Newton Alvin "Woody" Woodworth, a machinist, toolmaker and mechanical engineer, worked for Ford Motor Co., specializing in making small tools such as milling cutters and special reamers and drills. During World War I he led a new Ford department that manufactured aircraft engine parts, which by the end of the war had about 700 employees. Shortly before the end of the war Woodworth left Ford and in 1919—after a brief stint manufacturing aircraft engine parts at another company—he organized Ex-Cell-O Tool & Manufacturing Co., becoming its president and general manager. Under Woodworth's leadership Ex-Cell-O became a leading manufacturer of precision aircraft parts, with a healthy sideline in grinding machines and air-driven high-speed spindles. He remained with Ex-Cell-O until 1937.

In July 1939 Woodworth organized the N. A. Woodworth Co. to manufacture precision aircraft engine components; they acquired Partool Machine Co., a short-lived machine-tool manufacturer. Woodworth was part-owner, president, treasurer, general manager, and their only sales person of his new firm. Under his very active leadership the company manufactured aircraft parts and machine-tool accessories 21½ hours per day, seven days a week.

Mr. Woodworth's personal interest was primarily in the manufacture of precision engine parts and the machine-tool accessories, which is what we are interested in, were largely an after-thought. Nonetheless, the company's engineers obtained several patents related to their precision drilling jigs and other such accessories.

After the war the company contracted considerably as war-related work dried up and the forefront of aircraft development switched to jet engines. Woodworth seems to have slowed down, perhaps as a result of health issues. He died in 1950, age 62. The company continued on without him for about three decades.

Information Sources

• 1921 Polk's Michigan State Gazetteer and Business Directory, page 501, lists "Ex-Cell-O Tool & Mfg Co (Inc), Newton A Woodworth Pres. Arthur E Dunning Sec and Treas, General Machine Work 1214 Beaubien".
• 1939 issue of Automotive Industries (Volume 81, page 181).

  N. A. Woodworth, formerly president of the Ex-Cell-O Corp., has announced the formation of his own organization, the N. A. Woodworth Co. Associated with him in the new venture are E. W. LaMonte, formerly with the Swartz Tool Products Co., and J. F. Renner, formerly with the Partool Machine Co. The new company has acquired the facilities and plant of the Partool Machine Co.; activities will be directed toward precision tool and machine work as well as machine tool work.

• July 1941 Western Machinery and Steel World, page 72, has an article on the formation of the Suprex Gage Company, organized by N. A. Woodworth.
• A 1945 Tax Court decision, N. A. Woodworth Company v. Commissioner, provides excellent background on N. A. Woodworth and his company, and is an interesting read. What follows are some highlights.

  Petitioner is a Michigan corporation, with its principal place of business in Ferndale, Michigan, a city adjacent to the City of Detroit....

  Petitioner was organized on July 5, 1939. During the taxable periods here involved, it was engaged in the business of manufacturing precision airplane motor products and during these periods petitioner's president, treasurer and general manager was N. A. Woodworth.

  N. A. Woodworth, hereinafter referred to as Woodworth, worked as an apprentice machinist and toolmaker for about three years, after completing two years of high school. He attended and obtained a degree in mechanical engineering from Ohio Northern University, Ada, Ohio, at the age of 27. He then went to work for the Ford Motor Co. in Detroit as a toolmaker. After approximately eight months he became assistant to the chief of a new department which made small tools, such as mill cutters, special reamers, and special drills. When the United States entered the first World War, he was selected to establish for the Ford Motor Co. a new department which manufactured aircraft engine parts for the Liberty aircraft engine. When he left the Ford Motor Co. on September 1, 1918, that department, of which he had been in charge, employed about 700 employees. He then went to work for the Slater Construction Co. in Pontiac, Michigan, helping to organize a small division which manufactured parts for aircraft engines, including two parts which had been serious bottlenecks in the aircraft program at that time.

  In the spring of 1919, Woodworth organized the Ex-Cell-O Tool and Manufacturing Co. at Detroit (hereinafter referred to as Ex-Cell-O), and he was president and general manager of that company from 1919 until the end of 1937. Ex-Cell-O manufactured special tools and precision parts for aircraft engines...

  During 1938 and the first part of 1939, Woodworth was not engaged in the manufacturing business...

  When petitioner was organized on July 5, 1939, it acquired certain machinery and other equipment which had been purchased from the receiver of the Partool Machine Co. ...

• Findagrave.com page on Newton Alvin "Woody" Woodworth 1888-1950.