IMPROVEMENTS IN PICKS, AXES, ADZES, HAMMERS, AND TOOLS OF A SIMILAR CHARACTER
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Brown, of Regent Works, Sheffield, in the
County of York, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PICKS, AXES,
ADZES, HAMMERS, AND TOOLS OF A SIMILAR CHARACTER."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Brown at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th January 1881.
THOMAS BROWN, of Regent Works, Sheffield, in the County of York.
'IMPROVEMENTS IN PICKS, AXES, ADZES, HAMMERS, AND TOOLS OF A SIMILAR
CHARACTER."
My Invention relates to that description of picks and tools of a similar character
in which the blade is loose from the shaft, and is fitted thereto by being passed
through a loop on a ferrule of the shaft and secured by means of a wedge or key.
As it is objectionable to make the said loop of greater external width than the
shaft itself, it follows that the width or thickness of the blade is necessarily small,
in order that it may pass through the loop, and consequently it is found in many
cases to be of insufficient strength.
According to my present Invention I obviate this objection by making the blade
of two separate halves, instead of one piece, that is to say, the part of the blade
projecting on each side of the shaft is separate from the other, while both are
secured in the loop by one and the same wedge or key. The part of each half
blade just outside the loop is swelled out to the full width of the loop, or nearly so,
whereby ample strength is gained, while the part which enters the loop is reduced
in width, thus forming a shoulder which butts against the end face of the loop, and
thus offers great support to the blade when operating.
For securing the half blades in the loop various arrangements may be employed;
thus the loop may be constructed with an opening in its top surface, into which a
stud or projection on each half blade fits, in a similar manner to that described
with reference to the fixing of an entire blade in the Specification to my Patent,
No. 2052, of 1876, the loop being of such a depth that when the key is withdrawn
the end of the half blade with its stud can be passed into it, and upon then driving
in the key the two ends are forced up so as to cause their studs to enter the hole

page_text: When a key is employed that cannot be entirely removed from the loop, as
described in my said Specification, the introduction of the half blade on the side
where the key projects is facilitated by making the key of greater thickness or
depth at its middle part than at the two ends.
The before mentioned studs may be made of any desired shape to fit into the
hole or recess of the loop, and they may have inclined or bevilled faces bearing
against correspondingly bevilled faces on the hole or recess of the loop, so that on
driving the half blades up by the key, the inclines will tend to draw them in
tight.
This may also be effected without making a hole or recess in the top of the loop
by forming the inner surface of the top with two opposite inclines, and by making
corresponding inclines on the top surface of the blade ends. The above described
construction, besides the advantage above mentioned, offers the further advantages,
firstly, that when working in places where it is inconvenient to have the blade
projecting on both sides, the one half blade can be readily removed; secondly, that
when one of the half blades becomes defective, the cost of renewal will only be one
half that of renewing the entire blades heretofore employed; thirdly, that they are
more portable than the entire blades, which is of particular advantage when they
are used as entrenching tools by troops; and fourthly, that different kinds of half
blades may be used in combination with each other as occasion may require, thus
the one half blade may be a pick and the other an axe, adze, or hammer, or either
of these may be fixed by themselves in the loop.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Thomas Brown in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 2nd July
1881.
THOMAS BROWN, of Regent Works, Sheffield, in the County of York.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PICKS, AXES, ADZES, HAMMERS, AND TOOLS OF A SIMILAR
CHARACTER."
My Invention relates to that description of picks and tools of a similar character
in which the blade is loose from the shaft, and is fitted thereto by being passed
through a loop on a ferrule of the shaft and secured by means of a wedge or key.
As it is objectionable to make the said loop of greater external width than the
shaft itself, it follows that the width or thickness of the blade is necessarily small
in order that it may pass through the loop, and consequently it is found in many
cases to be of insufficient strength.
According to my present Invention I obviate this objection by making the
blade of two separate halves instead of one piece, that is to say, the part of the
blade projecting on each side of the shaft is separate from the other, while both are
secured in the loop by one and the same wedge or key. The part of each balf
blade just outside the loop is swelled out to the full width of the loop, or nearly so,
whereby ample strength is gained, while the part which enters the loop is reduced
in width, thus forming a shoulder which butts against the end face of the loop,
and thus offers great support to the blade when operating. For securing the half
blades in the loop various arrangements may be employed; thus the loop may be
constructed with an opening in its top surface, into which a stud or projection on
each half blade fits, in a similar manner to that described with reference to the
fixing of an entire blade in the Specification to my Patent, No. 2052, of 1876, the
loop being of such a depth that when the key is withdrawn the end of the half
blade with its stud can be passed into it, and upon then driving in the key the
two ends are forced up so as to cause their studs to enter the hole. When a key is
employed that cannot be entirely removed from the loop, as described in my said
Specification, the introduction of the half blade on the side where the key projects
is facilitated by making the key of greater thickness or depth at its middle part
than at the two ends.
