This firm was founded in 1911 in the town of Preston, ON, Canada, by Allan M. Kerr and M. Mullan. It quickly became the largest manufacturer and distributor of woodworking machinery in Canada.

Mullan died in 1947, and Kerr redirected the company to focus more on distribution than on manufacturing. When Kerr died in 1956, the company was purchased by their general manager, W. D. Gerrard. Gerrard shifted the company's focus back towards manufacturing.

In its early days the company manufactured a number of machines for the automotive industry. As cars moved away from wood as a material, Preston focused more on sawmill equipment. In their later years they were a major supplier of woodworking machines to Canadian schools. Another specialty was the production flow of materials, and the overall design of production facilities for woodworking factories.

Besides woodworking machinery, the company also built machines for working glass, rubber, tile, and metal. They focused on the aircraft and automotive industries. During World War I they manufactured the Stevens engine lathe as their contribution to the war effort. Some of these lathes have both the Preston and Stevens names, and some have only the Preston name, shortened to Preston Machinery Co.

The "Preston Woodworking Machinery" website was still alive until mid-2007, albeit as a distributor rather than a manufacturer. The website featured the familiar Canada goose logo, but it also said, "Serving the industry for over 20 years", which implies some lack of continuity.

Information sources

• 1940 Canadian Trade Index.

  Preston Woodworking Machinery Co., Limited, Preston, Ont. Brand, "Preston". For. Reps.: G. A. Watson, 58 Burg St., Cape Town, S. Africa; J. J. Niven & Co., Wellington, N.Z.: Henry Kelley & Co., 26 Pall Mall, Manchester, England. Cable address, Woodworking. Code, Western Union and Private.

• A ca. 1959 article from Canadian Register of Commerce & Industry, made available online by The Business Library of the University of Western Ontario.
• Ads in the 1016-12-21 Canadian Machinery show a wood-cutting bandsaw and the Stevens 18-inch engine lathe.