Improved means for Securing the Heads of Axes, Hammers, Picks and the like to their Handles.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Feb., 1898-Accepted, 5th Mar., 1898
COMEUBLE DEVIFICATION.
Improved means for Securing the Heads of Axes, Hammers, Picks
and the like to their Handles.
We, FREDERICK Baker, of “Maylands," Kambrook Road, Caulfield, in the Colony
of Victoria, Builder, and AGAR WYNNE, of Colonial Chambers, No. 421, Collins
Street, Melbourne, in the said Colony, a member of the Legislative Council of said
Colony, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
sume is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
This invention relates to means for securing the heads of tools such as axes,
hammers, picks, and the like (such as adzes, hoes and other tools of a similar
character) to their handles, and its object is to provide simple and effective means
which, whilst securely holding, or fastening, the head of the tool, will admit of
a broken, worn, or damaged, handle being quickly removed and replaced by a
new one.
Its essential feature consists in the use of a tapering locking piece having the
face next the handle curved slightly to correspond to a similar curve on the said
handle, whilst the other face of said locking piece is inclined and bears against a
correspondingly inclined surface in the head of the tool as illustrated in the
accompanying drawings wherein,―
Figure 1 is a side elevation of an axe head with its handle secured in position
according to this invention.
Figure 2 is a transverse section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a view of the head end of a handle adapted to be secured in the head
of an axe by this invention.
Figure 4 is a side elevation of the tapering locking piece above referred to, and,-
Figure 5 is a side elevation of a claw-hammer with its head secured in positio
according to this invention.
The same letters of reference indicate the same, or corresponding, parts in all
the figures.
A represents the head of the axe, hammer, or other tool to be secured to a
handle, such as B, whilst C represents the aforesaid tapering locking piece, and D
a small split pin, screw, or its equivalent for securing the said tapering locking
piece in position after it has been driven home.
The end of the handle B is made of gradually increasing width towards its
extremity as indicated at E, so as to form an inclined plane sufficient to prevent
the head A together with the locking piece C from flying off the handle. This
gradually increasing width may be provided by forming the edge of the handle
adjacent to the locking piece Ċ of a curved form the corresponding side of the
locking piece being similarly curved as indicated at F. This curve is preferably

page_text: such that its deepest part comes to about the centre of the tool head, as indicated
by the dotted line I in Figure 1. This construction materially assists in locking
the head on the handle.
The usual eye on the head of the tool is formed with an inclined plane as indicated
at G to correspond to the taper of the locking piece C so that when this latter is
driven home the handle will be jambed in the eye.
When intended for securing axe heads the tapering locking piece C is preferably
constructed with a double incline, or two inclined surfaces, as indicated at H H
in Figures 1 and 4, because it is then possible to leave more metal at the back
of the eye, and the inclines can be made at a greater angle than would be practic-
able if a single continuous inclined plane were used as in Figure 5. For hammers
and other tools where there is a sufficiency of metal in the head the single incline
can be used.
The requisite alterations in the heads and handles are very small and will not
increase the cost, whilst the tapering locking pieces C can, if made in large
quantities, be produced at a nominal figure.
The advantages of the invention will readily commend themselves, it being
obvious that a new handle can be substituted for. a broken, worn, or damaged, one
by simply withdrawing the split pin, or screw, D, and slacking back the tapering
locking piece, C, when the old handle can be removed and a new one placed in
position. This new handle can then be securely fastened by driving in the taper-
ing locking piece, C, and again fixing it by means of the split pin, or screw, D,
when the tool will be again ready for use.
A handle fixed in a tool in this way will be forced into very intimate contact
with the eye of the tool head because the pressure of the locking piece will be
on the edge of the handle so as to force it into the narrow tapering part of the eye
and as the pressure is exerted from front to back of the eye instead of from side
to side there will be a tendency to counteract the effect of the blows spreading the
eye sideways as in the ordinary system of fastening.
The tool can be readily tightened on its handle in the event for instance
of the handle shrinking in hot weather, all that is required in such a case being
for the workman to drive the locking piece C further home instead of forcing
wedges into the end of the said handle as has hitherto been done, in fact with this
invention these wedges can be entirely dispensed with and thus the end of the
handle need not be split or cut about in the manner practised with the ordinary
mode of fastening.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:
—
1. The herein described means for securing the heads of axes, hammers, picks
and other tools to their handles consisting essentially of a tapering locking piece
(such as C) driven between an inclined surface in the eye of the tool and the edge
of the handle substantially as, and for the purposes hereinbefore described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2. For securing the heads of axes, hammers, picks and other tools to their
handles a tapering locking piece (such as C) having one side inclined and the other
curved to correspond to a similar curve on the edge of the end of the handle sub-
stantially as, and for the purposes, hereinbefore described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
3. For securing the heads of axes, hammers, picks and other tools to their handles
a tapering locking piece (such as C) formed with two inclined surfaces (as H. H)
in combination with a tool head having corresponding inclined surfaces in its eye
substantially as, and for the purposes, hereinbefore described and illustrated in
the accompanying drawings.
4. For securing the heads of axes, hammers, picks and other tools to their handles
a tapering locking piece (such as C) in combination with a split pin, or screw,

page_text: (such as D) for retaining it in its securing position, substantially as, and for the
purposes, herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this Twenty-third day of December, One thousand eight hundred and
ninety-seven.
FREDERICK BAKER.
AGAR WYNNE.