Starting in 1948 (and perhaps earlier) this company made a few woodworking machines for Sears Roebuck. For example, the 1948 Craftsman catalog features the Model 100 tablesaw as "Emerson saws"; examples of this saw have model numbers beginning with 113, which corresponds to Emerson Electric Co. Most of the Craftsman woodworking machines at that time were made by King-Seeley Corp., however.
In 1962 Emerson bought all of King-Seeley Corp.'s design patents, tooling, and parts for Sears, Roebuck & Co. Craftsman and Dunlap lines. Emerson began production of machines in 1964.
Emerson lost that contract around 1998, but they began making the Ridgid line of stationary power tools for Home Depot. The Emerson Tool Co. (a division of Emerson Electric Co.) no longer makes woodworking machines -- they make shop vacuums and humidifiers. We do not know when the Emerson Tool Co. division was created.
Parts and Manuals
For information on availability of parts and manuals, see the Craftsman entry in the Manufacturers Index.