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Gimson & Co.

Manufacturer: Gimson & Co.
Location: Leicester, England
Country: U.K.
Manufacturer Type: Steam and Gas Engines

History:

In the early 1840s Benjamin Gimson and Josiah Gimson of Leicester established Gimson & Co. as a foundry and machinery business. The business became insolvent in 1847 but was able to resume operations. At some point after 1840 they took over the existing Vulcan Works in Leicester, and then in 1878 they moved to new works, Vulcan Foundry, the new works being larger and with better rail access.

Leicester housed several footwear manufacturers and the Gimson firm built boot and shoe machinery for that market. They also manufactured steam engines, which was a large portion of their business at one time but the boot and shoe machinery began to dominate.

In 1896 the business was reorganized as a private company, with directors all being members of the Gimson family. In the early 20th century they had a short-lived venture into the manufacture of commercial trucks. Lifts (elevators) would prove to be a better market for Gimson & Co. In 1930 a subsidiary business, the Gimson Shoe Machinery Co., was acquired by the British United Shoe Machinery Co., and the remaining part of the business specialized in lifts and in heavy engineering. Now known as Gimson Engineering Ltd., they specialize in lift engineering and repair.

Information Sources

Wikipedia entry for Gimson and Company.
Grace's Guide entry for Gimson and Co.

Mackies (1921) Ltd.; Mackies Engineering Co.

Manufacturer: Mackies (1921) Ltd.; Mackies Engineering Co.
Location: Bristol
Country: U.K.
Manufacturer Type: Wood Working Machinery & Metal Working Machinery

History:

In 1921 Mackies (1921) Ltd. was established to manufacture woodworking and metalworking machinery among other products. Their product line encompassed planers, jointers, saw benches, bandsaws, power hacksaws, grinders, and polishers. The company's factory was the Kingswood Hill Works

By 1938 the Kingswood Hill Works were being operated by Mackies Engineering Co. and were still making woodworking machinery. The company continued under this name until the late 1950s when it disappears from the records.

Information Sources

A 1921 issue of The Fruit Grower lists "Mackies (1921) Ltd., Spraying Machine Mfrs., Kingswood Hill Works, Bristol."
June 1925 Indian and Eastern Engineer page xxvii has a 1/4 page display ad from "MackieS (1921) Ltd. / Kingswood Hill Works, Bristol, England". There is an illustration of a hand jointer. "Manufacturers of sawmill machinery.... planing machines, saw benches, rack saw benches, band saw machines, hack-saw machines, grinders, polishers".
Snippet from a 1938 issue of Journal of the Bath and West and Southern Counties Society, page 104: "...only one was present for demonstration. This was the Horse-drawn Strawson "Kikado" Charlock Destroyer, entered by Mackies Engineering Company, Kingswood Hill, Bristol. The
February 1939 The Timber Trades Directory lists this firm in the category of Woodworking Machinery Manufacturers: "Mackies Engineering Co., Kingswoodhill, Kingswood (Bristol)."
1950 The London Directory and International Register of Manufacturers, Wholesalers and Shippers lists under woodworking machinery makers in Bristol, "Mackies Engineering Co. Kingswood Hill Works, Kingswood T. N. 73636".
1955 Farm Mechanization Directory lists "Mackies Engineering Co., Kingswood Hill Works, Bristol" as a maker of pumps and sprayers, and of a "30-inch dia. saw, belt driven."
A video from Vintage Iron UK includes a brief look at a pedestal grinder from Mackies Engineering Co.

A. J. Kirkwood & Co.

Manufacturer: A. J. Kirkwood & Co.
Location: Chicago, IL
Country: U.S.A.
Manufacturer Type: Wood Working Machinery & Metal Working Machinery

History:

A. J. Kirkwood & Co. was a machinery dealer that traced its roots back to 1858. In 1875 the dealer C. L. Rice & Co. changed ownership and the name became T. S. & A. J. Kirkwood, after brothers Thomas S. Kirkwood and Arthur J. Kirkwood. In 1885 Thomas retired from the business and the name changed to A. J. Kirkwood & Co. In 1892 the business was acquired by the big Boston machinery dealer, Hill, Clarke & Co.

We do not normally list dealers in our Manufacturers Index, but we do list A. J. Kirkwood & Co. because we have seen a wood planer with that company name cast into it. This planer was almost certainly manufactured by someone else and sold by Kirkwood as part of a house brand line.

Information Sources

1886 book History of Chicago: From the Earliest Period to the Present Time, Volume III, by Alfred Theodore Andreas, page 487, in the section on machinery manufacturers.

