One hundred and thirty-six years ago in 1878, Charles Hammelmann and William Wendt joined together to found the Buffalo Forge Company. Equipment used for Blacksmith’s were the initially focus of the company’s production. The forge Buffalo Forge manufactured was an innovative design that used a mechanically-driven blower in order to deliver air into the forge instead of the traditional bellows.

Over the next several decades Buffalo Forge developed several innovative products in the field of air handling, including steam coil heating and air conditioning. Later the company expanded the product line to include industrial manufacturing equipment and power tools.

Buffalo Forge was one of the “Big Three†that made blacksmith equipment in the United States.

One of the products produced was the hand powered drill press. A few weeks ago I was able to pick a Buffalo Forge Co hand powered Drill Press Model No. 151.

It was covered in layers of dirt, dirt-dabber nest and black soot. I took the air hose and blew it off before I brought it into the shop. All the wheels turn and the gears turn freely.

This is referred to as a pole drill press. As I have run into and am learning more about this type of hunt, I thought with a model number and name, it would be easy to find information and date of manufacture. Well once again, it took me a good bit more research than I had expected. I know this is not an old woodworking tool, but still thought I would share it with you here and hope you enjoy the read.

Willam Franz Wendt was born in Buffalo, N.Y on the 2nd of July in 1858. After high school he became a bookkeeper for the R.W. Bell & Co. He purchased a half interest in the newly established Buffalo Forge Company in 1878 and by 1883 became the sole owner by buying out his partner, Charles Hammelmann. William admitted his brother Henry W into the business as a partner in 1886. During this time the business grew steadily and rapidly and became one of the  largest portable forge manufactures in the United States.

In 1902 the George L. Squier Manufacturing Company of Buffalo was purchased and brought additional tools and a new market in South and Central America.

Not only becoming busy in the manufacturing of blacksmith tools, they were active in a monthly publication "The American Blacksmith". William F. Wendt, Albert W. Bayard and Walter O Bernshardt were the officers of the magazine.

In 1903 with business going well, they celebrated Twenty Five years' Progress showing the first factory and the new factory in 1903. Business had been good and they had expanded largely.

In 1904 one of there ads in the magazine was promoting a FREE pole drill press. During the months of January and February, the first blacksmith in every county in each State and Territory who orders a Buffalo No.604 Forge will be given one of our fine No. 66 or No. 68 Buffalo Blacksmith Drills absolutely free. Quite an offer.

There were so confident if you won a free one you would brag on it so much every Smith out there would want a Buffalo Forge Company pole drill press. I always saw, what the BIG print giveth, the small print taketh away.

While looking for the model of my drill all I had been able to find were models up to Model 80 or so starting with the models in the 60's.

But in 1908 they took another step forward and introduced the Buffalo Forge Co. 100 Series machines.

And with this introduction and new logo seems to have appeared.

The ad still didn't list my Model No.151 so I kept looking to see if I could located it and see when it was introduced.

So in April of 1911 Buffalo Forge Company has an article talking about the introduction of the Electric Drill.

The found that the hand wheel could be changed for a pulley, put a belt around it and to a motor and look what we have, an electric powered drill press.

By 1916 their advertisements were introducing "Higher Efficiency Tools" and they were encouraging Blacksmiths to look into the new business of "Motor Repair or Automobile Repair". The article said, it looked like it would be a business that would be around awhile and could keep your business running.

And the new catch phrase of "Modern" was catching on during the 1920's. As a top of the line Blacksmth, you sure wanted the Modern Shop Efficiency.

Hand drills continued to be produced as everyone didn't get power until some years later. By now we are in the Model 600's and featureing the Model No. 616 with two drill speeds and back geared for either hand operation or motor attachment. You could own the Hand Powered model for on $17.00.

In 1941 stock was offered on the New York Stock Exchange. At that time the Squier Corporation, Buffalo Pumps Inc and the Canadian Companies became wholly subsidiaries of Buffalo Forge Company.

After a long history, the company was acquired by the Howden Group in 1993 and in 1999 the remainder of Buffalo Forge was renamed Howden Buffalo. This was considered the end of Buffalo Forge Company.

in 2006 the 14 acre original manufacturing plant location was razed.

2010 the Howden subsidiary containing the remainder of Buffalo Forge was renamed Howden North America.

I'm pretty excited to have the one I was able to get. No I don't think I will be drilling a lot of holes with the hand powered drill, I do like my newer electric powered model.

I was trying to decide on what type of restoration to do on this machine. I stop by a plating shop here in town and ask about getting the hand wheel chrome plated. Minimum charge was 100.00 and when I ask if my wheel was be a minimum the guy said, "Oh No, it will be a lot more." With that I decided it will not get chromed.

This one is in pretty good shape and I knew really nothing about it when I picked it up.

I am certainly no welder, but it appears someone attempted to be welder and put the table back on the mounting.

But they did get it level and the mounting device can be loosened and turned if you need to. It will still raise and lower so it is not an nonfunctional piece.

There should have been a handle on the top to raise and lower the bit.

The bolt is there but no wooden handle. I believe there should have been one more gear, but it may have been an option. You could get it with an automatic feed so it would lower the bit as you turned the wheel to spin the drill bit.

I have cleaned most of the dirt and grit off now and it looks like even some of the black paint may still be on the body.

The Model No.151 is cast into both sides.

I think I will take it apart, clean what I can and get a better look and then paint the parts that need redoing. There was a time I would have look at this piece of rust and let it pass by, but I love to find them now and see what I can learn from each piece. They have an amazing history to tell and it is from a time in our country that pieces were made to last and last a long time under constant use.

Looking for a place to mount this on the wall in the shop.

I believe Ron Dudleston has a photo I hope he will post here of his grandfather or great grandfather's blacksmith shop.

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John Moody
Site Administratorhttp://www.johnmoodywoodworks.com
“Don’t make something unless it is both necessary and useful; but if it is both necessary and useful, don’t hesitate to make it beautiful.†Shaker Saying

Very nice write up John!

That is a great looking drill and should look great out in your shop hung up on a wall and a great conversation piece.

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Allen Worsham
Corona, CA

allenworsham@earthlink.net

'Graze in every man's field, but always give your own milk.'
J. Vernon McGee

“Our greatest fear should not be that we won’t succeed,
but that we will succeed at something that doesn’t matter.â€
D.L. Moody

Here are two pictures of my great grandfather's blacksmith shop circa 1900. He was born in 1868 and he looks to be about 30-35 here.

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Ron Dudelston
Site Administrator



Above and Beyond WoodWorks

Thanks Allen, I enjoy the research.

Ron that is an awesome picture or pictures. I see a forge blower in the back of the shop. Would be really cool if we could see if it was a a Buffalo Forge one.

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John Moody
Site Administratorhttp://www.johnmoodywoodworks.com
“Don’t make something unless it is both necessary and useful; but if it is both necessary and useful, don’t hesitate to make it beautiful.†Shaker Saying

I have the original photo John.  I'll do a hi-res scan and see what I can see.

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Ron Dudelston
Site Administrator

Above and Beyond WoodWorks

John,

Nice Detective work!

 

Larry

Old Woodworking Machinery Forum Host

Thanks Larry and thank you for your assistance also.

Larry Buskirk said:

John,

Nice Detective work!

 

Larry

Old Woodworking Machinery Forum Host