The first known US portable electric router was patented by George L. Kelley of Buffalo, NY on Jan. 28, 1908. The patent had two (2) router bits (spindles) and was designed primarily to use with a template to rout stair stringers. The first patent for a single spindle router was to Ray L. Carter of Syracuse, NY by US Patent No. 1,514,894 on Nov. 11, 1924. He moved to Phoenix, NY and founded the R. L. Carter Co., which he sold to The Stanley Works in late 1929. This beats the ELU claim by years. |