A. J. Kirkwood & Co.—This house is not only on e of the oldest dealers in machinery in Chicago, but anywhere in the West. It was founded, in 1858, by George W. Dunbar, who established himself as an agent selling machinery for eastern manufacturers on commission. His place of business was on Dearborn Street, between Lake and South Water streets. Mr. Dunbar was succeeded by the firm of C. L. Rice & Co., who then changed the location of their warerooms to 108 Madison Street, where they continued in business until the fire of 1871, when they were burned out, with a total loss. A singular incident connected with the burning of their stock is given by Mr. Kirkwood. t the time of he fire the firm was carrying an immense stock of engines and machinery of all kinds, which was, of course, rendered valueless, except to be sold as old iron. This stock, which was valued at $100,000, was accordingly sold after the fire to a heavy dealer in old iron, who bought it all, placing its value, roughly estimated at $1,500. The dealer counted on a handsome profit. His chagrin and surprise may better be imagined than described when, on attempting to remove his stock, he found it had been fused by the intense heat, so that on cooling it had become one homogeneous mass. The only way to remove it, was by mining it out. The iron merchant was dismayed at the task before him, and offered Mr. Rice five hundred dollars to be relieved from his contract. This offer Mr. Rice did not feel inclined to accept, so that the dealer in old iron had to stick to his bargain. He did so, but his profits, after the job was through, were all on the wrong side of his ledger. After the fire, the firm of C. L. Rice & Co. at once began building machine shops and warerooms on the corner of Canal and Harrison streets, which were occupied in the fall of 1872. About that time C. L. Rice & Co. sold the business to Thomas S. Kirkwood and William A. Dunklee, who three years later removed it to the present location. In 1875, Mr. Dunklee retired from the firm which then changed to T. S. & A. J. Kirkwood, and so continued until January 1885, when T. S. Kirkwood retired, retaining an interest in the business as special partner. Since that date the style of the firm has been A. J. Kirkwood & Co.

Thomas S. Kirkwood was born at Niagara Falls Village, Canada. His father, a Scotchman by birth, a graduate of the University of Edinburgh, was Dr. T. A. A. Kirkwood, and a man who stood high in the profession of which he was a member. His mother was Anna Boyes, daughter of Colonel Boyes, of the British army, and who died while in active service in the Indies. In 1861, Mr. Kirkwood located in Oshkosh, Wis. Three years later he came to this city, and worked for Keith Brothers until 1871, when he began in business on his own account as a member of the firm of Kirkwood & Dunklee. Since retiring from active business, Mr. Kirkwood has been travelling in Mexico for the benefit of his health, which for a time had been seriously impaired by years of unremitting labor.

Arthur J. Kirkwood was born at Niagara Falls Village, Canada, on May 28, 1844. In 1863, he went to Oshkosh, Wis., where he engaged in mercantile pursuits nearly ten years. In 1872 he came to Chicago and joined his brother in the business in which he is still engaged. Mr. Kirkwood married, in 1872, Miss Ella Weed, daughter of the late Jacob Weed, of Oshkosh, a well-known lumberman of that place and also one of the oldest settlers of Wisconsin. Mr. and Mrs. Kirkwood have two children,—Ella and Arthur.
1892-04-16 The Age of Steel, page 6, full-page text ad: "Special Sale of the Machinery in the Store of A. J. Kirkwood & Co., 12 and 14 South Canal Street, Chicago, Ill." There is a lit of new and second-hand machinery. The ad concludes, "Hill, Clarke & Co., Chicago and Boston, Successors to A> J. Kirkwood & Co., 12 and 14 South Canal Street, Chicago, Ill."

Schuchardt & Schütte

Manufacturer: Schuchardt & Schütte
Location: Berlin, later Köln
Country: Germany
Manufacturer Type: Metal Working Machinery

History:

In 1880, after completing his apprenticeship at a steel company that also dealt in machine tools, Alfred Heinrich Schütte founded a trading company together with the merchant Bernhardt Schuchhard under the company name Schuchardt & Schütte in Berlin. Starting in 1893, Heinrich expanded the import of modern American lathes, milling machines, grinders and gear-cutting machines to Germany and throughout Europe.

Starting in 1902, he manufactured equipment and tools himself in Cologne-Ehrenfeld and also sold machines from well-known German manufacturers. Schuchardt & Schütte established branches in Stockholm, St. Petersburg and New York. In 1905, Heinrich parted ways with Schuchardt and founded the family-owned company “Alfred H. Schütte” in Cologne.

The company’s ever-expanding production program required a dedicated factory. The cornerstone for this new factory was laid in 1910 on a suitable site along the Rhine meadows in Cologne-Poll.

In 1912, Schütte began manufacturing grinding and drilling machines here. In Berlin-Treptow, he built single- and multi-spindle high-speed drilling machines, universal milling machines, turret lathes and automatic profile-grinding machines. In 1915, he introduced the Schütte four-spindle automatic lathe and in 1919, he built the first tool and universal grinding machine. After World War I, the business was rebuilt around machine imports. The Great Depression forced the sale of subsidiaries and in-house manufacturing resumed in 1932.

Heinrich's son, Alfred Hugo, took over the company in 1936 following his father's death. In 1940, he introduced tools with independent, flexible longitudinal movements ("Schütte-Block"). The reconstruction of the factory which had been destroyed during the war in 1944–45 took place with the help of his brother-in-law, Paul Frhr. v. Pechmann.

