Henry Disston & Sons, Inc. was founded in 1840 (incorporated January 3, 1887) by Henry Disston in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its industry is steel hardware and tools and its headquarters were in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1840-1955), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1955-1978), Greensboro, North Carolina (1978-1984) and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1984-present).
In 1955, the company was acquired by the H. K. Porter Company. Although operating as a division of Porter, the Henry Disston & Sons firm was not dissolved until 1958. The company became independent in 1972. The company was sold to Sandvik, Inc., an American subsidiary of Sandvik AB in 1976, to Hank Libby in 1982 and then to RAF Industries, Inc. in 1984.
SUBSIDIARIES[]
- Disston Canada Inc. (until 1980)
- Henry Disston & Sons' File Company, Ltd. (est. 1877)
- Henry Disston & Sons' Iron & Steel Works (est. 1886)
PLANTS[]
- Acton, Ontario
- Chicago, Illinois
- Danville, Virginia (built 1959)
- Galt, Ontario
- Monrovia, California
- Toronto, Ontario
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Seattle, Washington
- St. Romauld, Quebec
- Sydney, Australia
- Vancouver, British Columbia
ca. 1893
COMPANY NAMES[]
- Keystone Saw Works or H. Disston's Saw Factory (1840-1865)
- Henry Disston & Son (1865-1873)
- Henry Disston & Sons, Inc. (1873-1958)
- Henry Disston Division (1955-1972)
- Disston, Inc. (1972-1984)
- Disston Precision, Inc. (1984-present)
PRODUCTS[]
- "Disston" Files
- "Disston" Hand Pruners
- "Disston" Hedge Shears
- "Disston" Saws
- Back Saws
- Compass Saws
- Cross-Cut Saws
- Hack Saws
- Hand Saws
- Keyhole Saws
- Pruning Saws
- "Zip" Cross-Cut Saws
- "Disston" Tools
- Disston No. 3 Bevel
- Disston No. 5½ Try Square
- "Disston" Trowels
- "Keystone" Circular Saws
- "Keystone" Cross-Cut Saws
- "Champion"
- "Great American"
- "Perforated Lance"
- "Plain"
- "Keystone" Hand Saws
- "Air Master"
- "Challenger"
- "Defender"
- "Leader"
- "Pace Maker"
- "Speedster"
ADVERTISEMENTS[]
Hardware (Oct. 10, 1897)
The Wood-Worker (March 1901)
The Tradesman (Sept. 1, 1901)
American Carpenter & Builder (March 1909)
The Iron Age (June 24, 1915)
Hardware Age (Nov. 4, 1916)
American Builder (April 1917)
Popular Mechanics (November 1917)
American Builder (April 1919)
The Iron Age (Dec. 4, 1919)
American Builder (November 1923)
Hardware Age (Oct. 29, 1925)
Hardware Age (Sept. 28, 1933)
Hardware Age (Sept. 28, 1933)
The Lumberman (November 1950)
Wood & Wood Products (September 1959)