A COMBINED BEVEL, SQUARE, PROTRACTOR, SLOPE LEVEL, SPIRIT LEVEL, RULE, COMPASSES, AND TOOL HOLDER FOR SCREWDRIVER, AWLS, AND OTHER SIMILAR TOOLS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Matthew Augustus Soul, of No. 14, London
Street, in the City of London, Patent Agent, for the Invention of
"A COMBINED BEVEL, SQUARE, PROTRACTOR, SLOPE LEVEL, SPIRIT LEVEL,
RULE, COMPASSES, AND TOOL HOLDER FOR SCREWDRIVER, AWLS, AND OTHER
SIMILAR TOOLS."-A communication from abroad by William
Ascough, of the City of Buffalo, in the County of Eric, and State of
New York, one of the United States of America, Gentleman.
Scaled the 22nd February 1876, and dated the 24th August 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Matthew Augustus
Soul at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 24th August 1875.
I, MATTHEW AUGUSTUS SOUL, of No. 14, London Strect, in the City
of London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "A COMBINED BEVEL, SQUARE, PROTRACTOR, SLOPE LEVEL, SPIRIT
LEVEL, RULE, COMPASSES, AND TOOL HOLDER FOR SCREWDRIVER, AWLS, AND OTHER
SIMILAR TOOLS," a communication to me from abroad by William Ascough,

page_text: of the City of Buffalo, in the County of Erie, and State of New York,
one of the United States of America, Gentleman, to be as follows:-
I combine within a small compass a number of tools_for_carpenters',
joiners', stonecutters', machinists', and others' use in such a manner that
the instrument can easily be carried about the person or mechanic having
use for the same, and that will be perfectly reliable in all its parts, and
it consists in providing the wooden or metallic stock of a bevel with a
movable tongue having. the usual division of inches and fractions of
inches on its face, and turning upon a stationary pivot, whereupon I also
movably attach a protractor divided on its face into the usual degrees of
the compass, and attach the same by a thumbscrew to the movable
tongue. Level with the protractor I fasten a projecting piece to this
tongue, and make thereon a single line or mark which will act as a sight
to set the protractor and tongue in connection with another sight let
into the stock in a suitable position. Within the smaller side of the
stock I provide a spirit bulb so that the stock with the tongue enclosed
can be used as a spirit level or in conjunction with the tongue as a slope
level. The tongue is pointed and a movable point is attached to the end
of the stock, so that this instrument can be used as a pair of compasses
within certain limits.
The stock of a bevel square made of suitable material and properly
mounted with metal is slotted on its upper end for the passage of a
tongue and a protractor, both being made to turn upon a pivot. The
tongue is made of steel and divided on its sides into inches and fractions
of inches or any other division. One end of this tongue is pointed and
bevelled for the purpose herein-after to be described, and the opposite
end provided with a projection having a line or mark to serve as a gauge
to set the tongue.
The protractor consists of a circular disc of sheet metal. It is divided
in the usual degrees of a circle and turns upon pivot above alluded to.
It has a semicircular slot hole concentric with the pivot for the passage
of a thumbscrew, by means of which it can be securely attached to the
tongue at any desired position. A recess in the stock is provided with
a plate fastened thereon by a screw, in such a manner that it will be
flush with the face and edge of the protractor. Its purpose is to serve.
as a sight to adjust the protractor, and it is therefore provided with a
mark or single line on its face. A projection of the tongue, serves for
the purpose of adjusting the same to any desired angle by means of the

page_text: protractor. A spirit bulb is let into the edge of the stock; a compass
point sliding tightly into a dovetail recess in the stock is secured there
by a thumbscrew. There are two receptacles in the stock closed by
hinged covers, and serve to enclose a screwdriver, awls, and other similar
tools or a lead pencil, which when they are to be used are inserted into a
socket and held therein by a thumbscrew.
In order to use this instrument as a try square or as a plumb level it
is necessary to place the protractor in a position so that the ninetieth
degree of the protractor will coincide with the mark on the plate, and
the mark of the projection or tongue with the nought of the said,
protractor when the tongue will be correctly set at right angles with
the stock, and will be held there by two thumbscrews, one of which
passes through the stock and engages with a nut let loosely into a
mortise, so that the protractor can be securely fastened to the stock
without engaging the tongue, which in turn is attached to the protractor
by means of a thumbscrew. The sight plate is let into the recess in the
stock and can be adjusted therein laterally, to set the tongue correctly
when the instruments are made or when by accident it should have
become displaced.
The applicaton of this improved instrument as a bevel is obvious and
need not therefore be described. When used as a slope level the degree
of inclination can be ascertained by the protractor in conjunction with
the level. When used as a spirit level the tongue is encased by the
stock, a groove therein of sufficient depth admitting the tongue. The
tongue is tapered and pointed and can be used as a knife. In con-
junction with an adjustustable point herein-before mentioned it can be
used as a pair of compasses; the point is adjustable so as to compensate
for wear of the knife, and can be reversed for convenience and for its
protection.
30 SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Matthew Augustus Soul in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 24th February 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MATTHEW
AUGUSTUS SOUL, of 14, London Street, in the City of London, Patent
35 Agent, send greeting.

