About Us

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At Abston Machine Shop, Inc., we are a third-generation family-owned business located in Taft, TN. With over a century of experience in machining and hands-on shop work, we have the expertise and know-how to be there for our customers now and into the future.

All three members of Abston have U.S. patents, and they are here to help develop engineering ideas for easier machining and fixturing while ensuring peace of mind and optimal cost-effectiveness for your customers. At the end of the day, you can’t go wrong when partnering with Abston!

Why Work With Us?

At Abston, we are AS9100D and ISO 9001:2015 certified, ITAR registered, and have our FFL. With these certifications, you can be confident that we can manufacture products with the utmost quality and industry compliance.

With a dedication to continuous process improvement, Abston is committed to delivering high-quality products and services that meet our customers’ specifications while meeting all regulatory and statutory requirements.

At Abston, we have a Federal Firearms License (FFL) Type 07, meaning we are a licensed firearms manufacturer in the United States. We manufacture firearm components with a serial number, in compliance with federal regulations.

Abston offers more than just machining. We also provide a range of secondary services, including plating, painting, packaging, and assembly. This allows us to provide turnkey solutions for our customers under one roof.

Our Team

Ray Vance

Senior Advisor
My name is Ray Vance. I am the Senior Advisor at Abston Machine Shop, Inc. I have 62 years of experience in the machine shop industry. Originally a native of Bristol, TN I moved to Huntsville, AL during the “Moon Shot” era to perform machine work on the “Saturn 5” moon rocket project. In 1974 my wife Jean and I acquired Abston Machine Shop from Elmer Abston and retained the name and cage code. Witnessing many changes over the years with machine shop technology I have been deeply involved in continually upgrading our facility to meet the needs of our customers today and beyond.
In my spare time, I enjoy row-crop farming corn and soybeans and in the off-season, I enjoy Whitetail Deer hunting.

David Vance

President
My name is David E. Vance. I am the Owner and President of Abston Machine Shop, Inc. With over 37 years of experience in the machine shop industry, I have been a part of many exciting and new projects so far in my career. I was privileged to introduce the CNC world of machining to our company but not before I became a skilled manual machinist taught “hands-on” by my father while growing up in the shop. I take much pride in my work and business. Everything that is machined in our facility is done so with quality in mind with our seal of approval before it leaves the doors.
In my spare time, I enjoy motorcycling, performance cars, traveling, and the outdoors while hunting, fishing, and kayaking.

Lynnette Vance

HR/QA Representative
Lynnette Vance is an HR professional with 20+ years of experience working within the intricacies of people management. Since beginning her career with Abston Machine Shop one year ago, she has been responsible for people management and implementing and maintaining our AS9100D/ISO 9001:2015 certification. Outside of work, Lynnette enjoys working outside and traveling with friends and family.

Why Work With Us?

Certifications remove

Quality add

Federal Firearms License 07 add

Value-Added Services add

Our Team

Ray Vance

David Vance

Lynnette Vance

Ready to Start Your Project?