From 1964 to 1993, Claus Henning Welcker, Heinrich’s grandson, served as the sole managing director. Among other innovations, he introduced a grinding machine for artificial hip and knee joints and a fully automatic tool grinding machine. Since 1993, his son Carl Martin Welcker has been the managing director of the company which remains one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of machine tools.

Information Sources:

History of the company on the Schütte homepage
the Schütte family on Deutsche Biographie

Michael Weinig

Manufacturer: Michael Weinig
Location: Tauberbischofsheim, Baden-Württemberg
Country: Germany
Manufacturer Type: Wood Working Machinery

History:

The Weinig company was founded by Michael Weinig and his brother Richard on May 2nd, 1905 as a trading and manufacturing business. During World War II, the company's production came to a standstill.

In 1945, the dormant company was rebuilt under Bertold Weinig. In 1947, production shifted to woodworking machines. As early as 1948, Weinig became the first company in its industry to introduce mass production. In 1973, the company changed its legal structure to a GmbH & Co. KG. In 1983, the company was converted into a GmbH.

In 1964, the company began specializing in the production of molding machines. With the introduction of synchronized assembly-line production in 1970, Weinig became one of the most modern manufacturers of woodworking machinery in the world. In 1979, the company began producing window-making machines.

In 1988, the company was reorganized as a stock corporation. Michael Weinig AG was publicly traded from 1989 to 2002 and has been majority-owned by Kuwaiti investors since 1984.

In 1992, Weinig acquired Waco Jonsereds AB in Sweden.

Under the Weinig brand name, several individual companies offer a product range that covers the entire process chain in solid wood processing. These include manufacturers of rip saws, multi-blade saws, and band saws (Raimann Holzoptimierung GmbH & Co. KG), crosscut saws and gluing presses (Weinig Dimter GmbH & Co. KG), high-speed planers (Michael Weinig AG), finger-jointing systems and double-end profilers (Weinig Grecon GmbH & Co. KG), and scanners (LuxScan Technologies). In addition, the company designs and markets plant projects. The wood-based materials division is represented by Holz-Her GmbH under its own brand, Holz-Her.

Weinig manufactures in Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, the United States, and the People's Republic of China, and markets its products worldwide. With 30 subsidiaries and branches, Weinig has a presence in Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Australia.

Information Sources:

Wikipedia entry for Michael Weinig AG
Heike von Brandenstein, Wirtschaft und Tourismus in Tauberbischofsheim, in: Frankenland 3/2018
Weinig on the hoechsmann.com website where additional information can be found

Deka Drill Corp.

Manufacturer: Deka Drill Corp.
Location: Cicero, IL
Country: U.S.A.
Manufacturer Type: Metal Working Machinery

History:

The Deka Drill Corp. was in business by 1960. They manufactured drilling and tapping machines, including multi-spindle models. In 1966 they were acquired by Amsted Industries Inc., which operated Deka Drill as a division of another company they owned, South Bend Lathe Works. See that entry for the subsequent history and for some Deka-related publications.

Information Sources

Various trade-journal mentions of Deka Drill Corp. (sometimes "Deka-Drill Corp.") and their single- and multi-spindle drilling and tapping machines.
1966 issue of American Machinist, in the Jan-Jul '66 volume.
Amsted Industries has acquired the principal assets of Deka Drill Corp., Cicero (Ill) machine tool manufacturer, for an undisclosed amount of cash. Joseph B. Lanterman, Amsted president, said the purchase includes Deka's plant, its inventories, designs and trademark names. He noted that Deka Drills will continue to be manufactured in the Cicero plant as a product line of Amsted Industries' South Bend Lathe division.

Walter Blombach (Wabeco)

Manufacturer: Walter Blombach (Wabeco)
Location: Remscheid, North Rhine-Westphalia
Country: Germany
Manufacturer Type: Metal Working Machinery

History:

Walter Blombach GmbH, also known as Wabeco, was established in 1885 by Walter Blombach, the great-grandfather of the current owner, Birgit Lennartz. The company makes lathes and milling machines.

Sears | Ever Ready

Manufacturer: Sears | Ever Ready
Location: Chicago, IL
Country: U.S.A.
Manufacturer Type: Wood Working Machinery & Metal Working Machinery

History: Label used by Sears for pump motors made by Packard Electric.

Alzmetall

Manufacturer: Alzmetall
Location: Altenmarkt an der Alz, Bavaria
Country: Germany
Manufacturer Type: Metal Working Machinery

History:

Alzmetall GmbH & Co. KG was founded in 1945 by Harald Friedrich and Peter Meier and received a license from the American occupying forces that same year to engage in precision engineering. The company began making drilling machines in 1947. Already in 1956, the 10,000th machine is rolling off the assembly line.

