C.R. Onsrud Family Reaches Century of Cutting Edge Innovation and Celebrates a Century of Cutting Edge Innovation

Onsrud is a name which has been associated with the machining industry for a long time. War-time production found the a variety of well-known aircraft rolling off of metal industry machines with the Onsrud name engraved on the side.

Gun stocks which housed the barrels and actions of the famous dough boy security blanket - the M1- Garand - were also manufactured with machines carrying the family name of that same Norwegian immigrant - Oscar Onsrud. 2015 is a special year for the Onsrud family - signifying the 100 year landmark event which transformed the machining world, and and the way we manufacture goods today.

In 1915, Oscar Onsrud and his son Rudy, invented the very first high-speed, air-driven spindle. This development replaced much of the existing belt-driven cutting and milling machinery, prevalent in factories of the day, and ultimately allowed for the creation of modern-day CNC machinery. The grandson of Oscar, C.R. Onsrud founder Charlie Onsrud worked many long hours in the old family facility in Chicago, Illinois where they manufactured customized machines for machining/building aircraft parts and much, much more.

Striking out on his own, Charlie adapted the family cutting technology and know-how for the large, wood manufacturing industry located in the Southeastern, U.S. He started with one machine - the inverted router, a machine which is still sold today.

As the opportunities to help streamline the production process, and offer more efficient machines arose, his company grew by providing specialized machines for the variety of needs within the industry. Driven by the same innovative mindset used by his father and grandfather, C.R. Onsrud focuses on building tailored, application-based machines for quality-focused customers.

The 100 year, Onsrud family legacy of innovation began in the heart of the Chicago machine industry, and today, C.R. Onsrud is once again, a brand people are starting to see offering speed, accuracy and innovative efficiencies in metal, composite, and plastic manufacturing facilities across the country. Tom Onsrud confirms, “Metal machining isn’t new to the Onsruds, and we’re finding applications every day where we can excel in that industry.... such as nested-based machining.”

In fact, aerospace applications in both metal and composites, is ground C.R Onsrud finds quite familiar.

“My grandfather and great-grandfather were making parts for a variety of aircraft as far back as world war 2.... and today our machines are still cutting parts for companies like Boeing, Cessna and Zodiac,” stated company CEO, Tom Onsrud. “Some of those old Onsrud machines (60+ years old) my family built are still manufacturing parts today, and we have new machines cutting parts for NASA’s latest telescope, preparing to deploy in the near future.”

Indeed, every customer who chooses to buy an Onsrud, has a specific application in mind, or a need to improve their current manufacturing process, and the Onsrud family has the engineering history and know-how to bring those applications to reality. C.R. Onsrud CNC machines are not off-the-shelf, plug and play pieces of equipment - they are highly specialized - and the (American-made) company will continue to deliver tailor-made innovation - just as the family has been doing for the last century. If a machine has a high-speed cutting spindle, it has the Onsrud family legacy to trace it’s roots back to.

Source: C.R. Onsrud