Year: 1894

page_text: A communication from WILLIAM HOUGHTON, of Paris, County of Brant,
Province of Ontario, Canada, Blacksmith.
I ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
--
The invention relates to improvements in that class of devices known as monkey
wrenches, and possesses many advantages, such as quickness and ease of jaw
adjustment, solidity, depth, and great convenience in handling the instrument in
cramped places where there is little room to work an ordinary wrench.
The device comprises a metal stem having a series of ratchet teeth on a portion
of its face side, and an adjustable jaw having a tail-piece provided with corre-
sponding ratchet teeth made to mesh into those on the stem.
A clip is formed on the adjustable jaw frame and made to pass around the stem
to hold it to the adjustable jaw, and a wedge or key is made to pass under the clip
and rear portion of the adjustable jaw and a projection is formed on the said key
to prevent it from falling out, and also to act as a handle to move it back and
forth. A preferably flat spring is affixed to the under side of the wedge or key to
draw the ratchet teeth into gear.
The wedge or key is locked after getting the jaws in their proper place and the
adjustable jaw cannot move downwards after being placed in position. The end of
the tail piece is provided with two lugs which come down on each side of the stem
to keep the tail piece in its place.
Any desired number of ratchet teeth may be formed on the stem and tail piece,
and if desired fewer on the former than on the latter or vice versa and the teeth
may either be formed directly on these parts or some or all of them formed on bars
attached to said parts.
The operation of the device may be described as follows;
When an operator wishes to adjust the jaws to any desired width of opening
between them, he draws back the wedge or key as far as it will go, which loosens
the adjustable jaw enabling the same to slide back and forth on the stem, which is
done by taking hold of the lugs on the tail piece and drawing it out sufficiently far
that the ratchet teeth on both parts will clear each other, the operator may then
move the adjustable jaw to the required distance from the fixed jaw after which
he lets go the tail piece and the spring under the wedge or key pulls the ratchet
teeth of the adjustable jaw into engagement with the ratchet teeth on the stem, the
jaws will remain in that position without moving during the operation of the wrench
in turning a nut for instance, but for greater security the wedge or key may be
pushed under the rear portion of the adjustable jaw and clip F as far as it can go,
which affixes said jaw in the adjusted position.
The jaws can be adjusted from the widest opening to the smallest by simply
pulling back the wedge or key and moving the adjustable jaw, which takes up less

page_text: time than one second instead of sometimes minutes of time occupied in adjusting
the jaws of the old make of monkey wrenches with a revolving nut, etc.
The wrenches may be manufactured in various sizes to suit all requirements.
Dated this 19th day of February 1894.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
London, Nottingham, Liverpool, and Manchester,
Agents for the Applicant.
A communication from WILLIAM HOUGHTON, of Paris, County of Brant,
Province of Ontario, Canada, Blacksmith.
I ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent 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 :-
This invention relates to improvements in that class of devices known as monkey
wrenches, and possesses many advantages, such as quickness and ease of jaw
adjustment, solidity, depth, and great convenience in handling the instrument in
cramped places where there is little room to work an ordinary wrench.
The device comprises a metal stem having a series of ratchet teeth on a portion
of its face side, and an adjustable jaw having a tail-piece provided with corre-
sponding ratchet teeth made to mesh into those on the stem.
A clip is formed on the adjustable jaw frame and made to pass around the stem
to hold it to the adjustable jaw, and a wedge or key is made to pass under the clip
and rear portion of the adjustable jaw and a projection is formed on the said key to
prevent it from falling out, and also to act as a handle to move it back and forth.
A preferably flat spring is affixed to the under side of the wedge or key to draw
the ratchet teeth into gear:
The wedge or key is locked after getting the jaws in their proper place, and the
adjustable jaw cannot move downwards after being placed in position. The end of
the tail piece is provided with two lugs which come down on each side of the stem
to keep the tail piece in its place.
In the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 is a side view of a wrench embodying this invention.
Fig. 2 is a similar view of a slightly modified form of the wrench.
Fig. 3 is a plan of the under side of key.
Fig. 4 is a side view representing another modification and
Fig. 5 is a transverse section on the line of Fig. 4.
A is the stem having the ratchet teeth B cut in it, or on a steel plate C dove-
tailed or otherwise fitted in a recess formed in the stem as shown by dotted lines
and firmly secured therein.
A is the handle portion of the stem.
D is the fixed jaw at the extreme end of the stem.
E is the adjustable jaw and F the clip attached to it as shown in Figs. 1 and 2
or formed in part with it as shown in Fig. 4 and formed to slide ou the stem A.
G is the tail-piece of the jaw E, terminating in two lugs a, or as hereinafter
described a lug a and a thumb piece 6 straddling the stem which keeps it parallel
with the stem.
H is a series of ratchet teeth cut in the inner face of the tail piece G and which
are made to engage with the corresponding ratchet teeth B on the stem.

