Improvements in and in the Manufacture of Scythes, Sickles, Reaping Hooks, Bill-hooks, and other analogous Cutting Instruments.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Mar., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Oct., 1896-Accepted, 24th Dec., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and in the Manufacture of Scythes, Sickles,
Reaping Hooks, Bill-hooks, and other analogous Cutting
Instruments.
I, FRANK PARKES, of Haye House, Castle Bromwich, near the City of
Birmingham, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in, and in the manufacture of, certain
kinds of cutting instruments, such as scythes for mowing, sickles and reaping hooks
for harvesting purposes, bill-hooks, matchetts and the like, of the type in which
the blade is cut out from thin sheet metal and is stiffened by a back edge.
:
The object of my invention is to produce a light, rigid and efficient article and
to simplify and cheapen the process of manufacture.
"
According to my invention, the back edge forming the stiffener to the blade, is
made separate from and added to the said blade, which is cut out from thin sheet
steel and is attached thereto by rivetting or other means.
In carrying out the production of the blade of a scythe in accordance with
my improvements, I cut out from thin sheet steel, a flat blade of the shape of
a scythe, and I attach to the back edge of the same, a supplementary hollow rib,
made from a thin strip of metal, with the middle part formed into a hollow beading
and with the outer or side parts folded upon themselves, and the outer flange parts
then bent at right angles and separated from one another to a distance equal to the
thickness of the blade.
Thus this supplementary edging is alike unto an angle plate with a beaded outer
edge and a closed web between the said beading and the horizontal dual webs
between which the back edge of the plain blade comes and is there clamped and
secured by cross rivetting at intervals.
A scythe is thus produced from thin sheet steel and stiffened by an added hollow
back or supplementary reinforcing beading.
As a modification the hollow back, instead of being formed of the section
described, may be made in the form of an open jointed tube with the walls of the
tube, adjacent to the joint, terminated by a pair of separated and outstanding plate
flanges between which the back edge or the turned-up back edge of the plain blade
comes and is there rivetted.
As another form, I make the back beading of a hollow box. section, with the
metal at the lower corner of one side turned outwardly into separated flanges
between which the blade is rivetted.
These hollow backs are preferably made taper at the tip end and may be
fashioned from sheet metal by drawing through, rolling or other processes.
The blade, adjacent to the back edge, may be corrugated, grooved or trigged to
impart further stiffness.
I make the tang or crewe with a short shank which enters the after end of the
hollow rib and is there secured by rivetting.
The application of my invention to sickles, reaping-hooks, bill hooks, matchetts
and other like implements differs in no essential respect from its application
to a scythe as herein described, excepting that the hollow back may be made

page_text: either separate or be formed out of the same plate as the blade of the bill or
matchett.
Dated this of Manh 1000
FRANK PARKES,
By Henry Skerrett,
Agent for Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION..
Improvements in and in the Manufacture of Scythes, Sickles,
Reaping Hooks, Bill-hooks, and other analogous Cutting
Instruments.
- I, FRANK PARKES, of Haye House, Castle Bromwich, near the City of
Birmingham, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner, the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to improvements in, and in the manufacture of, certain
kinds of cutting instruments, such as scythes for mowing, sickles and reaping hooks
for harvesting purposes, bill-hooks, matchetts and the like, of the type in which
the blade is cut out from thin sheet metal and is stiffened by a back edging.
The object of my invention is to produce a light, rigid and efficient article and
to simplify and cheapen the process of manufacture.
According to my invention, the back edge forming the stiffener to the blade, is
made separate from and added to the said blade, which is cut out from thin sheet
steel, and is attached thereto by rivetting or other means.
In carrying out the production of the blade of a scythe in accordance with my
improvements, I cut out from thin sheet steel, a flat blade of the shape of a scythe,
and I attach to the back edge of the same, a supplementary hollow rib, made from a
thin strip of metal, with the middle part formed into a hollow beading and with the
outer edges or side parts folded upon themselves, and with one or both of the outer
flange parts then bent at a right angle or cranked and separated from one another
to a distance equal to the thickness of the blade.
