An employee for over 41 years, Dave Randall, sales manager, recalls how Alpren embarked on this new endeavor.

“It was in the early 1960s,” said Randall, “and at the time, Ben was selling chemicals while riding around in his Lincoln. People would ask him if he could get a hold of certain used machinery and he did … as time went by, the more requests he got, the more he enjoyed it.”

Eventually, Alpren bought a pick-up truck and a warehouse and in 1965 turned his purpose and passion into a reality when he bought the property at 555 Lincoln Street.

“In the beginning, he just sold used machinery,” said Randall. “Then, he expanded with new lines and a few supplies; it just grew from there. In fact, Ben was the first distributor of Standard Modern Lathes in the U.S.”

Fast forward to today, under new ownership with Tim Veilleux, and the business is continuing to thrive. Alpren’s remains at the forefront in its field of new and used machinery in addition to a full line of industrial supplies and specialty tools.

“We only stock inventory from the top-name brands,” explained Randall. “Jet, Powermatic, Dremel, LS Starrett and Dewalt are just a few labels giving reliable equipment to our customers, who include schools and universities, power companies, manufacturers, machinists, local contractors and even serious hobbyists.”

Keeping an immense inventory is a must for customer’s satisfaction, including hardware items, which are important for various types of machinery and construction. Also on site are hard-to-find metric items ranging from drills, taps and end mills, to nuts and bolts.

Some of the inventory, listed by category:

Machinery: Lathes, drill presses, generators, air compressors, mills, saws and woodworking tools.

Cutting tools: Drills, end mills, cutters, taps, reamers, blanks, counterbores, countersinks, dies, chasers, thread repair, saw blades, tool bits, carbide tooling, indexable tooling and inserts and burrs.

Power tools: Air and accessories, electric and accessories, and marking and etching.

Hand tools: Electrical, fastening, plumbing, edge, deburring, cutting, striking and insulated.

Measuring: For inspection, setup and layout and testing equipment.

Workholding: For clamping, fixturing and tooling access.

Fluids: Adhesives, sealants, cleaning, lubricants, marking, paint, machining fluids and applicators.

Abrasives: Bonded, coated and super abrasives, surface finishing and abrasive accessories.

Material handling: For furniture, equipment and storage.

Safety products: Body protection, electrical and security.

Ben Alpren Machine & Tool Supply Inc. provides every customer with experience and expertise, from preplanning and tool selection through set up and process optimizing.

“We look at the total solution for each purchaser’s needs,” explained Randall. “Our goal is to get them where they want to be in this ever-changing era of machine tool technology.”

For more information, visit Ben Alpren at 555 Lincoln Street, Lewiston; phone 207-783-2811; or visit benalprenmachine.com.