Local Motors

Dempster Machine Shop was founded by James Dempster in 1886. Born in Perth, Scotland and later immigrated to Knoxville, James was “Knoxville’s Pioneer Machine Shop Operator.” Originally established on the banks of the Tennessee River, water power was used to operate the first shop. When the times changed, the nature of the business did as well and Dempster Machine Shop moved to its current location at 1950 Laurans Avenue. After World War 2 ended, Richard Dempster took over management of the shop. The commitment shows in his words, “I ran it for 40 years. It’s awfully hard (to quit) even when you want to do it.” We are experienced in Metal Fabricating as well as Welding. Please note. Our machines are too hot for automotive. We typically specialize in 1/4″ thick A36 plate, but can adjust to different thicknesses and work on many different applications of metal.