J. H. Williams history??

[toolnut]

I was looking on line and I can't find any history on Williams tools. Most any other tool manufacturer you can. Anyone know what year they started? My mom had worked in the front office during the early fifties filling orders from punch cards. Hooked my dad up with some nice sets that he has never used.... Maybe my son will get lucky and he will leave them to him.

 

[jerryW]

Go here,

http://home.comcast.net/~alloy-artifacts/index.html

They have a section on JH Williams.


jerry

 

[toolnut]

Go here,

http://home.comcast.net/~alloy-artifacts/index.html

They have a section on JH Williams.


jerry

I have seen that before but there is no company history or dates when things happened.

 

[lbgradwell]

I have seen that before but there is no company history or dates when things happened.

There's 6 pages of info!!! What exactly was it you wanted to know?

 

[toolnut]

There's 6 pages of info!!! What exactly was it you wanted to know?

Well for starters - when did they start?

 

[caper]

W-Diamond Logo. The Williams W-Diamond logo was registered as a trademark, with the first use listed as 1884.

The first page of the Alloy Artifacts article lists different production marks and dates.

 

[lbgradwell]

Well for starters - when did they start?

1884 in Brooklyn, NY.

 

[toolnut]

1884 in Brooklyn, NY.

Thanks. Than I take it they moved to Buffalo and than were sold off in the 70's?

 

[TheGrooveking]

Thanks. Than I take it they moved to Buffalo and than were sold off in the 70's?

Did you read the 6 pages on info on them?

TheGrooveking

 

[toolnut]

Working on it!!

 

[toolnut]

That is some history. I see that Williams made those Craftsman 8 in 1 socket wrenches that Craftsman is now importing. Thanks guys for pointing out the site. It has been a while since I have been on there and now a lot more has been added.

 

[sselander]

bump to an old thread

posting this info, since Alloy Artifacts does not have this.

How does Snap-On claim "Since 1882 Williams has met the harshest challenges of the most demanding industries."?
http://www.snaponindustrialbrands.com/31/about-us.htm

The reason? J.H. Williams started out in 1882 as Williams & Diamond in Flushing, Long Island as a partnership between James Harvey Williams & Matthew Diamond

On July 1, 1884 the business moved to Brooklyn, renamed to the J.H. Williams & Company, and incorporated July 1, 1895

source: Iron Age, December 8, 1904, pg 57
http://tinyurl.com/mo33m9y

There is also a short article about James H. Williams, Drop Forging here, including a portion of a 1907 Brooklyn map showing the location:
http://maggieblanck.com/BrooklynRedHook/Williams.html

 

[ken w.]

I go to a lot of estate sales and find lots of never used Williams tools in cellars and garages.I think there were quite a few workers who brought tools home in their lunch pail.

 

[davethorik]

i work at a machine shop and we have a lot of of buffalo marked JH Williams pin and hook spanners for tightening collet holders. I personally have a Williams Superjustable 10" and a superrench ignition wrench doe in 1/4, seems like quality stuff. Hopefully santa is bringing me one of their ratcheting screwdrivers

 

[kenburkholz]

I wanted to buy some wrench sets by Williams from Amazon,but when I read the description it said that these might might not be of U.S. manufacture. I am confused, Ken.

 

[davethorik]

yes it seems they produce both us and foreign made tools. their ratcheting screwdriver is a clone of SO and made in USA. their 3/4 ratchet set in box is made in china.

 

[SMKS]

I wanted to buy some wrench sets by Williams from Amazon,but when I read the description it said that these might might not be of U.S. manufacture. I am confused, Ken.

Williams offers two tool lines, a USA-made line and an imported (mostly Taiwanese) line. Many of the imported tools are identical to Blue Point tools.

Most Williams tools are available in a USA-made version and an imported version.

 

[hydro182]

from what ive seen, in the absence of pics, taiwanese part numbers are numerical 5 digit. USA made are the alpha-numeric part numbers. I have a blue point 1/4 ratchet, and a co-worker has a williams 1/4(taiwanese)....same ratchet.

 

[sselander]

Link to previous post regarding JH Williams catalog 401
showing the Superrench, supersockets, & tool boards.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=162774

direct link to catalog:
https://ia700404.us.archive.org/28/items/JhWilliamsToolCatalogNo.401/jhwilliamstoolcatalog.pdf

user Tommy on the Practical Machinist posted some images from the 1914 catalog, which included the factories
http://www.practicalmachinist.com/v...ms-lathe-tool-holders-approximate-age-267410/

 

[ken w.]

