Improvements in Spades.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application 31st Jan., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 5th Seot., 1896-Accepted, 24th Oct., 1896
Improvements in Spades.
I, JOSEPH LEE, of 171 Moseley Road Birmingham in the County of Warwick
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention to be as
follows:-
My invention has for its object improvements in spades and is specially applicable
to the toy spades used by children and to those made froin timber entirely or almost
entirely and by which I am enabled to economize the timber considerably without
sacrificing the utility.
I make my new toy spade generally from three distinct pieces of timber viz. :-
one piece for the blade one for the handle and one for the stem or intermediate
piece between the handle and the blade. The handle may be of the T kind or
solid or D kind with a hole of any shape therein. Both the handle part and the
blade are bored out with either a straight or taper hole which may be made in two
steps especially the hole in the blade. The stem is formed at each end with a
spiggot or projecting piece which may be formed with either one or two shoulders
to suit the hole. Then the point of one or both spiggots may be cut on the slant
to form either a side or centre wedge or to form two wedges or four wedges or
points which are driven home with glue or cement so that the points enter the
bottom of the socket and are very securely fastened. This may be further helped
by a cross pin or pins which pass through both sides of the sockets and the
spiggot.
Dated this 30th day of January 1896.
GEORGE BARKER,
77 Colmore Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.
1, JOSEPH LEE of 171 Moseley Road Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described aud ascertained
in and by the following statement :--
My invention has for its object improvements in spades and is specially applicable
to the toy spades used by children and those made from timber entirely, or almost
entirely, and by which I am enabled to economize the timber considerably without
sacrificing the utility.
I make my new toy spade generally from three distinct pieces of timber, namely,
one piece for the blade, one for the handle, and one for the stem or intermediate
piece between the handle and the blade. The handle may be of the T kind or
solid or D kind with a hole of any shape therein. Both the handle part and the
blade are bored out with either a straight or taper hole which may be made in two
strips, especially the hole in the blade. The stem is formed at each end with a
spiggot or projecting piece which may be formed with either one or two shoulders

page_text: to suit the hole. Then the point of one or both spiggots may be cut on the
slant to form either a side or centre wedge or to form two wedges or four wedges
or points which are driven home with glue or cement so that the points enter
the bottom of the socket and are very securely fastened. This may be further
helped by a cross pin or pins which passes through the sides of the sockets and
the spiggot.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood and more easily carried
into practical effect I have appended hereunto a double-sized sheet of drawings
upon which I have illustrated examples of the same but I would have it understood
that I do not confine myself to the general configurations of the parts shown as
they are simply used for the purpose of illustrating the invention.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a wond spade made in three portions A', B and E
with a cross head or crutch handle.
Figure 2 is the front elevation of a similar wood spade but with an eye
handle A.
Figure 3 is a sectional elevation on the line 1. 2 of Figure 2 showing clearly
how the parts A, B and E are brought and fastened together.
Figure 4 is a broken-off sectional elevation similar to Figure 3 but showing a
modification of the mode of uniting B to the blade E.
My wood toy spades are composed of three portions, namely, the crutch A¹ or
eye A and the intermediate portion or shaft B and the bottom portion or blade E
and these are so designed as to be manufactured with a minimum amount of timber
thus avoiding waste and reducing the labour. The middle portion or shaft B is
formed with an upper reduced portion which enters a suitable hole made in
either A or A' and when driven home to its shoulder is fastened with the peg b³
while the lower portion of B has a reduced portion which is driven into a
suitable hole in E where it is fastened by the peg 6 or the peg may be levelled
at as shown at Figure 4 so as to cut its own way downwards a certain distance
at the bottom of the hole like the pivot of a wedge which fastens it, but a peg b
may be used even in this case. It will be observed that by this treatment of the
parts the shaft is quite plain and cuts only into a small amount of timber and the
portions A and A' may be made a different way of the grain and a cleaner finish
may be cheaply made."
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
First. The improvements in spades which are made from wood and generally
applicable to "toy spades" consisting of the combination of three separate
portions A or A', B, and E brought together in the manner substantially as herein
set forth and shewn by Figures 1, 2, and 3 on the drawings.
Second. The particular mode of forming the lower portion of toy spades of
wood by making B and E in separate parts and uniting then together substantially
as herein set forth and as shown by Figures 3 and 4 on the drawings.
Dated this 4th day of September 1896.
GEORGE BARKER,
77 Colmore Row, Birmingham, Agent.