Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Mar., 1887
Complete Left, 1st Dec, 1887
Complete Accepted, 6th Jan., 1888
I, GEORGE J. CAPEWELL, of Cheshire, Connecticut, United States of America,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to nail-extractors or nail-pullers of the kind or class provided
with pointed jaws and with a percussive device for driving the points of the said jaws
into the material from which the nail is to be extracted, on opposite sides of the nail,
so that they may be caused to engage with the said nail beneath the head thereof.
In nail-extractors of this class as heretofore constructed, the jaws are attached to
the stock or handle, so that, in driving the said jaws into wood or similar material, it
is necessary to overcome the inertia of the said stock or handle, that is to say, the
blow struck must be heavy enough to move the said stock or handle as well as the
jaws.
The main object of my invention is to provide a nail-extractor of the above
named class which has combined with the stock or handle a movable hammer or
percussive device and jaws which alone sustain or take the force of the blow in driving
them, and my said invention comprises a mode or manner of attaching the jaws to the
stock or handle so that they are capable of longitudinal movement therein in the
direction of the blow while the said stock or handle remains stationary, and the said
jaws are, at the same time, capable of closing or moving towards each other at their
points.
Another feature of my said invention is the construction of the hammer or striker
and the jaws in such a manner that the said jaws. are interchangeable and I am enabled
to make the same in a very simple manner from ordinary bar steel of the same size
in transverse section as the said jaws. I thus greatly facilitate the replacement of
either jaw in case it should be broken or otherwise damaged.
Another feature of my said invention is the combination, with the said jaws, of a
clamping device which serves also as a fulcrum in the operation of extracting a nail.
In one forin of my improved nail-extractor, the stock or handle is a flat tube
enlarged and thickened at its upper end, and having, at its lower end, a socket in
which the jaws are held or supported by means of pins passing through slots in the
said jaws, so that the latter are free to move up and down in the said socket.
The hammer consists of a flat bar of metal which fits into the stock and slides freely

page_text: within the same and which has on its outer end a handle suitably shaped to afford a
secure grasp, and large enough to impart the requisite momentum to the hammer.
The lower end of the hammer-handle is provided with a shoulder or stop which comes in
contact with the top of the stock and limits the downward movement of the hammer
so as to prevent the driving of the jaws on to the said pins.
A pin or 'stud is fixed in the hammer and a slot or groove is formed in the upper
end of the stock, so that, when the hammer is inserted in the said stock, the pin or
stud will pass through the slot, and the hammer can only be inserted therein in the
proper position to ensure the bearing of its lower end against the upper end of each
A screw is inserted in the stock for the purpose of preventing the accidental
withdrawal of the hammer therefrom, the said screw extending into proximity to the
said hammer, so that, in the upward movement of the latter, the said pin or stud will
come against the end of the said screw.
Jaw.
A projecting loop or eye is provided upon the stock and affords the means for
hanging the tool or extractor on a nail or hook out of the way, when not required
for use.
The jaws are preferably made from pieces of flat tool steel, cut from a bar of
merchantable size, and are held in the jaw-socket by means of pins as above described.
The outer edges of the jaws are supported against inclined surfaces of the socket. The
projecting ends of the jaws are made claw-shaped to adapt them for readily grasping
the head of a nail.
A V-shaped spring is placed between the said jaws so that its extremities rest in
notches cut or formed opposite each other in the adjacent edges of the said jaws.
The clamping lever is pivotted in a slot in the lower end of the socket and has an
outwardly extending long arm and a short arm having a rounded edge which is
eccentric with the pivot of the said lever, so that it has a cam-like action, and which
bears against the outer edge of the adjacent jaw. This lever, under normal conditions,
projects at substantially a right angle from the stock. It is free to turn upon or
about its pivot in one direction, but its movement in the reverse direction is limited
by the end of its short arm striking against the top of the said slot.
