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| 1902 | 1907 | 1925 | 1941 | 1945 | 1953 | 1958 |
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Smith & Mills started making shapers in 1888, when Lodge & Davis of Cincinnati, gave them a contract for 300 shapers. Both Albert Smith and James Mills had been foremen at the Western Machine Works of John Steptoe in Cincinnati, and had set up in business to make bolts. Lodge & Davis sought to provide a full range of machine tools and let contracts for various types of machine tools. Several small firms became firmly established as a result of these contracts being extended into the mid 1890s. As a consequence of this, Smith & Mills, as the name on a shaper came after this period. Of the two partners, James Mills was the more innovative and in 1890, patented the eccentric crankpin mechanism, that allowed stroke adjustments whilst the machine was in motion and was used in Smith & Mills Shapers, virtually unchanged over the lifetime of the company. In 1893, the partners jointly patented several improvements, the most obvious being the indicator fastened to the oscillating lever pivot shaft, that indicated on a scale on the side of the machine, the adjusted length of stroke. This was an idea that didn't stand the test of time, as well as the oscillating shaft appearing to be a source of oil leakage, necessi- -tating the fitting of troughs, it wasn't that user friendly. By 1907, machines had conventional stroke indicators fitted to the ram. In the early days, Smith & Mills, like a few other makers, made both Crank and Geared shapers, it wasn't until about 1907 that they got off the fence and made a commitment to crank driven shapers. Over the years, Smith & Mills tended to be an innovator, others followed. an example being the Solid Ram design adopted in 1945, to provide more rigidity to the cutting tool. Gould & Eberhardt and others added this feature to their machines in the 50s. Similarly their self- locking stroke & ram adjustment features, lead the way. Unfortunately shaper demand in the 50s was in a serious decline and Smith & Mills appear to have been a corporate plaything, as in 1953, the company is listed as Smith & Mills Shaper Inc, a division of Hamilton-Thomas Corp., The Smith & Mills Co., affiliated with the Bryant Machinery & Engineering Co. In 1958 it was the Smith & Mills Shaper Division of Nebel Machine Tool Corp. of Cincinnati and that is where it ended with the last shaper recorded as leaving in 1969. |
| 1902 | 1907 | 1925 | 1941 | 1945 | 1953 | 1958 |