In 1976 they introduced their first NC drilling machines, and in 1980 they introduced their first CNC machining center, soon followed by fully automated production cells.

In 2008 they acquired the drilling machine operations of a smaller manufacturer in the same city, Donau Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH & Co. KG, which they organized as a subsidiary, Donau Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH.

In 2016, Alzmetall Machine Tools (Taicang) Co. Ltd. (WFOE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Alzmetall, was established in Taicang, China, and in 2022, the wholly owned subsidiary Alzmetall Machine Tools USA Inc. was established in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Information Sources:

Wikipedia entry for Alzmetall
History of Alzmetall on the Alzmetall homepage

Donau Werkzeugmaschinen

Manufacturer: Donau Werkzeugmaschinen
Location: Altenmarkt an der Alz, Bavaria
Country: Germany
Manufacturer Type: Metal Working Machinery

History:

Established in 1955, Donau Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH & Co. KG, and specialized in radial drilling machines.

In 2008 Alzmetall acquired Donau's machine-tool business and organized it as a subsidiary, Donau Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH.

Franz Kuhlmann

Manufacturer: Franz Kuhlmann
Location: Bad Lauterberg, Lower Saxony
Country: Germany
Manufacturer Type: Wood Working Machinery & Metal Working Machinery

History:

Bernhard Friedrich Kuhlmann, a watchmaker originally from the Münsterland region, took over a watch shop with a workshop in Wilhelmshaven in 1873.
Precision engineering work for the navy soon became the main focus of the business. The factory for navigation, bearing and sighting instruments established by B.F. Kuhlmann can be considered the nucleus of the Kuhlmann company.

In 1899, his eldest son, Franz Wilhelm, took over management of the business and workshop. On July 1, 1903, he spun off the precision engineering workshop and founded his own company in Wilhelmshaven with five assistants and two apprentices. In 1906, the Franz Kuhlmann company was entered in the commercial register.

Beginning in 1916 Franz Kuhlmann manufactured woodworking machinery in Bad Lauterberg/Harz. Later, pantograph milling and engraving machines became a specialty.

In 1934, a new production facility for the manufacture of woodworking machines in Bad Lauterberg was constructed.
In the 1960s, automatic woodworking machines for the furniture, door and window industries were manufactured.

Today, Kuhlmann develops, manufactures, and distributes CNC-controlled systems worldwide, like

HSC milling machines
Engraving machines
Graver grinding machines

and offers service, training, accessories and retrofitting of used KUHLMANN machines and the repective software for generating CAD/CAM data.

Information Sources

1966 book, Kuhlmann 50 Jahre in Bad Lauterberg: 1916-1966, by Franz Kuhlmann. We have not seen a copy of this book.
1972 patent for a pantograph copy milling machine, granted to Franz Kuhlmann, Wilhelmshaven Germany and assigned to "Kuhlmann KG, Prazisionsmechanik und Maschinebau, Bad Lauterberg, Harz, Germany".
Company history on the Kuhlmann web page

Kröner & Reimer

Manufacturer: Kröner & Reimer
Location: Leipzig-Lindenau
Country: Germany
Manufacturer Type: Metal Working Machinery

History:

Founded in 1898 by Max Kröner and Max Reimer, Kröner & Reimer manufactured a range of metal-working lathes.

From 1901-01-01 Central-Zeitung für Optik und Mechanik

Information Sources

1902-06-01 Central-Zeitung für Optik und Mechanik (Volume XXIII No. 11), page 120.
Eingesandte Preislisten. ... Kröner & Reimer, Werkzeugmaschinenfabrik, Leipzig-Lindanau. Drehbänke für die mechanische, optische, under elektrische Industrie sowie für Gold- und Silberarbeiter, Instrumentenmacher, Dreschsler, etc.
1908 Addressbuch der Elektricitätsbranche von Europa, page 356 under Sachsen / Leipzig.
Kröner & Reimer, Werkzeugmaschinenfabrik, Lind., Lütznerstr. 86. / Bes:Arthur Kröner u. Max Reimer. Fernspr: 8523. Telegr.-Adr.: Kröner Reimer Leipzig-Lindenau. Giro-Konto: Deutsche Bank, Fil. Leipzig. Gegr.: 1898. Arbz.: 40. / Spez.: Drehbänke für Elektrotechniker und Mechaniker.
1911-12 Adressbuch der deutschen Maschinenfabriken, Volume 5 page 278.
Kröner & Reimer, Werkzeugmaschinenfabrik, Lindenau, Lützner Str. 86. Bes.: Arthur u. Max Reimer. Gegr: 1898. ... Spez.: Drehbänke für Mechaniker.

Robert H. Lash Ltd.

Manufacturer: Robert H. Lash Ltd.
Location: Letchworth; London
Country: U.K.
Manufacturer Type: Metal Working Machinery

History:

In the early- to mid-20th century, Robert H. Lash Ltd. manufactured chucks for lathes and drills. Brand names included Arrel and Herts-Acme.

