AN IMPROVED MODE OF JOINING PIECES OF TIMBER TOGETHER END TO END, WHICH IMPROVED MODE IS APPLICABLE TO THE PURPOSES OF MAKING THE MASTS AND TOPMASTS OF SHIPS, ALSO FOR MAKING PILES, AND FOR CERTAIN OTHER PURPOSES WHEREIN TIMBER IS REQUIRED TO BE LENGTHENED, WHEREBY AN IMMENSE SAVING WILL ACCRUE, INASMUCH AS MASTS CAN BE LENGTHENED OR MADE FROM COMMON FIR TIMBER, TOPMASTS FROM SHORTER AND LESS EXPENSIVE STICKS, AND PILES MADE TO ANY REQUIRED LENGTH
Year: 1835

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
ROBERTS, Master Shipwright, of the Royal Dockyard at Plymouth, send
greeting.
WHEREAS I did, by Petition, humbly represent unto His present most
Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth that, after considerable appli-
cation, I had invented "AN IMPROVED MODE OF JOINING PIECES OF TIMBER
TOGETHER END TO END, WHICH IMPROVED MODE IS APPLICABLE TO THE PURPOSES
OF MAKING THE MASTS AND TOPMASTS OF SHIPS, ALSO FOR MAKING PILES, AND
FOR CERTAIN OTHER PURPOSES WHEREIN TIMBER IS REQUIRED TO BE LENGTHENED,
WHEREBY AN IMMENSE SAVING WILL ACCRUE, INASMUCH AS MASTS CAN BE
LENGTHENED OR MADE FROM COMMON FIR TIMBER, TOPMASTS FROM SHORTER AND
LESS EXPENSIVE STICKS, AND PILES MADE TO ANY REQUIRED LENGTH;" and His
said Majesty being willing to give encouragement to all arts and inventions
which may be for the public good, was graciously pleased, by His Royal
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Sixth day of February last
(1835), in the fifth year of His reign, for Himself, His heirs and successors,
to give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Roberts, my exors, adiñors, and
assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I
or they, by myself or themselves, or by my or their deputies, servants, or
agents, or such others as I or they should agree with, and no others, during
the term of fourteen years from the date of the said Letters Patent, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend my said Invention within -

page_text: that part of His said Majesty's Dominions called England, His Dominion of
Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in all His Majesty's
Colonies and Plantations abroad, in such maner as to me, my exors, admors,
and assigns, shall seem meet, and as that I or they shall enjoy the whole profit
and advantage arising by reason of the said Invention during the said term
of fourteen years; and for that end His said Majesty requires and strictly
commands all His subjects whatsoever that they shall not, neither directly or
indirectly, make, use, or put in practice my said Invention, or any part thereof,
nor in anywise counterfeit, imitate, or resemble the same, nor make any
addition thereto, or subtraction therefrom, whereby to pretend himself or
themselves to be the inventor or inventors thereof. And whereas, the said
Letters Patent contained a proviso obliging me, the said Thomas Roberts,
particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, and to cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent, as in and by the same (reference being
thereunto had), will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Roberts, do hereby declare that my said Invention is described and
ascertained in manner following, and by aid of the Drawings hereunto annexed
(that is to say):-
My improved mode of joining pieces of timber together end to end consists
in forming the overlapping parts, at each of the two ends which are to be
joined together, in such manner that each such overlapping end will be forked,
the two prongs or legs of each fork being disposed diametrically opposite to
each other across the centre of the general mass of the pieces of timber
which are to be joined, and the two pieces are put together with the said
prongs or legs of the forks of each piece mutually interlocked or interspaced
and included one between the other, so that each prong or leg of each fork
belonging to one piece of timber will have a prong or leg of the fork belong-
ing to the other piece in close contact with it on both of its sides. And for
this purpose the surfaces of the respective prongs which are so brought into
contact must be planes which cross and intersect each other in the centre line
of axis of the mass of each piece of timber, and the ends of the two prongs
of the forks of each piece must abut solidly against the shoulders between
the forks of the other piece, so as to fill up all interstices between the forks
of the several pieces, and make out the junction of the two pieces to the same
size as the other parts of the timber; and the said junction may be secured by

