This important maker of circular sawmills and general-purpose woodworking machinery was founded in 1903 and lasted until the late 1950s or early 1960s. In their prime (the 1920s) they were the largest maker of circular sawmills in the country. After that time they moved their focus somewhat away from sawmills and towards shop machinery, including planers, jointers, and tablesaws.

During the 1950s the company used another name, American Woodworking Machinery Co., for marketing, presumably to de-emphasize their sawmill roots. This name should not be confused with the earlier, and larger, American Wood Working Machinery Co. The former name is associated with Hackettstown, NJ, and was used in the 1950s and possibly the early 1960s. The latter name is associated with Rochester, NY and Williamsport, PA (among others), and was active between 1897 and 1925.

Over the years, quite a few brand names were used by American Saw Mill: Champion, Climax, Clipper, Hercules, Ideal, Jewel, Lightning, Monarch, Perfection, Royal, Triumph, and Uni-Point. When the company ceased operations, the Monarch Uni-Point radial arm saw product was purchased by Northfield Foundry & Machine Co., and is still available. In Oct. 1951, the remainder of the Monarch line was sold to American Machine & Foundry Co. (AMF), and were sold under the DeWalt label for a brief period. Documented examples include the Monarch 8" bench jointer, Monarch 20" bandsaw, and Monarch tilting arbor saw bench. Tooling for the other machines ended up in the Hackettstown landfill.

We have seen a publication for a "Triumph" 24-inch planer, "manufactured by Howard H. Samuel, Inc." of Hackettstown. Although we have not found a press release or article to confirm it, it appears that American Sawmill sold the rights to their Triumph planer and a ripsaw to Samuel; these were both older designs that did not fit into American Sawmill's evolving lineup, but there was still some demand for them. In 1960 a planer-related trademark that dated back to 1946 and was assigned to "the Triumph Machinery Division of Howard H. Samuel, Inc.", was transferred to Triumph Machinery Co., presumably a successor business. That firm remained in business into the 1980s but their focus gradually moved away from planers and self-feeding sawing machines and toward mowing machinery.

American Sawmill Machinery and Montgomery Ward

Department store chain and catalog retailer Montgomery Ward & Co. sold machinery made by American Sawmill Machinery Co. during at least the 1940s and '50s. A 1949 Montgomery Ward catalog shows several of American Sawmill's sawmills, sawblades, edger, and planer, plus items such as chainsaws and diesel engines from other manufacturers.

Information Sources

• The earliest catalog we've seen so far is from 1908. That catalog shows a lot of sawmill-related machinery, but 1923 and subsequent catalogs show only standard woodworking machines: tablesaws, jointers, planers, etc. Wendel's book (see below) shows ads from as late as the 1950s for their sawmills, however. It is likely that from 1923 onwards they had separate catalogs for the sawmill machinery versus their general shop machinery.
• American Saw Mill catalogs appear surprisingly often on eBay. Thus far we have seen 1908, 1923, 1928, 1930, 1938 and 1950 catalogs.
• November 1910 (Volume 7 Issue 2) Catalogue of Copyright Entries lists "American sawmill machinery co.*, Hackettstown, N. J. [Catalog] no. 16. 144 p. illus. obl. 24mo. © Oct. 24, 1910; 2 c. Oct. 26, 1910: A 272739".
• September 1915 American Exporter lists, under "Sawmill Machinery", "American Sawmill Machinery Co., 48 Church St., New York, N. Y."
• An ad in a 1915 issue of "Carpenter and Builder" features the "American" contractors' portable variety woodworker.
• December 1921 American Builder lists, under suppliers of bandsaw machinery, "American Sawmill Machinery Co., Hackettstown, N. J. ('American')".
• C. H. Wendel's The Circular Saw Mill reports a 200-page 1922 catalog that included sawmills, and says that American's All-Steel sawmill was offered as late as the 1950s.
• A 1923 American Sawmill catalog features "American Saw Works" blades that were reportedly made by American Sawmill.
• An ad in the 1955-56 Hitchcock's Wood Workers Digest Directory uses the name American Woodworking Machinery Co.
• Dana Batory's catalog list says that this firm was founded in 1903.
• Bandsaw labeled, "American Sawmill Machinery Co. / 381 / New York U.S.A."
• Besides sawmills and woodworking machines, American Sawmill also sold engines. Until 1929 they sold Hercules engines. When Hercules discontinued production of their Model S engine, American Sawmill switched to Hercules look-alike engines from Plessisville. American Sawmill stopped selling engines when Plessisville stopped making them, in 1946. This information comes from postings on SmokStak.com, especially from Glenn Karch.
• Lancaster New Era, Oct. 9, 1951, Pg. 22.
• A search for on Howard H. Samuel, Inc., turned up very little information. The USPTO trademark registration database was the most fruitful. Trademark registration number 541,438 was granted in 1951 to Howard H. Samuel, Inc., for a trademark showing "TRIUMPH HSH INC". The application was made on 1949-09-20 and the mark was intended for "power operated single and double surface planing machines, three and four-side surface planing machines, and self-feeding sawing machines". It says that the mark was first used on 1946-02-01. The president of the applicant company was Thomas J. Dunn, Jr. Trademark registration number 589,336 was registered in 1954 for a similar "TRIUMPH HSH INC." mark. The application was made on 1952-08-15 and was for "power operated tractor attachments and associated parts..." First used was on 1951-07-01, and the applicant's president was T. J. Dunn. Registration 981,007 was issued in 1974 for the mark "SHRED-KING" to Triumph Machinery Co., of Hackettstown, for use on "machines for cutting and mulching of vegetation". In 1966, registration number 821,958 was granted to Triumph Machinery Co. for "TRIUMPH 500" for use on "mowing equipment".
• From a 1956 publication listing "Registrants of Trademarks": "Triumph Machinery Division of Howard H. Samuel, Inc., Hackettstown, N. J. 624,943, pub. 1-24-56. Cl. 23." Searching on this trademark registration number (624,943) in USPTO's database shows that the mark was "HYDRO-CLIPPER", filed 1955-07-08, and intended for a power mower attachment. On 1960-06-17 the assignor transferred the assignment to Triumph Machinery Co. On 1993-05-26 a nunc pro tun (after the fact, to correct an earlier error or omission) assignment from Triumph Machinery Co. to the Alamo Group Inc. of Seguin, TX. That nunc pro tunc assignment also included serial numbers 711,195 and 756,375, which were for the marks "TRIUMPH TMC" and "ROTO-FLEX", respectively. These were intended for power operated tractor attachments plus planers and saws ("power operated single and double surface planing machines, and self-feeding sawing machines"), and hydraulic mowing equipment, respectively.
• A search on Howard H. Samuel of Hackettstown revealed that he was born in 1892 and died in 1966, was married to Jessica J. Bross Samuel (1895-1926) and then Kathleen Samuel (~1907-?), mother was Nielsine (Neilseinne, Nielsine, Nellie) Samuel (~1857-?).