Books in the Vintage Woodworking Machinery series

Here is the second volume in Dana Batory’s series of guides to the major woodworking machinery manufacturers of the 19th and 20th centuries. Covered in this volume are Parks Machine Co., the Boice-Crane Co., Baxter D. Whitney & Son, and Crescent Machine Co. All these manufacturers built a full line of woodworking machines, but most became especially known for a particular group, e.g., Boice-Crane produced medium size and capacity machines that were ideal for home shops, school shops and small business woodworkers; Whitney was famous for its thickness planers and spindle shapers, as well as for a large collection of cooperage machines; and Crescent won renown for its bandsaws and table saws, and for its Universal Wood-Worker, a combination machine. As in his first volume, the author provides a history of each manufacturer, as well as a description of the evolution of its product lines over the years. Accompanying the histories are many illustrations taken from the catalogs of the period. This is a mine of information about old woodworking machines and the companies that made them.

Here, for the first time, is a guide to four of the major woodworking machinery manufacturers: Fay & Egan, Yates-American, Defiance, and Oliver. Leaders in their field throughout the world, their products were used in all walks of life from lumber mills to furniture factories, from schools to arsenals, from shipyards to bakeries. The author''s extensive original research has provided us with a history of each manufacturer, as well as a description of the evolution of its product lines over the years. Accompanying these fascinating histories are numerous beautiful illustrations reflecting each company''s range of products, along with specifications and descriptions, taken from the catalogs of the period. In addition, the book provides invaluable information to collectors and users on buying and restoring old machines. These chapters cover everything from establishing the age and value of an old machine to how to move a piece of heavy woodworking equipment. Special attention is paid to the issues involved in repairing specific kinds of machines. Not only will collectors and users of vintage woodworking machinery prize this book but, as well, those who are simply interested in industrial history and who don''t want this marvelous technology to be lost.