The American Machinery Co. of Willimansett, Massachusetts, was a sole proprietorship of Nathan Barowsky that was active in the 1940s and '50s. Nathan's son Thomas A. Barowsky was also involved in the business.

In 1953 Nathan Barowsky was granted a patent for an ingenious vise where each jaw consisted of a series of straight-sided fingers with the ends of the fingers terminating in a rectangular pocket, one for each jaw. These pockets were filled with small ball bearings (BB shot). When the vise was tightened the bearings moved around so as to equalize the force experienced by each finger, so that the vise jaws adjusted to accommodate irregularly shaped workpieces. The vise was manufactured and sold by this firm. In the late 1950s the E. W. Bliss Co. manufactured and sold their "Contour-Grip Holding Fixture" which was an identical vise.

In 1964, American Machinery Co. promoted a less expensive single-sided version of this vise through Popular Mechanics and Popular Science.

Information Sources

• A 1950 lawsuit, United States v. Barowsky involved Barowsky and American Machinery Co., and provides some background on the company. Barowsky had over-bid for several hundred war-surplus wooden boxes and then failed to complete the transaction. The boxes were eventually re-auctioned and the government sued Barowsky for the difference in total price. The government won but lost in their request for storage fees because at least a portion of those fees would been incurred by the government even if Barowsky had promptly fulfilled his obligations.
• Advertorials in August 1964 Popular Mechanics and October 1964 Popular Science. See "Images" tab, above, to view these items.