A NEW OR IMPROVED PIPE WRENCH
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Wells, of Wednesbury, in the County of Stafford,
Mechanical Engineer, for the Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED PIPE
WRENCH."
Sealed the 22nd July 1879, and dated the 5th February 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Wells at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th February 1879.
JOHN WELLS, of Wednesbury, in the County of Stafford, Mechanical Engineer.
"A NEW OR IMPROVED PIPE WRENCH."
My Invention consists of a pipe wrench, the parts of which are constructed and
combined in the following manner:-One of the jaws of the said pipe wrench is
The other jaw is
made in one piece with the body and handle of the said wrench.
moveable, being carried by a slide, which works in an undercut groove made across
the body of the wrench. The lower edge of this slide is formed into a rack, and
in the teeth of the said rack the thread of a screw or worm engages.. The said
worm is situated in an opening in the body of the wrench, and turns upon a fixed
axis parallel with the slide described. The thread of the said worm is milled on
its edge, so that by the application of the thumb and finger to the opposite sides of
the said milled worm a rotatory motion may be given to it in either direction.
thus rotating the said milled worm the moveable jaw may be made at pleasure
either to approach to or recede from the fixed jaw, and the wrench may thus be
accommodated to grasp or hold pipes of different diameters. As the milled worm
described is less in diaineter than the thickness of the body of the wrench no part
of it extends beyond the level of the sides of the wrench, and the said milled
worm is thus protected from injury. The inner face of one of the said jaws, and
preferably the fixed one, must be toothed, the teeth inclining towards the body of
the wrench, but the faces of both the jaws may be toothed,
By

page_text: The opposed or acting faces of the jaws of the wrench are inclined to one another
at an angle of about thirty degrees, but I do not confine myself to any particular
inclination of the acting faces of the jaws to one another. I make the body and
other-parts-of-the wrench by preference of wrought, iron, but I case harden or
cover with steel the inner opposed or working faces of the jaws of the wrench.
Although the tools commonly called pipe wrenches are used principally for
gripping or holding pipes, such for example as gas, water, and steam pipes for the
purpose of connecting and disconnecting the same, yet the said pipe wrenches are
or may-be-used-for gripping or holding solid cylindrical bars or rods for various
purposes.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Wells in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd July
1879.
JOHN WELLS, of Wednesbury, in the County of Stafford, Mechanical Engineer.
"A NEW OR IMPROVED PIPE WRENCH."
My Invention consists of a pipe wrench, the parts of which are constructed and
combined in the following manner:-One of the jaws of the said pipe wrench is
made in one piece with the body and handle of the said wrench. The other jaw is
moveable, being carried by a slide, which works in an undercut groove made across
the body of the wrench. The lower or back edge of this slide is formed into a
rack, and in the teeth of the said rack the thread of a screw or worm engages. The
said worm is situated in an opening in the body of the wrench, and turns upon a
fixed axis parallel with the slide described.
The thread of the said worm is milled on its edge, so that by the application of
the thumb and finger to the opposite sides of the said milled worm a rotatory
motion inay be given to it in either direction. By thus rotating the said milled
worm the moveable jaw may be made at pleasure either to approach to or recede.
from the fixed jaw, and the wrench may thus be accommodated to grasp or hold
pipes of different diameters. As the milled worm described is less in diameter
than the thickness of the body of the wrench no part of it extends beyond the
level of the sides of the wrench, and the said milled worm is thus protected from
injury. The inner face of one of the said jaws, and preferably the fixed one, must
be toothed, the teeth inclining towards the body of the wrench, but the faces of
both the jaws may be toothed. The opposed or acting faces of the jaws of the
wrench are inclined to one another at an angle of about thirty degrees, but I do
not confine myself to any particular inclination of the acting faces of the jaws to
one another.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawing the
manner in which my Invention may be performed.
Figure 1 represents partly in horizontal section and partly in side elevation a
pipe wrench made according to my Invention; Figure 2 represents an edge view of
the same; and Figure 3 represents a side elevation of a portion of the same;
Figure 4 represents the moveable jaw and slide of the wrench detached.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of the
Drawing.
a is the fixed jaw of the pipe wrench made in one piece with the body b and
handle c of the said wrench. The inner or gripping face of the said fixed jaw a is
provided with inclined teeth at a² of the ordinary kind. d is the moveable jaw of
the pipe wrench. The said moveable jaw d is made in one piece with the slide e
(shown detached in Figure 4), the said slide working in an undercut groove f made
across the body b of the wrench. The shape of the slide e and the recess or groove f
in the body in which it works is seen in Figure 2. The lower or back edge of the
slide e is formed into a rack g, and in the teeth of the said rack the thread of the
milled worm or screw ½ engages, as best seen in the horizontal section, Figure 1.
An opening at i is made through the body b of the wrench for the milled worm h
to work in, the said worm turning upon the fixed axis situated parallel with the
slide e.
The milled worm h is of less diameter than the thickness of the body b
(see Figure 2), so that no part of it extends beyond the level of the sides of the
wrench, and the said milled worm is thus protected from injury.
By the application of the thumb and finger to the opposite sides of the milled
worm a rotatory motion may be given to it in either direction. By the rotatory
motion of the milled worm in one or other direction the moveable jaw d carried by
the slide e may be made to approach to or recede from the fixed jaw a, and the
wrench may thus be accommodated to grasp or hold pipes of different diameters,

page_text: the sliding of the jaw & permitting the wrench to be used for gripping or holding
pipes of a greater range of sizes than the ordinary wrench will grasp or hold.
I-prefer-to-give-the-opposed-or acting faces of the fixed and moveable jaws a, d,
the inclination to one another represented in the Drawing, but I do not limit
myself to that inclination, and although I prefer to make the inclined teeth on the
gripping face of the fixed-jaw a as represented in the Drawing, yet the inclined
teeth may be made on the gripping face of the moveable jaw d, or the gripping
faces.of.both jaws may be toothed.
I make the body and other parts of the wrench by preference of wrought iron,
but I case harden or cover with steel the inner opposed or working faces of the
jaws of the wrench.
Although the tools commonly called pipe wrenches are used principally for
gripping or holding pipes, such for example as gas, water, and steam pipes for the
purpose of connecting and disconnecting the same, yet the said pipe wrenches are
or may be used for gripping or holding solid cylindrical bars or rods for various
purposes.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention
a new or improved pipe wrench, the parts of which are constructed and combined
as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, that is to
say, a pipe wrench in which one of the inclined jaws is made moveable, and
capable of being adjusted at the proper distance from the other and fixed jaw by
means of a rack and rotating worm, substantially as described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Wells, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Eleventh day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy nine.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
JOHN WELLS.
(L.S.)