The J.H. Williams Tools that we all know is no longer around. Anything you see today new is made thru Snap On Tools.Name only. Sometimes you can find New Old stock on Ebay,but the new stuff is mostly imported.

 

[SMKS]

the new stuff is mostly imported.

Not really accurate.

Most of the tools are available in a USA version and an imported version.

 

[hydro182]

i agree with stephen... motion industries is the local distributor here, the only thing they cant get usa made is 3/4 drive sets. Williams is headquartered here in GA

 

[3baygarage]

Snap On even went as far as to import 3/4 drive stuff as well. Complete chrome sets and impact sockets as well, all branded Williams. A disgrace to the Williams name.

 

[3baygarage]

Thanks for the PDF link sselander!!!
I have this other catalog too. Quite a bit later from the TRW days. This is near and dear to me because I picked it from my own friend's estate when he came on hard times. He held a true estate sale, sold off all his collection, everything.

 

[3baygarage]

More pics.

 

[ganymede]

For those who like to know when their vintage tools were made, I saw an 83/84 catalog on ebay.
The cover shows wrenches stamped "Williams" not JH Williams or JH Williams & Co.
Not much by itself but definitely another piece of the puzzle.

 

[bobcatdan]

Snap On even went as far as to import 3/4 drive stuff as well. Complete chrome sets and impact sockets as well, all branded Williams. A disgrace to the Williams name.

I know I'm quoting a years old post, but how many times has it be said, they make two lines for different price points. I'm pretty sure all said and done, there are more USA made then imports. Scroll threw their website, I bet you could build a 90% or better USA set of Williams.

 

[panknuckshovel]

i just picked up the williams 1/4 flex head ratchet today, 36 tooth, solid and USA. The store had a whole display of ratchets, sockets, wrenches, and i was thanking myself for only walking in with the $27 for the ratchet.

 

[3baygarage]

I know I'm quoting a years old post, but how many times has it be said, they make two lines for different price points. I'm pretty sure all said and done, there are more USA made then imports. Scroll threw their website, I bet you could build a 90% or better USA set of Williams.

Sure, you can find USA made. I still say it's a disgrace to put the Williams name on a Taiwan tool. If they wanted to generate money selling imports then it could have been called something else.

That's how I feel.

 

[d.mcfarland]

i just picked up the williams 1/4 flex head ratchet today, 36 tooth, solid and USA. The store had a whole display of ratchets, sockets, wrenches, and i was thanking myself for only walking in with the $27 for the ratchet.

What store!?!?

 

[JR 42]

Sure, you can find USA made. I still say it's a disgrace to put the Williams name on a Taiwan tool. If they wanted to generate money selling imports then it could have been called something else.

That's how I feel.

And in this enlightened age, we're all entitled to our feelings.

I understand your frustration- so many quality old tool lines exist now in name only, or have whored their name and reputation, disregarding their history of American-made quality. Stanley, Craftsman, KD, Allen, Husky, MAC, Crescent, JH Williams, Blue Point, General Tool, Milwaukee power tools, Gerber knives, Facom, Gedore (yeah, not US, I know), etc. etc. ad nauseum. As near as I can tell, if you want to buy US-made tools today from not-a-global-conglomerate-octopus, you can buy... Wright. Or used.

JR

 

[monomach]

I wanted to buy some wrench sets by Williams from Amazon,but when I read the description it said that these might might not be of U.S. manufacture. I am confused, Ken.

If the part number is all numbers, it's from Taiwan. If it's mixed letters and numbers, It's made here in the states.

The Taiwan wrenches are still good.

i just picked up the williams 1/4 flex head ratchet today, 36 tooth, solid and USA. The store had a whole display of ratchets, sockets, wrenches, and i was thanking myself for only walking in with the $27 for the ratchet.

What store is this? If there's a branch anywhere near me that stocks Williams, I want to go drool on things.

Sure, you can find USA made. I still say it's a disgrace to put the Williams name on a Taiwan tool. If they wanted to generate money selling imports then it could have been called something else.

That's how I feel.

Taiwan Williams is better than a lot of US-made tools. Nothing disgraceful there. It's not like one of the many crappy Apex lines or anything.