Most of our old woodworking machines are powered by electric motors. A few dozen companies made those motors, and this page provides a brief listing of those companies.
| Company | City | Years | Comments |
| Advance Electric Co. | St. Louis, MO | -1920- | From patent records. No confirmed motor sightings. |
| Louis Allis Co. | Milwaukee, WI | 1901-1977- | Louis Allis left his father's company, E. P. Allis, just before the merger that created Allis-Chalmers. Louis Allis Co. was Mechanical Appliance Co. until 1922. OEM supplier for Oliver. |
| Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Co. | Milwaukee, WI | -1901-1960- | Better known as an agricultural equipment maker, but they manufactured motors for many years. Acquired Bullock Electric Manufacturing Co. in 1905. About the same time, GE bought a majority stake in A-C. In 1985, Siemens AG acquired A-C, which now operates as Siemens Energy and Automation. |
| American Electric Motor Co. | Milwaukee, WI | -1929-1933 | Acquired by Cedarburg Manufacturing Co. They had been a subsidiary of Splitdorf-Bethlehem Electrical Co. of Newark, NJ. Cedarburg went bankrupt in 1939. |
| Baldor Electric Co. | St. Louis, MO. | 1920-present | In 1967 HQ moved to Forth Smith, AR. One-time supplier of motors for Delta Unisaw and Powermatic 66. |
| Bodine Electric Co. | Chicago, IL | 1905-present | Still in business, specializing in very small industrial motors. |
| Brook Electric Motors of Canada, Ltd. | Toronto, ON | -1958-1970- | Related to Brook Crompton, a British maker. Motor seen on a 1958 Delta/Rockwell 12-14" tablesaw. |
| Brook Crompton (Canada) Inc. | Toronto, ON | -present | Presumably the successor to Brook Electric Motors. Name changed to Brook Hansen (Canada) Inc. in 1994. |
| Brown-Brockmeyer Co. | Dayton, OH | -1929-1981 | Made motors for some Montgomery Ward machinery. Supplied motors for a few early Delta radial arm saws. |
| Bullock Electric Manufacturing Co. | Norwood, OH | 1897-1905 | Began in 1884 as Geo. F. Card & O. W. Jantz Manufacturing Co., then became Bullock Electric Motor & Dynamo Co. Motor manufacturing began about 1897. In 1901, combined their sales operations with those of Wagner. Acquired by Allis-Chalmers in 1905 and then operated for years as the Bullock Works of A-C. |
| Burke Electric Co. | Erie, PA | -1908-1957- | |
| Canadian General Electric Co. | Peterborough, ON | 1890-present | Canadian GE subsidiary. Originally Edison Electric, then became CGE in 1892. Became General Electric Canada in the late 1980s. |
| Canadian Westinghouse Co. | Hamilton, ON | 1896-present | Canadian Westinghouse subsidiary. Motor manufacturing began in the early 1900s. Became Westinghouse Canada, Inc., in 1971. |
| Century Electric Co. | St. Louis, MO | -1910-1993- | By the late 1970s they were owned by Gould Inc., and motors were labeld "Gould/Century". By 1993 the name was Magnetek Century Electric, Inc. |
| Cleveland Electric Motor Co. | Cleveland, OH | -1885-1957- | |
| Crocker-Wheeler Electric Co. | Ampere, NJ | -1888-1936- | Also "Crocker-Wheeler Co.", "Crocker-Wheeler Electric Manufacturing Co.", and "Crocker & Curtis Electric Motor Co." |
| Cushman Electric Co. | Concord, NH | -1900-1942- | |
| Dayton Electric Manufacturing Co. | Niles, IL | 1905-1989- | Owned by W. W. Grainger, Inc. as of 1966. |
| Dayton Fan & Motor Co. | Dayton, OH | -1889-1929 | Also "Day-Fan Electric Co.", which was acquired by General Motors in 1929. |
| Delco Products Corp. | Dayton, OH | -1910-present | Also known as "Dayton Engineering Laboratories Co.", "Delco-Light Co." and "Delco Products, Division of General Motors Corp." Became part of Lincoln Electric, which is now owned by Leeson. |
| A. J. Deer Co. | Hornell, NY | -1905-1924- | Made "Royal" brand motors (not to be confused with motors from Royal Electric Co., Ltd. of Japan). Deer also made metal-slicing and -grinding machines and coffee milling and roasting machines. |
