IMPROVEMENTS IN VICES. AND IN THE MODE OF CONSTRUCTING THE SAME."
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Hodgson Parker and Henry Rossell, both of
Sheffield, in the County of York, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN VICES. AND IN THE MODE OF CONSTRUCTING THE SAME."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Hodgson Parker
and Henry Rossell at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 21st March 1866.
We, CHARLES HODGSON PARKER and HENRY ROSSELL, both of Sheffield,
in the County of York, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN VICES, AND IN THE MODE OP CONSTRUCTING THE SAME," to be as
follows, that is to say :-
This Invention which relates to a certain improved mode of constructing
vices consists as follows:-The vice screw instead of being placed as is usual
in ordinary vices is in this instance reversed, being screwed by a peculiar pin
joint to the front or moveable jaw, the screwed end passing backwards through
a properly formed opening in the back or fixed jaw, and a nut is screwed on
this end having a washer with a narrow semicircular bearing between its
inner face and the back of the jaw, by means of this nut being screwed back-

page_text: wards or forwards on the screw the extent of opening of the jaws is determined;
this distance being set to correspond very nearly with the width or thickness
of the article to be held thereby. And to firmly hold or grip any article the
front end of the piece constituting the vice screw is formed into an eye,
through which an eccentric passes, and the shaft carrying this eccentric has a
bearing in the front or moveable jaw of the vice, so that by turning the
eccentric shaft therein the moveable jaw is by means of the eccentric caused
to recede from or approach to the article to be held in a very rapid manner;
the end of the eccentric shaft is made square or of other shape to which a
lever can be applied for actuating the eccentric shaft. It is to be understood
that the foregoing construction is applicable to all hand, bench, machine, and
other vices.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Hodgson Parker and Henry Rossell in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 19th September 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, CHARLES
HODGSON PARKER and HENRY ROSSELL, both of Sheffield, in the County of
York, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Charles Hodgson Parker and Henry Rossell, Her special license that
we, the said Charles Hodgson Parker and Henry Rossell, our exccutors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Charles Hodgson
Parker and Henry Rossell, our executors, administrators, or assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN VICES, AND IN THE MODE OF CONSTRUCTING THE SAME," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said Charles Ilodgson Parker and Henry
Rossell, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
our hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the sanie to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six

page_text: calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE; that we, the said Charles Hodgson Parker and Henry
Rossell, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:
Our said Invention which relates to a certain improved mode of constructing
vices consists as follows:-The vice screw instead of being placed as is usual
in ordinary vices is in this instance reversed, being secured by a peculiar pin
joint to the front or moveable jaw, the screwed end passing backwards through
a properly formed opening in the back or fixed jaw, and a nut is screwed on
this end, having a washer with a narrow semicircular bearing between its
inner face and the back of the jaw, by means of this nut being screwed back-
wards or forwards on the screw the extent of opening of the jaws is determined;
this distance being set to correspond very nearly with the width or thickness
of the article to be held thereby; and to firmly hold or grip any article the
front end of the piece constituting the vice screw is formed into an eye,
through which an eccentric passes, and 'the shaft carrying this eccentric lias a
bearing in the front or moveable jaw of the vice, so that by turning the
eccentric shaft therein, the moveable jaw is by means of the eccentric caused
to recede from or approach to the article to be held in a very rapid manner;
the end of the eccentric shaft is made square or of other shape to which a lever
can be applied for actuating the eccentric shaft. It is to be understood that
the foregoing construction is applicable to all hand, bench, machine, and
other vices.
.
And in order that our said Invention may be properly understood we now
proceed more particularly to set forth the system, mode, or manner in or
under which the same is or may be used or practically carried into effect,
reference being had for more perfect elucidation to the several Figures upon
the three explanatory Sheets of Drawings which we have hereunto appended,
and in which corresponding parts are indicated by the same letters of reference,
that is to say:
Figure 1 on Sheet 1 is a side clevation; Figure 2, a front elevation of tho
first modification of our improved vice, whilst Figure 3 is a detail, herein-after
more particularly referred to. Under this arrangement the two jaws of the
vice A and B are constructed similar to those used for ordinary bench vices,
and it may here be stated that under this modification of our Invention we
carry out the alteration of existing vices to those of our improved construction.

