Ober Manufacturing Company
Published in the December 2023 Penny Bank Post | Written by Gary Ferguson
Ober Manufacturing Company produced a series of cast iron still banks in the early 20th century that are desired by collectors today. The company had a rich history of nearly one hundred years involving wood and cast iron products, as well as turning lathes and other machinery.
Brothers John and George Ober started the company in the 1860s producing wood handles for axes, hoes, forks, hammers, hatchets, brooms, and picks. Although wood handles were their main product line, they also produced shingles, spokes, mallets, neck yokes, table legs, buggy gears and axles, wagon tongues, flooring, and even wood coffins. George developed and patented turning lathes to support the various wood products offered by the company, turning hand production into mass production.
In 1873, Ober relocated from Newbury, Ohio to nearby Chagrin Falls. This new location offered a plentiful source of hardwood to support their wood products along with a natural water supply to power their lumber sawmill in the days prior to the arrival of steam power. Chagrin Falls was also home of the J.W. Williams Company established in 1844, which eventually became the A. C. Williams Company.
In 1881, the Ober brothers went their separate ways with John focusing on wood products and the retail sale of furniture. George, on the other hand, maintained the mill and continued to perfect and produce lathes under the company name of G. H. Ober Handle Manufacturing. In 1887, the company was incorporated into a new firm known as George Ober Manufacturing Company.
Ober Lathe Company was incorporated in 1891 and became a major manufacturer and supplier of lathes in the 1890s. The lathes were sold globally from Canada to Mexico and Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Ober lathes quickly earned a reputation for their high quality. The company expanded their machinery business to include sanders, shapers, boring, and chucking machinery.
Ober Manufacturing started making sadirons in 1897 along with stands or trivets for the sad-irons. Early sad-irons were made from a solid one-piece metal that weighed between five to nine pounds and were heated on a hot wood stove. A pot holder or thick cloth had to be used around the handle to protect the user from burning their hands.
Florence Potts is credited with making several improvements to the sad-iron, including . . .