| Diehl Manufacturing Co. | Elizabeth, NJ; Somerville, NJ | -1909-1958- | By 1965 they were the "Diehl Division of Singer Co., Somerville, NJ". Diehl supplied motors for Sears, Roebuck. |
| Doerr Electric Corp. | Cedarburg, WI | 1939-1986 | Began as "Electro Machines, Inc." but changed name in 1951. Acquired by W. W. Grainger in 1969, then sold to Emerson in 1986. It is uncertain when the Doerr name disappeared. |
| Domestic Electric Co. | Cleveland, OH | -1916-1929- | Primarily fractional HP motors. Some motors have 1911-05-23 and 1913-01-28 patent dates, corresponding to patents presumably licensed from Allis-Chalmers. Domestic was acquired by Black & Decker in 1929. |
| Electric Motor Corp. | Racine, WI | ?-1945 | This producer of fractional horsepower motors was purchased by Howard Industries in 1945. Some former employees then started Rae Motor Corp. |
| Electric Specialty Co. (Esco) | Stamford, CT | -1921-1950- | Main business was motor-generator sets but they also sold freestanding motors. |
| Electro Dynamic Co. | Bayonne, NJ | -1906-2000 | Moved to Avnel, NJ sometime before 1976 following a fire at the Bayonne plant. |
| Emerson Electric Co. | St. Louis, MO; Paris, TN | 1890-present | Originally known as "Emerson Electric Manufacturing Co." They are now a conglomerate. U.S. Electrical Motors, Inc. was acquired in 1962, and now operates as "U. S. Motors". |
| Fairbanks-Morse Electrical Manufacturing Co. | Indiananpolis, IN | -1911-1969- | |
| Fidelity Electric Co. | Lancaster, PA | -1918-1976- | |
| Franklin Electric Co., Inc. | Bluffton, IN | -1944-present- | Specialize in submersible and fuel-pump motor. Have also seen a gear-motor. |
| Galvin Electric Manufacturing Co. | St. Louis, MO | -1925-1931- | |
| General Electric Co. | Schenectady, NY | -1889-present | Was "Edison General Electric Co." until about 1895. From the 1890s, GE battled with Westinghouse to be the dominant motor manufacturer. |
| Hobart Manufacturing Co. | Troy, OH | -1920- | This company is known for their food mixers but they also briefly made AC motors. |
| Holtzer-Cabot Electric Co. | Brookline, MA | 1875-1972 | Began as the "Holtzer Co." in 1875, then became "Seth W. Fuller & Holtzer" in 1880, then "Holtzer & Co." in 1888, then "Holtzer & Cabot" in '89 then "Holtzer & Cabot Electric Co." shortly thereafter. They primarily made smaller motors, 1 HP and under. |
| Hoover Co. | North Canton, OH | 1908-present | By 1945 Hoover had acquired Kingston-Conley, and K-C motors displayed the Hoover logo. It is possible that Hoover made their own motors before the K-C acquisition. |
| Howard Industries, Inc. | Racine, WI; Chicago, IL | 1945-1983- | Formed after WWII when Howard Aircraft Corp. sold their aircraft making assets, bought Racine-based Electric Motor Corp., and renamed it. Howard motors have been spotted on Rockwell/Delta radial arm saws. |
| Howell Electric Motors Co. | Plainfield, NJ | 1920-2007 | Connected to Kingston-Conley in some way. Our best guess is that Howell bought K-C in 1958 and in 1963 Kingston-Conley was absorbed into Howell. The name changed to "Howell Electric Motors, Inc." sometime after 1961. Probably supplied to Boice-Crane. Acquired by Kinetek, Inc., in 2007. |
| Imperial Electric Co. | Akron, OH | -1891-present | An Imperial Electric motor is reported on a Wilson radial arm saw made by Media Machine Works. Most Wilson saws reportedly have Louis Allis motors |
| Jack & Heintz, Inc. | Cleveland, OH | -1942-1956- | Also known as "Jack & Heintz Precision Industries, Inc." |
| Jeannin Electric Co. | Toledo, OH | -1916-1935- | This company is known from patent records and at least one confirmed motor sighting. Related to Howell in some way? |
| Kimble Electric Co. | Chicago, IL | -1909-1948- | Best known for their motors with integrated electro-mechanical controllers. Used on Oliver lathes. Later motors labeled "Star-Kimble". |