page_text: I is the lock key wedge-shaped and made to pass under the clip F, and the rear
of the adjustable jaw E, and formed with a longitudinal recess 6 Fig. 3 on the
under side of it to contain a spring c, held by a pin d.
e is a projection on the key for convenience in moving it back and forth to lock
and unlock the adjustable jaw.
When it is desired to lock the adjustable jaw E the key I is pushed as far in as
it will go as shown at Fig. 2.
Figure 2 shows a slight modification of the ratchet teeth in which the greatest
number of them fare cut in the edge of the tail piece G and the corresponding
teeth g (three or four) are cut in the stem A to engage with the former. This
will answer the same purpose, but the inventor prefers the first mentioned
arrangement.
The operation of the device may be described as follows;-
When an operator wishes to adjust the jaws to any desired width of opening
between them, he draws back the wedge or key I as far as it will go, which loosens
the adjustable jaw, enabling the same to slide back and forth on the stem, which is
done by taking hold of the lugs a on the tail piece and drawing it out sufficiently
far that the ratchet teeth on both parts will clear each other, the operator may
then move the adjustable jaw E to the required distance from the fixed jaw D,
after which he lets go the tail piece G and the spring c, under the wedge or key
pulls the ratchet teeth H or f of the adjustable jaw into engagement with the
ratchet teeth B or g on the stem A, the jaws will remain in that position without
moving during the operation of the wrench in turning a nut for instance, but for
greater security, the wedge or key I may be pushed under the rear portion of the
adjustable jaw E, and clip F as far as it can go, which affixes said jaw E in the
adjusted position. The jaws can be adjusted from the widest opening to the smallest
by simply pulling back the wedge or key I and moving the adjustable jaw, which
takes up less time than one second-instead of sometimes minutes of time occupied
in adjusting the jaws of the old make of monkey wrenches with a revolving
nut, etc.
If desired the key I may be provided with a second projection b¹.
The provision of the thumb piece b facilitates the adjustment of the wrench
and enables the operator to adjust it with one hand only, and in confined situations;
this is specially advantageous in the case of bridge-work where the operator may
have to hold on or support himself with one hand and the other hand only free to
work with.
The wrenches may be manufactured in various sizes to suit all requirements.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is ;-
1. In a wrench the combination of a stem having a number of ratchet teeth on
its inner face an extension or tail piece on the adjustable jaw a number of corre-
sponding ratchet teeth on the extension or tail piece two lugs on the tail piece
straddling the stem a clip on the tail piece a wedge-shaped lock key placed under
the clip of the tail piece and the rear of the adjustable jaw itself and a key having
a spring all constructed substantially as specified.
2. In a wrench a stem such as A having ratchet teeth B, an adjustable jaw E,
and tail piece such as G with corresponding ratchet teeth H cut thereon to mesh
nto the teeth B of the stem lugs such as a a straddling the stem and a wedge or key
such as I having a spring c to lock the jaws in any desired position substantially as
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3. In a wrench the combination of ratchet teeth f formed on an extension or tail
piece of the adjustable jaw a smaller number of corresponding ratchet teeth such
s g on the stem A and a wedge or key such as 1 with spring to hold the jaws at
ny desired distance apart, substantially as described and illustrated in the
Accompanying drawings.

page_text: 4. In a wrench the combination with the fixed jaw the stem A. thereof and teeth
formed on the stem of an adjustable jaw having a toothed extension or tail piece
such as G provided with a lug a and a thumb piece such as b substantially as
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 20th day of November 1894.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.