Year: 1894

page_text: We, JOSEPH HAMPTON and JOSEPH HAMPTON LIMITED, all of King's Hill,
Wednesbury, in the County of Stafford, Tool Manufacturers do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The said invention relates to the cramps used principally by wood carvers to
hold down or fix their work to the work bench, which said cramps are known as
bench cramps; and the said invention has for its object to remedy the defects of
the ordinary bench cramp and to make the said cramps applicable to the holding of
articles larger or smaller than those to the holding of which the ordinary cramp is
applicable.
In making a bench cramp according to the said invention we employ an upright
rod or bar connected to the bench in the manner hereinafter described. The said
upright rod or bar has a head in which is a vertical slot. A. flat bar or arm slides
in the said slot and may be fixed by a set screw in the head of the rod. The said
bar or arm is straight through a great part of its length but is curved downwards
at that part which overhangs the work, which part of the arm we will hereinafter
call the acting part of the arm. The said acting part of the arm carries at its end
a screw box in which the vertical cramping screw works. The lower end of the
cramping screw carries a gripping foot the under face of which is roughened or
has small teeth or pointed projections formed on it for giving it a secure hold on
the work held between it and the bench. The said gripping foot is connected to
the lower end of the screw by a ball and socket joint so that the said foot when
pressed upon the work by the action of the screw can take the inclination of that
part of the work on which it bears. The screw is turned by a vice handle or other
handle at its top. By the horizontal adjustment of which the sliding arm is
capable, the cramp is fitted to cramp articles smaller or larger than those to the
holding of which the ordinary cramp is applicable.
The upright rod carrying the sliding arm is connected to the bench in the
following manner. A vertical tubular socket of a size suitable for the upright rod
to slide in is fixed in the work bench by screws or otherwise, the top of the said
socket being flush with the bench. In the interior of the tubular socket is à recess
containing a spring which spring presses on the upright bar or rod passing through
the socket and thereby maintains the said rod in whatever position it may have
been brought.
Dated this 14th day of August 1894
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bench Cramps.
We JOSEPH HAMPTON aud JOSEPH HAMPTON LIMITED, all of King's Hill,
Wednesbury, in the County of Stafford, Tool Manufacturers, do hereby declare the
nature of the said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The said invention relates to the cramps used principally by wood carvers to
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page_text: hold down or fix their work to the work bench, which said cramps are known as.
bench cramps; and the said invention has for its object to remedy the defects of
the ordinary bench cramp and to make the said cramps applicable to the holding of
articles larger or smaller than those to the holding of which the ordinary cramp
applicable...
is
In making a bench cramp according to the said invention we employ an upright
rod or bar connected to the bench in the manner hereinafter described. The said
upright rod or bar has a head in which is a vertical slot. A flat bar or arm slides
in the said slot and may he fixed by a set screw in the head of the rod. The said
bar or arm is straight through a part of its length but is curved downwards at the
part which overhangs the work, which part of the arm we will hereinafter call the
acting part of the arm. The said acting part of the arm carries at its end a screw
box in which the vertical cramping screw works. The lower end of the cramping
screw carries a gripping foot the under face of which is roughened or has small teeth
or pointed projections formed on it for giving it a secure hold on the work held
between it and the bench. The said gripping foot is connected to the lower end of
the screw by a ball and socket joint so that the said foot when pressed upon the
work by the action of the screw can take the inclination of that part of the work
on which it bears. The screw is turned by a vice handle or other handle at its
top. By the horizontal adjustment of which the sliding arm is capable, the cramp
is fitted to cramp articles smaller or larger than those to the holding of which the
ordinary cramp is applicable. The upright rod carrying the sliding arm is
connected to the bench in the following manner. A vertical tubular socket of a size
suitable for the upright rod to slide in is fixed in the work bench by screws or other-
wise, the top of the said socket being flush with the bench. In the interior of the
tubular socket is a recess containing a spring which spring presses on the upright bar
or rod passing through the socket and thereby maintains the said rod in whatever
position it may have been brought.
Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawing represent respectively in side
elevation and plan. a bench cramp constructed according to the said invention in,
connection with a portion of a bench and Figures 3 and 4 represent the same in
frout and back elevation respectively, the latter figure being partly in section;
Figure 5 is a horizontal section through the tubular socket and upright rod of
the cramp, the said section being taken on the dotted line, Figure 1 ;
Figure 6 represents in vertical section and plan of underside, drawn to a larger
scale than the other figures of the drawing, the gripping foot on the end of the
cramping screw.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the
drawing.
A is the work bench provided with the tubular socket a in which the upright
adjustable rod of the bench cramp is capable of a rising and falling motion as
well as an angular or rotary motion. The tubular socket a has a recess a² at oue
side in which a bow spring c is placed for retaining by its pressure the upright rod b
in its adjusted position. The head of the upright rod 6 has a vertical slot in it in
which slot the straight part of the adjustable arm or bar d works and is fixed, the
fixing being effected by the thumb screw 62 in the head of the upright rod b (see
Figure 4). The acting end d of the arm d has an internal screw formed in it for
the cramping screw e to work in the said cramping screwe being provided at top
with the winch handle for turning it and at bottom with the gripping foot g.
Handles other than winch handles may be applied to the screw e for turning it.
The gripping foot g which is preferably roughened or serrated on its underside is
connected to the lower end of the cramping screw e by a ball and socket joint as is
best seen in Figure 6 so that the said gripping foot may take the inclination of the
part of the work on which it is pressed.
The improved bench cramp herein before described when in use is capable of
being turned in either direction to any part of the work bench (see. the dotted
positions indicated in the plan Figure 2) the upright rod 6 constituting the axis of

page_text: the said cramp, and by the adjustment of the arm d in its slot in the head of the
rod b (see the dotted position in Figure 1) the said cramp can be arranged to act
at a greater or less distance from its upright rod 6 as may be desired. Further in
consequence of the length of the adjustable upright rod 6 the said bench cramp is
capable of accommodating work varying considerably in thickness (see the dotted
positions Figure 1) the said upright rod b being depressed from its highest position
until the gripping foot g of the raised screw e rests upon the work when a turn or
two or a partial turn of the winch f effects the fixing of the work to the bench.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that we claim
as the said invention;―
First. The improved bench cramp hereinbefore described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawing the said bench cramp consisting of an upright adjustable rod b
working in a tubular socket or hole (preferably containing a retaining spring) in the
work bench the head of the said rod carrying a horizontally adjustable arm or bar d the
front end of which is formed into a screw box for the cramping screw e to work in
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated.
Secondly. Connecting the gripping foot of bench cramps to the cramping screw
by a ball and socket arrangement thereby permitting the gripping foot to accom-
modate itself to the inclination of the work to be fixed to the bench substantially as
hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
Dated the Eighteenth day of Annil 1805
JOSEPH HAMPTON.
JOSEPH HAMPTON LIMITED,
RICHD. WATSON, Secretary.
JOSEPH HAMPTON.
JOSEPH HAMPTON LIMITED,
RICHD. WATSON, Secretary.