In the late 1940s and/or early '50s Bush Manufacturing Co. of Clawson, Michigan, made a small motorized scrollsaw and a benchtop tablesaw. The scrollsaw was sold by Montgomery Ward & Co., both under the Bush name and under the Powr-Kraft name.
Information Sources
- We first learned of this maker via a posting in the owwm.org Shop forum by Tom Williams. The scrollsaw shown there has a label that says, "Bush Built / Model Number M-150 / Volts 110 Amp. 2.6 / Ser. No. 3014 / Bush Manufacturing Co. / Clawson, Michigan U.S.A."
- A web search turned up a government bulletin that quoted a Bush Manufacturing Co. document from 1967, Friction Assessment Screening Test Instruction Manual. The reference gave the company's location as Clawson, Mich., so there is no doubt that this is the same company.
- A 1949 article in Popular Science mentions a stand made by this company that was designed for tilt-table machines.
- The 1976 Harris Michigan Manufacturers Industrial Directory lists this company, then residing at 900 Rochester Road in Clawson.
- The 1973 and 1978 issues of the Metal Finishing Guidebook list this company.
- Brian Kachadurian informed us of the connection with Montgomery Ward.