IN RATCHET BRACES
Year: 1882

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Spencer Gardner at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st February 1882.
SPENCER GARDNER of Adderbury in the County of Oxford.
IN RATCHET BRACES."
"
IMPROVEMENTS
My Invention consists of a novel self acting feed arrangement for ratchet braces,
an essential feature of which is that a spring or clastic substance which is com-
pressed by means of a nut or screw to any required pressure according to the feed
desired causes frictional resistance between two surfaces one of which is stationary
while the other is in connection with the internally threaded sleeve or body which
receives the screw of the drill shaft; this frictional resistance is at one time
sufficient to prevent the rotation of the said sleeve or body with the drill shaft so
that the screw will produce a feed, and then when owing to this feed the frictional.
resistance between the screw and the sleeve or body overcomes that which tends to
retain the sleeve, the sleeve will rotate with the screw until more feed is required;
these actions taking place alternately through the whole range which the ratchet
is capable of working.
One manner in which I carry out my Invention is as follows:-Upon the upper
end of the drill shaft I screw in the ordinary way a sleeve or body which carries
the usual centre point at the top. The lower end of this body is screw threaded
externally to receive a nut; above the nut is a spring or elastic substance and
above this spring is a hexagonal collar which has a vortical internal groove to
receive a feather on the body; upon the upper face of the collar is a washer of
leather or other suitable material upon which rests the body of a steel cutter.
The nut is first slacked to allow the steel cutter to fall below the centre point;
the ratchet lever is then worked in the ordinary way so that the resistance of the
drill end ways is taken up by the centre point and the body or sleeve. In this
position the apparatus can be used like an ordinary ratchet brace and be fed in the
Prine 1

page_text: usual way by holding the body or sleeve by hand or a spanner so as to tighten up
the parts as the drill bores into the metal.
In order to bring the self acting feed into action the nut is screwed up so as to
compress the spring between the nut and the collar; the degree of compression is
regulated by the speed of feed required, the feed being increased in proportion to
the increase of compression of the spring.
When the nut is screwed up it causes the spring, the collar, the washer and the
steel cutter to slide up the body or sleeve till the cutter comes in contact with the
ordinary drill bar which supports the centre point and then the further screwing
up of the nut compresses the spring and forces the cutter firmly against the drill
bar. The action of the ratchet causes the cutter to cut into the bar and remain
stationary. As the ratchet is worked the screw causes the body and with it the
collar (through the feather) to rotate so that friction is caused upon the washer
which is pressed upon from above by the cutter body and from below by the
upper surface of the collar. When the friction thus produced is sufficient to
prevent the rotation of the collar and therefore of the sleeve or body, the screw
revolves alone until the drill has descended sufficiently to produce a greater
frictional resistance between the body or sleeve and the screw than that upon tho
washer. The body and collar are therefore again carried round with the screw
until the drill has cut so far into the metal that the frictional resistance between
the screw and body is again reduced below the frictional resistance upon the
washer. The screw will then again turn in the body and produce more feed.
⚫ It will be seen that the pressure on the drill is in proportion to the pressure on
the spring and that when the nut is once set a constant feed is produced through
the whole range which the ratchet is capable of working.
Another way in which the invention inay be carried out is as follows:-Between
collars on the body or sleeve is placed a bearing of lignum vitæ or other suitable
material. Friction between this bearing and the body is produced by means of a
horizontal rod or lever working in a threaded socket so as to force a pin against
the side of the bearing; a block of india rubber or other elastic substance is placed
between the inner end of the rod and the pin, a thin metallic disc being interposed
between the rod and india rubber to protect the latter from injury. The india
rubber takes the place of the spring before described the feed being in proportion
to the greater or less compression produced by the rod. The rod is retained either
by hand or by the vertical portion of the ordinary drill bar. The action is the
same as in the arrangement first described that is to say that when the friction
between the lignum vitæ bearing and the body or sleeve is sufficient to prevent
the rotation of the body, the screw on the drill shaft rotates in the body and
effects the feed until the friction between the body and the scrow becomes greater
than that between the lignum vitæ bearing and the body; the body and screw
will then revolve together until the friction is again sufficiently diminished to be
overcome by the friction of the lignum vitæ bearing.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Spencer Gardner in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 21st August
1882.
SPENCER GARDNER of Adderbury in the County of Oxford,
IN RATCHET BRACES.
"
"IMPROVEMENTS
My Invention consists of a novel self acting feed arrangement for ratchet braces,
an essential feature of which is that a spring or elastic substance which is
compressed by means of a nut or screw to any required pressure according to the
feed desired causes frictional resistance between two surfaces one of which is
stationary while the other is in connection with the internally threaded sleeve or
body which receives the screw of the drill shaft; this frictional resistance is at onc
time sufficient to prevent the rotation of the said sleeve or body with the drill
shaft so that the screw will produce a feed, and then when owing to this feed tho
frictional resistance between the screw and the sleeve or body overcomes that
which tends to retain the sleeve the sleeve will rotate with the screw until more feed
is required; these actions taking place alternately through the whole range which
the ratchet is capable of working.
In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a sectional elevation, and Figure 2 a
plan of one modification of ratchet brace constructed according to my Invention.
a is the drill shaft and b is a sleeve or body screwed in the ordinary way upon
the upper end of the shaft a and carrying the usual centre point c at the top. The
lower end of this body b is screw threaded externally to receive a nut d; above tho
nut is a spring e and above this spring a hexagonal collar f which has a vertical
internal groove g to receive a feather h on the body b; upon the upper face of the
collar fis a washer i upon which rests the body k of a stool cutter . The washer i
may be made of any suitable material, but I prefer to make it of leather with
holes punched in it, as shown, these holes being filled with black lead or other
suitable material; or I may make the washer of brass having holes filled with
metalline, lignum vitæ or leather saturated with an antifriction material.
The nut d is first slacked to allow the steel cutter to fall below the centre
point c; the ratchet lever is then worked in the ordinary way so that the
resistance of the drill endways is taken up by the centre point c and the body or
sleeve b. In this position the apparatus can be used like an ordinary ratchet
brace and be fed in the usual way by holding the body or sleeve b by hand or a
spanner so as to tighten up the parts as the drill bores into the metal.
In order to bring the self acting feed into action the nut d is screwed up so as
to compress the spring e between the nut and the collar f; the degree of
compression is regulated by the speed of feed required, the feed being increased in
proportion to the increase of compression of the spring.
When the nut & is screwed up it causes the spring e, the collar f, the washer
and the body k of the steel cutter to slide up the body or sleeve b till the cutter
comes in contact with the ordinary drill bar which supports the centre point c and
then the further screwing up of the nut & compresses the spring e and forces the
cutter firmly against the drill bar. The action of the ratchet causes the cutter Z
to cut into the bar and remain stationary. As the ratchet is worked the screw on
the drill bar a causes the body b and with it the collar f (through the feather h)
to rotato so that friction is caused upon the washer i which is pressed upon from

