Im- PROVEMENTS IN FURNITURE CASTORS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edmund Edwards, of the Firm of Edwards and
Co., 38, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, Engineers and Patent Agents, for the Invention of "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN FURNITURE CASTORS."-A communication from abroad
by John Crist, of the City, County, and State of New York, United
States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edmund Edwards at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 1st March 1875.
I, EDMUND EDWARDS, of the Firm of Edwards and Co., 38, South-
ampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineers and Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNITURE CASTORS," to be as
follows:-
This Invention has reference to ball and wheel castors for furniture or

page_text: of the wheels and in the horns, together with improved methods of
forming the plate and socket for the castor spindle, and also a contrivance
for facilitating the turning of the castor wheels or balls, which is an
improvement on that set forth in the Specification of Letters Patent
granted to Alexander Melville Clark, dated the 13th day of May 1873, &
and Numbered 1746.
The first part of this present Invention relates to improvements in the
manufacture of castor wheels, for which purpose I take a castor wheel,
preferably of cast iron, and of any approved section. A cup of wrought
brass or other metal is stamped out to correspond in section with the
wheel, but made somewhat deeper than its periphery, and leaving a
small portion of the iron around the bearing for the spindle uncovered.
Another plate is also stamped out to correspond in section with the
wheel, but not extending to its outer edge, and is dropped in place on
the opposite side of the wheel, the extra amount of metal in the first
cup being then turned over so as to make a perfect joint. This com-
pleted wheel while presenting quite as good an appearance as a solid
brass one can be made at much less cost, and affords bearings which will
not wear away with use and give play to the spindle.
In another modification the iron castor wheel which fills the cupped
plates is omitted, and the second plate (as already described) instead of
being made just large enough to allow of the metal of the first cupped
plate overlapping it, is carried right across the periphery and slightly
turned up on the opposite side, thus giving a double thickness at the
tread and the stiffness required for the wheel. A tubular bush is
inserted and gives the proper bearing for the spindle being upset or
turned over at its ends.
Another modification consists of a castor wheel composed of two
similar parts struck up in the annular form, having a cavity forming one
half of a hollow rim, a tubular flange at the centre, and an intermediate
web connecting the two, all fitted together snugly over a flat brace ring|
or washer and about a bearing tube, which fits within the tubular
flanges, and which is then upset or its ends turned over the ends of the
flanges to hold all the parts securely together. The annular discs and the
bearing tube arranged as described will make a very cheap and
serviceable wheel, but its durability and the maintenance of the con-
vexity of the tread surface is greatly enhanced by the re-enforcement of
the brace ring or washer between the discs.

page_text: In another modification the castor wheel (which may also be used as
a pulley) is made in two sections on a plane passing through the rim,
and at right angles to the plane of axis, the rim, cup, half hub (or
central boss), and inner face being made in one piece and forming one
half of the wheel, the other half being made in a similar way, and the
two halves being then fastened together. The outside cups (in section)
which form the rim are formed upon discs, from the centres of which
project the half hubs, and the plane inside faces of the discs coincide
when the two sections are locked together. The cup form is obtained
by bending the metal with a corresponding plunger and die, and then
turning over the outer edge till it meets the disc part, while the hub is
formed by punching out a central aperture of suitable size, and then
drawing it into shape with plunger and die, thus giving strength near
the middle where it is most wanted. A tubular rivet or bearing tube
passes through the two half hubs and has, as in the arrangements already
described, its ends upset over the ends of the hubs, or over inwardly
turned flanges formed on the same.
By the various methods of construction described a castor wheel
equally as well adapted to the purpose for which it is intended as the
cast brass wheels at present in use is produced at far less cost, as the
labour of turning or drilling is entirely done away with. The arrange-
ment of the bushing, bearing tube, or tubular rivet is also not only
cheap, convenient, and easy of application, but it may be easily replaced
when unequal wear shall have caused the wheel to stand out of a plane
exactly perpendicular to the shaft. The horn (or forked frame which
carries the wheel) in castors is at present constructed of cast metal in
order to secure the thickness necessary to give a steady bearing for the
spindle passing through it, and is therefore not only heavy and expensive
but liable to be broken by a sudden blow. I propose instead of this to
make the horn of sheet or wrought metal of suitable thickness, and to
form in the part which connects the arms of the horn a collar by
punching the pin hole and drawing the metal down, thus giving the
requisite thickness to form a bearing for the spindle. The bearing for
the spindle may be formed by means of a tubular eyelet inserted in the
hole formed in the horn and upset or hammered over on either side.
Where what is well known as the English horn is used I propose instead
of making it of cast metal with the pin or eye hole drilled therein to
construct the horn of wrought metal and to form the pin hole by rolling

