufacture of parts of the once renowned Boice Crane Radial Arm Saw company, and most recent M.I.T. International of Gothenburg, Nebraska." The site went offline sometime between May and September of 2002. Travis Post, apparently associated with this business, uploaded a couple of pics to the photo index on 2003-06-18.
• Correspondent Christopher Pflug provided some background on Comet Industries Corp. "They were a firm based in Los Angeles during the 1960s. They manufactured castings, hydraulic presses, and other machined and welded items for construction, aerospace. My dad worked for them as a VP. They had 80 employees."
• Directory of Metalworking Machinery, 1951, pg. 13