page_text: The front jaw is attached at its lower end by the bolt C, to the bracket pieces
D, which are secured to the fixed jaw B in the usual manner, and on this
bolt C the jaw A is capable of being moved as a centre.
As an inspection of Figures 1 and 2 on this first Sheet of Drawings shows
at once all the points wherein our improved vice corresponds to those now in
use, we now proceed to those parts which are more immediately the subject
of our said Invention as follows:-On referring to Figures 1 and 2, it will
be seen that the vice screw E is formed with a loop at F, and that through
this loop the eccentric shaft G passes, one end having the square portion a
formed thereon. The front part of this jaw is hollowed out in the manner
shown for the reception of the eccentric II, or more especially to produce a
sufficient bearing surface for the eccentric. The screwed part of the bar or
shaft E passes through the opening in the fixed jaw, and the washer I is
situated between the jaw and the nut box K, the inner side of the washer I
is formed with a narrow semicircular bearing surface situated in a horizontal
position transversely with the vice, to enable the fullest angular position of the
screw to be obtained without risk of bending, or otherwise injuring the latter.
The portion of the nut box K, which extends beyond the nut L itself con-
stitutes a covering for the screw and prevents dirt falling into the spaces
between the threads therein. The detail shown at Figure 3 is a key or lever,
the square hole in which fits on the corresponding end of the eccentric
shaft.
Having now described the various parts of this modification of our Invention
we now proceed to show the mode of operating with the same as follows:-
When it is desired to hold any article between the vice jaws the distance
between the jaws is adjusted by turning on or off the nut box, until the
requisite distance is attained, the article to be held is now placed between tho
jaws and the grip is very speedily given by turning round the eccentric by
means of the lever, Figure 3.
We now proceed to specify the second modification of our Invention as
shown in the side and front elevations respectively at Figures 1 and 2, Sheet 2.
In this arrangement the general features being nearly identical with those in
the preceding, it is sufficient to point out the differences therefrom, which are
as follows:-The vice screw E in lieu of being made with its front end to
pass through a hole in the vice jaw is formed with a duplex loop, which
embraces the portion of the jaw at the place where the opening is made for
the screw to pass through in the former modification, the eccentric on the
shaft G bearing against the front of the vice exposed to its action, and to
obtain a greater traverse, and if desired a parallel one, the lower part of the

page_text: moveable jaw is attached by a moveable joint to the front end of the horizontal
bar c, the position of which is capable of being adjusted and fixed either in a
backward or forward direction by placing a pin in one of the holes e in the
bar c, passing the pin at first through the corresponding holes in the fixed jaw
as seen more especially at Figure 1.
The Figures on Sheet 3 of the Drawings represent our improvements as
applied to parallel vices; Figure 1 being a longitudinal elevation; Figure 2
a plan of the same; Figuré 3 a front elevation; Figure 4 a transverse ver-
tical section; and Figures 5 and 6 details, showing the arrangement of the
screw box, the four last-mentioned Figures being drawn to a smaller scale
than Figs. 1 and 2. In all these Figures the same letters of reference are
used to indicato corresponding parts of the vice, therefore it will not be
necessary to describe the Figures separately.
In Figure 1, A represents the front traversing jaw; B, the back jaw fixed
on the bed plate C, which is bolted on the vice bench; D represents the
toothed steel faces, which are screwed on and fixed with steady pins to the
vice jaws A and B; E is the screwed eccentric bolt, and F the loop of same;
G is the shaft of the eccentric H; I is the swivel (shown enlarged in detail
Figure 6) through which passes the nut or screw box K, of which box J is
the collar, and L the solid part; M is the hand fly wheel, which is fast with
the nut box; N, the covers for the eccentric shaft, and a, Figure 2, the square
end of said shaft to which the key or lever is applied to give the necessary
gripping power as shown at Figure 8; Sheet 1. It is obvious to the practical
engineer or mechanic that the principles of construction herein-before described
and shown in the Figures upon the accompanying Sheets of Drawings are
applicable to all bench, machine, parallel, hand, or other vices.
Having now described tho nature of our said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is or may be used or practically carried into effect, we would
observe in conclusion that what we consider novel and original, and therefore
claim as the Invention secured to us by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent is,-
First, the general arrangement of bench, machine, parallel, band, or other
vices constructed as herein-before described, or any mero modification
thereof.
Second, the application of an eccentric for producing the final gripping
action in vices, substantially as herein-before described.
Third, the adjustable nut or feed box applied to vices for the purposes
herein-before described.

page_text: Fourth, the application of the washer K in the manner and for the purposes
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Charles Hodgson Parker and Henry
Rossell, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Eighteenth day of
September, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
CHARLES HODGSON PARKER. (L.S.)
HENRY ROSSELL.
(L.S.)