The Craig Brothers

The Craig Bit Company was founded by two brothers, Ernest and Robert Craig. Ernest had significant ties to the mining industry. He began working in mines as a teenager and was soon promoted to a management position at Falconbridge Nickel Mines near Sudbury. The Craig brothers patented their device for detachable drill bits in 1940. Their invention reputedly tripled mining productivity and the brothers opened their company the following year.

Ernest Craig, founder of the Craig Bit Company and inventor of the detachable drill bit. After founding Craig Bit with his brother, Ernest moved on to become an executive of several major Ontario mining companies such as Ventures Ltd, American Nepheline, and J.J. Turner & Sons Ltd.

Photograph Courtesy of the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame