Brief History

Leonard F. Smith was a McMinnville lumber dealer who designed and built a 15-inch single-sided wood planer for his own use. He soon accepted and offer to buy it, and subsequently received orders for four more. Other orders may have followed. In 1928 he established a machine shop under his own name, with some of his sons as apprentices.

In 1938 he established the Powermatic Machine Co. to manufacture "electric irons and appliances". He had apparently arranged a contract to manufacture electric iron bases; irons continued to be the main focus of the business to the end of World War II. They entertained the idea of making and selling irons under their own name but so far as we can tell that never happened. Instead, Smith and sons started to develop new woodworking machine products.

Powermatic continued in a quiet way, serving only their local market; we have found no ads or articles about the company before 1950. In that year Powermatic started to expand their sales nation-wide. Their product line had expanded to include 12", 16" and 20" planers, single-end tenoners, hollow-chisel and chain mortisers, and table saws (and likely other products as well). The earliest Powermatic manuals we have found date to this early 1950s era.

By 1958 Powermatic was being run by Leonard F. Smith's sons: Louis P. Smith, Kenneth P. Smith, Ray P. Smith, and Stephen P. Smith. In 1962 the company underwent a substantial factory expansion. By this time they were also making metalworking machinery, including surface grinders as well as belt and disc grinders.

In 1963 the business was reorganized and became Powermatic, Inc. In 1966 they sold the business to conglomerate Houdaille Industries, Inc.; machines were subsequently labeled "Powermatic Houdaille." Houdaille's inept management is well documented in the excellent book by Max Holland, From Industry to Alchemy: Burgmaster, A Machine Tool Company. Burgmaster Corp. was another Houdaille acquisition, and Houdaille tried to merge the very different operations of Burgmaster and Powermatic, with disastrous results. Despite the upheaval, Powermatic largely managed to maintain their reputation for quality during this period, which is more than can be said for Burgmaster, whose reputation for high-quality precision products was badly damaged. Most of Powermatic's machinery lineup required relatively low-precision manufacturing whereas Burgmaster's was uniformly much more exacting. Houdaille tried to force Powermatic's lower-cost manufacturing approach on Burgmaster and also tried to have Powermatic take over some manufacturing for Burgmaster, but the Powermatic people and facilities made available for this proved incapable of manufacturing precision machine tools.

In April 1986, Houdaille sold Powermatic to Stanwich Industries, which changed name to Devlieg-Bullard in 1989 or '90. During the Devlieg-Bullard era Powermatic was facing increasing competition from offshore manufacturers, especially from Taiwan. In response, Powermatic introduced their "Artisan" line of Taiwan-made machines. These machines were largely based on machines already being manufactured in Taiwan, with some cosmetic and quality improvements. Note that these Taiwan-made products are outside the scope of this website which is currently restricted to machines made in North America, the United Kingdom and Sweden.

With the ever-growing price gap between their American-made machines and their Taiwan-made machines, Powermatic gradually transitioned from manufacturing to importing. In 1999 Devlieg-Bullard sold Powermatic to machinery importer Jet Equipment & Tools. In 2002 Jet became part of the WMH Tool Group, which now includes Powermatic, Jet, Performax and Wilton.

Powermatic Resources

• Powermatic information in the VintageMachinery wiki, including information on Powermatic serial numbers. The wiki also has some Powermatic decal artwork.
• As of November 2010, only manuals for current products are available for download from Powermatic. For older manuals you should first try our collection (click on the "Publication Reprints" tab near the top of this page) or else call Powermatic Consumer Relations at 800-274-6848, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CST, Monday–Friday.
• Some years ago Jet/WMH sold their Powermatic made-in-USA parts inventory to Redmond Machinery, which has since gone out of business. Some Powermatic parts are available from eReplacementParts.com. Parts for made-in-USA Powermatic machines are no longer being made, so any parts that are out of stock (unless they are standard off-the-shelf parts like bolts or bearings) will remain out of stock.

