In the post-WWII era the Dion Pattern and Machine Works made benchtop woodworking machines, including 10-inch and 12-inch bandsaws, a lathe, and a tablesaw. The business was a small operation run out of the back of a house. Joseph Elie Dion (1893-1977) was owner, designer and pattern-maker, and likely machinist and assembler as well.

Several names are associated with this business. Since the paperwork we have seen is all undated we cannot put the names in order of use, nor do we know if some of these names were in use at the same time.

• Stellar Pattern & Machine Works
• Dion Bench Machine Manufacturing.
• Dion Manufacturing Co.
• Dion Pattern and Machine Works
• Dion Machine Co., Ltd.

Information Sources

• Thanks to Art Shaw for letting us know of this maker. Art reported a 10" band saw called the "Dion Junior", labeled "Made in Canada" on the upper door and "Dion Pattern and Machine Works, Hamilton" at the bottom. The frame appeared to be cast iron, and the door covering both wheels was aluminum.
• We have a report of a small bandsaw, probably late 1940s or early '50s, marked with "Dion Pattern and Machine Works". In addition, one contributor informed of another bandsaw, labeled "Dion Bench Machine Mfg, Hamilton Ont" , which appears older than the first reported example. Another contributor uploaded pictures of a small wood lathe marked, "Dion Mfg. Co. / Hamilton, Ont." We have not found any information on any of these company names.
• A second, older, machine has surfaced. This one has cast-iron open-work wheel covers and has "Dion Bench Machine Mfg, Hamilton Ont" cast into the base.
• Correspondent Steve Eckensweiler, the great grandson of J. E. Dion, reports that his uncle had started researching the company but died before he found any surviving machines. Steve provided us with copies of an advertising flyer, a business card and portions of some blueprints.
• An annual Government of Canada publication, 31-002 New Manufacturing Establishments in Canada was published for a few years beginning in 1956. The 1959 edition lists Stellar Pattern & Machine Works, 167 Simcoe St. E., Hamilton, Ont., in the business of "wood patterns". We did not find any listings for any other company at that address, or for any Hamilton company with a name beginning in "Dion".
• A 1960 Government of Canada document, 47-205 Miscellaneous Manufacturing Industries: Annual Census of Manufactures lists Stellar Pattern & Machine Works, 167 Simcoe St. E., Hamilton, in the category of "Model and Pattern Manufacturers". This was the first such listing in these annual reports. There are no listings for "Dion". The same "Stellar" listing appears up to and including the 1967 edition; from 1968 onwards the annual report no longer listed any individual business names, only statistics for certain sub-categories. The "Stellar" listing did not appear in the 1959 edition (to view the report for other years, edit the URL and replace the "1959" with the year of interest).