Porter-Cable is an American company that manufactures

power tools A power tool is a tool that is actuated by an additional power source and mechanism other than the solely manual labor used with hand tools. The most common types of power tools use electric motors. Internal combustion engines and compressed a ...

. Known for pioneering the portable

belt sander A belt sander or strip sander is a sander used in shaping and finishing wood and other materials. It consists of an electric motor that turns a pair of drums on which a continuous loop of sandpaper is mounted. Belt sanders may be handheld and mo ...

, helical-drive circular saw, and portable

band saw A bandsaw (also written band saw) is a power saw with a long, sharp blade consisting of a continuous band of toothed metal stretched between two or more wheels to cut material. They are used principally in woodworking, metalworking, and l ...

, it is a subsidiary of Stanley Black & Decker.

History

Porter-Cable was founded in 1906 in Syracuse, New York, by R.E. Porter, G.G. Porter, and F.E. Cable, who invested $2,300 in a jobbing machine and tool shop the trio ran out of a garage. In 1914, the company began to focus on power tools, starting with a line of

lathes A lathe () is a machine tool that rotates a workpiece about an axis of rotation to perform various operations such as cutting, sanding, knurling, drilling, deformation, facing, and turning, with tools that are applied to the workpiece to cr ...

. Three years later, the company bought a plant on North Salina Street. In 1926, Porter-Cable began to develop a niche in portable electric power tools when Chief Engineer Art Emmons invented the portable electric belt sander, called the ''Take-About Sander''. In 1929, Emmons invented the helical drive circular saw, a compact, lightweight design that is still the most widely used circular saw design produced today. In 1960, the company was sold to

Rockwell International Rockwell International was a major American manufacturing conglomerate involved in aircraft, the space industry, defense and commercial electronics, components in the automotive industry, printing presses, avionics and industrial products. R ...

. Rockwell made numerous changes, including phasing out the Porter-Cable name, relocating the company's base of operations to

Jackson, Tennessee Jackson is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Tennessee, United States. Located east of Memphis, it is a regional center of trade for West Tennessee. Its total population was 68,205 as of the 2020 United States census. Jackson ...

, and creating a lower end of power tools to compete with Black & Decker. These tools had numerous reliability problems and harmed the brand's image. In 1981, Pentair, Inc. acquired Rockwell's power tool group — consisting of Porter-Cable and

Delta Machinery Delta Power Equipment Corp. designs, manufactures and distributes power woodworking tools under the Delta Machinery brand. History Delta traces its roots to the Delta Specialty Company founded by Herbert Tautz in 1919 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Bas ...

— and restored the Porter-Cable name. The company ended production of consumer level tools, and repositioned itself as a manufacturer of professional power tools. In 1989, it introduced the first electric

random orbital sander A random orbital sander (also known as a palm sander) is a hand-held power tool which sands in a random-orbit action. That is, in constant irregular overlapping circles. This technology was first commercially utilized in 1968 by Rupes Tools. Rand ...

. Around this time, the company returned to consumer tools, sold via retail outlets which included

The Home Depot The Home Depot, Inc., is an American multinational home improvement retail corporation that sells tools, construction products, appliances, and services, including fuel and transportation rentals. Home Depot is the largest home improvement re ...

and Lowe's, greatly expanding its sales. In 1996, the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

established a collection of materials from the company's ninety-year history, the first such effort for a power tool company. In 2000, Porter-Cable consolidated with sister company Delta Machinery, the latter moving its headquarters and distribution center from

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

to Jackson. The same year, Pentair acquired DeVilbiss Air Power Company and, in 2002, Porter-Cable expanded its line-up to include

air compressors An air compressor is a pneumatic device that converts power (using an electric motor, diesel or gasoline engine, etc.) into potential energy stored in pressurized air (i.e., compressed air). By one of several methods, an air compressor forces ...

, air tools, generators, and pressure washers. In October 2004, the Pentair Tools Group — comprising Porter-Cable, Delta Machinery, DeVilbiss Air Power, and others — was purchased by

Black & Decker Black+Decker Inc. is an American manufacturer of power tools, accessories, hardware, home improvement products, home appliances and fastening systems headquartered in Towson, Maryland, north of Baltimore, Maryland, USA, where the company was o ...

, now Stanley Black & Decker. Porter-Cable is headquartered in Jackson, Tennessee. Manufacturing in the United States has mostly ceased; tools are now made primarily in Mexico and China.

References

"History."
Delta Machinery/Porter-Cable web site. Retrieved December 10, 2009. * Berger, Matt
"Dick Jarmon: Ultimate Tool Collector."
''Fine Woodworking''. January 8, 2008. * Hicks, Jennifer
"Tool Collector is Porter-Cable's Top Fan."
''Woodshop News''. October 2007.

External links

Delta Machinery/Porter-Cable web site

DeWalt ServiceNet
(parts and service site)

(

Popular Mechanics ''Popular Mechanics'' (sometimes PM or PopMech) is a magazine of popular science and technology, featuring automotive, home, outdoor, electronics, science, do-it-yourself, and technology topics. Military topics, aviation and transportation o ...

article from December 1997) {{Power tool manufacturers American companies established in 1906 Manufacturing companies established in 1906 Manufacturing companies based in Tennessee Woodworking hand-held power tools Power tool manufacturers Pneumatic tool manufacturers Stanley Black & Decker brands 1906 establishments in New York (state) Jackson, Tennessee 1960 mergers and acquisitions 1981 mergers and acquisitions 2004 mergers and acquisitions Tool manufacturing companies of the United States

History

See also

References

External links