The partnership of Frink & Prentis was established by 1847 and seems to have disappeared by 1850. Their business was one of the very few that was licensed to produce Woodworth's patent planing and matching machines; the license was probably sold to them by Samuel Pitts, who was the only one of the three major owners of the Woodworth patent who did not manufacture machines himself. Frink & Prentis's machine, as shown in the ad below, is only loosely based on Woodworth's design, and in one key respect, is a step backward: the cutter head is positioned above the stock rather than below, which means that shavings are likely to pile up on top of the stock, possibly jamming the exposed gearing and rollers.

Ad from the 1847-09-11 issue of "Scientific American"

Information Sources

• From article and ad in 1847-09-11 Scientific American; the ad, dated 9 September 1847, appears to be the first ad for woodworking machinery ever to appear in that journal. This article is available online via Cornell University's "Making of America" archive.
• The 1848-10-28 issue of Scientific American says, of that year's Fair of the American Institute,

  Woodworth's Planing Machine was exhibited by Messr. Frink and Prentis of Jersey City, also Mr. Carter's Model of Blanchard's Machine for turning irregular forms. These two machines were objects of very special attention, every mechanic seemed to know them and exhibited an interest, which we gleaned by their conversation—was raised by reading about them in the Scientific American. No machines have caused so many law suits in America or the wide world, as these two,—this speaks volumes for their value and importance.

• The 1848-11-04 issue of Scientific American carries an illustrated front-page article on Barber's patent metallic grist mill for corn and other grain, patented in June of 1847. "Messrs. Frink & Prentiss, of Jersey City, are now making some of these machines." Available online via Cornell University's "Making of America" archive.
• From Annual Report of the American Institute of the City of New York, 1849: "Frink & Prentiss, Jersey City, J. J., for a wood planing machine, (an improvement on Woodworth's for which a Gold medal has been before awarded.) Diploma.
• The 1849-50 Jersey City Directory lists both John H. Frink and "Frink and Prentiss". Frink was residing at the American Hotel. Prentiss is not listed as residing locally. The firm was listed as "Frink and Prentiss, machine shop and planning mill." Thanks to Allen Miller of the Historic Collections Foundation for providing us this information.
• From The History and Genealogy of the Prentice, Or Prentiss Family, in New England, Etc., from 1631 to 1883, by Charles James Fox Binney, 1883:

  ADAM FRINK PRENTIS... [married] in Montreal, May 22, 1856... In 1824 Mr. Prentis was a clerk with the late Thomas W. Williams, of New London, Ct., in the shipping and whaling business; after eleven years began for himself, and in 1838, with the late Andrew W. Frink and Colby Chew, as Frank, Chew & CO., in whaling, fishing, trading over the world. Mr. Chew died in 1849, and the firm name was altered to Frink & Prentis, till Frink died in 1867."

  History of New London, Connecticut by Frances Manwaring Caulkins, 1852, lists Frink & Prentis as a then-present-day whaling merchants with three ships and barks. Note that the planing-machine firm was in Jersey City, and could be unconnected to the whaling companies. The histories of the Frink and Prentis families are heavily inter-married and so it is not unlikely that two separate "Frink & Prentis" businesses existed.