The Robinson Tool Works of Hartford, Connecticut, was established in 1907 to take over manufacture of a bench filing machine that had been designed by the Henry & Wright Manufacturing Co. (We have not found any convincing evidence that Henry & Wright ever manufactured the filer.) The Robinson Tool Works survived until at least 1922.

From 1919-01-02 American Machinist

Information Sources

• American Machinist 28 Mar 1907 page 474.

  The Robinson Tool Works, Pearl Lakes, Waterbury, Conn., a new concern, has Just been started to manufacture the Hartford bench filing machine which is the die filing machine formerly manufactured by Henry & Wright Manufacturing Company, of Hartford. J. D. Robinson is proprietor.

• 1918 book, History of Waterbury and the Naugatuck Valley, Connecticut, by William Jamieson Pape.

  Thomas D. Robinson

  For a third of a century Thomas D. Robinson has been a resident of Waterbury, where he is now engaged in business as the president and treasurer of the Robinson Tool Works, Inc., a business which he established in 1906 and which was incorporated in 1912. A native of Birmingham, England, he is a son of Robert and Sarah (Cummings) Robinson, who about 1873 removed with the family to the United States, establishing their home in Bridgeport, where the father was employed in various factories until 1883, when he came with his family to Waterbury and again engaged in factory work.

  Thomas D. Robinson was a pupil in the public schools of Connecticut and when his textbooks were put aside he crossed the threshold of business life by becoming a machinist's apprentice with the E. J. Manville Machine Company. After a short time spent with that company he was employed in various factories, working his way steadily upward, each year adding to his experience and to his knowledge of iron manufacturing. He was ambitious to engage in business on his own account and, living economically, at length gained the capital as well as the experience that enabled him to embark in business for himself in 1906. His first location was at Pearl Lakes, but in 1911 he established his factory at Baldwin and Kelsey streets, in Waterbury. He has a one story factory of cement construction, fifty-one by twenty-four feet, and is there engaged in manufacturing the Hartford die filing machine, which was developed by the Henry & Wright Manufacturing Company of Hartford, and was taken over by the Robinson Tool Works. This was the pioneer among the filing machines and is today sold all over the United States and largely in foreign countries as well. In fact it is used extensively in all ports of the world for making dies and jigs. The company employs four mechanics and in addition to turning out this machine does metal manufacturing work and manufactures metal novelties. The business was incorporated in 1912 with Thomas D. Robinson as president and treasurer and Robert Robinson as secretary. Mr. Robinson gives practically his entire time and attention to the business and its continued growth is the result of his close application. He has not been active in politics but is an adherent of the republican party.