Atlas Press (tool company)
Encyclopedia
Atlas Press Co. was a tool company that manufactured popular brands of metalworking
tools from 1920 to the mid-1970s. Many of their products received wide coverage in Popular Mechanics
and Popular Science
at the time.
filed for a patent
on a new type of arbor press
, but was unable to secure funding for production. Eames partnered with Herbert H. Everard to create the G.T. Eames Company, under the agreement that the rights to the patent were to be shared between both men. The company started producing the press under the "Eames Presses" brand with some success. In 1913, Everard died, leaving his controlling share of the firm to his daughter and her husband, John Penniman. Eames eventually became disillusioned with the Penniman's handling of the company and sold his shares to them for $5,000. Penniman subsequently moved the company to another location in Kalamazoo, renaming it to Atlas Press Company. Eames opened a machine shop and continued to build and sell presses them under the old trademark, which eventually led to conflict between the two parties, both of whom claimed exclusivity over the patent, as well as additional improvements made by Eames.
against Eames (Atlas Press Co. v. Eames), claiming rights over the trademark
, patent and improved design. The case was argued in front of the Michigan Supreme Court
, which ruled that Eames had to cease use of the trademark, but refusing the transfer of the improved press to the Atlas company.
s, as well as woodworking tools, such as jointer
s. They were sold through the Sears catalog, some of them re-branded under the Craftsman
name. In 1965, the company changed its name to Clausing Industrial, Inc. and divested its woodworking product lines to focus on industrial machinery. Today the company operates out of Goshen, Indiana
and Kalamazoo, Michigan under the Clausing name. At some time in the 1950s through 1980s, the Colchester and T.S. Harrison lathe brands, which originated in the UK, became connected to Clausing through a common corporate parent, and the brand names Clausing Colchester and Colchester Harrison have been used in the years since.
Metalworking
Metalworking is the process of working with metals to create individual parts, assemblies, or large scale structures. The term covers a wide range of work from large ships and bridges to precise engine parts and delicate jewelry. It therefore includes a correspondingly wide range of skills,...
tools from 1920 to the mid-1970s. Many of their products received wide coverage in Popular Mechanics
Popular Mechanics
Popular Mechanics is an American magazine first published January 11, 1902 by H. H. Windsor, and has been owned since 1958 by the Hearst Corporation...
and Popular Science
Popular Science
Popular Science is an American monthly magazine founded in 1872 carrying articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. Popular Science has won over 58 awards, including the ASME awards for its journalistic excellence in both 2003 and 2004...
at the time.
History
In 1911, the inventor Gardner T. Eames of Kalamazoo, MichiganKalamazoo, Michigan
The area on which the modern city stands was once home to Native Americans of the Hopewell culture, who migrated into the area sometime before the first millennium. Evidence of their early residency remains in the form of a small mound in downtown's Bronson Park. The Hopewell civilization began to...
filed for a patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
on a new type of arbor press
Arbor press
An arbor press is a small hand operated press. It is typically used to perform smaller jobs, such as staking, riveting, installing and removing bearings and other press fit work. Punches, inserters, or other tools/dies may be added to the end of the ram depending on the desired task. Arbor presses...
, but was unable to secure funding for production. Eames partnered with Herbert H. Everard to create the G.T. Eames Company, under the agreement that the rights to the patent were to be shared between both men. The company started producing the press under the "Eames Presses" brand with some success. In 1913, Everard died, leaving his controlling share of the firm to his daughter and her husband, John Penniman. Eames eventually became disillusioned with the Penniman's handling of the company and sold his shares to them for $5,000. Penniman subsequently moved the company to another location in Kalamazoo, renaming it to Atlas Press Company. Eames opened a machine shop and continued to build and sell presses them under the old trademark, which eventually led to conflict between the two parties, both of whom claimed exclusivity over the patent, as well as additional improvements made by Eames.
Patent dispute
In 1919 the Pennimans filed an unfair trade lawsuitLawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
against Eames (Atlas Press Co. v. Eames), claiming rights over the trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
, patent and improved design. The case was argued in front of the Michigan Supreme Court
Michigan Supreme Court
The Michigan Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is known as Michigan's "court of last resort" and consists of seven justices who are elected to eight-year terms. Candidates are nominated by political parties and are elected on a nonpartisan ballot...
, which ruled that Eames had to cease use of the trademark, but refusing the transfer of the improved press to the Atlas company.
Later years
In 1920 the company began making and selling small machine tools, including drill presses and latheLathe
A lathe is a machine tool which rotates the workpiece on its axis to perform various operations such as cutting, sanding, knurling, drilling, or deformation with tools that are applied to the workpiece to create an object which has symmetry about an axis of rotation.Lathes are used in woodturning,...
s, as well as woodworking tools, such as jointer
Jointer
A jointer is a woodworking machine used to produce a flat surface along a board's length....
s. They were sold through the Sears catalog, some of them re-branded under the Craftsman
Craftsman (tools)
Craftsman is a line of tools and lawn and garden equipment controlled by Sears Holdings Corporation; the brand is owned by KCD IP, LLC, a special purpose entity created by Sears Holdings for securitization purposes....
name. In 1965, the company changed its name to Clausing Industrial, Inc. and divested its woodworking product lines to focus on industrial machinery. Today the company operates out of Goshen, Indiana
Goshen, Indiana
Goshen is a city in and the county seat of Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. It is the smaller of the two principal cities of the Elkhart-Goshen Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in turn is part of the South Bend-Elkhart-Mishawaka Combined Statistical Area. It is located in the northern...
and Kalamazoo, Michigan under the Clausing name. At some time in the 1950s through 1980s, the Colchester and T.S. Harrison lathe brands, which originated in the UK, became connected to Clausing through a common corporate parent, and the brand names Clausing Colchester and Colchester Harrison have been used in the years since.
External links
- Clausing Industrial
- Atlas Press page, maintained by Clausing
- Hobbyist page collecting articles about and for Atlas machine tools from 1941 to 1969.