The before mentioned studs may be made of any desired shape to fit into the
hole or recess of the loop, and they may have inclined or bevilled faces bearing
against correspondingly bevilled faces on the hole or recess of the loop, so that on
driving the half blades up by the key the inclines will tend to draw them in
tight.
This may also be effected without making a hole or recess in the top of the loop
by forming the inner surface of the top with two opposite inclines, and by making
corresponding inclines on the top surface of the blade ends. The above described
construction, besides the advantage above mentioned, offers the further advantages,
firstly, that when working in places where it is inconvenient to have the blade
projecting on both sides, the one half blade can be readily removed; secondly, that
when one of the half blades becomes defective the cost of renewal will only be one
half that of renewing the entire blades heretofore employed; thirdly, that they are
more portable than the entire blades, which is of particular advantage when they
are used as intrenching tools by troops; and, fourthly, that, different kinds of half
blades may be used in combination with each other as occasion may require, thus
the one half blade may be a pick and the other an axe, adze, or hammer, or either
of these may be fixed by themselves in the loop,
•

page_text: with the half blades fixed in position; Figs. 2 & 3 shew separate views of two
differently modified forms of the half blades; Fig. 4 shews a plan; Fig. 5 shews a
perspective view of the loop and key, and Figs. 6 and 7 shew separate views of
different forms of the keys. The half blades A, A, have their inner ends A' reduced
in width to a size corresponding to the width of the hole of the loop B, so as when
when fitted into the latter to butt with a shoulder against it, as shewn at Fig. 4.
The reduced end has a projection A² on its upper face, so that when the half blade
has been inserted into the loop (the key C having been drawn out into the dotted
position shewn in Fig. 1), and is then raised up by driving in the key, the said
projection in fitting into the opening B¹ in the top of the loop causes the blade
to be held firmly in position, the external shoulders thereof in butting against the
loop offering great lateral support to the blade. If desired a third shoulder may be
formed at the upper edge of the blade, as shewn at Fig. 3, so as to butt against the
top of the loop. The bottom edge of the part A¹ of the blade may either be flush
with the other part, as at Fig. 1, or it may project somewhat, as at Figs. 2 and 3,
in order to give greater facility for driving the wedge or key C. This is formed with
a slight taper in its thickness, and the bottom of the loop is slightly sloped, so that
when the key is driven in it will secure both half blades by bearing against their
under surfaces, as shewn. The key is, by preference, arranged as described in my
before mentioned previous Patent, that is to say, with a groove along one side
closed at the ends, into which takes a small stud or projection on the one inner face
of the loop, so that when the key has been drawn out into the dotted position
shewn at Fig. 1 it will be held by the stud, and thus be prevented from getting
lost. In the modified form of the half blades shewn at Fig. 8, and of the loop
shewn in end view, and in perspective respectively at Figs. 9 and 10, the upper
edge of the part A¹ instead of being provided with a projection is formed with an
incline fitting against a corresponding incline on the inner face of the top of the
loop, as indicated at Fig. 10, the hole through the latter being in this case dispensed
with. By means of these inclines a certain amount of tightening action, drawing
the shoulders of the blade against the loop, would be effected on driving in the key.
A similar tightening action may also be produced by forming the projections A²
with inclined faces, as shewn at Fig. 11, acting against corresponding inclines on
the hole or recess in the loop. The projections may also be made of other
configurations, as shewn at Figs. 12 and 13.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I claim in respect of picks and other tools wherein a loose
blade is secured in a loop on the shaft by a wedge or key,-
First. Constructing the blade of two separate halves projecting on each side of
the loop, the inner ends of which half blades are made of reduced thickness to
enter the loop of the shaft, and are both secured therein by one and the same wedge
or key, substantially as herein described.
Second. In picks or other tools constructed as set forth in the preceding claim
forming the upper surface of the half blade with an incline operating in combination
with an incline in the loop, substantially as herein described described.
Third. The various constructions of picks with half blades herein described with
reference to the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Brown, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty eighth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.