An Improved Wire Strainer.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Apr., 1898-Accepted, 3rd Sept., 1898
An Improved Wire Strainer.
I, JAMES DANIEL WALSH, of 2, Commercial Chambers, Manse Street, Dunedin,
Otago, New Zealand, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:―
My invention relates to an improved wire strainer, the special object of the
invention being to provide an appliance whereby fence wires can be more easily
and firmly strained than is the case with the wire strainers at present in general
use.
In order to achieve this object, I provide a light cast iron frame to which a
centre pin or fulcrum is moulded. At either end of the appliance, I arrange an
eccentrically mounted cam jaw, each cam being formed with teeth on one side
and a lever handle on the opposite side. The eccentric cam at one end, is loosely
mounted on a pin or fulcrum, but the gear on the opposite end is controlled by
a spiral spring. In addition to these parts I provide a lever, one end of which
is likewise provided with an eccentrically arranged cam jaw. A loose extension
plate is attached to the lever and is provided with a hole through which it is
intended that the centre pin or fulcrum first mentioned shall pass. The long end
of the lever is provided with a double handle, the duplicated part of the handle
being made to revolve upon a pin and to form a cutting tool or shear with a
recess on the stationary part of the handle. By gripping the slack wire with
the two jaws on the first mentioned appliance, and cutting and twisting the wire
in a peculiar manner by the lever, I am able to strain a fence wire to a great
tension, but in order that my invention may be the better understood I will now
proceed to describe the same in detail, by making reference to the accompanying
illustrative drawings, in which,
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the principal appliance.
Figure 2 is a plan of same.
Figure 3 and 34 side and front elevation of the lever and accessories.
Figures 4, 5, and 6, are sketches of the appliance in various positions on
reduced scale illustrating the method of using my appliance as the work of
straining proceeds.
Similar letters of reference are used to denote like parts wherever they occur
in the drawings.
A is a principal casting having a projecting pin or fulcrum B in the middle
thereof, and an eccentrically arranged toothed cam or jaw at each end of the
casting as shown at C and D. These cams are provided with handles or levers Ci
and Di respectively. The cam C revolves loosely upon the pin C within certain
limits, but the cam D which revolves upon the pin D2 is controlled by a strong
spiral spring E which is arranged in a recess in the casting and is set in such a
manner as to have a tendency to throw the lever D¹ and parts connected there-
with into the position indicated by dotted lines in Figure 1 of the drawings. F is
a projecting lug upon the main casting for the purpose of guiding and steadying

page_text: the fence wire in the desired position. G is also a lug projection on the main
casting and is provided for a similar purpose.
Referring now to Figure 3 of the drawings, H is the main lever handle and
is slotted at H. To the main lever an auxiliary handle H2 is pivoted and takes
its bearing on the pin H³, its short end being rounded off and sharpened at H
so as to form a cutting shear for the wire when the latter is placed in the slot H¹
as will be well understood. The upper end of the main lever handle H
terminates in an eccentrically arranged cam jaw H³. J is a loose extension plate
and is attached to the lever handle H by the pivot J¹, a hole being provided at
J3 of such size as shall constitute a working fit on the pin B referred to in a
former part of the specification. A recessed boss J is formed round the hole J³
and is projected so as to be opposite to the end H of the lever handle as will be
well understood on reference to Figure 3.
-
The method of using my appliance may be briefly described as follows:-
The operator selects a position about mid-way between two straining posts in
the fence, and taking the strainer in the right hand with the cam D towards his
left, and the cam C towards his right, he places the strainer so that the wire is
held by the cam C and spring cam D, the said cam being pressed back by aid
of the handle D₁ so that the wire may be inserted between the jaw D and the
lug F. The wire is then cut off as close as possible to the cam C as will be well
understood on reference to Figure 4 of the drawings, the long lever gear H being
used as a shear in order to cut the wire. The lever handle is next attached to
the main casting by aid of the pin B which passes into the hole J3 and the wire
is gripped by the cam part H5 of the lever H, the wire being held by the said
cam against the recessed boss J. The wire (so far as the lever handle is con-
cerned) when bent would at this stage of the operation appear in the position
illustrated in Figure 5. The lever is now pushed back to about a quarter of a
revolution, and as the cam takes a fresh grip the lever is brought forward again
in the direction of the arrow head thus drawing the wire through the spring
cam D. This operation is repeated as often as necessary so that the wire is
gradually drawn through the cams D and H³ until it becomes well strained.
Whilst the lever is being traversed backwards and forwards, the main casting
may be kept steady by holding the arm with the left hand. The overlapping
wire which has been strained through the cam is next straightened out in front
of the cam C and is bent so as to lie parallel with the wire which is held by the
said cam, the handle having been removed meanwhile. The two wires are now
taken in the slot J2 and are firmly held by the lever handle H, the said handle
gripping the wires at about 6 inches distance from the cam C and beyond the
strainer. The operator now steadies the lever handle H, whilst still gripping
the wires, against his knee or against one of the adjacent fence wires, and grasp-
ing the cam handles C and D in his hands turns the main casting away from
himself taking care that the wire which is held by the cam C is entered first into
the slot. When the twisting operation has been completed, the lever handle is
removed, and the cam handles Cand D¹ are knocked back, and the wire ends
are found to be perfectly strained and joined. Should the wire it is intended
to strain be very brittle, the splice illustrated in Figure 6 of the drawings can
be substituted for those already described and is made by cutting the wire about
two and a half inches from the cam C, looping the end round the wire held by
the cam 1) (similar to half an ordinary wire knot) taking the latter over the cam Č
and turning it around the wire held by the latter by the assistance of the handle.
The strainer is then removed from the wire by releasing the cams.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is,
1. In an improved wire strainer two revolubly mounted cams such as C and D)
arranged upon a main casting such casting being formed with a pin or fulcrum B

page_text: and the said cams being provided with handles such as C¹ and D', and set in
such a position as will enable their jaws to come into close contact with the
projecting lugs in the main casting such as F and G respectively, the whole
appliance being arranged substantially as described and as illustrated.
2. In combination with the revolubly mounted cam D above claimed, a control-
ling spring such as E for the purposes set forth.
3. In an improved wire strainer, a double lever handle such as H and Hª
arranged so as to constitute a cutter or shear and the main part of the lever
handle terminating in a cam jaw H³.
4. In combination with the above claimed lever handle a pivotally mounted
extension plate such as J having a recessed boss thereon such as J' through
which a hole J3 is formed substantially as described and as illustrated.
5. The herein specified wire strainer constructed and arranged substantially as
described and illustrated as and for the purposes set forth as a combination of
parts.
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A
1000
ROBERT E. PHILLIPS, Assoc. M. Inst. C.E., M.I. Mech. E.,
Consulting Engineer & Patent Agent,
70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Associate Agent.