We have seen an unusual tablesaw from Globe Inventing Co.. The saw is small but heavily built, with a surprisingly intricate base casting. It is marked "PATENT APLD" but we have not yet found any patent for it.

1916 trade journals shed some light on this saw. Globe Inventing Co. had introduced a "combination surface grinder and sander", a "combination bench planer and jointer" and a "combination disk grinder and saw table". The saw we have seen is a simplified version of the last-named machine, and the fact that it was intended as a combination machine helps to explain the intricacy of the base casting.

It seems likely that these products were expensive to manufacture and they do not seem to have been successful. The company seems to disappear from the records after 1922.

Information Sources

• Thanks to Mel Miller for alerting us to this company and providing some of the information here.
• 1910 Eighteenth Annual Report of the Factory Inspector of Illinois ("Year ending December 15, 1910"), page 335, lists "Globe Inventing & Mfg. Co. / 2723 N. Clark St. / Tools and dies / (manufacturer?) Yes / (employees) 3 / (males 16+) 2 / (females 16+) 1 / (boys) - / (girls) - / (children 14-) - / (children 16-) -".
• 1910 National Corporation Reporter, in a listing of new corporations: "Globe Inventing and Manufacturing Company, Chicago; $5,000; manufacturing and merchandise; Francis A. Harper, Daniel V. Harkin, J. W. Metzner." Some web searches revealed that Francis A. Harper was a lawyer and judge; Daniel V. Harkin was a bank examiner; J. W. Metzner was a pharmacist who manufactured stomach bitters. A patent search of each of their names turned up nothing.
• 1916-08-31 American Machinist page 393.

  Combination Surface Grinder and Sander

  The bench machine shown was designed for finishing up any size surface and shapes on wood, metal and other materials. Various abrasive cloths can be quickly attached to the roller by unscrewing three small screws. Two kinds of abrasive cloth can be put on the roller at the same time by using each half of the roller.

  The roller, or thickness, guide can be set, lowered or lifted up to 4 in. over the abrasive, or can be lowered at one end and set to any angle up to 15 deg. The roller guide is used to run in strips of metal and give the article a true bearing surface across its entire width; it is also a protection against the fingers.

  The table can be lowered or raised at either side so as to get the correct parallel to the rotary wheel, can be lifted and swung up to the back when replacing the worn-out abrasive cloth, and can be easily be raised or lowered and quickly adjusted by turning the screw up or down in front of the machine. Two large attached reservoirs will hold sufficient oil to last a considerable period.

  The machine shown is a recent product of the Globe Inventing Co., 4877 North Hermitage Ave., Chicago, Ill.

• October 1916 Machinery page 179, in the "New Machinery and Tools Notes" column.

  Jointer and Planer: Globe Inventing Co., 4877 N. Hermitage Ave., Chicago, Ill. A combination bench planer and jointer in which the thickness gage over the table can be set at any required height up to 4 inches, or it can be set to plane work on any angle up to 15 degrees. The table can be lifted and swung back for convenience when adjustment of the knives has to be made.

  ...Combination Disk Grinder and Saw Table: Globe Inventing Co., 4877 N. Hermitage Ave., Chicago, Ill. The arbor of this machine is so arranged that it is adapted for carrying either an abrasive wheel covered with abrasive cloth or paper, or a circular saw. Provision is made for mounting thin abrasive wheels on the arbor so that high-speed and hardened steel can be ground. The table tilts to any angle or can be raised or lowered at the back; it is provided with two adjustable angle rests that can be locked in any position by thumb-screws.

  ...Surface Grinder and Sander: Globe Inventing Co., 4877 N. Hermitage Ave., Chicago, Ill. A bench machine designed for use in finishing up any size of surfaces and shapes on wood, metal and other material. Any required abrasive cloth can be quickly attached to the roller by loosening three screws, and two kinds of abrasive cloth can be put on the roller at the same time, each covering half of the roller. The guide can be quickly set up to the required height over the abrasive, and it can be set at any angle up to 15 degrees. The table can also be lowered or raised at either side, and it can be lifted and swung up to the back while replacing worn out abrasive cloth.

• 1922 The Ship Compendium and Year Book lists "Globe Inventing Co., 4877 N. Hermitage Av., Chicago, Ill." as a supplier of grinding machinery.
• A search for any patent mentioning "Globe Inventing" came up dry, as did a search for any similarly named company based in Chicago.
• There was a Globe Machine Co. in Chicago but it was absorbed by American Wood Working Machinery Co. in about 1900 and by all appearances is unrelated to Globe Inventing Co.