In the early 1900's, an enterprising saw filer named E. P. Armstrong set out to start a new business making tools and equipment for saw filers. At the time, the basic tools used by saw filers had not changed in many years and the enterprising Armstrong thought he had some better ideas. With thirty sawmills within the Portland city limits, the market was there for the right tools.
Edward P. Armstrong was born in England in 1865. His family immigrated to Connecticut in the United States when Edward was only 4 years old. By his mid-teens, he was working in a saw mill, and ended up working his way across the United States to Portland, Oregon, where he landed by the turn of the 20th century. Shortly after his arrival in Portland, he decided he could make a better swage and shaper than was available, so he started making his own tools and equipment. Soon other saw filers took notice and were asking for Armstrong's tools, and The Armstrong Manufacturing Company (founded in 1902) was well on its way!
The new company started out in a small shop in Armstrong's house, and by 1908 grew to the point where it moved into a small shop at 2-4 Second Street, in Portland’s "Old Town" (just a few blocks from Simonds’ Portland branch). As the business grew, so did the need for space, and in 1932 Armstrong moved to its current location on N. W. 21st Avenue. This facility was expanded in 1949 and again in 1956 and 1986. E. P.'s sons Harry and Lloyd were active in the business, and Lloyd eventually became president when Edward Armstrong passed away in 1942.
The long-term success of any company is determined by the minds that guide it. As Lloyd Armstrong took over the business, a young engineer by the name of Ted Andrianoff was making a name for himself through the ingenuity of some of his ideas and designs. By 1953, Ted was named General Manager of the company and shortly thereafter bought the business from the Armstrong family. This led to a new era of product innovation featuring clean, fundamental designs.
Andrianoff's son Fred entered the business in 1963 and worked his way up the ladder, eventually taking over as president when his father passed away in 1984. Fred Andrianoff was responsible for automation in both the production facilities and product lines, which re-established Armstrong as an industry leader.
In 1997, Simonds purchased the Armstrong business, augmenting it's sawmill product range that now included not only saws and knives of all types, but also all the necessary filing room equipment to maintain those cutting tools. The combined businesses of Simonds and Armstrong make for a formidable force in the sawmill market!
