This maker is known to have been in business in 1870 through 1889, and he was probably in business for longer. Teal's specialty was large planer-matchers.
Information Sources
- An 1870 planing-machine patent was granted to William Teal of Rochester, NY.
- Listed in the 1870 Boyd's Business Directory of New York State, under Rochester: "Teal William, machinist, Mill cor. Platt". The 1872 edition lists him as "Teal Wm. wood-working machinery, Mill c. Platt"
- Ad in an 1871 Rochester business directory. "William Teal, manufacturer of Woodworth's planers and all kinds of woodworking machinery. Shop, corner Platt and Mill Streets, Rochester, N. Y. Machine jobbing promptly attended to."
- Ad in the May 1889 issue of "The Wood-Worker". The ad features a planer matcher: "Weight 3,600 to 4,700 Lbs. Length frame , 10 ft." Also shown is a double-spindle shaper and another machine that may be a tenoner. The address is 229 Mill St., Rochester, N. Y.
- A used 4-sided planer-matcher seen in a 1917 catalog was identified as being from "N. Teal & Co."This could be a different company or just a mangling of Wm. Teal & Co. (assuming that "Wm. Teal" eventually became "Wm. Teal & Co.")