From 1917-10-05 Engineering

Information Sources

1914-12-04 Engineering pages 666-7, illustrated article on "Surface-grinding machine constructed by Mr. Robert H. Lash, engineer, London." The surface grinder in question is a horizontal belt sander ("Linisher") running on shafts with ball bearing journals. The provided bands have a one-piece (jointless) woven cloth backing. The band is 3 7/8 inches wide and about 33 inches long. The machine was intended for surface finishing of metal, wood, horn, papier mâché, etc.
1917-10-05 Engineering Supplement, page xxx, ad: "Robert H. Last Ltd., 29-31 Portugal St. (Kingsway) London, W.C.2 (and at Letchworth) / 4 Types of Chucks / Made in England / Accuracy, Strength, Quality." The chucks are an Arrel patent self-centreing 3-jaw lathe chuck, Herts-Acme Independent 4-jaw lathe chuck, the Herts-Acme 2-jaw drill chuck and the Excelsior 3-jaw keyless drill chuck.
1918-06-26 Aeronautics page 549.

The "Arrel" Pipe Cutting-Off Machine

The "Arrel" pip cutting-off machine, manufactured by Robert H. Lash, of Great Portland Street, for rapidly cutting off iron, steel, brass, and copper pipes, has been extensively adopted by aircraft manufacturers. It is an extremely simple machine and can deal with any length of pipe down to the narrowest rings and with all diameters within their range of capacity.

Pipes are placed in position on the rests without setting or clamping. The circular knife is fed into the pipe by a slight pressure of the hand lever, and the pipe rotates as the cutting takes place. The high speed of the cutter produces practically a clean cut—any slight burr which remains can be speedily removed by the milling cutter provided.

A 2 in. diameter iron pipe can be cut off in less than thirty seconds.

Buffalo Steam Roller Co.

Manufacturer: Buffalo Steam Roller Co.
Location: Buffalo, NY
Country: U.S.A.
Manufacturer Type: Steam and Gas Engines

History:

The Buffalo Steam Roller Co. was the road-building division of the Buffalo Pitts Co. that introduced its first production model steam rollers in 1901. The company was known for heavy-duty, reliable machinery that defined early 20th-century road building. In 1916, the Buffalo Steam Roller Co. merged with the Kelly-Springfield Road Roller Co. of Springfield, Ohio.

Information Sources

Automac (Automated Tool & Machinery Co., Ltd.)

Manufacturer: Automac (Automated Tool & Machinery Co., Ltd.)
Location: Weston, ON
Country: Canada
Manufacturer Type: Wood Working Machinery

History:

Between 1967 and 1983 the Automated Tool & Machinery Co., Ltd. manufactured a comprehensive line of machinery for manufacturing bookshelves, cabinets, etc., from sheet goods. Their machines used the Automac brand name. We have also seen the names Automac Machinery Ltd. and Plada Machines Ltd.; these names were all associated with the same business address and at overlapping times.

The Automac specialty was V grooving machinery that was used on laminated sheet goods to cut joints where the vinyl skin of the laminate is left intact so that it can act as a hinge as the sheet is folded. It was widely used in manufacturing TV cabinets, bookshelves, kitchen and bathroom cabinetry, etc. These machines were heavily and precisely built for assembly line use.

Information Sources

June 1968 New Manufacturing Establishments in Canada (PDF) has a listing for Automated Tool and Machinery Co. Ltd., 66 Milvan Dr., Weston, Ont., producing "tools, dies, fixtures".
1971 Canada Trademark Registration for "Automac". First use 1967-07-01. Registered owner Automated Tool & Machinery Company. Registration inactivated 1987-08-27.
1973 issue of F.I.R.A. Technical Bulletin notes that Belgian woodworking machinery manufacturer Danckaert had licensed V grooving machinery designs from Automac.
1977 Miscellaneous Machinery and Equipment Manufacturers, a publication of Statistics Canada, lists Automac Machinery Limited, 40 Millwick Dr Units 1 & 2, Weston, M9L1T3 (O1). The O1 code means 0-4 employees. The 1978 guide gives identical information except that the code is O3, meaning 10-19 employees.
1980 issue of Plywood & Panel, page 38.
Automac Machinery & Plada Machines Ltd., 40 Millwick Dr., Weston, Ontario M9L 1Y3, will be displaying its universal V-groover, Model AVG-30 R; Automac edge belt sander, Model ES 60; and a universal router and groover, Model URG-24. To find out more information, see Ted Benyovits, president, Miriam Benyovits, vice president, or Amit Benyovits, sales, in booth 1038.
1984 issues of Wood Products contain ads for Automac "V" grooving machines.
A Holocaust survivors website has an article on Tibor (Ted) Benyovits (1932-2020), who had written a book, Unsung Heroes.

Stoody Co.

