Year: 1886

page_text: I, ANDREW WAIT, of Bathgate Forge, Bathgate, Linlithgowshire, Spade and
Shovel Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be. as
follows:-
My said invention has reference to an improved construction, or mode of con-
structing, the open barred shovels used for shovelling potatos or other root plants
for letting the loose dirt or earth through the spaces; which improvements will
make such shovels more convenient, and stronger or more durable, than such
shovels have been as heretofore constructed, with the bars made of round bars of
iron rivetted to the front and back cross webs of the shovel.
The nature and novelty of my said invention or improvements consist; in first
hammering and shaping the body of the shovel out into a flat plate of the proper
thickness and size or outline required to afterwards crease or shape it, and form
the long hollow conical socket for inserting the lower end of the long wood handle,
which latter are done much the same as usual. My improvements consists first, in
forming and continuing, the raised semi-circular groove, at the centre and back
end for the handle, right down the whole centre of the shovel in a tapered or
raised hollow conical groove or inverted channel shape, as a strengthening longi-
tudinal rib to the whole. And second, in cutting out nearly parallel to the central
rib, on both sides narrow longitudinal recesses at proper distances apart to leave
the bars in the solid plate right from the back and front cross webs of the shovel,
and then in creasing down the opposite edges of all the bars (left between the said
openings) into hollow ridges or inverted channel shapes which gives the bars so
formed great strength and leaves the wide openings very free for the loose earth to
fall through off the potatos or other plant roots, while being used.
This makes the whole body of the shovel strong out of the solid hammered plate
of iron or steel, without piercing holes in these webs, or inserting rivets through
these and the flatened ends of each bar which takes up much time and labour
without adding strength. When the socket for the handle is finished, the
closing up, or welding, of which at the back is generally left to the last, then a

page_text: strengthening tongue piece may be fitted from the root of this socket down the
back groove of the centre channel rib as far as the back web to strengthen this
part on the back hollow side.
This improved construction of potato or root plant shovel may be cut or punched
to the outline shape as described with the recesses between the ribs or bars, out of
rolled steel or iron plates, these rough blocked out shapes would be then placed
between proper shaped lower and upper dies in a powerful lever or hydraulio
press to shape each shovel at one compression into the proper shape with all ridged
or channel shaped bars formed at once, ready for closing the conical socket for the
handle and fitting on the strengthening back tongue piece.
:
When punched in this way out of the flat sheet metal, the recesses between the
longitudinal raised groove bars, could be made short in the form of rectangular
-perforations with cross pieces between, which would strengthen the bars and let
the loose earth through the shovel nearly as well.

page_text: Shovels.
I, ANDREW WAIT, of Bathgate Forge, Bathgate, Linlithgowshire, Spade and
Shovel Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement in writing, reference being
had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, and to the reference letters and
figures marked thereon, that is to say :—
°
My said invention has reference to an improved construction, or mode of.
constructing the open barred shovels used for shovelling or digging potatoes or
other root plants for letting the loose dirt or earth through the open spaces; which
improvements will make such shovels more convenient, and stronger or more
durable than such shovels have been as heretofore constructed with the bars made
of round iron riveted to the front and back cross webs of the shovel.
And in order that my said invention, and the manner of performing or carrying
the same into effect or practice may be properly understood, I have hereunto
appended an explanatory Sheet of Drawings, in which the same reference letters
are used to indicate corresponding parts in all the Figures where shown. Figure 1,
is a front elevation of a potato shovel constructed in accordance with the improve-
ments of my invention; while Figure 2, is a sectional edge elevation through the
centre of the shovel, corresponding to Figure 1; and Figure 3, is a horizontal
section taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 1.
Referring to these Drawings, the nature and novelty of my said invention or
improvements consist, in hammering and shaping the body of the shovel A A¹ out
into a flat plate of the proper thickness and size or outline required to afterwards
crease or shape it, and form the long hollow conical socket B for inserting the
lower end of the long wood handle C, which latter are constructed much the same
as usual. My improvements consist first, in forming and continuing, the raised
semi-circular groove, at the centre and back end for the handle C, right down the
whole centre of the shovel A, A¹ in a tapered or raised hollow conical groove or
inverted channel shape a¹ as a strengthening longitudinal rib to the whole. And
second in cutting out nearly parallel to the central rib a, on both sides narrow
longitudinal recesses b at proper distances apart to leave the bars a a¹ in the solid
plate right from the back and front cross webs A A¹ of the shovel, and then in
creasing down the opposite edges of all the bars a, a¹, (left between the said
openings) into hollow ridges of inverted channel shape as seen particularly in
Figure 3, either all at once by suitable upper and lower strong dies or by the
hammer and hand creases which gives the bars a a¹ so formed great strength and
leaves the wide openings 6 very free for the loose earth to fall through off the
potatoes or other plant roots while being used.
This makes the whole body of the shovel A A¹ strong out of the solid hammered
plate of iron or steel, without piercing holes in these webs, for and inserting rivets
through these and the flatened ends of each bar a a¹ which takes up much time
and labour without adding strength as in the ordinary constructions of potato

page_text: shovels. When the socket B for the handle C is finished, the closing up, (or
welding), of which at the back is generally left to the last, then a strengthening
tongue piece c is fitted from or over the root of this socket B down the back
groove of the centre channel rib a as far as the back of the web A¹ and secured by
rivets, to strengthen this part on the back hollow side. This improved construction
of potato or root plant shovel A A¹ is cut or punched to the outline shape as
described, with the recesses b between the ribs or bars a a' out of rolled steel or
iron plates. These rough blocked-out shaped plates are then preferably formed by
placing them between proper shaped lower and upper dies or matrices to emboss
the whole at once in a powerful lever or hydraulic press steam stamp, ram, or
other equivalent pressure organ, to shape each shovel A A¹ at one compression into
the proper shape and cap up the edges A* of the sides and upper end, and with all
the ridged or channel shaped bars a a¹ formed at once, ready for closing the conical
socket B for the handle C, which would be done afterwards by the hand hammer
and suitable creases and fitting on and securing by rivets the strengthening back
tongue piece c, all before inserting and securing by rivets the wooden handle C.,
When punched in this way, out of the flat sheet metal, the recesses b between
the longitudinal raised groove bars a a¹ although not so shown in the Drawings,
could be made short in the form of rectangular perforations with cross pieces
between as indicated at 6¹ 6 in dotted lines on the right hand side of Figure:1,
which would strengthen the bars a a¹ and let the loose earth through the shovel
nearly as well.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed' I declare that what
I claim is:
First. The improvements in the construction and manufacture of potato shovels
out of a solid plate of iron or steel substantially as herein described, in reference
to and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Second. The constructing of potato shovels out of a solid metallic plate by
punching the recesses b, and leaving the bars a al solid with the webs A A¹ of the
plate, substantially as herein described, in reference to and shown in the accom-
panying Drawings.
Third. In potato shovels, the forming of the bars or ribs, with hollow ridges or
inverted channel shape corrugations, substantially as herein set forth.
Dated this 21ot down of Ontahan 1000