Manning Bowman Co, was started in 1832 in Middletown Connecticut. Edward Manning and Robert Bowman were the two gentlemen the company was named for. Early on they were mostly geared for consumer products for the American home. IN 1872 they were purchased and re-organized and began focusing on products of mounted enamel ware and Britannia, planished tin and copper goods.

Somewhere around 1941 McGraw-Edison acquired Manning Bowman. One of the main products Manning Bowman had at this time were bench grinders. They had apparently also gotten into the household portable hand tool line.

While out last week I ran across this Manning Bowman Model 72504 vibrating sander.

It was in the original box.

McGraw-Edison was created by an acquisition by the McGraw Electric Co. which was founded in 1900. Thomas A Edison Industries was founded in 1911.

The McGraw-Edison company made several acquisitions including Griswold Manufacturing Co. in 1957. Griswold made a line of portable electric tools. Later on another acquisition was General Electric's power tool business.

Griswold Manufacturing Co was founded  in Erie, Pennsylvania in 1865 and was mostly concentrating on cast iron products, mostly the cookware type.

This sander also has the tag and instructions still in the box.

and had a couple of packs of sand paper included.

A very neat little sander that still runs and makes a nice buzzing sound. Not an expensive tool and doesn't carry a high collector price, but a neat little part of history, still in the box and safely stored in the tool cabinet.

So there you have my Throw Back Thursday, Patriot Picking for this week.

Always looking for different and intrusting items.

When you can, please share some of your vintage tools with us and a little history about them.

 

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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

Outstanding work John! As always I look forward to your write ups about picking and what you have found.

So, is the sander loud? Smooth vibrating, a little rough? I know most of the old electric sanders I have come across are all loud and rough, they just did not have the same dampening technology we have today.

I still have that old metal body crafts man half sheet sander I showed of here a while back, that sucker is loud!!

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John Morris
The Patriot Woodworker

John, I can't tell you the age of this sander but it is pre 1963 because there isn't a zip code on the address listed on the tag.  Zip codes began in 1963.

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Ron Dudelston
Site Administrator

Above and Beyond WoodWorks

John

Always interesting to read. Sort of get a history lesson along the way. Great Job.

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Wayne Mahler
God bless and protect our troops that serve so we can be free.

John, I was surprised that is was more of a buzz sound and not all that loud. Of course they were light duty and made for household use so I guess that is why. I'll see if I can do a video with it running and you can hear the sound.

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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

Good point Ron. I missed that one.

Ron Dudelston said:

John, I can't tell you the age of this sander but it is pre 1963 because there isn't a zip code on the address listed on the tag.  Zip codes began in 1963.

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Ron Dudelston
Site Administrator

Above and Beyond WoodWorks

Thanks Wayne, I think the history of these tools and the fact they survive somewhere and get found it part of the fun of picking.

Wayne Mahler said:

John

Always interesting to read. Sort of get a history lesson along the way. Great Job.

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Wayne Mahler
God bless and protect our troops that serve so we can be free.