Manufacturer: Stoody Co.
Location: Whittier, CA
Country: U.S.A.
Manufacturer Type: Metal Working Machinery

History:

Stoody Co. was established in the mid-1920s by Winston F. Stoody and H. C. Stoody. This firm primarily made welding rod and alloy steels, but in their early years they manufactured a clever patent quick-release lathe tool holder.

Information Sources

A search of Google Books turns up mentions from 1920s through '50s of Stoody Co., 1142 West Slauson, Whittier, CA.
March 1926 Western Machinery World page 139, in the "Trade Notes and Shop News" section.
Whittier. Stoody Co., welders and mfrs. of hard metal, 118 N. Milton Av., bought 2-acre site on Slauson Blvd. for new $150,000 steel frame plant. W. F. Stoody is pres. and H. C. Stoody v.p.
The same March 1926 issue has an illustrated writeup on this company's portable grinding outfit, a two-wheeled cart carrying a three-phase 1 HP motor driving a flexible shaft with grinding wheel on the end, for doing the sorts of jobs that nowadays would be done using an angle grinder.
September 1926 Western Machinery World page 424.
Stoody Welding Co. has new steel-covered saw tool bldg. in Whittier for mfg. welding equip.
1933 The Manufacturing Directory of Los Angeles County and District page 383.
Stoody Co., Slauson Blvd., alloy welding rods, bit grinders and holders, borium drilling tool grinders, grinding equipment, metallic diamond substitutes, tungsten carbide "Stoody" rods, "Stoodite."

Anthon GmbH & Co.

Manufacturer: Anthon GmbH & Co.
Location: Flensburg, Schleswig-Holstein
Country: Germany
Manufacturer Type: Wood Working Machinery

History:

Founded in 1867, this German manufactuer has a very long history and is still in business today. For a more complete history of the company, visit their history page at https://www.anthon.de/

Information Sources:

Anthon on the hoechmann.com homepage where additional information can be found

Albright Machine and Carving Works

Manufacturer: Albright Machine and Carving Works
Location: Valdese, NC
Country: U.S.A.
Manufacturer Type: Wood Working Machinery

History: Manufacturer of carving machines.

VDF

Manufacturer: VDF
Location: *
Country: Germany
Manufacturer Type: Metal Working Machinery

History:

In 1928, the four German lathe manufacturers

Gebrüder Boehringer G.m.b.H., Göppingen
Franz Braun A.-G., Zerbst
Heidenreich & Harbeck, Hamburg
H. Wohlenberg Komm.-Ges., Hannover

joined forces and founded the manufacturing and sales association “Vereinigte Drehbankfabriken” (VDF, "United Lathe Manufacturers") in order to develop and market the "Einheitsdrehbank" (standard lathe) in several sizes.

To achieve this, the companies agreed the follwowing:

"The undersigned companies are joining together to form a manufacturing and sales consortium for lathes and hereby adopt the following resolutions:
Precision lathes will be manufactured with the following sizes (i.e. height of center above bed): 175, 195, 215, 245, 285, 325, 380, 430 and 480 mm. The new standard lathes are to be designed and constructed with efficient features so that, as premium precision machines, they are superior to all competitors’ products through their solid construction and reasonable prices.
The undersigned companies undertake to install in their factories the equipment necessary to implement the above provision."

The sizes 175 to 195 mm and 245 to 325 mm were produced by Boehringer, the sizes 195 to 245 mm by Heidenreich & Harbeck, the sizes 325 to 380 mm by Franz Braun and the sizes above 380 by Wohlenberg.

After WW II, only three of the four companies were left, as Franz Braun AG in Zerbst was located in the Soviet occupation zone and and was transferred to public ownership in 1946.

Beginning at the end of the 1960s and then much more in the 70s and 80s, the German industrial landscape started changing. Numerical control was introduced. With the sale of Heidenreich & Harbeck to Gildemeister in 1972, only two of the VDF companies were left. Gradually, Boehringer remained the only manufacturer in the VDF, even though the successor companies to Wohlenberg and Franz Braun still exist today.

Information Sources:

Wikipedia entry for Gebrüder Boehringer
History of VDF on lathes.co.uk
10 Jahre VDF, Sonderdruck, Göppingen 1938

Wilder Machinery Co.

Manufacturer: Wilder Machinery Co.
Location: Salinas, CA
Country: U.S.A.
Manufacturer Type: Metal Working Machinery

History:

This company manufactured Wilder Power Slitters.

Boehringer

Manufacturer: Boehringer
Location: Göppingen, Baden-Württemberg
Country: Germany
Manufacturer Type: Metal Working Machinery

History:

Johann Georg Boehringer who had previously been a factory supervisor at the Baumann wool spinning mill, founded his own repair shop for spinning and weaving machines on Karlstraße in Göppingen around 1844. In 1855, his brother brought back the expertise from America needed to build the first 3-horsepower steam engine. After the company founder’s death in 1859, his three sons moved the factory to a larger building on Lorcher Straße.The company's name became Gebrüder Boehringer (Boehringer Brothers)

In 1862, the company’s own iron foundry began operations there. Boehringer focused on the manufacture of transmissions and machine tools; in 1896, the first electrically powered lathe was produced, and starting in 1905, the company specialized in lathes, particularly turret lathes and planing machines for wood and metalworking.

