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History of Hand Tools and Power Tools: THE Powertool History

History of Hand Tools and Power Tools: THE Powertool History

History of Hand Tools and Power Tools: THE Powertool History


1895: The Birth of Power Tools

In 1895, 16 years after Edison successfully invented the light bulb, the German company C&E Fein, led by Wilhelm Emil Fein, experimented with combining an electric motor with a hand drill, creating a new kind of drill. This revolutionized the industry at the time, making the drill the first power tool in history and marking the beginning of the development of other power tools worldwide. The first electric drill was much larger than modern ones; it was massive and weighed about 7.5 kilograms. The electric motor also rotated quite slowly compared to today's standards, and operating it was extremely cumbersome.


1908 Prototype of the Grinder

FEIN recognized the potential of electric tools. In 1908, they established a factory specifically dedicated to power tool development, focusing on motor development for various purposes. This led them to invent a portable polisher, which was the first prototype step towards what would later become angle grinders and sanders.


1910: The Birth of Black & Decker 

In 1910, Duncan Black and his friend Alonzo Decker, who initially ran a small machine shop, decided to improve upon the prototype drill from C&E Fein by redesigning it to be as easy to operate as a Sam Colt handgun. After spending nearly 6 years in development together, Black & Decker introduced an electric drill that could be held with one hand, resembling a pistol. With its lighter weight, more compact size, and effortless operation, Black & Decker eventually emerged as a leader in the power tool market.


1915: The Birth of Makita 

In 1915, the Japanese company Makita Corporation was founded by Mosaburo Makita, starting from a small motor repair shop in Nagoya, which would become a significant milestone in the tool industry later on.


1922: Raymond Dewalt

In 1922, Raymond DeWalt introduced the electric motor-driven circular saw, the world's first motor-driven saw for cutting wood, ushering in a truly new era for the woodworking industry. Two years later, he founded the DeWalt company in Pennsylvania to produce woodworking power tools called the DeWalt "Wonder-Worker", with the company also dedicating research to new products like mortisers and jointers.


1924 From the Automotive Industry

With a strong relationship with Henry Ford, the energetic young man
A.H. Petersen was commissioned to produce a motorized drill for use in automobile manufacturing, with the condition that it had to be lightweight, operable with one hand, durable, and have a chuck size specified by Ford. This led Petersen to successfully produce the first HOLE-SHOOTER™. Subsequently, the Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp. was founded later on.


1932: Entering New Markets

Automotive parts company Bosch from Germany launched its first electric drill in 1932. In the same year, it also introduced the Bosch hammer, a novel innovation using high-voltage electricity in the motor, with a mechanism that drove the drill bit with a hammering action. The Bosch hammer thus opened a new dimension for drills used in an impact manner, marking the beginning of the tool known as the “demolition breaker/chisel hammer”.


1951 The Competition Begins

As a result of great innovation, Milwaukee invented the SAWZALL ™ Recip Saw, allowing a wider variety of materials to be cut.


1957 New Materials 

In this year, Bosch from Germany experimented with using plastic as a power tool housing to prevent electric shocks during use. This led the power tool industry to pay more attention to this new material, as it made tools lighter and protected against electrical hazards. 


1960 To Space

Black & Decker, the titan of the power tool industry at the time, revolutionized the tool industry once again by launching Cordless drill tools powered by Ni-Cad batteries successfully. Two years later, this technology was further developed in collaboration with NASA to make the drill lighter and capable of being used in space and on the Moon. This marked the first step for power tools that did not rely on AC electrical current.


1984 Continuous Development

Not much had changed fundamentally for the power tool industry; most improvements were in manufacturing, which progressed positively and enhanced power tool details such as lighter weight and higher power. 


2005 Cordless Takes Another Step Forward

After Akira Yoshino successfully invented the lithium-ion battery, MAKITA, also a company from Japan, wasted no time in applying lithium-ion to its own power tools as well. Thus was born the Makita TD130D, believed to be the first product to use a lithium-ion battery.


2009 Power Increased Once Again

Once again, Makita developed a new type of motor technology that did not use carbon brushes for power tools, which was the result of tool development in Aerospace applications.


2016 Boundless Connectivity

Milwaukee developed a tool system capable of connecting to Bluetooth signals and named the system One-Key, making it the first to allow users to communicate and customize various tool settings via phone.


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