page_text: above by the cutter body and from below by the upper surface of the collar f.
When the friction thus produced is sufficient to prevent the rotation of the collar f
and therefore of the sleeve or body b the drill shaft a revolves alone until by the
action of the screw the drill has descended sufficiently to produce a greater
frictional resistance between the body or sleeve band the screw than that upon
the washer i. The body b and collar fare therefore again carried round with
the drill shaft until the drill has cut so far into the metal that the frictional
resistance between the screw and body is again reduced below the frictional
resistance upon the washer. The screw will then again turn in the body and
produce more feed.
It will be seen that the pressure on the drill is in proportion to the pressure on
the spring e and that when the nut d is once set a feed is produced through the
whole range which the ratchet is capable of working.
The bottom face of the bottom k is shown with an annular projection / and the
upper face of the collar f with a recess f¹ to allow the surfaces to close as the
leather wears away. The said projection and recess may however be dispensed
with.
Figures 3 and 4 represent respectively in sectional elevation and plan another
modification of ratchet brace constructed according to my Invention. k is a bearing
of lignum vitae or other suitable material between collars m n on the body or
sleeve b, the collar m being loose. Friction between this bearing k and the body b
is produced by means of a screw d working in a threaded socket o so as to force a
pin p against the side of the bearing k; a block e of india rubber or other elastic
substance is placed between the inner end of the screw d and the pin p a thin
metallic disc q being interposed between the screw and india rubber to protect the
latter from injury. The india rubber e and the screw & respectively take the place
of the spring e and nut d in the modification first described the feed being in pro-
portion to the greater or less compression produced by the screw. The shaft of the
screw d is retained either by hand or by the vertical portion of the ordinary drill
bar and it takes the place of the cutter Figures 1 and 2, while the bearing k which
applies the friction takes the place of the cutter body k Figures 1 and 2. The
action is the same as in the previous modification, that is to say, when the friction
between the bearing k and the body or sleeve b is sufficient to prevent the rotation
of the body b the screw on the drill shaft a rotates in the body and effects the feed
until the friction between the body b and the said screw becomes greater than that
between the bearing k and the body b; the said body and screw will then revolve
together until the friction is again sufficiently diminished to be overcome by the
friction of the bearing . I prefer to make the bearing k with holes as shown,
filled with black lead or other suitable material.
In all modifications of my Invention the ratchet mechanism that is to say the
portion below the line 1--1 Figures 1 and 3 may be of any desired construction.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed I declare that I claim :-
First, Constructing self feeding ratchet braces with a spring and with a nut or
screw to compress the spring to any desired pressure according to the feed desired
so as to cause frictional resistance between two surfaces one of which is stationary
while the other is in connection with the internally threaded sleeve or body which
receives the screw of the drill shaft this frictional resistance being alternately
sufficient to prevent the rotation of the said sleeve or body with the drill shaft so
that the screw will produce a feed, and insufficient to prevent the rotation of the
said sleeve or body with the drill shaft so that the drill cuts, substantially as
hereinbefore described.
Second, Constructing self feeding mechanism for ratchet braces substantially as
shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings and bereinbefore

page_text: Third, Constructing self feeding mechanism for ratchet braces substantially as
shown in Figures 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings and hereinbefore
described.
In witness whereof I the said Spencer Gardner have hereunto set my hand
and seal this second day of August One thousand eight hundred and eighty
two.
SPENCER GARDNER. (L.S.)