ESCO (Edge-Sweets Company) got its start in 1883 when Frank Edge fabricated his first jigsaw blades. Building on this concept, Frank formed The Frank Edge Company in 1887 to produce saw blades for the booming furniture industry in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The first 70 years of the company were spent supplying blades and equipment to the bustling furniture manufacturers. In 1953, Edge Saw was formed to manufacture the first saw for cutting flexible "foam rubber". By 1957, the manufacture of foam cutting equipment was the main activity for Edge Saw and growth of the company kept pace with the fast growth of foam production in the U.S.