In 1945 Ashman Industries, Ltd. of Hamilton, Ontario, was established. In 1947-48 they manufactured the "Hobby Craft" line of home-shop woodworking machines. Thus far we have seen only a couple of Hobby-Craft lathes but there may be other machines out there as well.

Ashman Industries continued in business, though not in the business of making woodworking machinery. However, they did play a notable role as a woodworking machinery designer: in 1966 the Rockwell Uniplane was announced. Mentioned in some Canadian articles about this new product was the story of its initial development by John C. Ryan of Toronto, followed by Ashman Industries of Hamilton, and then the product was purchased by Rockwell Manufacturing Co. of Pittsburgh. The design of the Uniplane spent several years being refined for volume manufacturing by Rockwell Manufacturing Co. of Canada, Ltd., (formerly Callander Foundry), Guelph, Ontario.

Ashman Industrial made the Ashman Tools line of hand tools including chisels and lathe tools, which are outside the scope of this Vintage Machinery site. We don't know what other business ventures they may have engaged in during the 1950s through to 1990. In 1966 they reorganized as Ashman Industries (1966) Ltd., and by 1990 the name had changed to Ashman Technical, Ltd.; they were the regional distributor of General woodworking machines in Southwestern Ontario. They gradually become more focused on machinery service and repair, especially for school districts, and they changed their name to Ashman Repair Services Inc.

Information Sources

• Various sources mentioned below identify "John Riley" of Toronto as creating the idea of the Uniplane. However, the patent was awarded to John C. Ryan of Toronto and we presume that Rockwell Canada mangled the name while publicizing the Uniplane's development as a "Made in Canada" success story.
• 1947 Vernon's Hamilton City Directory. "ASHMAN INDUSTRIES, I Ashman, Genl Mgr; Manufacturers of Hobby-Craft Power Tools and Hobby-Craft Workshop Accessories For Home and Industry, Toys, Novelties, Wood Specialties, Etc, 644 Main west, Phone 2-5769". There is also a listing for "Ashman, Isaac (Marjorie), Genl Mgr Ashman Industries, Res. Greensville". "Ashman, Thomas D" was associated with the same business, as was "Ashman, Cecil".
• 1948 Canadian Trade Index: "Ashman Industries, 644 Main St., W., Hamilton, Ont. Hobby-craft power tools."
• 1948 Vernon's Hamilton City Directory. "ASHMAN INDUSTRIES, I Ashman, Genl Mgr; Manufacturers of Hobby-Craft Power Tools and Hobby-Craft Workshop Accessories For Home and Industry, Toys, Novelties, Wood Specialties, Etc, 644 Main west, Phone 2-5769." There is also a listing for "Ashman, Isaac (Marjorie), Genl Mgr Ashman Industries, Res. Greensville". "Ashman, Thomas D" was associated with the same business.
• 1954 Vernon's Hamilton City Directory lists "ASHMAN INDUSTRIES LTD, C R Ashman, Pres and Genl Mgr; 'Ashman' Brand Woodworking Tools and Accessories for Home and Industry, Saw Blades, Turning Chisels, Carpenters' Chisels, Sanding Drums, Face Plates, Etc; Contractors for Screw Machine Products, 644 Main west, Phone JA. 2-5769". Also listed is "Ashman, Cecil R (Lillian), Pres and Genl Mgr Ashman Industries Ltd, h 77 Paradise rd s".
• 1966 Industrial Canada (vol. 67, issues 7-12, page 12).

  Canadian Designed Uniplane from Rockwell
  An industrial planer that has been described as the most advanced step taken in the machinery industry more than fifty years has been introduced by Rockwell Manufacturing Company of Canada, Limited, Toronto. The machine was invented by a Canadian, John Riley of Toronto, developed by Ashman Industries Ltd., Hamilton, and bought by Rockwell Manufacturing Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., who spent several years engineering it for large production. The Rockwell Delta Uniplane...

• 1967 Mining in Canada. "For patternmakers and other workers in wood and plastic, Delta Uniplane works accurately on material to 1/8 in thick. Canadian-designed (by John Riley, Toronto; developed further by Ashman Industries, Hamilton, Ont.) machine has eight cutters running at 4000 rpm; four cutters score the material, four have shearing action. Very fine cutting action is claimed for planing, jointing, bevelling, chamfering, etc. Rockwell Mfg Co of Canada Ltd. POB 420. Guelph, Ont."
• 1970 Canadian Whole Earth Almanac lists, under the category of Vises, "Vises-Woodworkers Ashman Industries Ltd. Hamilton, Ontario".
• 1971 issue of Canadian University & College lists "Ashman Industries Ltd., 43 Glen Rd., Hamilton, Ont." A list of trade-show exhibitors includes "Ashman Industries (1966) Ltd."
• 1973 Standard & Poor's Register of Corporations, Directors and Executives lists "ASHMAN, ISAAC (b. 1921 Palmerston, Can.)—Chrmn & Treas. Ashman Industries (1966) Ltd., Brok Rd., Dundas, Ont., Can. Res: Box 52, Greensville, CN / Ashman Electronics Ltd., Pres & Dir."
• 1974-75 Public Accounts of the Province of Ontario lists a payment of $12,022 to Ashman Industries (1966) Ltd., in the category of "Materials, Supplies, etc.)"
• 1978 issue of Canadian Machinery and Metalworking lists Ashman Industries (1966) Ltd. 66 Brock Rd., Greensville L9H 5H7".
• During the 1980s and '90s, Ashman Technical Ltd., 351 Nash Rd. N., Hamilton, was a regional distributor of woodworking machinery from General Manufacturing Co. of Drummondville, QC. We do not know if there is any connection between Ashman Industrial and Ashman Technical.
• A Garage Journal forum post shows another Hobby Craft lathe, and confirms that it was made by Ashman Industries.