Max Manufacturing Co. was established about 1938. It was the woodworking-machinery arm of Reliable Foundry, located on Auburn Street in San Jose. According to a Santa Cruz Sentinel article on June 5, 1949, James McEwan was the owner of Max.
By 1952 Max was developing a line of grinding equipment: circular saw sharpeners, chainsaw sharpeners, tool post grinders, etc.
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| Advertisement from September 1952 Popular Mechanics |
The owner and founder died in the early 1980s, and his two daughters sold the business to the Beachmont-Tabor Co. of Haverford, PA. That firm ceased business in about 1988 and the Max line was purchased by Tannewitz, Inc.
Max apparently acquired the planers of the Forsberg Machine Works, although the scarcity of Max planers suggests that not many were sold.
According to the Burton Saw
& Supply web site, “With the purchase of Max Manufacturing of San Jose, California in 1983, and its ACME brand of post grinders, Oregon Select Inc. was formed to manufacture the machines and specialty products our customers required.”
Information Sources
- According to the trademark filing for the "Max" name, it has been in use since 1938, and is/was used for bandsaws and various types of sanders.
- Listed in 1955-56 Hitcock's Wood-Workers Digest Directory.
- Acme Saw Shop Manual from Oregon Select, Inc., covering the Acme saw sharpener and related Acme saw sharpening equipment.
- Joe Potter provided information from some notes written in 1984-85 indicating that Max had gone out of business at that time.