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VDF

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

History:

In 1928, the four 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.

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

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 Boeringer 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.

AKA Kasto

Information Sources

Also see the Kasto web site.

Adams Brothers Company (ABCO)

Manufacturer: Adams Brothers Company (ABCO)
Location: Columbus, OH
Country: U.S.A.
Manufacturer Type: Metal Working Machinery

History: Maker of an electric bench grinder. Email from a person named "Dune" noted that he saw this grinder in a classified ad and a Garage Journal post.

Black Diamond Drill Grinders, Inc.

Manufacturer: Black Diamond Drill Grinders, Inc.
Location: Windermere, FL
Country: U.S.A.
Manufacturer Type: Metal Working Machinery

History:

This firm sells and rebuilds Black Diamond Drill Grinders.

Information Sources

More machine information can be found at Black Diamond Drill Grinders, Inc.

Ward-Riddle Co.

Manufacturer: Ward-Riddle Co.
Location: Ravenna, OH
Country: U.S.A.
Manufacturer Type: Metal Working Machinery

History:

The Ward-Riddle Co. was a manufacturer of special drilling tools for turret lathes.

Vulcan Tool Co.

Manufacturer: Vulcan Tool Co.
Location: Dayton, OH
Country: U.S.A.
Manufacturer Type: Metal Working Machinery

History:

The Vulcan Tool Co. was founded in 1916 in Dayton, OH as a small tool and die shop. During World War II, manufactured machines critical to the production of essential military equipment. In 1945, the company acquiring the Dayton Tool and Engineering Co.. Within a few years, it licensed the Shimmy Die and Brehm Tube Cutting machine from the Steel Products Engineering Co. in Springfield, OH. Eventually, Vulcan Tool purchased SPECO’s Brehm Division. In 2020, the company was acquired by Paradigm Industrial LLC.

Information Sources:

A more detailed history of the company can be found on the manufacturers website on their History page.

Uni-Tek Mfg. Co.

Manufacturer: Uni-Tek Mfg. Co.
Location: Bridgeview, IL
Country: U.S.A.
Manufacturer Type: Metal Working Machinery

History:

Founded in 1954 as a salvage job shop by Harold Sexauer, Sr. and sons, they began manufacturing metal disintegrators to help in their own operations.

Unipunch Products, Inc.

Manufacturer: Unipunch Products, Inc.
Location: Buffalo, NY
Country: U.S.A.
Manufacturer Type: Metal Working Machinery

History:

Founded in 1955, Unipunch Products, Inc. began in Niagara Falls, NY as a company manufacturing punch equipment using modular bump dies known as “C-frame,” or “unitized” tooling. In 2022, the company merged with Unitool.

Information Sources:

A more complete history of the company can be found on the manufacturers About Us - History page on their website.

Turchan Follower Machine Co.

Manufacturer: Turchan Follower Machine Co.
Location: Detroit, MI
Country: U.S.A.
Manufacturer Type: Metal Working Machinery

History:

The Turchan Follower Machine Company, was founded by O. C. Turchan as company that specialized in hydraulic tracers and duplicator technologies. The exact year of founding is not currently known, but they company was active in at least as far back as 1946. Later on, the company began manufacturing early N/C machinery and changed it's name to the Turchan Machine Co. and was located in Inkster, MI.

Lorenz & Kirsten

Manufacturer: Lorenz & Kirsten
Location: Böhlitz-Ehrenberg bei Leipzig, Saxony
Country: Germany
Manufacturer Type: Wood Working Machinery

History:

Lorenz & Kirsten built woodworking machinery from the late 19th century until after World War II. Together with other companies (e.g. Kirchner), Lorenz & Kirsten was located in the Leipzig area. Its premises were in the then independent district of Böhlitz-Ehrenberg.

Otherwise little is so far known about this manufacturer.

Information Sources:

Lorenz & Kirsten is mentioned in the Outdoor machinery gallery in Leipzig

Michael Deckel Feinmechanik

Manufacturer: Michael Deckel Feinmechanik
Location: Weilheim, Bavaria
Country: Germany
Manufacturer Type: Metal Working Machinery

History:

Michael Deckel Feinmechanik GmbH & Co. KG is known for manufacturing high-precision grinding machines. Since its founding in 1950(?), the company has specialized in the development, production, and distribution of tool grinding machines.

The company was founded by Michael Deckel, 3rd generation of the owning family of Friedrich Deckel AG who had bought the previous Eckert & Co. in Weilheim.
Michael Deckel Feinmechanik remained closely connected with Friedr. Deckel, Munich. Its grinding machines were even listed in a lot of Friedr. Deckel's general catalogs and even in manuals for other machine models.

In 2014, after some difficult years, Michael Deckel Feinmechanik changed its name to ISOG and and continued business with a reduced workforce.
Unfortunately, in 2020 ISOG had to file for bankruptcy and the company was liquidated.