Thus this supplementary edging is alike unto an angle plate with a beaded outer
edge and a closed web between the said beading and the horizontal dual webs
between which the back edge of the plain blade comes and is there clamped and
secured by cross rivetting at intervals.
A scytlie is thus produced from thin sheet steel and stiffened by an added. hollow
back or supplementary reinforcing beading.
As a modification the hollow back, instead of being formed of the section
described, may be made in the form of an open jointed tube with the walls of the
tube, adjacent to the joint, terminated by a pair of separated and outstanding plate
flanges between which the back edge or the turned-up back edge of the plain blade
comes and is there rivetted.
As another form, I make the back beading of a hollow box section, with the
metal at the lower corner of one side turned outwardly into separated flanges
between which the blade is rivetted.
These hollow backs are preferably made taper throughout the whole length
and may be fashioned from sheet metal by drawing-through, rolling or other
processes.
The blade, adjacent to the back edge, may be corrugated, grooved or trigged to
impart further stiffness.
I make the tangue or creeve with a short shank which enters the after end of
the hollow rib and is there secured by rivetting..
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents a front elevation of a scythe

page_text: blade, stiffened by a hollow added edging or boxed edge in accordance with one
form of my invention. The tangue end of the blade is in section to show how the
shank of the same is secured in the hollow rib.
Figure 2 is a section of Figure 1, upon the dotted line and upon an enlarged
scale.
Figure 3 is a section on the same scale upon the dotted line ¹, of the said
Figure 1.
Figure 4 represents a plan of the strip of metal from which the said hollow back
edging is made by a raising process.
Figure 5 shows the strip Figure 4 after having been turned up into a trough-
sectioned skelp by suitable tools.
Figure 6 represents a section of Figure 5 upon the dotted line and upon the
same scale as Figures 2 and 3.
Figure 7 represents the said skelp with the mandril placed in position for
giving internal support thereto during the time that its edges are being brought
together.
Figure 8 is a section of Figure 7 upon the dotted line a³, and on the same scale
as Figures 2 and 3.
Figure 9 represents an elevation of a finished back edge, and Figure 10 is a
section on the same scale as Figure 8, taken upon the dotted line x, Figure 9, after
the mandril has been withdrawn.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in Figures 1 to 10.
a is the scythe blade, cut out from sheet steel, and b is the hollow and tapered
back edging, composed of a box or hollow beading 6', and opposite flanges b³,
secured to the blade by rivets 6, and with the outer end 6, fitted with a creeve or
tangue c, whose shank o', is secured in its assigned position by rivets c².
Figure 11 represents an elevation of a scythe blade fitted with a back edging of
& different section.
Figure 12 is a cross section of the same upon an enlarged scale and upon the
dotted line 8.
Figure 13 is an elevation of a scythe blade fitted with another section of back
edging, and Figure 14 is an enlarged cross section thereof upon the dotted line ..
a is the scythe blade, 6 the hollow back edging rivetted thereto, and c the tangue
or creeve.
Figure 15 represents my invention as applied to a sickle or reaping hook, and
Figure 16 is a section of the same upon the dotted line 7.
The application of my invention to bill hooks, matchetts, and other like
implements differs in no essential respect from its application to a scythe as herein
described, excepting that the hollow back may be made either separate, or be
formed out of the same blade as the bill, matchett or the like.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim is :-
First. In scythes, sickles, reaping hooks, bill-hooks and other analogous cutting
instruments, stiffening the blade, which is formed from a cut-out strip of sheet
steel, by an added hollow or boxed back edging, substantially as described and set
forth.
Secondly. The improvements in, and in the manufacture of, scythes, sickles,
reaping hooks, bill-hooks and other analogous cutting instruments, substantially as
and for the purpose described and set forth.
ו וn י,
1000
FRANK PARKES,
By Henry Skerrett,
24 Temple Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.
FRANK PARKES,
By Henry Skerrett,
24 Temple Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.