The operation of my improved nail-extractor is as follows, that is to say -The
stock is grasped in one hand, and the points of the jaws, which are held apart by the
spring, are placed on opposite sides of the head of the nail to be extracted. When
the points of the jaws rest upon the wood or other material from which the nail is to
be extracted, the stock slides downward by gravity upon the jaws, the pins moving
down within the slots in the said jaws. The shoulder of the hammer-handle is thus
left a short distance above the upper end of the stock. By raising the hammer and
striking a downward blow thereby upon the jaws, the points of the latter may be
casily driven into the wood far enough to enable them to grasp the nail beneath the
head. The blow thus struck need not be a heavy one for the reason that only so
much force is required as will drive the jaws into the wood without overcoming the
inertia of the stock, the whole force of the blow being applied directly to the jaws, so
that they are driven quickly and easily without any action upon the stock such as is
required with nail-extractors as heretofore constructed. I am, therefore, enabled to
make the stock lighter than those heretofore employed, which required to be very
heavy and strong, and even then were apt to be broken in the operation of driving
the jaws into the wood.
When the jaws have been caused to engage with the nail as above described, the upper
end of the nail-extractor is pulled sidewise in such a direction that the clamping lever
is pressed downward against the surface of the wood and thus turned upon its pivot
so that its short arm forcibly holds the jaws in engagement with the nail. The long
arm of the said lever then serves as a fulcrum upon or about which the nail-extractor
may be turned to draw the nail out of the wood.
The jaws are placed in an angular position relatively to the body of the stock and
direction of movement of the hammer. This arrangement affords considerable
advantages, as, by reason of this position of the jaws, not only will the point of one
jaw enter close to and well under the head of the nail, the other jaw being moved by

page_text: the clamping lever towards the nail; but, as soon as the nail-extractor is rocked or
turned as above described, the pull upon the nail comes more directly upward and in
line with the nail, thus facilitating the withdrawal of the nail.
An important feature of my invention consists in the sliding jaws attached to the stock
and alone driven by the direct impact of the hammer; another important feature
consists in placing the jaws at an angle lengthwise with the axis of the stock or line
of movement of the hammer, and a further improvement consists in the combination
of such sliding jaws with the lever whose short arm slides directly in contact with the
back of one of the jaws; and it is not essential to the successful practice of my
invention that these feature of improvement should be embodied in the precise manner
and form of device above described for their successful operation, and I do not limit
myself to this construction simply. In some instances, I use a spring catch for
preventing the accidental withdrawal of the hammer from the stock.
It will be seen that the lower end of the hammer is inclined and that the upper
ends of the jaws are correspondingly inclined. By this formation, I am enabled to
make the jaws of practically the same shape and size so that they are interchangeable.
Dated this 1st day of March 1887
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicant.
I, GEORGE J. CAPEWELL, of Cheshire, Connecticut, United States of America,
Engineer, 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 nail-extractors or nail-pullers of the kind or class provided
with pointed jaws and with a hammer or similar device for driving the points of the
said jaws into the material from which the nail is to be extracted, on opposite sides of
the nail, so that they may be caused to engage with the said nail beneath the head
thereof.
In nail-extractors of this class as heretofore constructed, the jaws are so attached to
the stock or handle that, in driving the said jaws into wood or similar material,
it is necessary to overcome the inertia of the said stock or handle, that is to say, the
blow struck must be heavy enough to move the said stock or handle as well as the
jaws.
The main object of my present invention is to provide a nail-extractor of the above-

page_text: named class which has combined with the stock or handle a movable hammer or
percussive device, and jaws which alone sustain or take the force of the blow in driving
them. For this purpose, my said invention comprises a novel manner of attaching
the jaws to the stock or handle so that they are capable of longitudinal movement
therein in the direction of the blow, while the said stock or handle remains stationary,
and are at the same time capable of closing or moving towards each other at their
points.
Another feature of my said invention is the construction of the hammer or striker,
and the jaws in such a manner that the said jaws are interchangeable and I am enabled
to make the same in a very simple manner from ordinary bar steel of the same size in
transverse section as the said jaws. I thus greatly facilitate the replacement of either
jaw in case it should be broken or otherwise damaged.
