IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SCYTHES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James George Curry Fussell, of Mells, in the
County of Somerset, Clerk, and William Wise, the younger, of Mells,
in the same County, Edge Tool Manufacturer, for the Invention of
Sealed the 19th March 1867, and dated the 22nd September 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James George Curry
Fussell and William Wise at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 22nd September 1866.
We, JAMES GEORGE CURRY FUSSELL, of Mells, in the County of Somerset,
Clerk, and WILLIAM WISE, the younger, of Mells, in the same County,
Edge Tool Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SCYTHES," to be as
follows:-
Our Invention of improvements in the construction of scythes relates
to a novel mode of connecting the scythe blade to the handle of the imple-
ment so as to admit of the blade being adjusted with facility in any desired
position to suit the stature of the workman, the nature of the crop on which
it is intended to operate, or other circunstances under which an alteration or
temporary adjustment of the blade may be required. To this end the butt or

page_text: inner end of the blade is adapted to a round socket, in which it may be turned
round to any desired extent in order to adjust the blade parallel with the
ground or otherwise as may be desired. The blade is secured in this socket
by means of a tightening screw which will hold it fast in any desired position
when it has been adjusted in the socket; this socket is adapted to the handle
of the implement by means of a vertical pin joint on which it is capable of
turning horizontally in either direction. The arm of the socket carries two
ears, one on each side, through which pass two adjusting and tightening
screws which bear against the tail of the arm which carries the vertical pin
joint, and which is fixed to the handle of the scythe. By means of these
adjusting screws the socket which carries the blade may be moved horizontally
on its centre pin, and the point of the blade will thereby be in or out to a
greater or less extent as may be required.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James George Curry Fussell and William Wise in the Great-
Seal Patent Office on the 22nd March 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
GEORGE CURRY FUSSELL, of Mells, in the County of Somerset, Clerk, and
WILLIAM WISE, the younger, of Mells, in the same County, Edge Tool
Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said James George Curry Fussell and William Wise, Her special licence, that
we, the said James George Curry Fussell and William Wise, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said James George
Curry Fussell and William Wise, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at
all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SCYTHES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said James George Curry Fussell and William Wise, our
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their,
or one of our or their hands and seals, should particularly describe and

page_text: 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 James George Curry Fussell, on
behalf of myself and of the said William Wise, do hereby declare the nature
of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement,
reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the letters
and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
Our Invention of "Improvements in the Construction of Scythes" relates
to a novel mode of connecting the scythe blade to the handle of the
implement so as to admit of the blade being adjusted with facility in any
desired position to suit the stature of the workman using it, or the nature
of the crop on which it is intended to operate, or other circumstances
under which an alteration or temporary adjustment of the blade may be
required.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a scythe
constructed according to this Invention; Fig. 2 is a side view on an enlarged
scale, and Fig. 3 an edge view of the coupling by which the blade and the
handle of the scythe are connected together; and Fig. 4 is a side view of a
modification of this coupling. The short stem of the scythe blade A, Fig. 2,
is fitted into a round socket in the coupling piece B, in which it may be turned
round to any desired extent in order to adjust the blade so as to be parallel
with the ground when in action or at an inclination thereto as may be desired.
The blade is secured in this socket by means of a tightening screw a, which
will hold it fast in its adjusted position. The socketed coupling piece B is
jointed by a swivel pin c to a metal strap C, which is secured by means of screws
to the handle D. The eye in the strap C through which the pin c passes is
formed with a projection or tail piece c¹ for the purpose to be presently ex-
plained; this tail piece c¹ lies between two tapped ears or lugs b formed in
the coupling piece B and fitted with adjusting and tightening screws b¹, b².
The screws are intended to bear against the opposite sides of the tail c¹ of the
strap piece C, and thereby retain it in any desired position. It will now be
understood that by slackening one or other of the screws 6', and tightening up
the opposite one, the angle formed by the blade and handle may be changed
as required, and further that by making the blade adjustable in its socket, and
securing it therein by the clamping screw a, as described, the dip of the blade
or inclination of the cutting edge when in action with respect to the ground

page_text: also admits of nice adjustment. In Fig. 4 the stem of the scythe blade
instead of being straight and rounded to fit into a socket is bent round at
right angles and flattened in order that it may be made fast to the side of the
coupling piece B by a screw bolt a; this bolt passes through an eye formed in
the stem and enters the socket which is tapped to receive it. In this case it
will be understood that the dip or inclination of the cutting edge admits of
easy adjustment. In other respects the coupling is precisely similar to that
shewn at Fig. 2.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "Improvements in
the Construction of Scythes," and explained the manner of carrying the same
into effect, we wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited
Letters Patent we claim connecting the scythe blade to its handle in the
manner and for the purpose above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James George Curry Fussell, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, the Twenty-first day of Marcb, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
JAMES G. C. FUSSELL.
(L.8.)