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 air ...

. Known for contributing to the development of 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 ...

, helical-drive

circular saw A circular saw or a buzz saw, is a power-saw using a toothed or Abrasive saw, abrasive disk (mathematics), disc or blade to cut different materials using a rotary motion spinning around an Arbor (tool), arbor. A hole saw and ring saw also use ...

, 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 lumb ...

, it is a

subsidiary A subsidiary, subsidiary company, or daughter company is a company (law), company completely or partially owned or controlled by another company, called the parent company or holding company, which has legal and financial control over the subsidia ...

Stanley Black & Decker Stanley Black & Decker, Inc., formerly known as The Stanley Works, is a ''Fortune'' 500 American manufacturer of industrial tools and household hardware, and a provider of security products. Headquartered in the Greater Hartford city of Ne ...

History

Porter-Cable was founded in 1906 in

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States. With a population of 148,620 and a Syracuse metropolitan area, metropolitan area of 662,057, it is the fifth-most populated city and 13 ...

, by R.E. Porter, G.G. Porter, and F.E. Cable, who invested

US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...

2,300 in a jobbing machine and tool shop. The trio operated the company 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, threading and turning, with tools that are applied to the ...

. Three years later, the company bought a plant on North Salina Street in Syracuse. 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 became the most widely used circular saw design produced. In 1960, the company was sold to

Rockwell International Rockwell International was a major American manufacturing conglomerate (company), conglomerate. It was involved in aircraft, the space industry, defense and commercial electronics, components in the automotive industry, printing presses, avioni ...

. 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, Tennessee, Memphis and 130 Miles Southwest of Nashville, it is a regional center of trade for West Tennessee. Its total population wa ...

, 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. Ba ...

—and restored the Porter-Cable name. The company ended production of consumer level tools, and re-positioned 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., often referred to as Home Depot, is an American multinational corporation, multinational home improvement retail corporation that sells tools, construction products, appliances, and services, including fuel and transportat ...

and

Lowe's Lowe's Companies, Inc. ( ) is an American retail company specializing in home improvement. Headquartered in Mooresville, North Carolina, the company operates a chain of retail stores in the United States. As of October 28, 2022, Lowe's and i ...

, greatly expanding its sales. In 1996, the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

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 Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

to Jackson, Tennessee. The same year, Pentair acquired

DeVilbiss Air Power Company MAT Holdings, Inc. is an American company that manufactures MAT Industries air compressors, pneumatic tools, pressure washers, and accessories. Gabriel Shock & Struts; Midwest Air Technologies (Fencing, Pet Containment, Lawn & Garden accessorie ...

and, in 2002, Porter-Cable expanded its line-up to include

air compressors An air compressor is a machine that takes ambient air from the surroundings and discharges it at a higher pressure. It is an application of a gas compressor and a pneumatic device that converts mechanical power (from an electric motor, diesel or ...

, 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 is an American manufacturer of power tools, accessories, hardware, home improvement products, home appliances, and fastening systems, headquartered in Towson, Maryland, north of Baltimore, where the company was originally establis ...

, later becoming

. Porter-Cable remained headquartered in Jackson, Tennessee. It's manufacturing in the United States has mostly ceased, with tools being primarily made 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'' (often abbreviated as ''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 an ...

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