page_text: metal bolts or pins inserted transversely across the prongs of the forks, trans-
fixing both the opposite prongs of each fork, so as to unite and bind them.
together, and that binding together may be rendered more complete by sur-
rounding the junction with suitable metal hoops in order to keep the fitting
surfaces of the prongs in close contact with each other, and longitudinal
straps of metal may applied along the sides of the joined pieces, and over-
lapping the junction, and united by bolting through. And the said improved
mode of joining pieces of timber together end to end being substituted for
the mode which is commonly called scarfing, with oblique junction of the
joining and overlapping ends, will unite the pieces more firmly, inasmuch as
that the overlapping and joined end of each piece will be included between
two parts of the corresponding overlapping ends of the other piece, making
contact at the opposite sides of the centre line of the joined pieces of timber.
And also the abutting ends of the two pieces which are joined together by
this mode form contact with each other over the whole area of the transverse
section of the timber, which renders the mode particularly applicable for piles.
And for the pump rods of the pit work in mines, as well as for masts, and for
the legs or posts of shears, or other like purposes requiring very efficient
end abutment of the joined pieces, to enable them to act as props to resist
longitudinal compression, and for the more complete explanation of my
said improved mode of joining pieces of timber end to end, I have repre
sented some examples thereof in the Drawing hereunto annexed, wherein
Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, represent the mode of joining which is applicable for
a pile or square post. A is the solid balk of one of the pieces of timber
which are to be joined; and B, that of the other like piece. a and n are the
two prongs of the fork, which is formed at the end of the piece A, whilst b
and m are the two corresponding prongs of the fork, which is formed at the end
of the other piece B. The surfaces of the prongs of the forks which are to
form lateral contact with each other for the junction are planes passing across
and intersecting each other at the centre of the general mass of the piece of
timber, from one angle thereof to the other, as is clearly shewn by the trans-
verse section, Figure 2. The abutting ends of the prongs of the forks a and b
apply with exact contact to the shoulders and s, as is plainly shewn in
Figure 1; and the ends of the other prongs m and n apply in like manner to
the corresponding shoulders at the other sides of the pieces of timber. And
note, those abutting ends may either terminate with surfaces at right angles
to the length of the pieces of timber, or those ends may be made with surfaces
slightly bevelling in respect to the said length, in order to give them a
tendency to gather the prongs of each fork in towards its corresponding oppo-
site prong rather then a tendency to spread them apart from each other.

page_text: Each prong has its angle presented to the centre of the piece of timber, all
which is sufficiently shown by the Drawing. Figures 5, 6, 7, and 8, shew a
similar mode of junction, and for the like purposes, with no other difference
from the former, except that the planes of the surfaces of the prongs which
are to form contact (and which surface intersect in the centre as before) are
parellel to the flat external sides of the solid balk, as is shewn in the trans-
verse section, Figure 5, instead of being diagonal, as before explained
respecting Figure 2. All the above-mentioned examples of my said improved
mode are applicable to joining pieces of timber end to end for piles, which
are to be driven into the earth, and for posts, props, and shores for building
purposes, and for the legs of shears, and for the pump rods of mines, and
other like purposes. And note, any such suitable bolts, pins, hoops, straps, or
plates of metal as are usually applied for the ordinary modes of joining pieces
of timber for such purposes may be used in my said improved mode.
Figures 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13, explain how the same mode is applicable
to making masts, topmasts, bowsprits, yards, and other like purposes. The
mode of forming the junction being the same, and the same letters of reference
being used as in the preceding description, it is unnecessary to enter into
further explanation of those Figures; and respecting the dimensions, the
Drawings are drawn to a scale, and will serve to proportion the mode of
joining pieces of timber of any size together, by adapting each case according
to the scantling of the timber, so as to correspond with the Drawing.
Having now described my said improved mode of joining pieces of timber
end to end, and the manner of carrying the same into effect, I, the said
Thomas Roberts, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of
July, One thousand eight hundred and thirty-five.