Charles Onsrud, grandson of the founder of Onsrud Machine Works, was working for that company when in 1964 he moved to North Carolina to be closer to the furniture industry in that area. The family business was sold in 1968, and. In 1976 Charles founded C. R. Onsrud Inc. to make a machine he had developed, the inverted pin router. This machine places the router head below the table rather than above. The material goes on the table, with the template on top. This allows the operator to see the cut, and makes it easier to clamp together the material and the template. The only downside is that chip collection is a must, but the Onsrud machines have chip collection built in. Onsrud's two sons joined him in the business, and they spearheaded a move into CNC routers. Sales of the inverted pin router continue, but have tapered off, with their main competition being their own used machines.
In the 2000s, C. R. Onsrud moved into CNC routers, and, subsequently, machining centers. These machines are used for working wood, aluminum, composites, plastics, etc., especially larger sheet goods. Compared to the competition, C. R. Onsrud's CNC routers are more accurate and more heavily built. During the 2010s the company expanded considerably and has become a major player in CNC routers and machining centers.
Information Sources