In 1827 John McClintic, then of Chambersburg, PA, patented a combined tenoning and mortising machine. In his 1864 book, A History of American Manufactures From 1608 to 1860, Volume II, J. L. Bishop said of it, "this, though not the earliest patent, is regarded as the first practical contrivance of the kind". There were ten earlier mortiser patents than McClintic's but none of those achieved any notable success. As for McClintic, he was paid $700 to license his patent to the US Navy, and he also sold the rights to manufacture and sell his machine in Maryland and neighboring states to Nathan West of Washington, D.C., whose customers were primarily the furniture-makers of Baltimore.

McClintic was a maker of Windsor chairs, and a fair amount of information can be found on this chairs. We cannot find any information on McClintic activities between 1828 and 1851; in that latter year he he had moved to Philadelphia and was manufacturing mortising machines.

In about 1844 John McClintic had moved to Philadelphia and opened a small machine shop where he was apparently making tenoners, mortisers, and combined tenoning and mortising machines. Between 1844 and '46, directory listings were for John M'Clintic. He was not listed in 1847 but in 1848 the listing resumed, same address, as John M'Clintock. The listings continued under this name until 1854; we found no listing for him from 1855 onward.

Information Sources

• August 1829 Journal of the Franklin Institute, page 115, in a listing of new patents, with commentary.

  52. For a machine for Slitting Tenons, Veneers, &c., called the 'Vertical Tenoner,' and intended for shop purposes; John M'Clintic, Chambersburg, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, April 21.

  This machine is furnished with a vertical and also with a circular saw, either of which may be put in gear, and used. A carriage running upon rollers, receives the piece which is to be tenoned; this carriage has a table framed across it, regulated by a tail screw, so as to set the piece to be sawed, without the necessity of gauging. For all but very heavy work, the carriage is drawn up by a weight and pulley; there is a rag wheel, however, which may be used when necessary. The claim is as follows: 'running the driving shaft on points, also my plan of fly wheel, also the manner of [fixing the] tail screw, or table, preventing the necessity of gauging, and producing perfect uniformity of tenon, with but little care.'

  The cases are numerous in which patentees are at a fault to tell what to claim as new in their machines, especially where ingenuity has tortured an instrument into almost every variety of form, for the purpose of obtaining an exclusive right. There are several machine for tenoning, for which patents have issued, the essential parts of which appear to us similar to that in question; and there are in our country ten thousand workmen, who, if required, could make a machine equally suitable for this purpose, without having seen either; and, after all this had been done, there would be very little of invention, properly so called, in the whole; but merely a condensation of larger machines, and an adaptation of parts of them to the particular purpose in view.

• July 1834 Journal of the Franklin Institute, page 18, reports on 5,944X granted to one Abner Foster of Worcester county, Massachusetts: "...in its general structure it resembles a machine patented by Mr. John McClintic, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania [sic], October 8th, 1827. In that machine, the chisels were brought down, and raised, by means of a lever moved by hand; in the present, two treadles are employed, one operating on a chisel to the right, and the other on a chisel to the left, to finish each end of the mortise..."
• 1842 Report of the Judges at the Twelfth Exhibition of American Manufactures, by the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia, page 44:

  No. 380, mortising and tenoning machine, made and invented by John M'Clintic. The arrangement of the machine is good, and it works with accuracy and rapidity. It is well worthy of the attention of carpenters, and joiners, and cannot fail to be exceedingly useful.

• 1846-05-11 The Congressional Globe, page 789, in a report on the House of Representatives for May 11, 1846. "Mr. Wood, from the Committee on Naval Affairs, reported a bill authorizing the Secretary of the Navy to purchase McClintock's mortising and tenanting machine for the use of the navy, accompanied by a report in writing; which bill was read twice, and committed."
• 1851 Fourth Annual Exhibition of the Maryland Institute, page 38, in a list of exhibitors: "1385.—1 Machine for Morticing Hubs, Square Morticing, Bevel do. and Boring Felloes, 1 do. for Morticing only, by depositor, John McClintic, Philadelphia, Pa." On page 51 it says that he was awarded a Diploma. The mortiser from Fergus Purden was judged to be superior.
• Philadelphia directory listings:
  • 1840 Boyd's Philadelphia City Directory: no listing for John McClintic/McClintock except for a coal dealer of the latter name.
  • 1841 McElroy's Philadelphia city directory, page 165, no listing for our John M'Clintic/M'Clintock.
  • 1842 McElroy's Philadelphia city directory, page 163, no listing for our John M'Clintic/M'Clintock.
  • 1843 McElroy's Philadelphia city directory, page 171, no listing for our John M'Clintic/M'Clintock.
  • 1844 McElroy's Philadelphia city directory, page 193: "M'Clintic John, machinist. Quarry n Bread".
  • 1845 McElroy's Philadelphia city directory, page 220: "M'Clintic John, machinist. Quarry n Bread".
  • 1846 McElroy's Philadelphia city directory, page 220: "M'Clintic John, machinist. Quarry n Bread".
  • 1847 McElroy's Philadelphia city directory, page 213: no listing for our John M'Clintic/M'Clintock.
  • 1848 McElroy's Philadelphia city directory, page 219: "M'Clintock John, machinist. Quarry".
  • 1850 McElroy's Philadelphia city directory, page 255: "M'Clintock John, machinist. Quarry n Bread".
  • 1852 Boyd's Philadelphia City Directory, page 272: "M°C)intock John, machst. Maiden bel Front".
  • 1853 McElroy's Philadelphia City Directory, page 252: "M'Clintock John, machst. Maiden bel Front".
  • 1854 McElroy's Philadelphia City Directory, page 323: "M'Clintock John, machst. Maiden bel Front".
  • 1855 McElroy's Philadelphia City Directory, page 337: no listing for our John M'Clintic/M'Clintock.
  • 1856 McElroy's Philadelphia City Directory, page 395: no listing for our John M'Clintic/M'Clintock.
  • 1857 McElroy's Philadelphia City Directory, page 413: no listing for our John M'Clintic/M'Clintock.