Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 12th July, 1887.
Complete Left, 16th Aug., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 16th Sept., 1887.
We ALEXANDER SHAW BAYER of 3 Waterloo Street Halifax Carpenter and
CHARLES FAIRBANKS MOTT of 90 Argyle Strect Halifax aforesaid in the Province of
Nova Scotia Dominion of Canada, Soap manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to tools employed by carpenters, joiners and others. Its
objects are to provide a simple, handy and inexpensive implement, for tightly closing
up the joints of flooring-boards, deck-planks, matched boarding, doors, and other
woodwork, prior to nailing or otherwise securing them.
The bed plate of the tool has rearwardly projecting spurs on its under face which
bed themselves in the joist or beam and with a notch at the rear end for engagement
with a fixed abutment.
A cross headed pusher is fitted to slide in guides on the upper face of the bed plate
and is operated by a cam formed on a hand lever pivoted immediately in rear of the
push head between a pair of upright plates rising from the bed plate, one of said
uprights being formed with rack teeth with which a pawl on the lever engages to hold
the lever and push head up to the work. The cam is also connected with the push
head by a slotted link for withdrawing the push head.
A. S. BAYER.
C. F. MOTT.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agents.

page_text: We ALEXANDER SHAW BAYER, Carpenter, and CHARLES FAIRBANKS MOTT, Soap
Manufacturer, both of the City and County of Halifax in the Province of Nova Scotia,
and Dominion of Canada, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
Our invention relates to tools employed by carpenters, joiners and others. Its
objects are to provide a simple, handy and inexpensive implement, for tightly closing
up the joints of flooring-boards, deck-planks, matched boarding, doors and other wood
work, prior to nailing or otherwise securing them.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specifi-
cation, in which
Figure 1, is a plan view of our improved floor cramp ; Figure 2, is a side elevation
of the same, showing it in place on the beam, and the position of the working parts in
the operations of cramping or releasing the board; Figure 3 is a vertical cross-section
of the same taken on the line a-x in Figure 1.
Similar letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
Referring to said drawings, A is the bed-plate or hold-fast of the tool. B. is a
push-bar moving in bearing on said bed-plate. Cis an arched rack, and D a supporting
flange, which stand parallel with each other on the bed-plate. E is a hand lever
having a cam-head E supported between the rack and supporting flange.
The bed-plate A is constructed with an opening a, midway between its sides, to
allow the cam E¹, of the lever to be turned without contact with it. At the rear
extremity of the bed-plate is formed a recess a³, to permit the tool, if desired, to set
against a stop in the flooring or other base.
The push-bar B is constructed with a shoulder e, at its inner end, flanges k on its
lower edge, and a cross-head e¹, at its forward extremity. The rack has teeth c
upon its upper edge, said teeth being of a depth to give the cam about an eighth of
an inch advance at each forward movement of the lever. The flange D is shouldered
to conduce to the steadiness of the cam in its movements, and is projected backwards
as far as the end of the rack C.
Bearings i, constructed with grooves in their inner sides, are secured upon the
bed-plate A, and receive the flanges k of the push-bar B. The cam E¹ of the lever E,
is embraced by the rack C, and flange D, and is provided with a suitable opening to
receive a pin h, which is held by the rack and flange, and turns freely on said pin as
its pivot. To the arm of the lever E is loosely journalled at d', a pawl d which
engages with the teeth c of the rack C. A link, constructed with a longitudinal
slot, connects the cam E' and the push-bar B, being loosely pivoted to the cam at 9,
and to the shoulder e of the push-bar B at g'. Beneath the bed-plate A, are firmly

