In 1954, lawn equipment maker Toro purchased woodworking machinery maker Tomlee Tool and Engineering Co.. Toro sold the Tomlee designs (under the Toro name) until about 1957 and then terminated the line.
Toro Model Numbers and Serial Numbers
For Toro woodworking machines, the rightmost digit of the serial number indicates the year it was made during the decade of the 1950s. E.g., the model 45106 tablesaw was made in 1956, and the model 45107 was made in 1957.
Based on information from the Toro website, Toro machines were only made in 1956 and 1957. Serial numbers 101-999 were 1956 and 1000-9999 were 1957.
Getting Manuals for Toro Products
The following information is current as of October 2007. Go to the manuals page on the Toro website, enter your Toro model and serial numbers, and select "other" for product type. They should have manuals available for all Toro woodworking products, at a nominal charge of $4.
Information Sources
- Ad in 1955 issue of Popular Mechanics.
- A Toro employee has provided some of the historical information here, including the year that Tomlee was bought by Toro.