Page History: A Brief History of Yager/K2000 Planers

Compare Page Revisions

43 42 41 40 39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Current 43 42 41 40 39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

« Older Revision - Back to Page History - Newer Revision »

Page Revision: 2008/06/20 22:23

I intended for this narrative to expand on the information we have for K-Line planers. It’s also about Richard Kneisley, and a network small industrial manufacturers in and around Toledo, Ohio, many of whom have gone out of business or evolved with the times. My curiosity about Kneisley Electric Company began when I bought a Yager planer in March 2007. Publication reprints on the .com site and discussions here provided a little information. What was known was that these planers were sold or badged by at least four different companies, Kneisley Electric Company in Toledo, Foster Manufacturing Co. in Buffalo, NY, Montgomery Wards and Astro Wood Planer Co., Bristol Conn. Later I learned that Freeman Supply in Toledo sold the K2000 as a M7A precision planer. The smaller 10” planer was made as both a Yager and a K2000 (A2000 by Astro) both basically the same design with some differences in casting.

A Google search for Kneisley Electric Co. (KECO) listed it as a manufacturer of motion picture equipment formerly in Toledo and now located in Iola, Kansas. The folks in Iola had no knowledge of Yager or K-Line planers. A few pages deeper in the list of Google hits for KECO, I found a paragraph mentioning the late Garrison Kneisley as a donor to a University of Toledo scholarship fund and that he work for his family business - Kneisley Electric Company. Another search for Kneisleys living in Toledo found Robert Kneisley, an investment advisor. I blindly emailed him and asked if he knew any information about the Yager and KECO. To my surprise he responded saying “Yes, the firm did manufacture the Yager planer line” and he gave me his phone number. Bob was a tremendous help. He and his brothers Garrison, David and Tom as well as a sister, all worked at some point for their father Richard Kneisley and KECO. Bob was the youngest and suggested I talk to older brother Tom Kneisley to get more information. Tom, using his fathers laboratory notebooks and personal recollections, provided most of the following information.

Richard Franklin Kneisley

We’ve had good discussions here about machine patents and the men attributed to them like Herb Tautz, William Ocenasek, JE and WE Boice (also based in Toledo) and others. I’d like to add Richard Kneisley to the list. An inventor, innovator, and entrepreneur. I didn't ask Tom about Richard's education and early career. My questions were about KECO and the K-Line planers.

According to his lab notebooks, Richard Franklin Kneisley was employed by Strong Electric Co., September 1931 through April 1934. Strong produced motion picture projection equipment and as it is called today Strong Cinema is the worlds largest producer of cinema projection equipment (according to their web site). Richard’s contributions included inventing a long lasting projector bulb far superior to any at the time. He left Strong and began working for The American Floor Surfacing Machine Co. At American Floor he designed and patented wood finishing and surfacing sanders some of which are shown here.

Drawing at left is Richard Kneisley’s 1940 patent for a surfacing machine later sold by American Floor as the “American Speedy Sander”. Next is a 1942 patent drawing for a surfacing machine and sold by Craftsman as model 207.2230 and manufactured by American Floor.

In 1936, while working for American Floor, he started KECO in his garage at 3852 Watson Ave., Toledo. Tom said “The patents for the sanders were filed in 1940 and 41, so it appears that he worked days at American Floor, and supervised activities at KECO. He was not opposed to working nights”.

Kneisley Electric Company KECO’s core product was it’s Kni-Tron motion picture projector power rectifier and other equipment for motion picture projection. KECO also sold a number of tools under their K-Line brand. Twist drill bits and saw blade made by Vermont American were private labeled as K-Line.

After starting the business in his Watson St. garage, Kneisley moved to the initial industrial site at 16 St. Clair Street and later moved to 500 South St. Clair. It is worth noting that American Floor was located across the street at 497 South St. Clair.

A printing block advertising Yager Wood Planers listed 497 as the location for KECO. When I asked Tom about this he said “The use of 497 So. St. Clair was used by both American Floor and KECO. This was a means of determining in which publication ad the letter writer had viewed, thereby enabling RFK and American Floor to assess the reader-ship and efficiency of the advertising.” Mike Miller sent a copy of the ad on the right from an April, 1942 issue of Popular Homecraft. The address listed here is 505 South St. Clair. KECO was finally located at 2501-2509 Lagrange St. which oddly enough was the former location of the Strong Electric Co.

Kneisley Electric Company, 2501 LaGrange St. 1945. Strong Electric Company name still shown above entrance. The building is still standing.

Bob Kneisley remembers the K-Line business of KECO was sold to Reitz Tool and Die in Toledo in 1970’s. The assets of Reitz were auction off in 2005 and I have not been able to find more information about the company. K-Line planers were sold by the Astro Wood Planer Company in Bristol, CT in the mid 70’s. Keith Bohn has noted that Astro advertised the A2000 up through issue 15-March/April 1979 of Fine Woodworking magazine. By the beginning of 1980 the Astro ads ceased.

More to come...