Brief History

This business was formed in 1878 to manufacture blacksmith’s forges. It quickly branched into heating, air conditioning (purportedly invented by Willis Carrier of Buffalo Forge), dust collectors (the cyclonic dust collector invention claimed by Buffalo Forge), drill presses, etc. Buffalo Forge created a Canadian subsidiary, Canadian Buffalo Forge Co., Ltd., in 1903 (or 1905, depending on which source you believe). The name changed at some point to Canadian Blower & Forge.

In 1993, Buffalo Forge was acquired by the Howden Group. Buffalo Machine Tools was created in 1997 from the machine tool division of Buffalo Forge. In 1999, the Howden subsidiary containing the remainder of Buffalo Forge was renamed Howden Buffalo.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Buffalo Forge made a bandsaw. They are very uncommon. Almost all "Buffalo" bandsaws and any tablesaws, jointers, etc., with the Buffalo name are 1980s Taiwanese imports of poor quality. These machines are completed unrelated to Buffalo Forge and associated businesses. As offshore imports, they are also outside the scope of this web site.

Parts and Service

Buffalo Machine Tools of Niagara, Inc., Lockport, NY, was created in 1997 from the machine tool division of Buffalo Forge. They make 15" and 18" drill presses.

Contact Information for Buffalo Machine Tools of Niagara, Inc.:

Phone: (716) 625-9830
Fax: (716) 625-9850
Monday - Friday from 9:00 a.m. till 5:00 p.m. EST.

Information Sources:

• Listing in the June 1926 issue of Building Age and National Builder for the Buffalo Woodworker.
• Buffalo Forge (1877-1952) World Wide Name in Industrial Equipment. Reprint of a speech made to the Newcomen Society of England in 1952 concerning the history of the company.
• Canadian industry, commerce, and finance; published as a companion volume to The Journal of Commerce, 1916, by J. J. Harpell: Lists Canadian Buffalo Forge Co., Ltd., Montreal, Que., as a producer of drill presses; blacksmiths' drills; tire benders; blacksmiths' blowers; pressure blowers; refuse burners; drying apparatus; marine engines; portable engines; waterworks pumping engines; electric fans; hot air heating apparatus; humidifiers; air pumps; centrifugal pumps; electric pumps; fire pumps; hydraulic pressure pumps; steampower pumps; hand and power tire pumps; turbine pumps; punches and punch couplings; shears and shear blades; blacksmiths' tools; cooling towers; ventilators; washers.
• Thanks to Theresa Silva for providing some of the material here, such as the information on non-drill products made by Buffalo Forge. Theresa was the CEO of Buffalo Machine Tools of Niagara, Inc., and she personally provided assistance for people with older Buffalo Forge machinery. She died in 2009.
• Early references to "Buffalo Forge" are about a business of the same name located in Rockbridge County, Virginia. That Buffalo Forge dates back to about 1820 and primarily made iron bar stock.