Year: 1894

page_text: I EDWARD THOMAS HUGHES, of 38, Chancery Lane, in the County of London,
Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication to
me by Charles D. Snell, of 41, Park Avenue, Haverhill, Mass., U.S. America
Inventor) 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 improvement in saw-horses, and it has for its object to
coustruct a horse in such a manner that the log to be sawed may be adjusted end-
wise with one hand whether the log be heavy or light.
A further object of the invention is to so construct the bearings for the log that
it will also be held in a position to be conveniently reached by the sawyer at
all times.
Another object of the invention is to provide a clamp capable of being operated
by the foot of the sawyer, and which when brought into action, will permit the
sawyer to stand substantially erect, and to use both hands with perfect freedom in
the action of sawing, the clamp serving to hold the log being sawed, firmly upon
the horse.
The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several
parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth and pointed out in the claims.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this
Specification, in which similar figures and letters of reference indicate corresponding
parts in both views.
Fig. 1 is a vertical central section through the improved saw-horse; and
Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof.
In the construction of the frame of the saw-horse each side consists of two
uprights 10 and 11, both uprights being given an upward and inward inclination,
but the inclination of the front upright 10 is less than that of the rear upright 11.
These two uprights are connected by tie-bars 12 and 13, located near the bottom
and near the top. The sides thus formed are connected by an upper cross bar 14,
preferably secured to the upper tie bars 12, and also by a lower cross bar 15 and a
rear cross bar 16. In this manner the frame is rendered exceedingly substantial,
and is much narrower at the top than at the bottom, enabling it to stand in an
exceedingly steady manner, especially so by reason of the back of the frame having
more of an inclination than the front.
Between the upper ends of the standards 10 and 11 of each side section of the
frame a supporting roller 17 is journaled. Each supporting roller is of like
construction, and is made in the shape of two frustums of a cone connected at their
converging ends, the rear conical section a being much longer than the forward
conical section a', so that conical surfaces have different inclinations and the log,
when located upon the rollers, will be maintained nearer the front of the frame than
the rear.
Owing to the portions a and a having different inclinations, the upward
motion of the log on the section a' will be effectively prevented while the log may
be readily turned in one direction.
A platform 18, is pivotally located at the front lower portion of the frame,
between the side sections thereof, and the said platform when not in use will rest
upon the lower cross bar 15 as shown in Fig. 1. I Usually this platform is provided
with two rearwardly extending arms 19, one located at each side, and the arms are
carried rearward and are pivoted to the inner faces of the rear uprights 11.

page_text: The clamp 20 employed consists of an angular or L-shaped head section 20ª,
toothed or serrated upon its under surface, the horizontal member of the head
extending in direction of the rear of the frame, and a foot section 20b, said section
being bifurcated as shown in Fig. 2, and the members of this section are pivotally
connected with the front of the platform 18, one at each side. The clamp is held
in substantially a vertical position having a slight outward inclination when not in
use, through the medium of a hook 21, pivoted upon the platform and adapted for
engagement with a member of the foot section of the clamp. Two such hooks may
be employed, or an equivalent of the hook may be employed instead.
In the operation of sawing, the log is placed upon the supporting rollers 17, as
shown in Fig. 1, and the clamp is raised, carrying with it the platform, until the
toothed surface of the head of the clamp engages with opposite sides of the log near
the top thereof, whereupon a weight of any description may be placed upon the
platform to hold the clamp in binding engagement with the log and the log firmly
upon the rollers; or the platform may be made sufficiently heavy to accomplish this
result; or the position of the platform when the clamp is in engagement with the
log may be such that the sawyer can bear upon the platform with one foot, throwing
a portion of his weight thereon, while manipulating the saw. Thus in any event
both arms of the sawyer will be left free, and his full strength may be brought to
bear upon the work in hand.
It is evident that under the above construction the log will not slip from the
rollers, and may be manipulated over the rollers very readily by the use of but one
hand, and that the clamp is capable of use in connection with a log of any size.
The platform and the clamp are to be operated by the foot of the sawyer, thus
leaving one hand free to hold the saw while the other is used to move the log.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A saw-horse provided with a roller adapted to support a log to be sawed, said
roller comprising two conical surfaces connected at their apexes, one surface being
of greater inclination than the other, as and for the purpose specified.
2. A saw-horse provided with rollers journaled therein, adapted to support the
log to be sawed, the said rollers comprising two conical surfaces connected at
their apexes, the conical surfaces being of different inclinations, the surface of
greater inclination being located at the front of the horse, substantially as and for
the purpose set forth.
3. In a saw-horse, the combination with a fraine, the front and rear whereof are
inclined from the bottom upward and inward, the inclination at the back being
greater than that the front, of supporting rollers adapted to sustain the log to be
sawed, and journaled in the upper portion of the frame, the length of the rollers
being in direction of the front and rear of the frame, a platform pivoted to the
frame and extending to the front thereof, and a toothei clamp carried by the
platform and adapted for holding engagement with the log to be sawed, as and for
the purpose specified.
Dated this 14th day of November 1894.
HUGHES, SON & Co.,
38, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.