Year: 1887

page_text: We WILLIAM BLACKETT HAIGH and NOEL NEWALL HAIGH both of the Globe
Iron Works Oldham in the County of Lancaster Machinists 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 :-
The objects of our invention are to make a cheap and efficient flooring cramp in as
simple a manner as possible and to dispense with the necessity for screwing or
otherwise winding back the sliding head to release the board after nailing.
The nature of our invention will be readily understood on reference to the annexed
sheet of drawings and the following explanation thereof.
Fig. 1. on the annexed drawing is a side elevation Fig. 2 a back view and Fig. 3. a
plan view of a flooring cramp made according to our invention.
a, a is the frame which is formed much as usual with slots for receiving the sliding
barb, and two lugs c, e at the sides for receiving the pin d which forms the fulcrum
of the working lever e, e. It is fitted with the ordinary excentric holding lever, f
rack g, g and thumb screw h, h for attaching the frame a, a to the joist (as seen
at Fig. 2).
The lower end of the working lever e, e is made with a fork e¹ which embraces a
bracket or lug 6 formed on the upper side of the sliding bar b, b. This bracket b' is
made with a vertical slot i, i (shown by dotted lines at Fig. 1 and detached at Fig. 4)
in which works a bowl k also dotted at Fig. 1) carried by a pin 1, 1 fixed in the
forked part e' of the working lever e, e.
This same pin l, also carries a retaining pawl m, in which takes into the teeth of
the ratchet rack n, n fixed to or cast with the frame a, a.
The action of the improved cramp is as follows: the frame a, a having been
adjusted on the joist in the usual manner, and fixed by means of the excentric holding
lever and thumb serew h, h with the flooring board in front of the head of the
sliding bar band the working lever e, e being then thrust or pulled forwards in the
direction of the arrow (see Fig. 1) towards the position represented by the dotted
lines, the bowl k working in the vertical slot i, i will cause the sliding bar b, b to move
forward also in the same direction and force the flooring board home, the pawl m, m
over-running the teeth of the ratchet rack n, n and acting as a retaining catch to hold

page_text: the board firmly in its place until it has been nailed to the joist. It will be seen that
this pawl m, m is made with a foot plate m' at the other side of its pivot so that by
placing the foot thereon after the board has been nailed the pawl is lifted and the
sliding bar b, b can then be drawn back into its original position by the working
ever e, e ready for another operation.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim is :-
In a flooring cramp the combination of the sliding bar, having a vertical slot, with
a forked lever fitted with a bowl or pin working therein the said lever being also
fitted with a retaining pawl working on a rack fixed to or cast with the frame; the
whole being constructed arranged and operated substantially as hereinbefore described
and illustrated by the drawings annexed.
GEORGE DAVIES,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester,
Agent for the Applicants.