Abbott & Ashby

In 1976 the idea of the Abbott & Ashby bench grinder was born. John D Sommerville spent his early work life as an electrical engineer at Kirby Engineering in Sydney NSW. Not content with what was available in the marketplace at the time, he decided that the only option was to start with a clean slate. He identified all of the features that worked well and began to create a more modern design that had additional features to cement Abbott & Ashby’s position at the forefront of the market. It was years in development and many prototypes later that the first Abbott & Ashby bench grinder was available for sale. With a powerful motor and capacitor, wider wheel guards to allow the free running of wire wheels, large eye shields for better user protection, fully adjustable tools rests and a dust covered on/off switch to ensure the longevity of the product, there was no doubt that the Abbott & Ashby bench grinders were in a league of their own.

In the 1980’s Abbott & Ashby teamed up with then Mortdale NSW company PA Products who manufactured the Multitool linishing attachment. The idea was to package a product that allows users the best of both worlds. Simply put it was an Abbott & Ashby 6” industrial bench grinder with a linishing tool already attached as standard and was known as the PO362PLUS, and was followed by the 8” model as PO362PLUS8. This marriage between the two brands is as strong today as it was back then, with R&D working in both directions to allow the product to develop into a leader in its class. Add to this the comprehensive range of accessories to suit both the bench grinder and linishing tool, you have the ability to customise your machine to suit the specific needs of each and every job. Over the years Abbott & Ashby has been a silent achiever, never really boasting about its features and its ability to be a true workhorse in any industrial setting. 40 years later we may have a new box but the ability of the bench grinder is still a classic, only gaining from years of experience in the industry. Abbott & Ashby is designed in Australia and caters to everyone from the serious DIYer to the professional industrial operator