IMPROVEMENTS IN THE HANDLES OF SPADES, SHOVELS, AND FORKS, AND OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES."
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John William Yates, of Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
HANDLES OF SPADES, SHOVELS, AND FORKS, AND OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John William Yates at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
20th March 1867.
I, JOHN WILLIAM YATES, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE HANDLES OF SPADES, SHOVELS, AND FORKS, AND OTHER SIMILAR
ARTICLES," to be as follows:-
In the ordinary method of making the said handles the tree or cylindrical
part of the wooden handle is inserted between two straps or langets on the
spade or fork, the said tree or wooden part of the handle being fastened
thereto by rivetting. The said handles are also sometimes connected to the
spade or fork by being inserted in a socket on the spade or fork, a plate
called the centre strap extending about half way up the wooden part of the
handle, the handle being slit or divided through about half its length for the
reception of the said centre strap.

page_text: My Invention consists in making the said handles in the following
manner I form on or attach to the hollow socket a centre strap of a length
equal to the whole length of the cylindrical part or tree of the handle, and I
form the upper part of the handle of metal, that part grasped by the hand
being made of wood. The said upper part of the handle is connected to the
cylindrical part or tree of the handle by means of a tubular socket (forming
part of the upper part of the handle), into which socket the upper part of the
centre strap and the upper ends of two semi-cylinders of wood forming the
cylindrical part of the handle enter, the lower ends of the said semi-cylinders
of wood entering the ordinary socket on the spade or fork. The semi-
cylinders of wood are thus situated on opposite sides of the centre strap, and
fixed at top and bottom in the sockets described. A series of rivets are
passed through the said semi-cylinders of wood and the centre strap, and also
through the tubular socket at the top of the handle, whereby the whole of
the parts forming the handle are rivetted together and secured to the spade
or fork.
As the semi-cylinders of wood on the centre strap are quite detached
from one another they need not be formed from one cylindrical piece of wood
divided longitudinally, and conséquently smaller and inferior pieces of wood
may be employed to make the said semi-cylinders than are required to make
handles of the ordinary kind.
Handles made according to my. Invention are much stronger and more
durable than handles constructed in the ordinary way.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John William Yates in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
81st August 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
WILLIAM YATES, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John William Yates, Her special licence that I, the said John William Yates,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
John William Yates, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter

page_text: during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man,
HANDLES OF SPADES, SHOVELS, AND FORKS, AND OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John William Yates, 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 John William Yates, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
being fastened
nected to the
In the ordinary method of making the said handles the tree or cylindrical
part of the wooden handle is inserted between two straps er langets on the
spade or fork, the said tree or wooden part of the
thereto by rivetting. The said handles are also sometin
spade or fork by being inserted in a socket on the spad or fork, a plate
called the centre strap extending about half way up the wooden part of the
handle, the handle being slit or divided through about half its length for the
reception of the said centre strap.
My Invention consists in making the said handles in the following
manner: I form on or attach to the hollow socket a centre strap of a length
equal to the whole length of the cylindrical part or tree of the handle, and I
form the upper part of the handle of metal, that grasped by the hand being
made of wood. The said upper part of the handle is connected to the
cylindrical part or tree of the handle by means of a tubular socket (forming
part of the upper part of the handle), into which socket the upper part of the
centre strap and the upper ends of the two semi-cylinders of wood forming
the cylindrical part of the handle enter, the lower ends of the said semi-
cylinders of wood entering the ordinary socket on the spade or fork. The
semi-cylinders of wood are thus situated on opposite sides of the centre strap,
A series of rivets are
and fixed at top and bottom in the sockets described.
passed through the said semi-cylinders of wood and the centre strap, and also
through the tubular socket at the top of the handle, whereby the whole of
the parts forming the handle are rivetted together and secured to the spade
or fork

page_text: Handles made according to my Invention are much stronger and more
durable than handles constructed in the ordinary way.
Having explained the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to describe,
with reference to the accompanying Drawing, the manner in which the same
is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in front elevation, and Figure 2 in side elevation a
spade, the handle of which is constructed according to my Invention.
Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 represent portions of the same, as herein-after
explained. The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in each
Figure of the Drawing.
In constructing the handle of the said spade according to my Invention, I
form on or attach to the hollow socket a of the blade b a centre strap c.
The said centre strap c is best seen in edge view in Figure 3 and side view
in Figure 4. The centre strap c is of a length equal to the whole length of
the cylindrical part or tree of the handle. The cylindrical part or tree of
the handle is formed of two semi-cylinders of wood d, e, (shown separately
in elevation in Figure 5 and cross section in Figure 6), the said semi-cylinders
d, e, being placed on opposite sides of the centre strap c, and fastened thereto
by a series of rivets f passed through the said semi-cylinders of wood and
centre strap. The lower ends d, e, of the semi-cylinders d, e, enter the
socket a on the blade b. The upper part 9 of the handle (shown separately
in Figure 7) is made of metal, the part which is grasped by the hand
being made of wood. The upper part 9 of the handle is connected to the
tops of the semi-cylinders d, e, or tree of the handle by means of the tubular
socket h³, the upper ends d³, e³, of the semi-cylinders d, e, as well as the
end c³ of the centre strap c entering the said socket h³. By means of a rivet i
passed through the said tubular socket h³, centre strap and semi-cylinders
ds, e, the said parts are connected together and the handle completed, the
said handle being much stronger and more durable than handles made in the
ordinary way. As the semi-cylinders of wood d, e, on the centre strap c are
quite detached from one another they need not be formed from one cylindrical
piece of wood divided longitudinally, and consequently smaller and inferior
pieces of wood may be employed to make the said semi-cylinders than are
required to make handles of the ordinary kind. Handles of shovels, forks,
and other similar articles are constructed in the manner described with respect
to the handle of a spade.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not
limit myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated, as the same

page_text: may be varied without departing from the nature of my Invention; but I
claim as my Invention the improvements in the handles of spades, shovels, and
forks, and other similar articles herein-before described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawing, that is to say, forming on or attaching to the hollow
socket on the spade, fork, or other article a centre strap of a length equal to
the whole length of the tree of the handle, and forming the tree of the handle
of semi-cylinders of wood placed on opposite sides of and rivetted to the said
centre strap and fixed at top and bottom in sockets, substantially as described
and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said John William Yates, have hereunto set
my band and seal this Twenty-ninth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
5
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
JOHN WILLIAM YATES. (L.S.)