Dayton Power Hammer

Beginning in 1903 the Miami Valley Machine Tool Co.—which was the manufacturing arm of Patterson Tool & Supply Co.— was manufacturing power hammers, engine lathes, drill presses and emery grinders. In 1906 the Patterson Tool & Supply Co. sold their engine lathe business to H. T. Chamberlin and E. R. Evinger, who also acquired the Miami Valley name from Patterson and named their new company the Miami Valley Machine Tool Co. The other product lines of the original Miami Valley Machine Tool Co. stayed with Patterson, who sold them to the newly created Tschudi-McBarron Machine Co.

In 1909 the owners of grinding-machine manufacturer Dayton Machine & Tool Works acquired Miami Valley Machine Tool Co., with the resulting merged business using the name Miami Valley Machine Tool Co.

In late 1911 or early 1912 a fire destroyed the facilities of the Miami Valley Machine Tool Co. The owners announced that they planned to rebuild; in March 1912 they announced that C. H. Overkamp had joined the business and the name was changed to the Conover-Overkamp Machine & Tool Co.; see that entry for a summary of the short life of that firm.

Information Sources

• 1903-06-18 The Iron Trade Review has a brief illustrated article on the Tiffany boring tool holder. "The sale of the tools is controlled by the Miami Valley Machine Tool Co., of Dayton, O."
• November 1903 Machinery, in the "Manufacturers Notes" column.

  Miami Valley Machine Tool Co., Dayton, O., are offering a cash prize of $25 for the best design submitted to them on a taper attachment for their new 13½-inch lathe. Details will be furnished on application.

• 1905-03-02 The Iron Age, in a listing of new trade publications.

  Machine Tools.—Patterson Tool & Supply Company and Miami Valley Machine Tool Company, Dayton, Ohio. Loose leaf catalogue. Contains bulletins descriptive of a 13½ inch by 6 foot engine lathe, the Dayton power hammer, the Patterson friction disk driven milling machine, 10-inch sensitive bench drill, the Challenge power hack saw, Patterson drilling machine, vise, emery grinder and belt polishing machine, the Gem lathe center grinder and the Tiffany universal boring tool holder.

• 1906-10-18 The Iron Trade Age.

  The Patterson Tool & Supply Company, Dayton, has sold its 13½-in. lathe business, which it formerly conducted under the name of the Miami Valley Machine Tool Company, to three gentlemen of Dayton who have an established manufacturing business and who will operate their business under the name of the Miami Valley Machine Tool Company. These gentlemen have arranged with the Patterson Tool & Supply Company for additional equipment for their plant, which will put them in a position to place the lathes on the market promptly. The exclusive sale of the lathes in the States of Ohio and Indiana has been given to the Patterson Tool & Supply Company, whose Indiana business is looked after by A. G. Schonacker, 508 East Twenty-third street, Indianapolis, Ind. No further machine tool equipment is required at the present time by the new owners of the lathe business.

  November 1906 Machinery, in the "Manufacturers Notes" column.

  The Patterson Tool & Supply Co., Dayton, Ohio, have sold their lathe manufacturing business to Chamberlin & Evinger. The purchasers have formed a company composed of H. T. Chamberlin and E. R. Evinger and W. D. Foster. The firm will be known as the Miami Valley machine Tool Co. Ground has been broken for a new factory building which the firm hopes to occupy by January 1st. Meanwhile they are building lathes in the old shop.

• 1906-11-10 Hardware

  Dayton, Ohio.—The Chamberlin & Evinger Machine Company have acquired from the Patterson Tool & Supply Company the manufacture of the latter's well-known Miami Valley Lathe, and ground has already been broken for the erection of a substantial factory building on Essex Avenue, Edgemont, along the Big Four tracks. The structure will be a substantial brick building, 40x60, and will be modern in equipment. The new firm is at present established in the Armory building, Sixth Street, and expect to occupy the new factory by January 1. Harry T. Chamberlin and Elbert R. Evinger, the new manufacturers, were formerly machinists at the N. C. R., and in addition to the Miami Valley Lathe will also make other tool machinery.

• 1907-01-17 The Iron Trade Review.

  The Miami Valley Machine Tool Co., Dayton, O., has been organized with a capitalization of $20,000 by S. D. Conover, W. D. Foster, Harry T. Chamberlain, L. R. Evinger and P. P. H. Conover.

• February 1907 Machinery, in the "Manufacturers Notes" column.

  The Miami Valley Machine Tool Co,. Dayton, Ohio, was incorporated in January, and will manufacture the "Miami Valley Lathe" and 12- and 14-inch sensitive drill presses. The incorporators are S. D. Conover, president; W. D. Foster, vice-president; P. P. H. Conover, secretary, and H. T. Chamberlain and E. R. Evinger.

• May 1907 Machinery, in the "New Trade Literature" column.

  Miami Valley Machine Tool Co,. Dayton, Ohio. Catalogue of the Miami Valley lathe and drills. At the present time the company builds a 13½-inch engine lathe and 12-inch and 14-inch sensitive drills. The size of the lathe and its modern features make it a machine desirable for manual training school work as well as for general manufacturing purposes.

• March 1909 Machinery has an article on the Miami Valley 15-inch engine lathe.
• June 1909 Machinery.

  Miami Valley Machine Tool Co., Dayton, Ohio, manufacturer of lathes and sensitive drills, and the Dayton Machine & Tool Works, manufacturer of grinding machines, have consolidated under the name Miami Valley Machine Tool Co. Mr. David Wilson, who has been sole owner of the Dayton Machine & Tool Works, and who has had long experience in the building of machine tools, will be actively connected with the new company and will give his attention to the building of the Dayton grinders as well as the Miami Valley lathes and sensitive drills. The consolidation simply means the enlargement of two growing concerns, and the business of each will be conducted under more favorable conditions.

• August 1910 Modern Machinery, in the "Trade Catalogues and Circulars" section.

  The Miami Valley Machine Tool Company, Dayton, Ohio. An illustrated circular which describes the universal cutter and tool grinder which is manufactured by this company.

  Elsewhere in the same issue:

  The Miami Valley Machine Tool Company, of Dayton, Ohio, has recently completed an addition to its plant which gives a greatly increased floor space for assembling purposes. This addition will enable the company to greatly increase its output.

• 1910-11-15 Modern Machinery.

  E. R. Evinger, formerly of the National Automatic Tool Company, Richmond, Ind., has been made superintendent of the Miami Valley Machine Tool Company, Dayton, O.

• 1911-06-29 The Iron Trade Review.

  E. R. Evinger, aged 37, superintendent of the Miami Valley Machine Tool Co., Dayton, O., died, June 19, at the Marion, O., sanitarium, after an illness of six months. He left a widow and three children. Burial was made at his home, Savona, O.

• Findagrave.com page for Elbert R. Evinger, who died 9 days before his 37th birthday, 19 June 1911.
• 1912-01-18 American Machinist.

  The Miami Valley Machine & Tool Co., Dayton, Ohio, whose plant recently burned, is planning to rebuild. The concern manufactures lathes, drill presses, tool grinders.

• 1912-03-14 American Machinist.

  The Conover-Overkamp Machine & Tool Co., a new corporation, of Dayton, Ohio, has taken over the Miami Valley Machine Tool Co., of that city. C. H. Overkamp is the new member of the company. He has been identified with the machine-tool business for a number of years in Cincinnati and Canada, and will devote his time and attention to the designing and manufacturing end of the business. P. P. H. Conover has been connected with the Miami Valley Machine Tool Co. since its organization, and is well known to the machine-tool trade. Mr. Conover will continue to look after the sales end of the business.