page_text: riveted steel spurs b, formed with sharp points, and projecting diagonally backward in
the direction of its rear extremity. is the floor-beam, and h² the floor-board to be
cramped.
When our invention is employed for laying floors or decks, the bed-plate placed
upon the beam at a suitable distance from, the article to be cramped, and its spurs are
set firmly into said beam. The arm of the lever E is raised and carried forward, the
pawl d slipping forward over the teeth of the rack, the cam E' impinging against the
shoulder e of the push-bar B, forcing said bar forward in the grooved bearings i, and
setting its cross-head e', against the side of the board. The pawl dengages with one
of the teeth c of the rack C, and prevents the lever from moving backward. A further
forward movement of the lever, presses the cross-head e', tightly against the board,
and the engagement of the pawl with one of the teeth of the rack, holds said board in
place until it is secured to the beam. A slight pressure upon the upper end of the
pawl, trips and clears it from the teeth of the rack, and allows the lever to be carried
backward, the link fon its cam causing the cross-head of the push-bar to withdraw
from the board, and rest against the front of the bed-plate.
The tool is then released from the beam, set further back thereon, and another board
is cramped in place as above described.
Our invention may be used for cramping the wainscoting of a room, the bed-plate
being set by its spurs in the flooring or joist, and the same operation being pursued as
in laying floor-boards. The recess a¹ at the rear of the bed-plate, may be set against
a removable pin or stop in the flooring, as an additional safeguard against backward
movement of the bed-plate.
Our invention may also be advantageously employed in clamping doors together,
and for various other work where close joints are requisite, and in such case it is also
preferable to set the bed-plate by its recess a¹, against a stop, in addition to setting its
spurs into the body of the material.
Our invention is light and handy to use, is simple in construction and operation is
strong and durable, and is comparatively inexpensive to manufacture.
The tool is very powerful, and is capable of cramping from eight to ten boards from
four to seven inches in width, at one time.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is―
1. A device for cramping floor-boards, consisting of an elongated bed-plate, provided
with rearwardly projecting spurs on its under side, an upright hand-lever carrying a
pawl at the base of its arm, and constructed with a cam-head embraced by and turning
between a toothed rack and supporting flange rising from the bed-plate, a push-bar
sliding in parallel bearings on the bed plate, constructed with a cross-head, and
connected by a slotted link to the cam of the lever, substantially as shown and
described.
2. In a device for cramping floor-boards, the combination of the bed-plate A,
provided with spurs 6 as described, toothed rack C, supporting flange D, and grooved
bearings i, with the lever E, pawl d, cam E¹, pin 1, slotted link f, and push-bar B,
having a cross-head e¹, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
3. In a device for cramping floor-boards, a bed-plate A provided with spurs in its
under surface, and with an arched rack C and a flange D rising parallel with each
other from its upper surface, and grooved bearings i fixed parallel with each other on
the upper surface of said bed-plate, in combination with a lever E having a cam
head E turning on a pivot between said rack and flange, a pawl d journalled to the
arm of said lever and engaging said rack, a push-bar B having a cross-head e¹ and
fitted to slide in said grooved bearings, and a slotted link f connecting said push-bar
with the cam-head of said lever, substantially as and for the purpose shown and
described.
4. In a device for cramping floor-boards a bed-plate A provided with rearwardly
projecting spurs in its under surface, an arched rack rising from its upper surface,
and grooved bearings i fixed parallel with each other on its upper surface, in

page_text: combination with a hand lever E having a cam-head E' pivoted to the side of said rack,
a pawl d journalled to the arm of said lever and engaging said rack, a cross-headed
push-bar B, sliding in said grooved bearings, and a slotted link connecting said
push-bar and the cam of said lever, substantially as and for the purpose shown and
described.
5. In a device for cramping floor-boards, the bed-plate A backwardly inclined
spurs beneath said bed-plate, an arched rack C and flange D upon said bed-plate, a
lever E having a cam-head E¹ pivoted to and between said rack and flange, and
carrying a pawl d which engages said rack, in combination with the push-bar B,
having the shoulder e and cross-head el, said push-bar being adapted to slide in
grooved bearings i fixed parallel with each other on said bed-plate and being connected
by a slotted link ƒ with the cam-head of said lever, substantially as and for the purpose
shown and described,
6. In a floor cramp, the combination of a base, having spurs beneath it to engage
with the floor-beam, a toothed rack and lever-support on the upper surface of said
base, between which is pivoted a cam lever, a pawl on said lever engaging with said
toothed rack, and a pressure bar sliding in grooved bearings on said base, and
connected by a slotted link to the cam of the lever, substantially as shown and
described.
1000