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From a family operated corn milling operation in McMinnville, TN to today’s 400,000 square foot facility in LaVergne, TN, the evolution of Powermatic has echoed the success of American business ingenuity throughout the 20th Century and into the new millennium.
In 1921, Leonard F. Smith, Sr. was a seller of timber and rough-cut lumber in the McMinnville community of middle Tennessee. He believed he could make a better product to sell if he first planed the wood himself. Instead of purchasing a planing machine from an existing manufacturer, he decided to build his own in his workshop on the family farm. Upon completion, he used it in his lumber and timber business. Shortly afterward an individual offered to purchase the machine. Mr. Smith used the money to build four more planers, which he offered for sale to others he knew in the lumber industry.
These sold quickly and as word spread of the quality of these machines, demand increased. Mr. Smith decided to leave the lumber industry and engage full time in the manufacturing business. The growth of the company demanded a move to larger facilities. In 1928, Mr. Smith named his company Powermatic, and moved his business into an old blacksmith shop in town. He introduced several new products including sanding machines, drill presses, and the industry’s latest invention, the Tilting Arbor Table Saw.
Through the 1940’s several progressively larger factories were occupied as the demand for Powermatic products grew. In 1954, the company, now run by Mr. Smith’s sons, bought land on the edge of town and built a 38,000 square foot facility specifically tailored to their operations. In 1958, Powermatic took a unique step in the industry by establishing its own 50,000 square foot foundry. This enabled the company to keep tight control on the precision and quality of its castings and to ensure that the Meehanite ™ process, still in use today, would put the company at the forefront of the woodworking machinery manufacturing process for years to come.
In 1966, the Smith brothers sold their business to Houdaille Industries. Although owned by a Fortune 500 Company, Powermatic continued to be influenced by the local community and run in autonomous fashion. In April of 1986, Powermatic was purchased and operated as a division of DeVlieg-Bullard, Inc. In October of 1999 Powermatic was purchased by WMH, who already owned Jet Tools, and Performax Products. These three companies along with the Wilton Tool Company were grouped together to form the WMH Tool Group. In 2014, Powermatic was purchased, along with its sister brands by Tenex Group and are now grouped together to form JPW Industries Inc., as they are still knowns today.
In July 2001, a “NEW” Powermatic emerged and a strategic business decision was made to pursue the general purpose industrial woodworking machinery market much more aggressively. From a family operated corn mill to a world class leader of industrial woodworking machinery, we remain…
The Gold Standard Since 1921.™

What if you could stop a saw blade and prevent a serious injury? That sounds like a really good idea.

Today, that idea is protecting woodworkers in tens of thousands of SawStop table saws in North America and around the globe. We are proud to say that it was our idea, but we are most proud that woodworking is now safer.

Here at SawStop, we make table saws. Our saws, besides being the highest quality and best featured saws in their market segments, feature the ability to detect contact with skin and stop the blade in less than 5 milliseconds.

The SawStop story is about a small company with a big idea. The technology was invented by Dr. Steve Gass in 1999, and the business was started by Dr. Gass and three other friends.

In 2004 the first SawStop Table Saw was sold. In the years between then and now, our saws have saved thousands of fingers. The combination of safety, unparalleled design and craftsmanship has made SawStop the #1 cabinet saw in North America.

SawStop is a privately owned company based in Tualatin, Oregon, just south of Portland.

the remodeled hayloft of this barn was SawStop’s first headquarters. We have since upgraded to a larger facility located in Tualatin, OR, just 30 minutes south of Portland.

The SawStop Dealer Network
SawStop saws are available to customers via our valued dealer network. This network is made up of over 350 dealer locations throughout the United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan (ROC), China (PRC), New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, South Africa and Kuwait.

These independent dealer locations vary widely in their size, scope and specialties. Some focus on hobbyist customers, while others specialize in industry or education clients. SawStop works closely with each dealer location to help ensure our brand is well represented and our customers’ questions are answered. We are proud to say that SawStop is sold via the highest quality woodworking equipment dealers.

In the United States, certain SawStop saws and accessories are also available for purchase via our approved online dealers.