Ever since the ancient Egyptians began using a manual lathe centuries ago, man has strived to make arduous construction and assembly tasks easier, faster, and more efficient through power tools. We’ve come a long way from those sand-covered spinning machines, but the end goal is not unlike that of our desert-dwelling ancestors. Today, almost all homes in all industrialized countries are houses and use power tools.

Although the concept of a power tool has been around for a long time, it wasn’t until the late 1800s that the first power tools of the modern era became possible. The advent of electric motors made highly efficient portable and stationary power tool technology a reality, and high-speed assembly lines made power tools affordable and profitable.

The Bosch company was at the forefront of power tool technology in those early years. Founded in Germany in 1886 by Robert Bosch, the company initially focused on automotive components with integrated electrical parts and was responsible for developments such as the first low-voltage magneto ignition. Before long, companies in other industrialized countries began developing the first power tools, and Bosch introduced its first electric drill in 1932. Today, Bosch continues to design and manufacture automotive parts, and its power tool division has grown to include almost all household and assembly tools. tool on the market, including power drills, belt sanders, circular saws, and more. As part of the company’s growth, it has acquired other successful manufacturers of power tools that started during the same era in the early 20th century.

In 1923, American inventor Raymond DeWalt introduced the world’s first radial arm saw, a sliding circular saw that could make long cuts with precision. A year later, he founded the DeWalt Power Tool Company in Baltimore, Maryland; another company that has grown substantially in the last 85 years. At the forefront of portable power tool technology, DeWalt Power Tools are appreciated by carpenters and homeowners alike for their durable, long-lasting power drills, circular saws, and other cordless power tools; and the company currently manufactures more than 200 types of power tools worldwide.

Founded in 1915 in Japan, the Makita Corporation has also staked its reputation on cordless, battery-powered power tools, most notably the hand drill, which Makita introduced in 1978. Nine years later, the company had a full arsenal of power tools. wireless. , professional-grade power tools for contractors. Today, Makita makes over 350 different power tools, both portable and stationary, and the pronounced teal color stamped on all of their tools is often imitated by others trying to capitalize on the trusted Makita name.

The early 20th century proved to be a hotbed of power tool advancements, and many companies worked hard to develop cost-effective innovations that moved their products from store shelves to people’s homes. While the term power tool traditionally evokes thoughts of power drills and sanders, machines like the pipe threader and utility pump are also considered power tools. This is the area that the Ridgid company focused on when it was founded in Elyria, Ohio in 1923. Still a leader in the plumbing tool industry, Ridgid now has a power tools division that focuses exclusively on contemporary power tools and has released its own saws, drills, and even air tools.

AF Siebert founded the Milwaukee Electric Tool Company a year later in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Known for manufacturing heavy-duty power tools, Milwaukee is best known for the ‘Sawzall’, one of the most widely used reciprocating saws in the world. Like its competition in power tool manufacturing, Milwaukee currently produces portable and stationary power tools such as circular saws, drills, band saws, grinders, and sanders—more than 500 different models in all. Unlike the competition, many of Milwaukee’s power tools are released in both 120 and 230 volt models, straddling the line between home and commercial/industrial power.

Best known for the Skilsaw they invented in 1924, the Skil power tool company evolved from the Michel Electric Handsaw Company as they entered the power tool market. Fueled by the ingenious invention of the circular saw, the company rose to the upper echelon of the small power tool industry with jig saws, grinders, sanders, and a host of other portable and cordless power tools. In 1996, Skil was purchased by the Bosch company, but still maintains its power tools on shelves around the world as one of the most popular lines of power tools in the world.

The Delta company has changed hands several times since it was founded by Herbert Tautz in 1919 in his Milwaukee, Wisconsin garage. Tautz focused on small tools, but when Rockwell bought Delta in 1945, the company made a profitable switch to the stationary tools, such as planers and bench sanders, for which it is famous today. However, Delta is not the only name that has carried this line; Rockwell involved the company in an acquisition before selling it to Pentair, which reintroduced the Delta name before selling it to Black & Decker in 2004.

A true powerhouse of power tools, the Craftsman brand was coined by the Sears company in 1927. But it soon jumped on the power tool bandwagon and is now one of the best-selling producers of all power tools, both stationary and portable.

S. Duncan Black and Alonzo G. Decker founded the small Black & Decker machine shop in 1910 in Baltimore, Maryland; and the duo found their niche in the power tool industry by inventing the electric drill seven years later. The pistol grip and trigger style drill became popular and is now a staple on construction sites and in homes alike. Realizing the profit potential of power tools, Black & Decker grew and acquired several other popular power tool brands, including DeWalt, Porter Cable, Delta, and Kwikset.

As industrialized nations become increasingly technology-driven, production of power tools will increase as lightweight, powerful, and long-lasting batteries attempt to match the power and reliability of corded power. Versatile contemporary models and thousands of accessories continue to make everything from woodworking to metalworking easier, more efficient, and more profitable for fabricators, contractors, and homeowners alike. With power tools becoming affordable to just about everyone, only the hammer has held out against an electrical redesign destined to change the way we work forever.

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