page_text: it up, so that the plate connecting the arms of the horn forms a vertical
'tubular hole to receive the pin upon which the castor turns round, the
horns carrying the wheel in the usual way. By either of these methods
a horn is produced which is more economical in material, and is at once
'more easily manufactured, lighter, and more durable than those at
present in use.
Sometimes I form the socket for the castor spindle and the plate in
one piece of metal by stamping, thus economizing material, saving the
expense of drilling and turning now required, and keeping the spindle
socket the same size throughout, which cannot be done by the present
method of manufacturing.
The socket and plate may also be constructed separately, the socket
being formed of a sheet of wrought or rolled metal bent up in the form
of a tube, and then introduced into the aperture formed in the plate, and
secured thereto by upsetting or in any other convenient manner. Where
the socket and the plate are formed by stamping out of one piece of
metal, as first described, the plate is stamped down so as to form an
annular chamber for antifriction rollers, similar to those described in the
Specification already referred to, so as to keep them close to the pin and
to obviate lateral as well as direct friction.
In another novel arrangement for preventing friction of the castor, the
downwardly projecting flange or socket shewn in the former Specifi-
cation already referred to is dispensed with, as are also the antifriction
balls, cylindrical rollers, revolving circumferentially, being placed in
their stead between the plate connected to the vertical socket, and the
plate connecting the arms of the horn, a loose washer or disc being
arranged for confining the rollers in place, and preventing them from
running together, radial slots being formed in it for the rollers, such slots
beginning at the hole for the passage of the spindle, and extending
outwardly only so far as the length of the rollers, leaving sufficient space
to enable the disc itself to confine the rollers and prevent them from
working outwards. This arrangement will be found in practice pre-
ferable to that described in the Specification of the Patent above
mentioned.

page_text: perfect and durable article is produced in far less time than by any other
means now in use.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edmund Edwards in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 1st September 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDMUND
EDWARDS, of the Firm of Edwards and Co., 38, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Engineers and Patent
Agents, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of March, 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 Edmund Edwards, Her special licence,
that I, the said Edmund Edwards, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Edmund Edwards, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FURNITURE CASTORS," a communication to me from abroad by John Crist,
of the City, County, and State of New York, United States of America,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Edmund Edwards,
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 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 Edmund Edwards, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement and accompanying Drawing (that is to say) :-

