In the 1870s Roger Minot Clough learned the machinist and tool-making trade in various shops in Connecticut and Massachusetts, beginning at chuck maker D. E. Whiton Machine Co., and moving from town to town, earning a reputation as an inventive and ingenious designer. In 1881 he opened a small shop of his own in Meriden, Connecticut. By 1889 he was making gear cutting tooling under the name R. M. Clough. In 1891 he purchased a building in Tolland, Conn., which he made into his machine shop; ads from that time onward variously gave his location as Meriden or Tolland. That same year, 1891, Clough introduced a newly designed foot-power punch, which proved to be successful and which led to a series of new machines and tools related to sheet metal work, and he became a regular advertiser in the trade journal Sheet Metal Worker. At some point eldest son Arthur Wallace Clough joined the business although the business name remained unchanged. Roger M. Clough died in 1934 at age 82. After a short interval, ads in Sheet Metal Worker resumed but under the name A. W. Clough. Arthur died in 1948, age 67, and the business name changed to Clough Machine & Small Tool Co., a firm that survived until about 1960.

Advertisement from the 1919-01-02 American Machinist

Information Sources

• 1894-02-17 The Metal Worker, page 47.

  R. M. Clough, Tolland, Conn., distributes circulars illustrating and describing some of his specialties. One circular relates to Clough's Hand Lever Punch. It is adapted to do any ordinary punching of sheet metal 3/16 inch and under, while iron 1/2 inch thick can be punched up to 1/2 inch diameter. Another tool is Clough's Improved Foot Press for sheet metal workers, which has a capacity for punching iron in the center of a sheet 36 inches square, and will take on a 5-inch pipe to punch holes 15 inches from the end.

• 1909-09-04 The Metal Worker, Plumber and Steam Fitter lists R. M. Clough, Tolland, Ct., as a maker of sheet metal machinery, and of hand or power punch presses or shears.
• 1914-01-02 The Metal Worker, Plumber and Steam Fitter, V81, part 1, p. 64.

  R. M. CLOUGH started in business for himself in Meriden, Conn., in 1889, manufacturing a patent gear cutter, R. M. Clough and doing punch and die work, experimental work and general light jobbing. About this time the Daft Electric Co. of New Jersey was experimenting with the first electric trolley - cars in Meriden, and Mr. Clough did all its machine work. In March, 1891, he brought out a foot power punch and sold the first machine in Meriden, which to the best of his knowledge, is in general working order today. This punch proved to be quite a good seller and has been popular for light sheet metal work. In 1891 he purchased a building in Tolland, Conn., which he remodeled into a machine shop and periodically since that time he has been designing new punches and shears for sheet metal work. Besides this he builds a line of gear and milling cutters, adjustable reamers and small tools and three sizes of vertical milling machines. - The large portion of his goods are sold through agents throughout the United States, Canada and Europe.

• June 1915 Mill Supplies, volume 5 page 79.

  R. M. Clough, Tolland, Conn., has bought a factory site at to the mill, including new boilers, additional cylinders and rollers. Meriden, Conn., on which he will erect a plant to manufacture machinery and tools.

• 1931 Sheet Metal Worker, volume 22 page 1939-6, deep throat punch press ad from "R. M. Clough / Meriden, Conn."
• 1933 Sheet Metal Worker, volume 24 page 1934-95, ad from "R. M. Clough / Meriden, Conn."
• November 1934 Sheet Metal Worker, volume 25 page 1934-415.

  Death of Roger M. Clough

  Roger M. Clough, one of the oldest manufacturers of machines and tools used in the sheet metal industry, died at his home in Meriden, Conn., on November 9, after an illness extending over many months.

  Mr. Clough is undoubtedly known to many subscribers...

  He is survived by three daughters and four sons, the oldest of whom, Arthur W., has been associated with his father and will continue the business.

  On page 1934-378 of this volume is an ad from R. M. Clough, and is the only such ad in this volume. There is no ad from A. W. Clough in this volume, so the first appearance of "A. W. Clough" dates to 1935.
• 1934 issue of American Machinist, volume 78 page 804.

Roger M. Clough, inventor and manufacturer of the Clough gear and milling cutters, adjustable counterbores, reamers, vertical and bench milling machines, deep-through shears and punch presses, edit at Meriden, Conn., on November 9. His oldest son, Arthur W. Clough, who has been associated with his father will continue the business.

• 1935 Sheet Metal Worker, volume 26 page 1931-27, ad from "A. W. Clough / Successors to R. M. Clough / Manufacturers since 1879 / Meriden, Conn."
• 1939 Sheet Metal Worker, volume 30 page 1939-6, foot or hand punch ad from "A. W. Clough / Successor to R. M. Clough / Meriden Station A, Conn."
• 1942 Sheet Metal Worker, volume 33, lists "Clough, A. W., Meriden, Conn." as a maker of punch presses.
• 1945 issue of Sheet Metal Worker, volume 36 page 150, has an ad from "A. W. Clough / Successor to R. M. Clough / Mfrs. since 1879 / Station A, Meriden, Conn."
• 1948-05-20 Hartford Daily Courant has an obituary for "Arthur W. Clough" [sic]. This brief obituary can be viewed under the Images tab.
• 1949 issue of Sheet Metal Worker, volume 40 page 234, has an ad from Clough Machine & Small Tool Co., "Successors to R. M. Clough and A. W. Clough / Manufacturers of machinery & fine tools since 1879".
• 1950 issue of Sheet Metal Worker, volume 42 page 152, has an ad from "Clough Machine & Small Tool Co., Successors to R. M. Clough & A. W. Clough, Manufacturers of machinery & fine tools since 1879 / Barre Plains, Mass."
• 1953 issue of Fueloil & Oil Heat, volume 12 p. 108 lists Clough Machine & Small Tool Co., Barre Plains, Mass., as a maker of shears.
• 1960 issue of Heating and Air Conditioning Contractor lists "Clough Machine & Small Tool Co., Barre Plains, Mass."
• 1966 book The Genealogy of the The Descendants of John Clough of Salisbury, MA - Volume II, by page 40, has a biography of Roger Minot Clough written by his daughter, Lucy Lydia Patterson. Some interesting extracts follow.

  He... entered the employ of the D. E. Whiton Machine Co., Stafford, Conn., where he learned the Machinist and Toolmakers trade... he opened his little shop on May 1, 1881 in Meriden, Conn., where he manufactured the many tools and machines that he had designed for the machinist and sheetmetal trade.

  Before settling down to his own business, he was quite a roamer, working in the largest machine and tool factories in Connecticut, Massachusetts, the Springfield Arsenal and Norfolk Navy Yard. Later, he moved from Meriden to New Haven, to Tolland, back to Meriden, New Haven, and last in 1897 back to Tolland until 1914 when he moved back to Mother's home city, Meriden.

  ...Up until his death I've heard it said that there wasn't a Navy Yard in the world that didn't use his machinery and tools. During World War I he supplied a certain amount of vertical and horizontal milling machines to the English and Russian governments...

  This biography says, "He held many patents on tools he designed." An exhaustive patent search for both US and foreign patents turned up exactly two patents, as listed here under the Patents tab.
• American Milling Machine Builders: 1820-1920, by Kenneth L. Cope, 2007, pages 72-73
• Findagrave.com entry for Roger Minot Clough (1852-1934).
• Findagrave.com entry for Arthur W. Clough (1881-1948).
• Genealogy pages show that R. M .Clough was the father of Arthur Wallace Clough 1881-1948.