IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF TREADS AND LANDINGS FOR STAIRS."
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Henry Lindsay, of No. 14, Wharf South,
Paddington Basin, in the County of Middlesex, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF TREADS AND LANDINGS FOR
STAIRS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Henry Lindsay at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th February 1880.
"
WILLIAM HENRY LINDSAY, of No. 14, Wharf South, Paddington Basin, in the
County of Middlesex. IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF TREADS AND
LANDINGS FOR STAIRS."
This Invention has for its object improvements in treads and landings for
staircases, particularly such staircases as may be in constant use.
According to my Invention each tread or landing is composed of built up blocks,
which can each when warm be turned and transposed from front to back and from
side to side till its face is completely worn off, and then can be turned over and a
completely new face be presented for wear; this face also is capable of the same
transpositions so that the work is very durable. The built up blocks I fit into and
carry by means of an iron frame of the size of the required step or landing. Each
built up block I form from numerous strips of wood in the following manner :-
I take a number of strips of wood, say, about 14 inch deep and 14 wide, and place
them side by side with plates of iron between them; the plates of iron are, say,
about inch wide, and of less depth than the strips of wood, say about 1 inch
deep, so that the strips may project both above and below the strips of iron. The
several strips are by means of bolts passed transversely through them, firmly
clamped and bolted together in conveniently sized blocks for use.
Across the upper
and lower faces of the strips of wood I also form grooves, say about inch wide
and inch deep at intervals apart from one another. The wood is best used with
the grain up, but may be used otherwise. All the dimensions above given may be
altered to suit circumstances.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Henry Lindsay in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 13th
August 1880.
WILLIAM HENRY LINDSAY, of No. 14, Wharf South, Paddington Basin, in the
County of Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF TREADS AND
LANDINGS FOR STAIRS."
This Invention has for its object improvements in treads and landings for
staircases, particularly such staircases as may be in constant use.
According to my Invention cach tread or landing is composed of built up blocks,
which can each when worn be turned and transposed from front to back and from
side to side till its face is completely worn off, and then can be turned over and a
completely new face be presented for wear; this face also is capable of the same
transpositions so that the work is very durable. The built up blocks I fit into and
carry by means of an iron or it might be wooden frame of the size of the required
step or landing. Each built up block I form from numerous strips of wood in
the following manner :-I take a number of strips of wood, say about 1'/, inch deep
and 1'/, inch wide, and place them side by side with plates of iron or other material
between them; the plates are, say, about 3/16 inch wide and of less depth than the
strips of wood, say about 1 inch deep, so that the strips may project both above
and below the strips of iron. The several strips are by means of bolts passed
transversely through them, firmly clamped and bolted together in conveniently
sized blocks for use. Across the upper and lower faces of the strips of wood I
also form grooves, say about 3/16 inch wide and '/, inch deep at intervals apart from
one another. The wood is best used with the grain up, but may be used otherwise.
All the dimensions above given may be altered to suit circumstances.
In the Drawings hereunto annexed I have shown examples of stair treads
constructed according to my Invention.
Figure 1 is a section showing one of the treads carried by iron risers; Figure 2,
a section of a tread carried by wooden risers; Figure 3, a section of a tread fitted
to a stone step; Figure 4, a section of a worn stone step nosod with a tread;
Figure 5 is a plan view of a tread; the dotted lines show the divisions between the
built up blocks of which it is formed; Figures 6 and 7 show on a larger scale a
plan and edge view of one of the built up blocks. In these Figuros A is an iron
frame of the size of tread required; this frame is preferably perforated at the bottom,
so that water may not lodge in it; B are blocks formed of wooden strips C, C.
In Figure 5 four such blocks are shown as being used for each tread, but the
number of blocks used for each tread may be varied. Between the several strips
of which each block is formed are strips D of iron, or it might be of oak or other
tough wood cut lengthwise of the grain. E, E, are iron wire bolts passed through
the strips C and D to hold them all together. The blocks built up as above
described are placed into the frames A and held therein by screws G, as shown, or
by other convenient fastening.
In Figure 1 the frames A are shown to be bolted to iron risers; in Figure 2 they
are shown screwed to wooden risers; in Figures 3 and 4 they are held down to
stone steps by screws screwing into leaden plugs H in cavities in the steps.
At Figures 8 and 9 I have shown how the blocks B can when worn be reversed
and a fresh face be presented for wear. At Figure 8 the edge of the block which
has become worn is shown turned away from the front to the back of the tread.
A wooden fillet I may then be used to hold down the back edge of the block, as
shown. When the edge of the block now placed at the front of the tread has
become worn the block can be turned over so as to bring the worn face of the block
to rest on the frame and expose an entirely new face for wear; wedges or filling

page_text: pieces, either of wood or iron, may be placed under the blocks to hold them up in
the position shown and prevent them from rocking. In addition to each block
being thus reversible, edge for edge and face for face, the blocks after they have
been used at the centre of the tread of a stair and become worn can be shifted to
the side of the tread, and the ones previously at the side can be shifted to the
centre, thus all parts of the wooden facing of the tread can in turn be brought into
position where it will be subject to the greatest wear.
As before stated, the strips D are preferably cut with the grain standing up
endwise, that is, that the upper and lower surfaces of the strips are endwise of the
grain; cross grooves are also cut, as shown, in the upper and lower surfaces of the
strips. The strips night also be of double width, as shown at Figure 10. In the
Drawings rectangular treads only are shown, but the treads of spiral or circular
staircases can be formed in a similar manner, except that the blocks could only be
reversed face for face and not edge for edge in addition. The landings of staircases
can also be faced with reversible built up wooden blocks in the same way.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I would have it understood that I claim,—
First. The construction of the treads and landings of staircases with a facing
formed of reversible blocks, cach built up of strips of wood, substantially as herein
before described.
Second. The construction of the treads of and landings for staircases, substantially
as herein before described and shown in the Drawings annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Henry Lindsay, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Ninth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty.
417
W. H. LINDSAY. (L.S.)