Another feature of my said invention is the combination, with the said jaws, of a
clamping device which serves also as a fulcrum in the operation of extracting a nail.
My said invention, moreover, comprises other improvements hereinafter set forth.
In the accompanying drawing, I have shown how my said invention may be con-
veniently and advantageously carried into practice.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of one form of my improved nail-extractor, part of the
stock or bandle being shown in vertical section.
Figure 2 is an edge view of the said nail-extractor.
Figure 3 is a plan of the same, the hammer or striker being removed.
Figure 4 is a horizontal section on the line a, a, Figure 1.
Figure 5 is a side elevation, partly in vertical section, showing a modification of my
invention.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawing.
a is the stock or handle; 6 is the movable hammer or striker; c, d are the nail-
grasping jaws and is a clamping or jaw closing lever.
p
In the forms of my improved nail-extractor shown in the drawing, the stock or
handle a is a flat tube enlarged and thickened and formed with a flange a¹ at its upper
end, and having at its lower end a socket a². In this socket, the jaws c, d are secured.
by means of pins f passing through slots c¹, d¹ in the said jaws, so that the latter are
free to move up and down in the said socket.
The hammer or striker consists of a flat bar of metal, which is fitted into the stock
or tube a so that it can slide freely within the same, and which has on its outer end a
handle suitably shaped to afford a secure grasp, and large enough to impart the
requisite momentum to the said hammer or striker.
The lower end of the hammer handle is provided with a shoulder or stop 62,
which, in conjunction with the top flange a¹ of the stock a, limits the downward
movement of the hammer, so that the force of the blow will not take effect upon the
pins f.
A pin or stud is fixed in the hammer b, and a slot or groove a³ (Figure 3) is
formed in the flange a' of the stock a, so that, when the hammer is inserted in the said
stock, the pin or stud 63 will pass through the slot a³ and the hammer can only be
inserted therein in the proper position to ensure the bearing of its lower end against
the upper end of each jaw as hereinafter described.
A screw a¹ is inserted in the stock a for the purpose of preventing the accidental
withdrawal of the hammer therefrom, the said screw extending into proximity to the
said hammer, so that, in the upward inovement of the latter, the pin or stud 63 will
come against the end of the said screw.
A projecting loop or eye g is provided upon the stock a and affords the means for
hanging the tool or extractor on a nail or hook in a wall or the like, when not required
for use.
The jaws c, d are preferably made from pieces of flat tool steel, cut from a bar of
merchantable size. The said jaws are held in the jaw-socket a by means of the pins f
as above described. The outer edges of the said jaws are supported against inclined
surfaces a a in the socket a² as shown in Figure 1. The projecting ends or
points of the jaws c d are made claw-shaped to adapt them for readily grasping

page_text: the head of a nail. A V-shaped spring is placed between the said jaws so that its
extremities rest in notches c³ ³ formed opposite each other in the adjacent edges of
the said jaws.
The clamping lever e is pivoted at e* in a slot a' in the lower end of the socket a²,
and has an outwardly extending long arm e¹ and a short arm e². The short arm e² has
a rounded edge which is eccentric with the pivot of the said lever so that it has a cam-
like action, and which bears against the outer edge of the jaw c. This lever, under
normal conditions, projects at substantially a right angle from the stock. It is free to
turn upon or about its pivot in the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 1, but
its movement in the reverse direction is limited by the contact of the end of its short
arm with the top of the slot a².
The operation of my improved nail-extractor is as follows, that is to say :-The
stock a is grasped in one hand and the points of the jaws c, d, which are held apart by
the spring, are placed on opposite sides of the head of the nail to be extracted.
