IMPROVEMENTS IN CLAMPING TOOLS AND SCREW WRENCHES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Herbert Marsh, of Toronto, in the
Province of Ontario, Canada, but now residing at Oatlands, in the
County of Surrey, Merchant, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CLAMPING TOOLS AND SCREW WRENCHES."-A communication from
abroad by Israel Kinney, of London, in the Province of Ontario,
Canada.
*PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Herbert Marsh
4
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 28th May 1874.
I, THOMAS HERBERT MARSH, of Toronto, in, the Province of Ontario,
Canada, but now residing at Oatlands, in the County of Surrey,
Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN CLAMPING TOOLS AND SCREW WRENCHES," (communicated to me
from abroad by Israel Kinney, of London, in the Province of Ontario,
Canada,) to be as follows:-
The said Invention consists in constructing clamping tools and screw

page_text: c
wrenches in the manner herein-after described, whereby great simplicity
in the construction and efficiency in the action of the said clamping
tools and screw wrenches are secured.
The clamping tool consists of two bars joined by a curved piece, and
having somewhat the figure of a horse-shoe magnet. The inner or
opposed faces of the bars are inclined to one another, the distance
between the bars at their unjoined ends considerably exceeding that at
their joined ends. The said inner or opposed and inclined faces of the bars
are provided with a flange running their whole length. The said flanges
serve not only to strengthen the tool but also as a support on which the
sliding jaw, herein-after described, is supported and works. The said
sliding jaw consists of a wedge-shape piece of metal provided with a base
having an undercut groove in it which fits the flange on the inner face
of one of the bars. The acting face of the sliding jaw is so inclined to
it's base as to be parallel, or nearly parallel, with the inner flanged edge
of the bar opposite that on which it, the said sliding jaw, works. The
result of this construction is that by moving the sliding jaw along the
bar on which it works, the distance between it and the other bar is
increased or diminished while the parallelism of the face of the sliding
jaw and the bar opposite to it is preserved.
In using the clamping tool the sliding jaw is moved along the bar on
which it works until the distance between it and the other bar is but
slightly greater than the thickness of the substance or things to be
clamped. By pressing or gently striking the curved junction part of
the tool it is made slightly to advance, the sliding jaw remaining
stationary, and the substance or things to which the tool has been
applied are tightly clamped. The unclamping is effected by pulling
back the tool by the curved junction part when its hold is relaxed, and
it can be removed from the substance or things clamped.
The sliding jaw is provided with a short heel at right angles to its
acting face to prevent it sliding during use, and the said sliding jaw is
prevented from sliding off the bar on which it works by a small cross
pin. The outer curved edge of the junction part may be expanded for
convenience in applying the hand thereto.
The screw wrench consists of the same essential parts as the clamping
tool, namely, two bars inclined to one another, one of the said bars
being furnished with a sliding jaw of the kind described. As however

page_text: the screw wrench is applied to the screw nut, which has to be turned by
bringing the wrench down upon the nut, it is not necessary that the
tool should be open at one end as in the case of the clamping tool. The
bars are therefore connected by a junction part at both ends.
In some cases the screw wrench is more conveniently applied if the
tool is slightly curved, the convex side being applied to the screw nut.
The ends of the tool are thus slightly raised above the acting part. The
wrench is adjusted to the size of the nut to be turned by moving the .
sliding jaw in one or other direction on the bar on which it works.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Herbert Marsh in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 8th August 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
HERBERT MARSH, of Toronto, in the Province of Ontario, Canada, but
3 now residing at Oatlands, in the County of Surrey, Merchant, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her'
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Herbert Marsh, Her special
license that I, the said Thomas Herbert Marsh, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Herbert Marsh,.
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN CLAMPING TOOLS AND SCREW WRENCHES," a communication to
me from abroad by Israel Kinney, of London, in the Province of Ontario,
Canada, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas
Herbert Marsh, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and

page_text: in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to
be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Herbert Marsh, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
The said Invention consists in constructing clamping tools and screw
wrenches in the manner herein-after described, whereby great simplicity
in the construction and efficiency in the action of the said clamping
tools and screw wrenches are secured.
The clamping tool consists of two bars joined by a curved piece and
having somewhat the figure of a horse-shoe magnet. The inner or
opposed faces of the bars are inclined to one another, the distance
between the bars at their unjoined ends considerably exceeding that at
their joined ends. The said inner or opposed and inclined faces of the
bars are provided with a flange running their whole length. The said
flanges serve not only to strengthen the tool but also as a support on
which the sliding jaw, herein-after described, is supported and works.
The said sliding jaw consists of a wedge-shape piece of metal provided
with a base having an undercut groove in it which fits the flange on the
inner face of one of the bars. The acting face of the sliding jaw is so
inclined to its base as to be parallel, or nearly parallel, with the inner
flanged edge of the bar opposite that on which it, the said sliding jaw,
works. The result of this construction is that by moving the sliding
jaw along the bar on which it works, the distance between it and the
other bar is increased or diminished while the parallelism of the face of
the sliding jaw and the bar opposite to it is preserved. After the sliding
jaw has been moved on the bar so as to nearly clamp the substances or
things, the tool is struck gently so as to advance it, the jaw remaining
stationary. The sliding jaw is thereby tightened on the substances or
things and the latter clamped.
The sliding jaw is provided with a short heel at right angles to its
acting face to prevent it sliding during use, and the said sliding jaw is
prevented from sliding off the bar on which it works by a small cross
pin. The outer curved edge of the junction part may be expanded for
convenience in applying the hand thereto.