In the 1920s, Erwin Sturm developed the hydrostatic compact transmission which was manufactured by Boehringer as the Boehringer-Sturm oil transmission. This division was spun off into the subsidiary Hydrokraft GmbH in 1987.

In 1928, the company founded the manufacturing and sales association “Vereinigte Drehbankfabriken” (VDF) together with three other manufacturers, among them Heidenreich & Harbeck.

In the immediate postwar period, the company primarily manufactured purely civilian products such as hosiery knitting machines, can sealing machines, and cooking stoves. Rolf Boehringer acquired the Unimog from Erhard & Söhne which they built from 1949 to 1951. In 1972, the company entered into a partnership with Oerlikon-Bührle AG in Zurich that acquired a majority stake in 1973. In 1981, the company was renamed Oerlikon-Boehringer GmbH.

Starting in 1987, Boehringer, like the Ex-Cell-O Group in Eislingen, became part of IWKA Aktiengesellschaft and operated under the name Boehringer Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH. The company was acquired by the U.S.-based Maxcor Inc. in 2006 and was eventually integrated into the MAG-IAS Group. In 2013, the Taiwanese Fair Friend Group (FFG) acquired MAG’s Industrial Equipment division. As a result, parts of the Boehringer product portfolio (VDF Boehringer) were transferred to the Fair Friend Group. In 2015, FFG acquired the MAG Group completely. In 2016, Businesspark Göppingen GmbH acquired the approximately 48,000-square-meter business park. Many of the buildings on the site are now occupied by various tenants.

Information Sources:

Wikipedia entry for Gebrüder Boehringer
History of Boehringer on Boehringer Factory

Dorian Tool International

Manufacturer: Dorian Tool International
Location: East Bernard, TX
Country: U.S.A.
Manufacturer Type: Metal Working Machinery

History:

Established in about 1986, Dorian Tool International designs and manufactures tooling for lathes and milling machines. They are best known for the Quadra and Super Quick tool posts.

Boston Planing Saw Co.

Manufacturer: Boston Planing Saw Co.
Location: Boston, MA
Country: U.S.A.
Manufacturer Type: Wood Working Machinery

History:

In 1878 the Boston Planing Saw Co. was manufacturing patent saw blades that planed the sides of the cut in order to produce a smooth surface. We do not typically include sawblade manufacturers in this listing of machinery manufacturers, but we feel the meager information we have on them is worth preserving.

The 1878 Boston Directory carried a color full-page ad from this firm. That ad, and the listings in the Directory itself, are the only mentions of this firm we can find: not on the web, or in Google Books, or in any other editions of Boston Directory, or in the Library of Congress Newspaper Archive, or in patent records. We did find a pair of 1879 patents (applied for in 1878) that were granted to Joseph A. Robbins of Boston and assigned to John Webster of Salem, and these two patents, for a planing sawblade, closely resemble the sawblade drawing from the ad. Webster was the treasurer for a relatively large New Hampshire textile maker and we assume that he was an investor in Robbins' development efforts. One of Robbins' patents was jointly granted to Ira C. Bumpus. In addition to these two patents for planing sawblades, Robbins was assigned a pair of more conventional sawblade patents that were granted in 1879 to Warren S. Hill, who seems to have been a manufacturer of conductor's punches in Boston.

From 1878 Boston Directory

Information Sources

1878 The Boston Directory, full-page color ad on page J for "Boston Planing Saw Co., No. 19 Spring Lane, Near Post Office, Boston. Manufacturers of the Patent Planing Saw., either Circular, Gang, Band, or other form, which leaves a better surface than by power or hand planing. Cuts off and Miters perfectly. Makes Glue Joins. Patent hollow ground, leaving centre full thickness of plate. Runs both ways, making it a Double Saw. When dull on one edge, turned on the arbor, a new and sharp Saw is ready for use. No sett. 3 saws in one..."
Web search on Google Books search do not reveal a single other mention of this firm.
Search for 19 Spring Lane. None of what's below seems to be relevant other than what we already found.
- 1867 Boston Directory has the Boston Stereotype Foundry at that address, Daniel W. Rogers, agent. Also at that address were Curley & Lennon (Thomas Curley and Bernard Lennon, brass finishers), Wright & Potter (Albert J. Wright and Robert K. Potter, printers).
- The above-mentioned 1878 Boston Directory has the Boston Stereotype Foundry at that address. Also at that address were Lennon & Co. (M. T. F. O'Donnell, John J. Murphy, brass founders and finishers)
- 1879 Boston Directory has the Boston Stereotype Foundry at that address, George Deake, agent. Also at that address were Lennon & Co. (M. T. F. O'Donnell and J. J. Murphy, listed under plumber's materials and brass finishers).
Joseph A. Robbins of Boston. This is a common name; the following are the entries we could not exclude:
- 1878 The Boston Directory: "Robbins Joseph draughtsman, 76 State".
- 1879 The Boston Directory: "Robbins Joseph A. brushmaker, 50 Sudbury".
John Webster (Salem):
- 1878 The Boston Directory lists "Webster John, treasurer, Newmarket Manufacturing Co. Newmarket, N. H., 40 Sears building, house at Salem". Newmarket Mfg. Co. were a textile manufacturer located in Newmarket, N. H., and established in 1823. This suggests that Webster's role was most likely as an investor in Robbins' efforts to develop improved sawblades.
Warren S. Hill:
- 1878 The Boston Directory lists "Hill Warren, manuf. conductor's punches, 235 Wash. house at Somerville". The 1879 edition has the same listing.
Ira C. Bumpus:
- Genealogy websites tell us that Ira Crocker Bumps (1844-1925), was born in Maine, was "severely wounded" in the Civil War, lived in Boston most of his life, and died in Everett, Mass.
- A newspapers.com search reveals that Ira C. Bumpus worked as a saw filer.

