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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2019
    Location
    Newcastle, AU
    Posts
    238

    Default History of Dawn Tools

    I'm at it again... realised that I had never done a deep dive into the history of Dawn and here's what I have dug up so far:

    https://motofaction.org/tool-reviews...mation-coburg/

    There's a few interesting tidbits from Trove in there, such as apparently one of the directors at one point was a WWI veteran and mayor of Coburg and one night he stayed back in the factory and caught a thief in the store-room after being given a heads-up that that was going to happen.

    The more interesting info peters out after the 50s, and if anyone has a catalogue or brochure not shown in the above please let me know and I'll absorb the info into the article. Also open to interesting bits and pieces from those brochures that I have missed - like, say, when a vice appears to have been introduced or phased out that I have not mentioned. I have incorporated all of the downloadable items from Dawn's site.

    If anyone knows of any good books about the trade tariffs and the changes that occured over the last century with regard to them I'd be interested to hear about it as well - many of the company histories I have been looking into have mentioned meetings between the directors and the government trying to figure out how to go about protecting local businesses with tariffs, and I don't know much about how that progressed over time - other than they were lifted at some point and many domestic companies struggled to remain solvent in the decades after that.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mackay North Qld
    Posts
    6,446

    Default

    Thank you J.C.

    That was interesting. I never knew that Dawn was owned by Stanley for a brief period.

    Last time I visited their website they had a really decent array of different products.

    I hope they always will retain Aussie ownership and never succumb to having their products made overseas.

    Thanks

    Grahame

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2019
    Location
    Newcastle, AU
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    238

    Default

    They do have a number of product lines made in China now - I asked them about the differences between a few of their vices last year and those made in Oz have a specified rating for the cast iron where their Chinese made vices have no rating, but are cheaper.

    I think some of their fabricated offset vices are now also made in China. I should make a list for those curious.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Melbourne
    Age
    54
    Posts
    825

    Default

    Here's a Dawn add from the 1944 Australasian Manufacturer publication which lists the Sheppard St Address.

    Australasian Manufacturer 1944 - Dawn.jpg

    I have four of their broad base screw car stands which are brilliant. I got them for a slab from a bloke who worked for Dawn in the early 1990's.
    Cheers,
    Greg.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    35

    Default

    Hey here is some info from Moreland city council. If any of it’s any good to you..


  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mackay North Qld
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    6,446

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by J.C. View Post
    They do have a number of product lines made in China now
    When that sort of thing starts to happen it worries me.It was always re assuring in a way to know that Dawn was 100% Aussie.

    It is sad that we are losing our engineering history, culture bit by bit. If they are made to ISO 9000 I wouldn't argue, but will they be?

    It will be the slow reduction of standards that I will be most upset to witness.

    Grahame

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2019
    Location
    Newcastle, AU
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    238

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by kwijibo99 View Post
    Here's a Dawn add from the 1944 Australasian Manufacturer publication which lists the Sheppard St Address.



    I have four of their broad base screw car stands which are brilliant. I got them for a slab from a bloke who worked for Dawn in the early 1990's.
    Cheers,
    Greg.
    Thanks for that pic, that's great! Really helps make the article less... dry... when there's some nice visual additions.

    Quote Originally Posted by doily_grunge View Post
    Hey here is some info from Moreland city council. If any of it’s any good to you..
    The City of Vices... heh. Thanks - that's definitely worth including, that's not something I have seen before. Thanks to your post I have hit up the Coburg historical society to see whether they have any information or pictures they can send me, and in a related new search I found a picture of the Mayor of Coburg (mentioned up in the first post) in the Dawn factory watching a dynamic jaw be machined. Added that too!

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    near Warragul, Victoria
    Posts
    3,718

    Default winch

    This is the Jeep with Dawn winch mentioned

    Jeep Winch - MLU FORUM

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Aug 2015
    Location
    QLD
    Posts
    735

    Default

    More on the Dawn winch.

    “Winch Charges Denied”...

    https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/a...ear2-date=1955




    .

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Aug 2015
    Location
    QLD
    Posts
    735

    Default

    Dawn Manufacturing has a place in Oz history..

    End of war 1945...

    “...As he went to blow the factory whistle announcing the V-P declaration, he overbalanced and fell on to machinery...”

    https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/a...&searchLimits=





    .

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Sep 2019
    Location
    Newcastle, AU
    Posts
    238

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by morrisman View Post
    This is the Jeep with Dawn winch mentioned

    Jeep Winch - MLU FORUM
    Thanks!

    Quote Originally Posted by YBAF View Post
    More on the Dawn winch.

    “Winch Charges Denied”...

    https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/a...ear2-date=1955




    .
    Quote Originally Posted by YBAF View Post
    Dawn Manufacturing has a place in Oz history..

    End of war 1945...

    “...As he went to blow the factory whistle announcing the V-P declaration, he overbalanced and fell on to machinery...”

    https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/a...&searchLimits=


    .
    Both of those are in the article I wrote, though the first I merely pulled the data regarding the manufacturing and left out the charges. If you find any Trove articles that I have not included please do let me know!

  12. #12
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    Aug 2015
    Location
    QLD
    Posts
    735

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by J.C. View Post

    ...Both of those are in the article I wrote...
    .. Boy Blunder didn’t do a full read.. .. apologies JC




    .

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Sep 2019
    Location
    Newcastle, AU
    Posts
    238

    Default

    Oh all good, there was a lot of writing there... I will include some more pics to break it up a bit.

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