page_text: The screw wrench consists of the same essential parts as the clamping
tool, namely, two bars inclined to one another, one of the said bars
being furnished with a sliding jaw of the kind described. As however
the screw wrench is applied to the screw nut which has to be turned by
bringing the wrench down upon the nut it is not necessary that the tool
should be open at one end as in the case of the clamping tool. The bars
are therefore connected by a junction part at both ends. In some cases
the screw wrench is more conveniently applied if the tool is slightly
curved, the convex side being applied to the screw nut, the ends of the
tool are thus slightly raised above the acting part. The wrench is
adjusted to the size of the nut to be turned by moving the sliding jaw in
one or other direction on the bar on which it works.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing represents an elevation of a.
clamping tool constructed according to this Invention, and Figure 2 is a
cross section of the same taken on the dotted line a of Figure 1.
Figure 3 represents a side elevation, front elevation, and end elevation
of the sliding jaw detached from the tool.
The clamping tool consists of two inclined bars b, c, connected together
at the narrow end by the curved piece d, the said tool having the
general figure of a horse-shoe magnet. The curved piece d may be
expanded and form a handle to the tool. On the inner or opposed and
inclined faces of the bars b, c, is a flange e. The said flange e serves
both to strengthen the tool and as a support for the sliding jaw ƒ to
work upon. The said sliding jaw f is represented detached in Figure 3.
It consists of a wedge-shape piece having at its inner end a heel g against
which the articles or substances to be clamped bear during the clamping
process, the said heel also preventing the motion of the sliding jaw.
The base of the jaw f has an undercut groove h in it which fits the
flange e on the inner face of the bar c of the tool (see the section.
Figure 2). The acting face f2 of the jaw f has the inclination to the
base part f³ represented, the said inclined face f² being parallel to the
inner flanged edge of the bar 6 opposite to which it is situated. When
the sliding jaw f is moved along the bar c the distance between it and
the bar 6 is increased or diminished, while the parallelism of the inclined
face of the said jaw and the face of the bar 6 is preserved. The jaw ƒ is
prevented from sliding off the bar c by a small cross pin h².

page_text: In using the clamping tool the sliding jaw f is moved along the bar c
on which it works until the distance between it and the bar bis but
slightly greater than the thickness of the substance or things to be
clamped. The clamp is then put on the things to be clamped, which
are situated or enclosed between the bar 6 and the face f2 of the sliding
jaw f. By now pressing or gently striking the curved junction part d
of the tool it is made slightly to advance, the sliding jaw remaining
stationary, and the substance or things to which the tool has been
applied are tightly clamped between the inclined face of the jaw f and
the bar b. The unclamping is effected by pulling back the tool by the
curved junction part d or handle at the said part d when its hold is
relaxed, and it can be removed from the substance or things clamped.
Instead of using a single sliding jaw a sliding jaw on each of the
inclined bars b and c may be employed. In this case the substance or
things to be clamped are grasped between the two jaws.
Figure 4 represents a screw wrench constructed according to this
Invention, and Figure 5 is a cross section of the same. b, c, are the
inclined bars joined at both ends by curved junction pieces 62, 6³; ƒ is
the sliding jaw. In this tool the bars are without the flange represented
in the tool, Figures 1 and 2, and the sliding jaw fis made to embrace the
bar c instead of sliding upon the face and flange of the bar. By sliding
the jaw of the screw wrench on the bar c the said wrench may be
adjusted to the size of the nut to be turned. The arrangement of sliding
jaw, Figures 1 and 2, may be used with the screw wrench, Figures 4
and 5; and the arrangement of sliding jaw, Figures 4 and 5, may be
used with the clamping tool, Figures 1 and 2.
Clamping tools constructed according to this Invention can be con-
veniently used for purposes to which ordinary vices, wrenches, and hand
screws are generally applied, the improved clamping tools being capable
of being used in places and for purposes for which vices, wrenches, and
hand screws are not available.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood
that I do not limit myself to the precise details herein described and
illustrated, as the same may be varied without departing from the nature
of the said Invention, but I claim as the said Invention the improve-
ments in clamping tools and screw wrenches herein-before described and

page_text: illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, that is to say, the com-
bination of two inclined bars (joined at one or at both ends) with a
sliding jaw or sliding jaws, the said bars and jaw or jaws being
constructed, arranged, and used, substantially as described and illus-
trated.
illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, that is to say, the com-
bination of two inclined bars (joined at one or at both ends) with a
sliding jaw or sliding jaws, the said bars and jaw or jaws being
constructed, arranged, and used, substantially as described and illus-
trated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Herbert Marsh, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of July, in the
vear of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Herbert Marsh, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of July, in tho
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy four.
Witness,
GEORGE KERRY.
THOMAS HERBERT MARSH. (L.S.)