Information Sources:

Michael Deckel entry on the Neydorff Gebrauchtmaschinen website
Name change to ISOG on zerspanungstechnik.de
Artictle on the liquidation in the Weilheimer Kreisbote
Arno Martens who was a distributor of Deckel in Practical Machinist.

Adjustable Clamp Company

Manufacturer: Adjustable Clamp Company
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Country: U.S.A.
Manufacturer Type: Wood Working Machinery & Metal Working Machinery

History:

Established in 1903 by Adele V. Holman and partnered with Danish cabinetmaker Hans Jorgensen to create the Jorgensen wooden handscrew.

The product line was expanded to include C-clamps, bar clamps, and the famous Pony pipe clamps.

The product line also included miter boxes and saws, wood and metal working vises, and a drill powered wood working lathe.

In 2016 the company closed and was subsequently purchased by GreatStar Industrial (based in China).

Historical address: 417 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago, Illinois, 60622.

Meuser & Co Maschinenfabrik

Manufacturer: Meuser & Co Maschinenfabrik
Location: Frankfurt
Country: Germany
Manufacturer Type: Metal Working Machinery

History:

Meuser & Co Maschinenfabrik was established in 1925 and makes lathes. Their specialty is the production of machine tools and they produced and sold over 50,000 machines worldwide between 1925 and 1979.

After the factory closed in 1979, the successor company ETM Meuser Maschinen GmbH was founded. The initial purpose of the successor company was to produce and sell spare parts for Meuser machines that had already been produced (lathes and boring mills). Due to increased demand, the production and overhaul of lathes was resumed.

Today, in addition to new production, old Meuser lathes are purchased, completely overhauled, equipped with new parts and new electrical systems, and offered on the market.

Information Sources

Lathes.co.uk page on Meuser.
Meuser homepage

Electro-Matic Products Co.

Manufacturer: Electro-Matic Products Co.
Location: Chicago, IL
Country: U.S.A.
Manufacturer Type: Metal Working Machinery

History:

The Electro-Matic Products Co. was a manufacture of linear positioning systems and electrical transformers. Founded in 1938, their initial product was the development of the first chuck control to effectively neutralize magnetism for ease of removing parts from an magnet chuck, commonly used on surface grinders. Their NEUTROL chuck was used for work holding in the grinding industry. Their trademarked NEUTROFIER was the controller for their system. Additionally their DEGAUSSATRON series demagnetizers were capable of demagnetizing massive parts in a time-efficient manner.

True-Trace Corp.

Manufacturer: True-Trace Corp.
Location: El Monte, CA
Country: U.S.A.
Manufacturer Type: Metal Working Machinery

History:

The True-Trace Corp. was founded around 1952 as a manufacturer of hydraulic tracer systems for machining (milling/turning) that allowed for the creation of complex shapes in the years prior the the popularization of CNC technology. Indications are that the company stopped production around 1999.

Pines Engineering Co., Inc.

Manufacturer: Pines Engineering Co., Inc.
Location: Aurora, IL
Country: U.S.A.
Manufacturer Type: Metal Working Machinery

History:

The Pines Engineering Co. was founded in 1943 and is a manufacturer of tube bending equipment and machinery. At some point in the companies past, it became a division of Teledyne. Acquired by ParkOhio in 2013, Pines Engineering is now under the umbrella of ParkOhio’s Industrial Equipment Group (IEG), alongside Ajax TOCCO Magnethermic (ATM).

Information Sources:

A history of Pines Engineering can be found on the companies About Us page.

Taylor-Winfield Corp.

Manufacturer: Taylor-Winfield Corp.
Location: Warren, OH
Country: U.S.A.
Manufacturer Type: Metal Working Machinery

History:

The Taylor-Winfield Corp. was Founded in 1882 as a supplier of industrial equipment. Still in business today, it is now a leader in commercial welding and material joining machines.

Speedlap Corp.

Manufacturer: Speedlap Corp.
Location: Skokie, IL
Country: U.S.A.
Manufacturer Type: Metal Working Machinery

History:

The Speedlap Corp. of Skokie, IL, manufactured industrial lapping machines.

Secrest Machine Corp.

Manufacturer: Secrest Machine Corp.
Location: Alexandria, VA
Country: U.S.A.
Manufacturer Type: Metal Working Machinery

History:

The Secrest Machine Corp. was a manufacturer primarily known for specialized industrial equipment. A brochure for "Bronx" bar and rod straighteners features products that were actually manufactured by Bronx Engineering Co. Ltd. of England.

Salem Equipment, Inc.

Manufacturer: Salem Equipment, Inc.
Location: Salem, OR
Country: U.S.A.
Manufacturer Type: Wood Working Machinery

History:

The Salem Equipment, Inc. was founded in 1946 in Salem, Oregon as a manufacturer of sawmill machinery.

Information Sources:

A more detailed history of the Salem Equipment, Inc. can be found on the About Us of the companies web site.