History of Rockler Innovation

The History of Rockler Innovation: How We’ve Shaped Woodworking for 70+ Years

From the first day Nordy Rockler began Woodworker's Supply Company, our mission has always been to provide the resources you need to create with confidence. We want to help you explore this great craft of woodworking and take your skills and interests as far as you wish. Whatever the challenge or project, we offer the expertise, learning opportunities and products to help you work more easily, accurately and safely. We're honored to be a trusted partner in your shop, and we innovate and educate with you in mind so that woodworking becomes a lifelong passion.

A Legacy of Woodworking Innovation

When woodworkers browse rockler.com or flip through our catalogs, they’re experiencing more than a product lineup, they’re seeing decades of continuous innovation. For more than 70 years, Rockler has created solutions that make woodworking easier, faster and more enjoyable. As LiLi Jackson, Nordy’s granddaughter, explains: “Innovation is our ethos. It’s how we came to be, and it’s what sets us apart.”

Rockler’s Origins: Solving Woodworkers’ Biggest Challenges

Rockler began in 1954 as Minnesota Woodworkers Supply, a catalog business that gave hobbyists access to woodworking supplies they couldn’t find anywhere else. That customer-first approach led to early breakthroughs, from Plyedge® edge banding to our first retail store in 1978.

Over the following decades, Rockler continued to introduce industry-changing ideas:

• Bringing Robertson square drive screws to the U.S.
• Developing early cabinet hardware jigs that became today’s JIG IT® system
• Creating exclusive partnerships with Sam Maloof and Stickley
• Launching one of the first woodworking e commerce sites in 1997

Each step reinforced our commitment to making high-quality woodworking tools and supplies accessible to hobbyists of every skill level.

Leading in Woodworking Education

Another pillar of Rockler innovation is education. In 1989, we launched Today’s Woodworker magazine, later merging with Woodworker’s Journal to become one of the most respected woodworking magazines in the U.S. By providing detailed project plans, expert tips and step by step guidance with techniques, Rockler has helped generations of woodworkers build confidence.

Today, our educational offerings include:

• Instructional videos and project plans
• In-store classes and demonstrations
• Interactive Innovation Stations and dedicated learning spaces in all 44 Rockler stores

We've always believed that woodworking education should be as accessible as woodworking tools.

Product Innovation: The Heart of the Rockler Brand

Rockler is known for solving real-world woodworking “pain points.” Our company has earned more than 100 patents. Over the last decade alone, we’ve launched more than 500 new products and earned dozens of industry awards for innovation.

Our in-house Product Development team—woodworkers themselves—designs solutions to everyday shop challenges. Some of our most iconic innovations include:

• Clamp-It® Corner Clamps – simplifying project assembly and squaring
• Bench Cookies® – the go to solution for sanding and routing without clamps
• Silicone Glue Brushes – reusable with optimized bristles and no messy cleanup
• Dust Right® Click-Connect System – quick-fitting universal dust collection for handheld power tools
• Bandy Clamps – faster, gentler, more reliable clamping when banding edges


These Rockler originals have become must-have tools in woodworking shops around the world and have changed the way some fundamental woodworking operations are done.

Continuing to Shape the Future of Woodworking

From mail-order supplier to innovation leader, Rockler continues to empower woodworkers with smarter tools, better learning resources and solutions designed to solve real problems. Your passion drives every new idea, and it inspires the next generation of Rockler innovation.