RusticRockape
New member
Do uk companies produce their own power tools,or do they have them made in China and just put their name on them?. If they do are they any good.
are there any uk companies that maufactuer power tools
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Droogs
Not the Sharpest Moderator in the box
Axi at one point did make stuff here, but now like the rest have them made in PRC/Taiwan and ship them. Record make the green stuff here and the blue in PRC, Wadkin make stuff in Nottingham the rest can't say for sure
With respect to handheld power tools, the answer is "where they do, only some of the range".:
Makita has a factory in Telford which produces some of their range in the UK, quite a lot of Japanese manufacturing too (obviously not UK, but not China either).
GTech has a factory in Worcester, which produces some of their cordless garden tool range.
Moving to static woodworking machines, things get a bit more encouraging:
Record Power brought manufacturing for some of their dust extractors back to the UK, and has been investing in more machining capacity here which suggests they will do the same for other things in time.
Dalton's in Nottingham still manufacture a limited range of Wadkin Machines here.
Sedgwick in Leeds do a similar limited range of well built woodworking machinery.
Stenner still build wide-band resaws and sawmilling equipment in the UK.
But in machine tools things are definitely still bein made here, some particularly nifty stuff too:
Myford has been bought out and moved to Mytholmroyd in West Yorkshire, and still produce machines to order.
Dean Smith and Grace still manufacture lathes in Preston, as well as doing factory rebuilds, although their brand new machines are all CnC turning centers.
Asquith Butler (formerly Butler Machine Tool), predominantly rebuild rather than manufacture, but can still supply new Elgamills built to order and will also take on work to supply huge custom built CnC machines last I heard.
Heller Machine Tools are outside Birmingham producing high end CNC VMC and HMC units.
BSA now manufactures a range of CnC machines, whilst rebuilding Herbert, Churchill, and their own machines to factory standards.
This speaks to the state of UK manufacturing generally, we still excel at making niche, difficult products to very high standards; but don't have much capacity for consumer level mass production left.Edit:
Missed off some machine tool companies.
Jones and Shipman, now trading as Jones & Shipman Hardinge, but still producing machines in the UK
600 Group, a merger of UK manufacturers Colchester, Harrison, Pratt-Burnedd and US based Causing, still building Machines and Chucks in Elland, outside Halifax.
There's tooling to consider as well:
Clico Tooling have been bought out by Lidsters, who produce a lot of their old tooling range just south of Sheffield.
Aircraft and Commercial Tooling are still active in Sheffield.
Ernest Bennet still produce saw blades in Darlington and Dinnington.
Atkinson Walker merged with relative newcomer Sheffield Industrial Saws, but continue to manufacture in the city.
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Must admit to being pleasantly surprised at this.
I thought stuff at the lower end, as in not high end industrial kit, was all made abroad.
Jameshow
Established Member
I'm way out of touch on powertools nowdays, but Spennymoor was a decent player back in the day for B&D. 14 million tools a year..
https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/n...era-spennymoor-demolition-plan-comes-forward/
TheTiddles
Established Member
What are you intending to achieve would be a question? Maybe some assembly is done here, parts will be procured from all over the world, the chances of the motor not being made in the far east would be minimal unless you buy certain German made tools, the fasteners for sure came from China, most likely all the tools that are used to make them too
Aidan
Aidan
As Aidan says, just because the tool is "assembled" in the UK it doesn't mean that the components were made here. Some might be but I suspect a lot of the parts will be imported, especially electronics like switches and motors. That's not to say they are bad, China is capable of producing items as good or better than we can produce here, if you are willing to pay for them.
Sean Hellman
Established Member
Don't forget Meddings, for pillar drills. Meddings History - About Meddings Machine Tools
Trojanhorse11
Member
A few more:
Axminster make a lot of drill chucks, lathe heads etc in the UK (They advertise it on the wall in the stores)
Charnwood I believe make some things in the UK (probably just bandsaw blades)
Dakin Flathers bandsaw blades (They are the ones I use and they are superb!)
Axminster bandsaw blades are made in the UK
Record Power woodturning chisels & gouges are made in the UK
Priory make centre punches in the UK
Bulldog Tools make all their tools in the UK
Clarke Air Compressors are made in the UK (Some of the higher end ones - not all)
There's LOADS more, but I can't remember them all off the top of my head.
Axminster make a lot of drill chucks, lathe heads etc in the UK (They advertise it on the wall in the stores)
Charnwood I believe make some things in the UK (probably just bandsaw blades)
Dakin Flathers bandsaw blades (They are the ones I use and they are superb!)
Axminster bandsaw blades are made in the UK
Record Power woodturning chisels & gouges are made in the UK
Priory make centre punches in the UK
Bulldog Tools make all their tools in the UK
Clarke Air Compressors are made in the UK (Some of the higher end ones - not all)
There's LOADS more, but I can't remember them all off the top of my head.
Droogs
Not the Sharpest Moderator in the box
@Trojanhorse11 have you notices that your list is all basically "accoutrement" (said wearing a beret) rather than actual machines and tools, esp Axi the great non british manufacturer, who as mentioned earlier build in china and import even thought they started out doing everything here
How true is "Made in the UK"
For an OEM to make this statement what percentage of the item has to be manufactured from raw material and not just assembled from parts manufactured elsewhere. I know of companies that claimed their product was made in the uk but all the castings were imported and then machined in the uk, bearings were French but I do believe the gaskets and oilseals were made in the uk.
For an OEM to make this statement what percentage of the item has to be manufactured from raw material and not just assembled from parts manufactured elsewhere. I know of companies that claimed their product was made in the uk but all the castings were imported and then machined in the uk, bearings were French but I do believe the gaskets and oilseals were made in the uk.
Cheshirechappie
Established Member
Another one to add to the list; Broadbent Stanley make heavy duty lathes in Halifax. They also took over the Parkson range of heavy milling machines.
Broadbent Stanley Machine Tools Ltd: Manufacturers & Suppliers of Lathes
Cheshirechappie
Established Member
Made by Smith Francis Tools in Birmingham, along with Williams Superslim and Snail Brand spanners, among other things;
Smith Francis Tools - Manufacturers of Priory Tools
Abingdon King Dick also still make spanners and other engineering tools in Birmingham;
King Dick Tools
Awesome kit, and not just for the innuendo value.
Droogs
Not the Sharpest Moderator in the box
I remember growing up in South Africa, most of my fathers tools being king dick including the 4" spanner he used to have behind the drivers seat. Never worked out what that was for
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