In 1906 James Marshall Leaver, Jr., was granted four patents for a gauge system for mass-cutting of dimensional lumber to length, and established the Leaver Manufacturing Co. in Oakland, California, to manufacture it. This cutoff stop system proved to be quite successful and the business expanded to include a dry kiln and a lumber estimator. Eventually they introduced a complete lineup of cutoff saws and other machinery for bulk processing of dimensional lumber. These products were intended for sawmills and lumber yards.

In 1940 the Idaco Engineering & Equipment Co. was founded in Oakland, CA, and seems to have taken over Leaver Mfg. Co.'s product line. It is possible that Idaco was just a reorganizing and renaming of Leaver Mfg. Co., but we have found no direct evidence of this.

After about a decade of operation, Idaco was asked to design a machine to precut lumber for homebuilding customers, and designed a four bladed saw specifically for that purpose. From that point forth, the company began to specialize in the component saw business.

By 1989 the company had become Idaco International and was owned by Gang-Nail Systems, Inc. In that year Gang-Nail and Hydro-Air underwent what seems to have been a partial merger. Idaco's 4-blade component saw technology was combined with Hydro-Air's "Hex Cut" design to create the Easy Set Saw series, transitioning the Idaco brand name out of standalone machinery production.

In 1991 Hydro-Air and Gang-Nail officially merged to form MiTek Industries, Inc., absorbing all historical Idaco saw assets and engineering into the new entity. This marked the end of the Idaco name.

Information Sources:

• An article in the Jan. 2026 edition of The Component Manufacturing Advertiser has an article authored by Joe Kannapell that includes a short history of Idaco Engineering and Equipment Co.
• A history summary according to Google AI (which should not be trusted without independent verification):
  • 1955 – Gang-Nail Invention: Engineer John "Cal" Jureit invented and patented the Gang-Nail metal punch-tooth connector plate for wood trusses, which removed the need for extra nail fastenings.
  • 1956 – Gang-Nail Systems: Jureit founded Gang-Nail Systems, Inc. to stamp and manufacture these metal plates.
  • 1960 – Moehlenpah Industries: St. Louis businessman Walter Moehlenpah expanded his hydraulics firm by patenting a competing punch-tooth connector plate and building global operations (including Africa, Australia, Canada, and Europe).
  • 1968 – Digital Design Begins: Computer-based truss programs were written using IBM punch cards, marking the start of digital construction design.
  • 1972 – Hydro-Air Engineering: Moehlenpah Industries became Hydro-Air Engineering, introducing mainframe-accessed truss software.
  • 1982–1994 – Consolidation & Software: Paul Cornelson acquired Hydro-Air during a housing recession to form MiTek Industries, Inc.. MiTek later acquired rival Gang-Nail Systems in 1987, merged both brands in 1991, and pioneered digital design with the launch of the Windows-based MiTek 2000 program in 1990 and plant automation machinery in 1994.
  • 2001–Present – Berkshire Hathaway & Modern Growth: Acquired by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway on July 31, 2001, MiTek expanded through major R&D investments, software releases like SAPPHIRE® Build and PAMIR, and global design services. In 2019, the company introduced its Design-Make-Build™ approach, growing its footprint across 6 continents and 95 countries.