Edmond Michel

Personal life Born in France, Michel immigrated to the United States sometime during the early 20th century. Initially living in Houma, Louisiana, he would later move to New Orleans.

After a New Orleans newspaper ran an article about Michel's invention, he was approached by Joseph W. Sullivan. The two became business partners and moved to Chicago. In January 1924, they were granted a patent for the hand saw, with the Michel Electric Hand Saw Company being established in June of that year. Despite attracting immediate interest from contractors despite numerous mechanical problems, the two began production of the tool. The name of the company was renamed to Skil in 1926, after Sullivan's wife commented on the skill necessary to use one. Michel had reportedly been the person to coin the term "Skilsaw", which would become the trademarked name for the saws produced by the company. After leaving Skil, Michel invested his share of the money inventing and developing the "Larmloc", the first keypad-based lock. This invention failed to pan out, and only one working prototype was ever made.