This company was the very first to make a handheld router—a monstrous router that was specialized for routing stair stringers. The router was invented in 1906 and was first sold by Stevenson Machine Co., which apparently became Kelley Electric Machine Co. by 1909. The company survived until at least 1929.
Information Sources
- The router was patented by George L. Kelley in 1908 (the application was submitted in 1906). The patent was assigned to Stevenson Machine Co. Given the purported 1906 genesis of the Kelley Electric Machine Co., router, it is likely that Stevenson Machine Co. was a predecessor of Kelley Electric Machine Co.
- Advertisments in The Wood-Worker between 1911 and 1929 shows their "Kelley Router" - a handheld router that looks to be at least twice the size of any hand-held router available today. The bit rotates at 6500 RPM. An ad in a 1920 issue of The Wood-Worker says that they have been selling their product for fourteen years, which puts their genesis at about 1906.