This department store chain sold inexpensive home-shop machines. At least some of them were sold under the Shopcraft or Penncraft names. The machines were made by various companies, including Portable Electric Tools, Inc.; Benchmark Tool Co.; and Aspen Manufacturing Co.
Penncraft portable power tools were introduced in late 1964. The company began using the name JCPenney in advertising in 1971. They discontinued the hardware, auto center, and appliance departments in 1983.
If you are looking for information on woodworking machines from this maker, also check under the following entries:
Information Sources
- Wikipedia article J. C. Penney
- The Daily Oklahoman, 20 Nov 1964, Pg. 7.