page_text: This Invention has reference to ball and wheel castors for furniture or
other moveable articles, and it comprises improvements in the con-
struction of the wheels and of the horns, together with improved methods
of forming the plate and socket for the castor spindle, and also a con-
trivance for facilitating the turning of castor wheels or balls, such
contrivance being an improvement upon that described in the Specifi-
cation of the Letters Patent granted to Alexander Melville Olark, dated
the 13th of May 1873, and Numbered 1746.
The accompanying Drawing is in illustration of the present Invention,
similar letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in the several
Figures.
The first part of this Invention relates to improvements in the
manufacture of castor wheels.
In the accompanying Drawing Figure 1 is a section of a wheel
shewing the manner in which it is constructed, and Figure 2, a section
of the same wheel complete%; A is the wheel made of any suitable
material, preferably of cast iron, and of any approved section; B is a
cup of wrought brass or other metal stamped out to correspond in
section with the wheel A, but made (as shewn) somewhat deeper than its
periphery, and leaving a small portion of the rim round the bearing for
the spindle uncovered; C is another plate also stamped out to correspond
in section with the wheel, but not extending to its outer edge. The
plate C is dropped in its place as shewn, the extra amount of metal in
the cup B being then turned over so as to make a perfect joint. This
completed wheel whilst presenting quite as good an appearance as a
solid brass one can be made at a much less cost, and affords bearings
which will not wear away with use and give play to the spindle.
In Figure 3 another modification is shewn, in which the filling A
(Figures 1 and 2) is omitted, and the plate C instead of being made just
large enough to allow of the metal of A overlapping it, is carried right
across the periphery and slightly turned up on the opposite side, thus
giving a double thickness at the tread and the stiffness required for
the wheel. A bush C₁ is inserted as shewn and gives the proper bearing
for the spindle.
Figures 4 and 5 shew another modification of a castor wheel, Figure 5
being a side elevation of Figure 4. The wheel is composed of two
similar parts D of sheet metal struck up in an annular form, and having

page_text: a cavity D', a flange D³, and an intermediate web D³, all fitted together
over a flat brace ring or washer E, and round the bearing tube F, which
is then upset or has its ends turned over the flanches D' to hold all the
parts securely together. The annular discs D, D, and the bearing tube
F make a very cheap and serviceable wheel, but its durability and the
maintenance of the convexity of the tread surface is greatly enhanced
by the brace ring or washer E.
In Figures 6, 7, and 8 is shewn another modification in the con-
struction of the castor wheel, Figure 6 being a side elevation; Figure 7
an end view; and Figure 8 a cross section of one half of a wheel. The
castor wheel (which may also be used as a pulley) is made in two
sections divided on a plane passing through the rim, and at right angles
to the axis, the rim, cup, half hub (or central boss), and inner face
being made in one piece, and forming one half of the wheel, the other
half being made in a similar way, and the two halves being then
fastened together; H, H, are the outside cups in which project the half
hubs H', H', while H³, H2, are the plane inside faces which are intended
to coincide when the two sections are fastened together. The cup form
is obtained by bending the metal with a corresponding plunger and die,
and then turning over the outer edge until it meets the disc part, whilst
the hub H¹ is formed by punching out a central aperture of suitable
size, and then drawing it into shape with plunger and die, thus giving
strength near the middle where it is most wanted. The tubular rivet or
bearing tube F passes through the two half hubs, and has its ends upset
over the ends of the hubs, or over inwardly turned flanges formed upon
them.
By the various methods of construction described and shewn a castor
wheel equally as well adapted to the purpose for which it is intended as
the cast brass wheels ordinarily used is produced at far less cost, as the
labour of turning or drilling is entirely done away with. The arrange-
ment of the bushing, bearing tube, or tubular rivet is also not only
cheap, convenient, and easy of application, but it may be easily replaced
when unequal wear shall have caused the wheel to stand out of a plane
exactly perpendicular to the shaft.
Another part of this Invention consists in improved methods of
constructing the horn (or frame which carries the wheel) in castors ;
Figure 10 is a side view, and Figure 11 a vertical section of a castor

