<DOCUMENT>
<TYPE>EX-24
<SEQUENCE>3
<FILENAME>rniederst.txt
<DESCRIPTION>EDGAR SUPPORTING DOCUMENT
<TEXT>
                                                      Exhibit 24

                             POWER OF ATTORNEY

I, Ralph G. Niederst, appoint David W. Greenfield, Kevin G. Nowe
and Tara Breslin Vittone, signing singly, attorney-in-fact to:

(1) Execute on my behalf and in my capacity as a director and/or
    an office of Kennametal Inc., a Pennsylvania corporation (the
    "Company"), Forms 3, 4 and 5 (the "Form" or "Forms") in
    accordance with Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act
    of 1934 (the "Act") and the rules thereunder; and

(2) Perform any and all acts on my behalf which may be necessary
    or desirable to complete and execute any Form and timely file
    such Form with the United States Securities and Exchange
    Commission and any stock exchange or similar authority; and

(3) Take any other action in connection with the foregoing which,
    in the opinion of such attorney-in-fact, may be of benefit to,
    in the best interest of, or legally required by me, it being
    understood that the documents executed by such attorney-in-fact
    on my behalf pursuant to this Power of Attorney shall be in
    such form and shall contain such terms and conditions as such
    attorney-in-fact may approve in his discretion.

I grant to each such attorney-in-fact full power and authority to
do and perform any act necessary or proper to be done in the
exercise of any of the rights and powers herein granted, as fully
to all intents and purposes as I might or could do if personally
present.  I ratify and confirm all that such attorney-in-fact
shall lawfully do by the rights and powers granted by this
Power of Attorney.  Each attorney-in-fact shall have full power
of substitution or revocation.

I acknowledge that the attorneys-in-fact, in serving in such
capacity at my request, are not assuming, nor is the Company
assuming, any of my responsibilities to comply with Section 16
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

This Power of Attorney shall remain in full force and effect until
I am no longer required to file the Forms with respect to my
holdings of and transactions in securities issued by the Company,
unless I earlier revoke it in a signed writing delivered to the
Office of the Secretary of the Company for distribution to the
foregoing attorneys-in-fact.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has caused this Power of
Attorney to be executed as of this 24th day of July, 2003.

RALPH G. NIEDERST
RALPH G. NIEDERST

</TEXT>
</DOCUMENT>
