When Lee B. Thomas, Sr. founded American Saw & Tool Co. in November of 1947, he was aware of the progress in the development and popularization of power tools and the inevitable need for replacement of cutting tools that did the job. Mr. Thomas, who had come to Louisville from Chicago a year earlier to manage American Elevator Co., had a long history in the hardware business. As a boy, he worked in his father’s hardware store and during college he studied merchandising. Afterwards he worked for the Ernst Hardware Co. and later became a buyer for R.H. Macy Co., as head of the hardware department. Later, he spent 12 years with Butler Brothers in charge of merchandising. In addition, he also had spent several years as President of Ecko Products, a manufacturer of houseware goods. These combined experiences equipped him to embark on his own major venture, the implementation of his “replacement tool” idea. American Saw & Tool commenced business with one customer, Sears, Roebuck & Co.; one product, a circular saw blade; and one plant, the old American Elevator plant in Louisville, Kentucky. The first shipment of saw blades left Louisville the first week of January in 1948.