page_text: .
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in
the thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs
and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Matthew Augustus
Soul, Her special licence that I, the said Matthew Augustus Soul,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Matthew Augustus Soul, 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 "A COMBINED BEVEL, SQUARE, PRO-
TRACTOR, SLOPE LEVEL, SPIRIT LEVEL, RULE, COMPASSES, AND TOOL HOLDER FOR
SCREWDRIVER, AWLS, AND OTHER SIMILAR TOOLS," a communication to me from
abroad by William Ascough, of the City of Buffalo, in the County of
Erie, and State of New York, one of the United States of America,
Gentleman, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Matthew Augustus Soul, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment 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 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 Matthew Augustus Soul, 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, that is to say :-
I combine within a small compass a number of tools for carpenters',
joiners', stone cutters', machinists', &c., use in such a manner that the
instrument can be easily carried about the person or mechanic having use
for the same, and that will be perfectly reliable in all its parts, and it
consists in providing the wooden or metallic stock of a bevel with a
movable tongue having the usual division of inches and fractions of
inches on its face, and turning upon a stationary pivot whereupon I also
movably attach a protractor, divided on its face into the usual degrees
of the compass, and attach the same by a thumbscrew to the movable

page_text: tongue. Level with the protractor I fasten a projecting piece to this
tongue, and make thereon a single line or mark which will act as a sight
to set the protractor and tongue in conjunction with another sight let
into the stock in a suitable position. Within the smaller side of the
stock I provide a spirit bulb, so that the stock with the tongue enclosed
can be used as a spirit level, or in conjunction with the tongue as a
slope level.
The tongue is pointed and a movable point is attached to
the end of the stock, so that this instrument can be used as a pair of
compasses within certain limits.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood, I shall
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose
shall refer to the various Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereto
annexed.
Figure 1 in the same is a perspective elevation of my combination
instrument; Fig. 2 is a side elevation; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal
sectional elevation in line x, x, (Fig. 2); Fig. 4 is an end view; Fig. 5
is a fragment of the stock in a longitudinal section; Figs. 6 and 7 are
elevations illustrating the application of my instrument as a plumb and
slope level, or as also in Fig. 6 as a screwdriver.
Like letters of reference indicate similar parts in all the Figures.
A is the stock of a bevel square made of suitable material and
properly mounted with metal. It is slotted on its upper end for the
passage of a tongue B, and a protractor E, both being made to turn
upon pivot C; B is the tongue, made of steel and divided on its sides
into inches and fractions of inches or any other division. One end of B
is pointed and beveled for the purpose herein-after to be described, and
the opposite end provided with a projection L having a line or mark to
serve as a gage to set the tongue B; E is a protractor consisting of a
circular disk of sheet metal. It is divided in the usual degrees of a
circle and turning upon pivot C.
It has a semicircular slot hole F con-.
centric with pivot C for the passage of a thumbscrew G by means of
which it can be securely attached to the tongue B at any desired'
position; H is a recess in stock A. It is provided with a plate I
fastened therein by a screw, in such a manner that it will be flush with
the face and edge of the protractor E. Its purpose is to serve as a sight
to adjust the protractor, and it is therefore provided with a single line or
mark on its face; L is a projection of the tongue B, and serves the

page_text: purpose of adjusting the same to any desired angle by means of the
protractor E; N is a spirit bulb let into the edge of the stock A; O is a
compass point sliding tightly into a dovetail recess in the stock A, and
is secured there by the thumbscrew P; Rare two receptacles in the
stock A, they are closed by hinged covers S and serve to enclose a screw-
driver T, awls U, or other similar tools or a lead pencil, which when to
be used are inserted into a socket V and held therein by the thumb-
screw P.
In order to use this instrument as a try square or as a plumb level, it
is necessary to place the protractor E in the position shown in Figs. 1
and 6, so that the ninetieth degree of the protractor will coincide with
the mark on the plate I, and the mark of the projection L with the
nought of the said protractor, when the tongue will be correctly set at
right angles with A, and will be held there by the thumbscrews G
and K. The thumbscrew K passes through the stock A and engages
with a nut K (Fig. 2) let loosely into a mortize, so that the protractor
E can be securely fastened to the stock without also engaging the
tongue B, which in turn is attached to the protractor E by means of the
thumbscrew G. The plate I is let into the recess H and can be adjusted
therein laterally to set the tongue B correctly when the instruments
are made, or when by accident it should have become displaced.
.
The application of my improved instrument as a bevel is obvious and
need therefore not be described; Fig. 7, illustrates the application as a
slope level, the degree of inclination being ascertained by the protractor
E in conjunction with the level N; Fig. 2 and 3 show the instrument
as a spirit level, the tongue B being now encased by the stock A, a
groove therein of sufficient depth (Fig. 4) admitting the tongue B.
It will be observed that the tongue B is tapered and pointed. This
enables me to use the blade as a knife to sharpen lead pencils, or for
other similar purposes while it in conjunction with the adjustable point o
enables me to use the device as a pair of compasses or dividers, the
point O being adjustable, compensating for any wear of the knife edge
of tongue B. The point O can be reversed as shown in Fig. 6 for
convenience in carrying the instrument and for protection of the
point O.
+
Having now particularly described the nature of my Invention and
the mode in which it may be carried into effect. I wish it to be under-

page_text: stood that I do not claim the parts separate and apart from the use to
which they are applied, but I claim as my Invention, the combination
and arrangement of the different tools and devices herein-before
described, in a manner substantially as described and for the uses and
purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Matthew Augustus Soul, have here-
to set my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of February,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-six.
MATTHEW AUGUSTUS SOUL. (L.S.)