Established 1914 as J. D. Wallace. By 1919 the name had "& Co." appended to it. The first product was a jointer. Wallace quickly added other machines to his lineup, including bandsaws, tablesaws, scrollsaws, drills, and combination machines. The machines were small but solidly built, and represent perhaps the first line of motor-driven woodworking machines designed for home-shop use.

Wallace's early claim to fame was the "Portable" line, which meant that they were driven by a dedicated motor rather than a line shaft; the "Portable" hollow chisel mortiser, for example, weighed about 500 pounds. Wood Working Digest 1955-56 Directory hints that the Portable line was introduced in 1918. There was also a "Workace" line consisting of smaller machines with a motor that could be moved from one machine to another.

J. D. Wallace & Co. was in business until at least 1941. A 1941 ad shows a tablesaw that looks sadly outdated in comparison to machines from other makers such as Delta, Oliver, and Crescent.

This company was purchased at some point after 1941 by Union Tool Co. of Warsaw, Indiana, who sold it to someone else, who then went under.

There was some relationship between Wallace and Solem Machine Co, possibly an OEM agreement.

Information sources

• An ad in a 1915 issue of "Carpenter and Builder" gives the name simply as "J. D. Wallace." The ad features their portable jointer, which was 18" long and weighed only 50 pounds, including motor, it appears to be 6" wide.
• November 1915 issue of "American Carpenter and Builder".
• 20-page 1933 catalog for the Workace line.
• Ad in November 1941 issue of "Industrial Arts and Vocational Education".