This firm was established in 1909. Their primary claim to fame is their dowel machines, which are still available.

The dowel machines remained large unchanged from 1910 until 1948, when the business was acquired by East Dayton Tool & Die Co., which operated it as the Hawker Manufacturing Division, East Dayton Tool & Die Co. The new ownership introduced new and improved dowel machines.

In 1973 East Dayton, then owned by Dorothy Darrow, sold her interest in Hawker Manufacturing to Harmon Darrow, who purchased the shares via the newly formed Hawker Dayton Corp. Hawker dowel machines continued to be made under the Hawker Manufacturing name for some years until the Hawker Dayton name replaced it. The company is still in business manufacturing dowel machines. See the Hawker-Dayton website for contact information.

Information Sources

• We have found a couple of dowel-machine patents granted to Wilson S. Hawker of Dayton, Ohio. There is a 1909 patent date we have seen a few times on Hawker machines, but it is an invalid patent date. The earlier patent of the two we have found is from 1910.
• A web search turned up an 1899 small cannon from the W. S. Hawker Manufacturing Co. of Dayton.
• Listed in 1955-56 Hitchcock's Wood-Worker's Digest Directory.
• An ad in a 1957 issue of Canadian Woodworker shows their dowel machine, and says, "Hawker Manufacturing Division, East Dayton Tool & Die Co."
• A lawsuit, Jordan v. Hawker Dayton Corp., provides background on the 1973 name change and ownership. It also makes clear that when the assets of the Hawker Manufacturing Division of East Dayton Tool & Die were acquired by the newly formed Hawker Dayton Corporation, they did not also inherit its liabilities.