Information Sources

• We have not found a single solid data point for this firm that pre-dates 1938. Even when we don't search directly on "Powermatic" and search for any planer manufactured in Tennessee we do not find any mentions before 1938.
• 1942 Report of the Tennessee State Planning Commission, issues 160-182, page 166, lists "Powermatic Machine Co. / 1938 / Electric irons and appliances / L. F. Smith, Mgr."
• 1942 Modern Machine Shop, Vol. 15, #12, p. 274. "Powermatic Drive with Governor Speed Control—Designated as the Powermatic, an improved variable speed drive with governor speed control has been introduced by the Powermatic Machine Co., 659 S. Anderson St., Los Angeles, Cal...." This is an unrelated company of the same name, which strongly suggests that in 1942, the McMinnville company had only a regional presence, which also helps explain the lack of ads or articles in major trade magazines.
• 1943 Report of the Tennessee State Planning Commission lists "311 5th Ave., S. McMINNVILLE / Powermatic Machine Shop".
• 1945 The Tennessee Planner (Volumes 6-7 page 24).

  New equipment, which will permit expansion in the postwar period is being installed by Powermatic Machine Co., of McMinnville. The company has been making base plates for electric irons under a government contract.

• 1946 General Desk Book of the Office of Price Administration, Volume 4, page 71,893-E.

  L-3195—Powermatic Machine Co. Order No. L-3195 (3-27-36) authorized the applicant to sell to chain stores, mail order houses and jobbers its Model No. 500 automatic electric irons, as described, at a maximum price of $3.94 each, subject to adjustment in accordance with Order No. 6 under the Regulation.

• 1947 issue of Wood Working Digest (Volume 49 page 153), via Snippet View so no context available: "Powermatic 15 x 6 ball bearing planer, 3 knife round head, belt drive, new."
• 1948 issue of The Wood-Worker (Volume 49 page 97). Page 97, under "Mortisers": "Powermatic chain mortiser, mtr-dr., new". Page 104, under "Planers, Single": "Powermatic 16x6-in. 3-kn. rd-hd., ball-brg."
• July 1950 American Builder, vol. 71 p. 235

  Announcing the introduction of a new family of Woodworking Machines revolutionary in the field / industrial planers in three handy sizes:
  POWERMATIC HEAVY DUTY PLANER CE-16": Designed to met 65% of all planer operations by cabinet shops, pattern makers, schools and industrial plants. Capacity 16" x 6"; two feed speeds, 16 & 30 F.P.M.; maximum cut ½". Power feed control. Fully adjustable. Price: $189.50*
  (* Note: "Less Motor");
  No. 12—12" PLANER: Cast-iron frame construction. Cutterhead mounted in over-sized sealed ballbearings. Capacity 12¼" x 4"; feed speed 18 F.P.M.; maximum cut 4". Fully adjustable feed rollers, idler rolls, chip breaker and pressure bar. Price: $321.00
  POWERMATIC THICKNESS PLANER 2A-20": An extra heavy duty industrial planer with sectional feed roller and chip breaker. Capacity 20" x 8", two feed speeds, 20 & 40 F.P.M. Price: $1,179.50*
  TWO OTHER COST CUTTING MACHINES POWERMATIC 2A SINGLE END TENONER & CHECK RAIL CUTTER–
  Designed for complete flexibility on any special or regular
  ...
  ...45° for angle mortises. Price $578.50
  ...
  ...Price: $321.00
  POWERMATIC THICKNESS PLANER 2A-2O": An extra heavy duty industrial planer with sectional feed...
  POWERMATIC 2A CHAIN MORTISER With compound table and adjustable back rest. Can be used on wood, plastic, leather, cork, etc. Tilts to 45° for angle mortises. Price: $578.50
  ... POWERMATIC WOODWORKING MACHINERY McMinnville, Tennessee

