May 2023 Volume 5

INDUSTRY NEWS

One of America’s Oldest Tool Manufacturers: Warwood Tool Company

Since 1854, Warwood Tool Company has been crafting high quality, hand-forged sledges, mauls, axes, adzes, hammers, picks, chisels, bars, and punches for hard-working Americans. Henry Warwood started his company inOhio as a coal mining and garden tool supply business. With the onset of the Industrial Revolution, the demand for quality hand tools grew. Warwood Tool adapted to provide tools for the railroad, construction, and oil industries. During bothWorldWars, American soldiers relied on theWarwood Entrenching Mattock to dig foxholes and trenches. In fact, Warwood Tool products have been trusted in every war since the Civil War. In 1892, Warwood Tool found a permanent home near Wheeling, West Virginia, in a town that grew around the factory and was named in its honor, Warwood, West Virginia. In 169 years, Warwood Tool has changed ownership only seven times and is still a family-owned and operated business. Manufacturing in the same factory since 1905, Warwood Tool continues its commitment to the time-tested, labor-intensive manufacturing process that turns premium US-sourced steel and hickory into the best hand tools available today.

Warwood Tool uses Erie and Chambersburg board-drop hammers in conjunction with forge rollers, presses, Bradley hammers, and more. From cutting billets to forging, heat treat, testing, and assembly, the entire tool making process occurs under one roof. Today, Warwood sells to the global market, focusing primarily on heavy-industry tool uses such as railroad track maintenance and construction. As of 2023, Warwood has a new focus to further grow the brand and introduce new products to everyday consumers through social media marketing and ad campaigns. Up next are plant improvement projects to include induction billet heating for both forging and heat treatment, new forging cells, powder coating systems, and robotic grinding. Be sure to follow @WarwoodTool on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube! https://warwoodtool.com/

FIA MAGAZINE | MAY 2023 78