Stone & Hazelton

Manufacturer: Stone & Hazelton
Location: Boston, MA
Country: U.S.A.
Manufacturer Type: Metal Working Machinery

History:

From 1877 Boston Directory

In early 1877 Stone & Hazelton, a partnership of J. Frank Stone and Frederic Dana Hazelton, began as a machine shop at 13-15 Bowker Street in Boston. They began manufacturing specialty items patented by Hazelton: a caliper square and a combination tool and rest that fit on an engine-lathe tool-post. They also manufactured lathes, planers, and chucks. They soon moved to 55 Sudbury Street, and by late 1878 they were also manufacturing Chaplin's patent metal planer. The last mention of Stone & Hazelton that we can find is from August 1879: an article in American Machinist shows this firm's "wire chuck" which is, in fact, a collection of collet chucks, and are particularly early examples of such devices.

We have not been able to find any information on J. Frank Stone. As for Hazelton, other then the 1876-77 patents for the above-mentioned specialty items, there is a 1903 patent to Frederick D. Hazelton of Philadelphia, for a table saw, which was manufactured by Hazelton & Donald of Philadelphia which became Hub Machine & Tool Co.

Information Sources

1877 Boston Directory:
- Ad on page 1308; see the "Images" tab, above.
- Page 429, listing "Hazelton, F. Dana (Stone & Hazelton), 13 and 15 Bowker, house at Chelsea".
- Page 842, listing for "Stone J. Frank (Stone & Hazelton), 13 and 15 Bowker, boards 107 Myrtle.
- Listings for "Stone & Hazelton, 13 Bowker (see page 1308)" under Brass Finishers; Dies and Cutters; Machinists; Mathematical and Optical; Pattern and Model Makers.
1877 Boston Almanac and Directory, page 319, "Machinists": "Stone & Hazelton, 13 Bowker".
November 1877 American Machinist page 9.
Stone & Hazelton, Boston, are manufacturing a new style of engine lathe. It has a hollow spindle, with hardened bearings and a draw-spindle to close the chucks which are made of hardened steel. The chucks are made to hold stub's wire or wrought brass from 1/16 to 1/4 inch. It has cast iron bearings with steel spindles. All the parts are heavy in proportion to its size and the lathe is intended to stand a great deal of hard usage.
November 1878 American Machinist page 15 is a text ad from Stone & Hazelton, 13 Bowker Street, Boston, for "Chaplin's Patent Power Planer" among other items.
1878 Boston Directory page 840: "Stone & Hazelton (J. F. Stone and F. D. Hazelton), machinists, 55 Sudbury".
1879-08-23 American Machinist pages 4-5: illustrated article on "Improved Wire Chuck" from Stone & Hazelton, 55 Sudbury Street, Boston.
See the Patents tab, above, for patents granted to Frederic(k) Dana Hazelton. We have not found any patents granted or assigned to a J. Frank Stone but that name is difficult to search so it is possible that we missed something.

KASTO Maschinenbau GmbH & Co.

Manufacturer: KASTO Maschinenbau GmbH & Co.
Location: Achern, Baden-Württemberg
Country: Germany
Manufacturer Type: Metal Working Machinery

History:

KASTO Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. is a leading German manufacturer specializing in metal sawing machines and automated storage systems for metal bars and sheet metal. Founded in 1844 by master carpenter Karl Stolzer (therefore the abbreviation KASTO), it is one of the oldest family-owned industrial companies in Europe and currently operates under the leadership of the fifth and sixth generations of the Stolzer family.

Kasto started in 1844 building saw frames for sawmills. In 1947 they patented their first hacksaw.

At least for a time, Kasto sawing machines were distributed in the USA by Racine Tool & Machine Co., and several Kasto-related publications are available under our entry for that firm.

Information Sources

Also see the Kasto web site.