AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF PORTABLE DRILL
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Knighton, of Stamford, Carpenter and Joiner,
for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF PORTABLE DRILL."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Knighton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 20th'
August 1855.
I, HENRY KNIGHTON, of Stamford, Carpenter and Joiner, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF PORTABLE.
DRILL" to be as follows:-
The chief object of this Invention is to facilitate the boring of wood, stone,
and metals when placed in situations where hand drills are now employed..
For this purpose, I mount vertically upon a portable or moveable frame (the
table or platform of which I provide in some cases with shifting clamps and
antifriction rollers) a hollow shaft, into which I fit a spindle, composed of two
parts, connected together by a swivel joint. The upper part of this spindle is
threaded, and upon it works a hand wheel, the boss of which is tapped to fit
the thread on the spindle. This hand wheel is mounted in the upper bearing
of the hollow shaft in such a manner as to permit of its turning freely, and
raising and lowering the threaded spindle as required. At its lower end the
spindle carries the drill, and rotary motion is imparted thereto by means of a

page_text: winch handle, the shaft of which carries a bevil wheel, in gear with a bevil
pinion on a stud pin affixed to the framing. This pinion is provided also with
spur teeth, which gear into and drive a spur wheel mounted on the vertical
shaft. The spindle which carries the drill being fitted to the hollow.shaft, so
as to turn therewith, a rapid rotary motion will be imparted thereto upon the
turning of the winch handle, and as the drill cuts its way into the work, it
will be depressed by the hand wheel at the top of the frame.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Knighton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
20th February 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
KNIGHTON, of Stamford, Carpenter and Joiner, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Henry Knighton, Her special license that I, the said Henry Knighton, my.
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry
Knighton, my executors, administrators, and 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 "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF
PORTABLE DRILL," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Henry
Knighton, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should par-
ticularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the
Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Knighton, do hereby declare the
nature of my 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 Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the letters and
figures marked thereon (that is to say):
The chief object of my Invention of "An Improved Construction of Portable
Drill" is to facilitate the boring of wood, stone, and metals when placed in

page_text: situatious where it has hitherto been found impracticable to employ any other
contrivance than a hand drill of the ordinary construction: In carrying out
the object of my Invention, I mount a drill (with suitable gearing to actuate
the same) in bearings in a framing which is provided with wheels, whereby the
complete apparatus may be transported from place to place when desired.
In the accompanying Drawing I have shewn various views of my improved
construction of portable drill. Fig. 1 is a front elevation, shewing the whole
apparatus complete and ready for work; Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section
of the same, taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 1. a, a, a, a, is the main framing
in which the various parts of the apparatus are mounted. b, b, b, is a move-
able table or platform, provided in some cases with clamps c, c, as shewn in
Fig. 1. This table is made to slide in V guides d, d, and if desired anti-
friction rollers may be adapted thereto. The clamping screws c, c*, serve to
hold the material to be operated upon by the drill, as is well understood. A
hollow shaft e, into which is fitted a spindle, composed of two parts f and g,
connected together by a swivel joint h, as shewn in the detached sectional
view, Fig. 3, is mounted vertically in the framing, and the upper part of this
spindle is threaded, and passes through the boss of a hand wheel i, the boss
of which is tapped to fit the thread on the spindle f, which is also provided
with a vertical groove from end to end, for the purpose hereafter explained.
This hand wheel i is mounted in a socket j, fixed by bolts or otherwise to the
cross framing a, which supports the hollow shaft e in a vertical position, and
through the socket j is passed a pin or stud j', which enters the groove in the
threaded spindle f, and prevents the same from rotating. Another pin i
passes through the socket j, and by entering a groove in the boss i, prevents
the latter from rising. It will now be understood that by turning the hand
wheel i, the threaded spindle may be raised and lowered as required. At the
lower end of the spindle g, which is jointed by the swivel h to the threaded
spindle f, is mounted the drill or cutting tool k, and rotary motion is imparted
to the spindle g and drill k by means of a winch handle l, the shaft p of
which is provided with a fly wheel q at the opposite end, and carries a bevil
wheel m, in gear with a bevil pinion n on a stud pin o, affixed to the framing a.
This pinion n is provided also with spur teeth, as at 1, which gear into and
drive a spur wheels, mounted on the vertical hollow shaft e. The inner or
solid spindle g, which carries the drill or cutting tool k, is fitted to the hollow
shaft e, and a pin or stud is passed through the hollow shaft e, and enters a
vertical groove cut in the solid spindle g, so that the hollow shaft e and the
spindle g are made to turn together; therefore, as a rapid motion will be im-
parted to the hollow shaft e, as before explained, by turning the winch handle

page_text: 7 and its shaft p, the drill k and its spindle g will rotate, and as the drill k cuts
its way into a block of wood or other material to be operated upon, the drill
will be depressed by turning the hand wheel i at the top of the frame, the
threaded spindle f being prevented from rotating by the pin or stud 2, which
passes through the fixed bearing or socket j, and enters a groove in the
threaded spindle f, as before mentioned. The table 6 with the timber thereon
may be moved in the guides d by means of a hand wheel t, which is mounted
on a stud affixed to the side standards of the frame a. The boss of this
hand wheel is provided with a bevil pinion u, which gears into and drives a
similar bevil pinion on the vertical shaft w, on the lower end of which is
mounted a toothed pinion x, that gears into a rack made on or attached to the
sides of the moveable table b; therefore, when the hand wheel t is turned, it
(by means of the gearing u, v, and w,) causes the table 6 to move forward
or backward, as may be required. The whole apparatus is mounted upon
wheels y, y, so that it may be moved about from place to place as may be
required.
V
Having now described my Invention of "An Improved Construction of
Portable Drill," and the manner of carrying the same into effect, I claim, in
conclusion, fixing the drill or cutting tool at the lower end of a solid spindle
actuated by means of gearing, as shewn and described, and which spindle is
attached by a swivel joint to a threaded spindle above, and is capable of
being raised or lowered by means of a hand wheel operated by the attendant
as the drill or cutting tool cuts away the material operated upon below. I
also claim the means shewn and described of moving the table upon which
the block of wood or other material is secured.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Knighton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Sixteenth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
HENRY KNIGHTON. (L.S.)