• 1954 La Hacienda, vol. 49 pages 67-73 has ads for Powermatic Machine Company, McMinnville, Tennessee. The ads are in Spanish and were aimed at the South American market. Machines advertised include 12, 15, 20, 24 and 28 inch planers.
• September 1958 Hitchcock's Wood Working Digest has an ad for the New 225-D 24-inch planer. "Lathes - planers - tenoners - jointers - arbor & band saws - chain & hollow-chisel mortisers".
• 1958 trademark registration No. 674,142 (S/N 52,977), , for stylized "Powermatic" logo. Filed June 5, 1958 by "Powermatic Machine Company, a firm composes of Louis P. Smith, Kenneth P. Smith, Ray P. Smith, and Stephen P. Smith / P.O. Box 70, Morrison Highway, McMinnville, Tennessee... is using the trade-mark shown in the accompanying drawing for METAL WORKING MACHINES, INCLUDING DRILL PRESSES, METAL CUTTING BANDSAWS, AND METAL WORKING LATHES... The trade-mark was first used on the goods on September 6, 1957..." The example is a red-on-aluminum oval badge for model number and serial number, with "POWERMATIC" in sans-serif font in the middle, "QUALITY MACHINE" curving across the top of the oval and "McMINNVILLE TENN." across the bottom.
  • Effective March 1, 1963: transfer from Powermatic Machine Company to Powermatic, Inc.
  • Applied May 20, 1966: transfer from Powermatic, Inc. to Houdaille Industries, Inc., Buffalo, NY, a corporation of Michigan.
  • Effective April 1, 1968: transfer from Houdaille Industries, Inc., to "Houdaille Delaware Industries, Inc., a Del. corp." ("merger of Assignors and change of name of the surviving corporation").
  • 1999 renewal granted to Devlieg-Bullard, Inc.
• 1962 report, Industrial Development in the TVA Area During 1961 lists Powermatic Machine Co., McMinnville, as a manufacturer of wood and metal working machinery that was undergoing an expansion with planned completion of August 1962. They expected the expansion to increase their employment by 25, their power consumption by 100 kW, and the expansion cost $100,000.
• A 1962 issue of Industrial Arts and Vocational Education describes a Powermatic belt & disc sander and the Model 1150 15" drill press.
• A 1967 issue of American Machinist describes a new surface grinder. "The spindle drive comes from a 34-hp, 3600 rpm motor, and complete accessories are offered including: magnetic chuck, coolant system, and diamond and radius wheel dressers. Circle 103 on reader Service card Inc, or write Powermatic Inc, McMinnville, Tenn."
• This company's history is mentioned in From Industry to Alchemy: Burgmaster, A Machine Tool Company by Max Holland. This book was named by Business Week as one of the ten best business books of 1989. We highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the decline of the American manufacturing industry. The book's focus is Burgmaster Corp., which was also acquired by Houdaille; because of the Houdaille connection there is some information on Powermatic as well.
• Information on the timing of the Stanwich purchase came from an owwm.org discussion. Thanks to OWWMer pkgibbs for doing the research.
• We have tried to identify the lumber dealer (planing mill) that Smith was working for when he built his first planer in 1921. Our best guess is that it was the McMinnville Manufacturing Co., which produced hardwood lumber with a specialty in oak and beech flooring. Despite our best efforts, though, we have been unable to confirm Smith's association with this or any other business during this 1921-1928 era. Here is the data we found on McMinnville Mfg. Co.
  • 1912-10-01 The Lumber Trade Journal, page 50, "New Corporations and Changes" column.

    Tennessee. McMinnville Manufacturing Company, McMinnville, $20,000 capital, consolidation of Wallin Lumber & Manufacturing Company and Hutchins & Alcott Company.

  • 1912-10-05 American Lumberman, page 62, "Incorporations" column.

    Tennessee. McMinnville—The McMinnville Manufacturing Co., authorized capital $20,000.

  • October 1912 Packages, page 72, "Machinery Wanted" column.

    McMinnville Manufacturing Co., care of Wallin Lumber & Manufacturing CO., McMinnville, Tenn., wants prices on brick and drykiln material.

  • Various ads and other mentions show that McMinnville Mfg. Co. was active into the 1930s.