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Long known for their high-quality, professional woodworking machines, the Dominion Machinery Company Ltd. were based in Hipperholme near Halifax. A successful enterprise - at one stage nearly 80% of its output was being exported and over 250 people employed - it began life as a small concern importing Canadian-built wood machines, hence the name "Dominion", Canada in the early years of the 20th century being of such status. Managed at first by one Herman Laycock, the Company grew from strength to strength until, in the 1930s, they were well represented at major trade shows and had a firm foothold in the UK market. With such success, Dominion purchased the Canadian patents and a new production company, named after its founders, Womersley and Broadbent, was set up next to the Dominions premises. With Womersley and Broadbent manufacturing, but Dominion marketing, problems eventually overran the arrangement and Dominion were to eventually take over their bankrupt partners. Following this reorganisation, and headed by Herman Laycock's grandson, David Waithman, a boom in exports followed. Unfortunately, Mr/ Waithman's health suffered and in 1985 the company was sold, eventually passing into the hands of Thomas Robinson plc (then owners of the Wadkin brand). Today the Dominion name continues, VWM Ltd. of Trawden, near Colne in Lancashire, marketing a range of woodworking machines with Dominion badging.
In their heyday, Dominion offered a wide range of machines that included not only their well-known "Universal Woodworkers" , but also numbers of single-use models including ones for surfacing and thicknessing, panel and ticknessing, tenoning, dovetailing and cross-cutting, lathes, band saws. Fret saws, chain and chisel Mortisers, spindle moulders, overhead pad sanders, belt sanders, saw benches, saw setters, and grinders to sharpen planer and moulder cutters. However, the subject of this page and other pages is the Company's "Universal" machines these being offered in three basic forms: the "Minor" in bench-top and "Portable" forms, the very much heavier and versatile Type 10-inch "A.Y." and the massive 3-motor "Supreme". All were especially well designed and constructed, users commenting that their function quality was the equal of those from the better-known and much larger Wadkin Company.
A wide range of accessories was offered that, together with the machines' built in versatility, allowed a wide range of work to be undertaken including: surfacing, rebating, chamfering, thicknessing, moulding, ripping, ploughing, cross-cutting, mitreing, trenching, tenoning, boring, mortising, knife grinding and routing.
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