| Kingston-Conley Electric Co. | Jersey City, NJ; North Plainfield, NJ | 1934-1963 | Established 1934 by Frederick S. Kingston and Brooks L. Conley, both formerly of Sunlight Electrical. Acquired by Hoover Co. in 1948. Motors after that time had both Kingston-Conley and Hoover names. Seems to have been acquired by Howell in 1958 and absorbed in 1963. Made motors and grinders for Atlas, Millers Falls, Stanley, Walker-Turner, and others. |
| Leeson Electric Corp. | Milwaukee, WI | 1972-present | Acquired by Regal-Beloit Corp. in 2000. Acquired Lincoln Electric Co. motors in 2006. |
| Leland Electric Co. | Dayton, OH | -1926-1951- | There was also a Leland Electric Canada Ltd. Leland probably supplied motors to Walker-Turner. |
| Leland Faraday Electric Co. | New York, NY | -1969-1986- | Brand now belongs to Essex Technology, Inc. |
| Leroy-Somer Canada Ltd. | Granby, QC | -1973-1993 | In 1990, purchased by U. S. Electrical Motors division of Emerson. Granby plant was closed in 1992; production for Canadian market moved to USEM's Markham plant, but then that plant was closed in 1993. |
| Lima Electric Motor Co. | Lima, OH | -1936-1965- | Formed in 1930s when Homer E. Reeder, the owner of the Lima Armature Works, bought out the Phoenix Electric Motor Co. of Mansfield and relocated it to Lima. May have been bought out by Marathon. |
| Lincoln Electric Co. | Cleveland, OH | 1895-2006 | Known as "Lincoln Motor Works Co." in the very early years. Acquired by Regal-Beloit Corp. in 1999 and it became "Lincoln Motors". Acquired by Leeson Electric Corp. in 2006. |
| Marathon Electric Manufacturing Co. | Wausau, WI | 1913-present | Became "Marathon, Inc." at some point. For many years the main motor supplier for Unisaws and the Delta radial arm saw. Also supplied Montgomery Ward. |
| Master Electric Co. | Dayton, OH | 1920-1961? | Closed its Dayton plant in 1961. Made some motors for Delta (combo units, e.g.), possibly including some rebadged as Delta. Also supplied to Sears, Roebuck. Acquired by Reliance? |
| McKinnon Industries Ltd. | St. Catharines, ON, Canada | 1932-1963? | Company founded 1878. Purchased by GM in 1929. Began making fractional horsepower motors in 1932. Production of commercial fractional horsepower motors transferred to GM Diesel in London, ON, in 1963 (uncertain how these motors were badged). McKinnon's name changed to "General Motors of Canada Limited, St. Catharine's" in 1969. |
| Mechanical Appliance Co. | Milwaukee, WI | -1914-1922 | Renamed to Louis Allis Co. in 1922. |
| Norge Corp. | Muskegon Heights, MI | -1927-1961- | So far as we know, Norge made appliance motors that have occasionally been adapted for workshop use. Norge was acquired by Borg-Warner Corp. in the late '20s or early '30s. Norge relocated to Fort Smith, AR, in 1961. |
| Ohio Electric & Controller Co. | Cleveland, OH | -1920-1930- | |
| Packard Electric Co. | Warren, OH | 1890-1932 | The Packard Motor Car Co. spun off in 1902. GM bought Packard Electric in 1932 but continued to operate Packard Electric as a separate entity. In 1943, Sunlight Electrical's small motor production was absorbed into Packard. |
| Peerless Electric Co. | Warren, OH | 1893-present | Supplied motors to Sears, Roebuck. |
| Prestolite-Leland Co. | Sarnia, ON | | Canadian motor maker. The few reported examples are all 1 HP or less. |
| Rae Motor Corp. | Racine, WI | 1946-present | Formed by former employees of Electric Motor Corp., which had been bought by Howard Industries. |
| Reliance Electric & Engineering Co. | Cleveland, OH | 1904-2006 | Acquired the Medium AC Motor Division of Westinghouse in 1986. In 1994 Reliance was acquired by Rockwell Automation but continued to operate under the Reliance name. Acquired by Baldor in 2006. |
| Reuland Electric Co. | Alhambra, CA; Howell, MI | 1945-present | Company began as repair shop in '30s; made first motor in '45. Moved from Alhambra to City of Industry in '63. |
| Reynolds Electric Co. | Chicago, IL | -1902-1944- | |
| Robbins & Meyers Co. | Springfield, OH | -1893-present | Have seen "Robbins & Meyers Co.", "..., Inc.", "..., Corp.", Supplier for Powermatic 65/66 saws. |