page_text: constructed according to this part of the Invention; Figure 12 is a
modification of the horn. As at present ordinarily constructed the horn
is made of cast metal in order to secure the thickness necessary to give
a steady bearing for the spindle passing through it, and is therefore not
only heavy and expensive but is liable to be broken by a sudden blow.
The improved horn is made of sheet or wrought metal of suitable thick-
ness, and a collar I' (as shewn in Figure 11) is formed in the horn I by
punching the pin hole and drawing the metal down, thus giving the
requisite thickness to form a bearing for the spindle K. In Figure 12
the bearing for the spindle is shewn formed by means of a tubular eyelet
I inserted in the hole formed in the horn I, and upset or hammered over
on either side. Where what is well known as the English horn is used,
as shewn in Figures 13 and 14, instead of being made of cast metal with
the pin (or eye) hole drilled therein it is constructed of wrought metal,
and the pin hole is formed by rolling it up as shewn at L, the pin being
shewn at K, and L' being the horns to receive the wheel in the usual
way. By either of these methods a horn is produced which is more
economical in matérial, and is at once more easily manufactured, lighter,
and more durable than those at present in usc.
In Figures 10 and 11, the socket M for the castor spindle and the
plate are shewn formed of one piece of metal by stamping, thus
economizing material, saving the expense of drilling and turning usually
required, and keeping the spindle socket the same size throughout,
which cannot be done by the ordinary mode of manufacture.
In Figure 15, the socket M and plate N are shewn constructed 2
separately, the socket being formed of a sheet of wrought or rolled metal
bent up in the form of a tube, and then introduced into the aperture
formed in the plate N, and secured thereto by upsetting, as shewn, or in
any other convenient manner.
In Figure 11, the metal forming the plate N is shewn stamped down a
so as to form an annular chamber for the antifriction rollers O (similar
to those described in the Specification of the Patent already referred to),
to keep them close to the pin and obviate lateral as well as direct
friction.
Figures 16 and 17 shew a vertical section and plan of another arrange- &
ment for preventing friction of the castor, in which the downwardly
projecting flange described in the Specification of the Patent already

page_text: referred to is dispensed with, as also are the antifriction balls, cylindrical
rollers P, revolving circumferentially, being placed in their stead between
the plate N, and the plate connecting the arms of the horn; Q being a
loose washer or disc for confining the rollers in place, and preventing
them from running together, the washer Q having radial slots formed in
it for the rollers P, these slots commencing at the hole for the passage
of the spindle, and extending outwardly only so far as the length of the
rollers, leaving sufficient space to enable the washer Q to confine the
rollers and prevent them from working outwards. This arrangement
will be found in practice preferable to that described in the Specification
of the Patent already referred to.
By the use of the foregoing improvements not only is a great saving
effected in material and in the cost of manufacturing, but a more perfect
and durable article is produced in far less time than by any other means
heretofore in use.
Having now described the Invention and the manner in which it is to
be performed I claim,―
First. In combination with any castor the wheel composed of the filling
A, the cup B, and the plate C, all arranged substantially as described
and shewn in the Drawing.
Second. In combination with any castor the wheel composed of cup
B, and plate C, with bush C¹, substantially as described and shewn in
the Drawing.
Third. A castor wheel formed out of two sections D, D, each struck
up of a single piece of metal with flanges and intermediate web, the
brace ring or washer E, and the end upset tube F, all constructed and
put together, substantially as described and shewn in the Drawing.
Fourth. A pulley or castor wheel made up of equal sections divided
in a plane passing through the rim, each such section being formed of a
single piece of metal, and constructed substantially as described and
shewn in the Drawing.
Fifth. In combination with any castor, the horn I having the bearing
for the spindle formed by drawing down the metal in making the
aperture, substantially as described and shewn in the Drawing.
Sixth. In combination with any castor, the horn I having the
bearing for the spindle formed by the insertion of an eyelet I', in the

page_text: aperture punched in the plate, substantially as described and shewn in
the Drawing.
Seventh. In combination with any furniture castor an English horn
having the eye or pin hole L formed by rolling the metal, substantially
as described and shewn in the Drawing.
Eighth. In any furniture castor the socket and plate formed of one
piece of metal by stamping, substantially as and for the purposes
described and shewn in the Drawing.
Ninth. In any castor the rolled socket M. upset or otherwise secured
to the plate N, substantially as described and shewn in the Drawing.
Tenth. The arrangement in combination with any castor of three or
more rollers P revolving circumferentially between the plate N and the
plate of the horn, substantially as and for the purposes described and
shewn in the Drawing.
]
Eleventh. The loose washer Q interposed between the plate K and the 1
plate of the horn, to hold the rollers L and keep them the proper
distance apart, substantially as described and shewn in the Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edmund Edwards, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, this First day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
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