When the points of the jaws rest upon the wood or other material from which the nail
is to be extracted, the stock a slides downward by gravity upon the jaws c, d, the
pins moving down within the slots c, d. The shoulder 62 of the hammer-handle 6'
is thus left a short distance above the upper end or flange a¹ of the stock a. By
raising the hammer and striking a downward blow thereby upon the jaws c, d, the
points of the latter may be easily driven into the wood far enough to enable them to
grasp the nail beneath the head. The blow thus struck need not be a heavy one, for
the reason that only so much force is required as will drive the jaws into the wood
without overcoming the inertia of the stock a, the whole force of the blow being
applied directly to the jaws, so that they are driven quickly and easily without any
action upon the stock such as is required with nail-extractors as heretofore constructed.
I am, therefore, enabled to make the stock lighter than those heretofore employed,
which require to be very heavy and strong, and even then are apt to be broken in the
operation of driving the jaws into the wood.
When the jaws have been caused to engage with the nail as above described, the
upper end of the nail extractor is pulled sidewise in such a direction that the clamping
lever e is pressed downward against the surface of the wood and thus turned upon its
pivot so that its short arm forces the jaws into, and holds them in engagement with
the nail. The long arm e¹ of the lever e then serves as a fulcrum upon or about which
the nail-extractor may be turned to draw the nail out of the wood.
The jaws are placed in an angular position relatively to the body of the stock and
the direction of movement of the hammer. This arrangement affords considerable
advantages, as, by reason of this position of the jaws, not only will the point of the
jaw d enter close to, and well under the head of the nail, (the other jaw being moved
by the clamping lever towards the nail) but, as soon as the nail-extractor is rocked or
turned as above described, the pull upon the nail takes effect more directly upward
and in line with the nail than heretofore, thus facilitating the withdrawal of the nail.
By reason of the said angular position of the said jaws, the lower end of the
hammer has to be inclined as shown in Figure 1, and, in order that it may bear upon
both jaws, the said hammer must be inserted in the stock in a particular manner,
that is to say, so that the pin or stud 63 will pass through the slot a³ as above
described.
The employment of the sliding jaws attached to the stock and alone driven by the
direct impact of the hammer I consider an important feature of my invention; the
placing of the jaws at an angle to the axis of the stock or line of movement of
the hammer, and the combination of such sliding jaws with the lever whose short arm
slides in contact with the back of one of the jaws are also important features; and
it is not essential to the successful practice of my invention that these features thereof
should be embodied in the precise manner and form of device above described ;
I therefore do not limit myself to the construction shown.
In some instances, I use a pivotted catch i acted upon by a spring j as shown in
Figure 5, and adapted to engage with a notch 6 in the hammer b to prevent the
accidental withdrawal of the said hammer from the stock.

page_text: By making the lower end of the hammer inclined as above described I am enabled
to make the jaws of practically the same shape and size so that they are inter-
changeable.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I wish it understood that I
claim
First. The employment, in a nail-extractor, of jaws fitted to slide in the stock or
handle, so that the said jaws alone receive the impact of the hammer, as above
specified.
Second. The combination, with the sliding jaws which alone receive the impact of
the hammer, of a separate clamping or jaw-closing lever, for the purposes above
specified.
Third. The employment, in a nail-extractor, of interchangeable sliding jaws, sub-
stantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
Fourth. The combination, with the stock and the hammer fitted to slide therein, of
the sliding jaws arranged to move in a direction inclined to the direction of movement
of the hammer, substantially as, and for the purposes, set forth.
Fifth. The combination, with the sliding jaws c, d, of the spring hand the clamping
or jaw-closing lever e pivotted to the stock a and having a short arm or cam which
bears against one of the said jaws, and a long arm which serves as a fulcrum in
extracting a nail, all substantially as, and for the purposes, set forth.
Sixth. The provision of a shoulder or stop on the hammer. which will come in
contact with the end or flange a' of the stock before the upper ends of the slots c¹, d¹
come in contact with the pins, substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
Seventh. The provision of means for ensuring the placing of the hammer.in the
stock in the proper position to bear upon both jaws, substantially as set forth.
Eighth. The improved nail-extractor consisting of the parts constructed and
combined substantially as described with reference to Figures 1 to 4, or modified as
described with reference to Figure 5 of the accompanying drawing, and operating as
above specified.
Dated this 1st day of December 1887