Originally known as Pittsburgh Equitable Meter and Manufacturing Company, which was created in 1927 with the merger of two meter companies. They relocated to Brooklyn in 1941. About the same time, they purchased the Crescent Machine Co. Also in 1945, Rockwell purchased Delta Manufacturing Co., and made it its Delta Power Tool Division. Shortly thereafter, Delta tools were labeled "Delta Rockwell".

After that busy 1945 year, Rockwell made a series of product and company acquisitions:

• Arcade Industries (1946);
• Red Star Products (1948);
• "Canadian "Beaver Tools" maker Callander Foundry and Mfg. Co. (1953);
• Walker Turner (1956);
• Porter-Cable (1960);
• An 18" wood planer from Yates-American (1961);
• A router-shaper and belt sander from Duro Metal Products (1968).

In 1973, Rockwell Manufacturing Company merged with North American Rockwell to become Rockwell International Corp. In 1981, the Porter-Cable line was sold to Pentair Inc. of St. Paul, MN. On April 12, 1984, the remaining machinery and tool operations were also sold to Pentair, which renamed it Delta International Machinery Corp.

If you are looking for parts, service, or manuals for your Rockwell woodworking machine, contact Delta.

Information Sources

• A 1950 issue of Popular Mechanics gives an address for the company: Rockwell Mfg Co, Power Tools Division, 600 E Vienna Ave, Milwaukee 1, Wisconsin.
• Thanks to Keith Bohn for contributing information to this history.
• Joe Potter provided information from his notes, including the exact 1984 date for the sale of the woodworking machinery line to Pentair.
• A history page on the Delta webiste claims that Pentair bought Delta from Rockwell in 1981. This assertion is contradicted by the evidence above. Please contact us if you can provide more solid evidence one way or the other.