Vise Cross Section, 1942
This vise manufacturer has been in business since 1941, though they did not get involved in woodworking machinery until 1964. The original company name was Wilton Tool Corp., at 936 Wrightwood Ave., Chicago. By 1951 it was Wilton Tool Manufacturing Co., Inc.; that name lasted until the end of 1963. Beginning in mid-January 1964, want ads used Wilton Tool a Division of Wilton Corp., which soon became Wilton Tool Division, Wilton Corp. By 2000 it was Wilton Tool Co. LLC. The Wilton Corp. name seems to have supplanted the "Wilton Tool Co. LLC" name by 2003 or so. It's all a bit confusing.
Wilton purchased the rights to some Boice-Crane products, but they have apparently ceased manufacture of all (except the Wilton-designed model 3000/2900 tilting-arbor saw) and threw out the patterns. Drill presses and sanders appear in their current catalog, but they are believed to be of offshore manufacture.
In early 2002, Wilton Corp. and the well-known importer Jet merged operations. Both were owned by WMH—Walter Meier Holding Co. until 2014, when Tenex Capital Management acquired Walter Meier's machinery and tool brands and changed the company name to JPW Industries. This holding company owns Wilton, Jet, Powermatic, and Performax.
Wilton issued catalogs irregularly and some were undated, like many other manufacturers. The list below is known catalogs and dates issued, sourced from Google Books snippet views, Worthopedia, eBay, and scanned copies on the internet. Any corrections or additions are welcome.
Wilton Catalog Numbers & Dates
101E Spr. 1950 general line
109 1952 general line
108-W 1953 general line
110 1953-54 general line
110-B 1954 general line
112 1956 general line
691 1956-58 drill press and machine vises
114 1958 general line
116 1961 general line
732 1961 offset woodworking vise
786 ? PoweRarm work positioners
117 1963 general line
Company name change in Jan. 1964
790 1964 hydraulic clamping tool
49 1967 price list
128 1975 general line
130 ? general line
131 1972-73 general line
Stylized "W" trademark filed 3/27/74, approved 1976
132 1974 general line
? 1983 general line
133 Sep. 1988 general line
135 ? general line
138 1997-98 general line
787 ? vise brochure
Information Sources