Made in USA machines?

Sorry - I tried to search for an old thread, but search just aint werking for diddley.

Got in a Production Toy Supply machiniery catalog. There are flags flyin where I just aint sure they should be, and not flyin' where I would think they should. ???

Fryer is my main concern. Flags flyin' everywhere. How much of these are Yank? I thought that is was basically stickers. ???

Nothing on the Clausings...

Nothing on Wilton - yet the FOB is Tennesee.

And MillPro - They got flags. Who is Mill-pro? (Knock-off knee mill)

Sparten I have been told in Tiawann. (no flags)

Betenbender has flags. Never heard of them. ???? They have a line of press brakes.


----------

I am Ox and I approve this here post!

I know Betendender. I own a 1/4' plate shear and a 70 ton press brake. The shear was a very good price for what you get. The press brake could use some improvements. But all-in-all, for what it cost new, it was o.k. for what I do. I couldnt afford top of the line (Trumpf, Amada etc.) and being that these were made in America and kept Americans working I opted to go with them. And boy, did I do my homework before buying. I'm pleased with they're proudcts and content with my decission.

http://www.betenbender.com/
made in Eastern Iowa..... never heard of the town buts its within 2 hours from me by the phone area code

Their home page is still trying to load. ???

I thought that Ellis stuff was made somewhere in the Minniconsin area?

--------

Think Snow Eh!
Ox

Betenbender has been making press brakes and shears in the USA since 72, and I have seen em around since the late 70's at least out here on the west coast.
Ellis is outside of Madison, been making bandsaws in the USA since the early 70's, been in business since 1950.

Wilton has always imported drill presses- they have been rebadging Swedish and German and Spanish drill presses since at least the 70's- they may have made a few small belt drives here way back when, but the gear drive wiltons have always been Strands or Ibarmias. Now the low end Wiltons are from china, and the good ones, like always, are from europe.
Wilton, along with Jet, and Powermatic, is owned by the Swiss corporation WMH, which is a big conglomerate that makes HVAC equipment in europe, and they import from all over. They still make some expensive Wilton vises here in the USA, but most Wilton tools are either Taiwan, China, or Europe. Powermatic is still making a few things here- their bigger variable speed drill presses are domestic, but they are importing a lot of stuff and badging it Powermatic.

Clausing also imports euro drill presses and rebadges em- Ibarmias for sure, maybe others. But the medium sized Clausings are still made in the USA, according to their website.

Fryer says on their website they make their machines in New York State, and you can schedule a factory tour- has anybody gone? They say they have a 40,000 sq ft factory, and are made in the usa.
http://www.fryermachine.com/misc/about.html
There is a factory floor photo, showing a lot of VMC's working.

Ries said:

Wilton has always imported drill presses- they have been rebadging Swedish and German and Spanish drill presses since at least the 70's- they may have made a few small belt drives here way back when, but the gear drive wiltons have always been Strands or Ibarmias. .

Click to expand...

I haven't paid attention to what Wilton is importing at the moment, but historically.. for the larger drills they imported Erlo, not Ibarmia. Erlo is yet another Spanish drill maker and their machines do look similar to Ibarmia so the confusion is understandable.

Speaking of drill press history, back in the 80's to mid 90's when South Bend was desperate to stay afloat, SB, of all people, imported Ibarmias. So if you ever see a nice heavy gear head drill with the South Bend logo, it's really an Ibarmia.

So, what does "made in america" have to mean, Ox?

That it's assembled here? That the casting are made here? The wiring? The semiconductors? The bearings?

Or that it's supported by good american standards of quality, support, and so on?

Or just that the machine is NOT just from someplace with a a sticker on it? (Indeed, if you want an Erlo or Ibarmia, why not just by one direct - guess you need to find an importer?)