| Roth Brothers & Co. | Chicago, IL | -1904-1932- | Ad in 1905 "Popular Science", showing one of their motors retrofit to a power hacksaw. Company changed ownership in 1929. Acquired by Century Electric? |
| Sangamo Electric Co. | Springfield, OH | -1899-present | Have seen several motors from this maker, plus a motor from "Wagner-Leland Division of Sangamo Co., Ltd., Made in Canada". |
| Sawyer Electrical Manufacturing Co. | Los Angeles, CA | -1938-1940 | Bought by A. O. Smith Corp. |
| Scot Motors, Inc. | Forest Park, IL | -1956- | Address 930 Desplaines Ave. Distinctive Deco-designed motors with a half-cylinder-on-top-of-a-breadbox look. |
| A. O. Smith Corp. | Milwaukee, WI | 1904-present | A. O. Smith started out making automobile frames. They got into the motor business in 1940 with the purchase of the Sawyer Electrical Manufacturing Co. In 1986 they Bought Westinghouse's small motor business. In 1999 they bought Magnetek's motor operations. Made motors for Delta, including their radial arm saws. |
| Standard Dayton Corp. | Dayton, OH | -1945-1961- | Motor marked "Standard Electric / Division of Standard Dayton Corporation" |
| Star Electric Motor Co. (Semco) | Newark, NJ | -1916-1931- | |
| Star-Kimble Motor Division, Miehle Printing Press & Mfg Co. | Bloomfield, NJ | -1950-1966- | The name "Star-Kimble Electric Co." was also used. Descended from Kimble Electric Co. and Star Electric Motor Co. |
| Sterling Electric, Inc. | Irvine, CA | 1927-present | |
| B. F. Sturtevant Co. | Boston, MA | -1889-1945 | The company dates back to 1856 but motor manufacture started in about 1889. The company was acquired by Westinghouse Electric in 1945 and motor production ceased almost immediately. |
| Sunlight Electrical Manufacturing Co. | Warren, OH | 1917-1933 | Founded June 1917. Acquired in 1933 by Delco Products Corp., a subsidiary of GM. Sunlight's motor manufacturing was relocated to Dayton but continued to operate under the Sunlight name. In 1943 their motor production was absorbed into the Packard Electric operations. |
| Triumph Electric Co. | Cincinnati, OH | -1907-1921- | From patent records. No confirmed motor sightings. |
| United States Electrical Manufacturing Co. | Los Angeles, CA | 1908-present | Became the "U.S. Electrical Motors Division of Emerson Electric Co." in 1962. |
| U. S. Industries, Inc. | Los Angeles, CA | -1915-1962 | This maker of AC induction motors became a conglomerate, and around 2004 changed its name to Jacuzzi Brands, Inc. |
| Valley Electric Corp. | St. Louis, MO | -1920-1942- | Original name was "Valley Electric Co." Suffix changed to "Corp." in about 1939. Edwin Ballman co-founded Baldor while he was working at Valley Electric. |
| Wagner Electric Manufacturing Co. | St. Louis, MO | 1891-present | Reincorporated as Wagner Electric Corp. in 1922. An early motor supplier to Delta. Still in business as "Wagner Lighting Co." Canadian subsidiary, Wagner Electric Manufacturing Co., Ltd., formed in 1919 and eventually taken over by Allis-Chalmers-Bullock. |
| Joseph Weidenhoff, Inc. | Chicago, IL | -1929-1961- | Reportedly acquired by Snap-On in 1956. |
| Western Electric Co. | Chicago, IL | 1872-1983 | Western Electric brand motors were made for them by General Electric and by Robbins & Meyers. |
| Westinghouse Electric Co. | Pittsburgh, PA | 1889-present | Also known was "Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co." and "Westinghouse Electric Corp." GE and Westinghouse were the two biggest makers of electric motors. Westinghouse supplied 1/3, 1/2, and 3/4 HP general-purpose motors to Delta from roughly 1942-47. |
| S. A. Woods Machine Co. | Boston, MA | 1920-1962 | Starting about 1920, S. A. Woods started manufacturing motors for its own use. Their high quality motors were designed for direct drive applications and were also sold to other machinery manufacturers. "The Murray Co." name was used during the war years. In 1961 Yates-American purchased the rights to all of S. A. Woods' products including the motor line. |