Year: 1897

page_text: I, WILLIAM EDWARD SNEDIKER, residing at No. 123 Fairview Avenue, Jersey
City, in the State of New Jersey, United States of America, Machinist, do hereby
declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows:-
The vice is made of metal, usually of malleable cast iron, and has one stationary
jaw provided with a projecting plate adapted to rest upon a bench and be bolted
thereto, and the leg of this jaw may be extended down and rest upon the floor.
The other jaw of the vice is made with a downwardly extended leg, and in some
cases the lower end of the moving jaw is pivoted upon side plates that extend out
from the leg of the stationary jaw, and in other instances a horizontal bar is
fastened to the moving jaw and slides through a mortice in the lower part of the
stationary jaw and preferably below the bench.
The special feature of the present improvement relates to straps that pass one
at each side of the jaw legs or levers, and they are united together at the front
end, and a screw-threaded hole forms a nut for the screw that acts upon the leg
or lever of the movable jaw, and at the back end of these straps there is a cross-
key, and behind the stationary jaw and above the plate that rests on the bench
is a stepped incline, the edges of the steps or teeth being rounding, or the bottoms
of the grooves or notches being rounding and this cross key passing through the
straps and secured thereto engages the stepped incline. In some instances the
edge of the cross key that engages the stepped incline is grooved to take the
rounding edges of the stepped incline, and in other instances the edge of the cross
key is rounding to take the rounding groove between the projections of the
stepped incline, and nuts at the end of the cross key hold the same to the straps.
There is a pin upon one of the jaw legs or levers, either below the straps or
passing into a mortice in one of the straps to prevent the outer nut portion of
the straps dropping or descending when in use.
The straps and cross key can be pushed back to disengage the cross key from
the stepped incline, and then the jaws can be opened to any desired extent for the
reception of the article to be held, and the cross key brought into engagement
with the stepped incline, and then the pressure applied by rotating the screw that
passes through the nut portion of the straps, or the article is released by an oppo-
site movement.
In some instances a key or gib is introduced between the end of the screw and
the leg or lever of the moving jaw, and it is advantageous to apply a spring acting
against a ledge upon the lower side of the nut portion of the straps to press such
nut portions towards the leg or lever of the moving jaw.
In that form of jaw where a slide bar extends to the rear from the lower por-
tion of the leg of the moving jaw, it is advantageous to provide a core so that in
casting the stationary jaw. the core portion of the mortice is larger than the sliding
bar, and hence the metal at the front and rear ends of this cored portion alone

page_text: will require to filed or otherwise finished, for the bar to slide freely through
the opening or mortice, and this bar becomes a guide to maintain the parallelism
of the jaws as the device is opened or closed. This guide bar may pass in below
the bench, or it may be immediately below the bottom of the stepped incline and
above the bench.
A helical spring may be introduced in the strap to act against the supporting
pin in place of the spring before mentioned as acting on the nut.
Dated this 16th day of March 1897
ERNEST DE PASS,
Chartered Patent Agent,
78 Fleet Street, London, and 5* Market Street, Nottingham,
Agent for the Applicant.
Improvements in Vices for Machinists and others.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD SNEDIKER, now residing at No. 140, Mercer Street,
(formerly at No. 123 Fairview Avenue), Jersey City, State of New Jersey, United
States of America, Machinist, 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 vice is made of metal, usually of malleable cast iron with one stationary
jaw, and with a plate adapted to rest upon a bench and be bolted thereto, and
the other jaw is pivoted or adapted to slide. The special feature of the present
improvement relates to straps that pass one at each side of the jaw legs or levers,
and they are united together at the front end and provided with a screw threaded
hole for the screw that acts upon the movable jaw, and at the back end of the
straps there is a cross key that engages a stepped incline so that a comparatively
short screw can be used in giving the pressure upon the article held in the vice,
the straps and cross key engaging the stepped incline holding the jaw when it
has been moved approximately to the desired position.
In the drawing,
Figure 1 is an elevation partially in section of the vice having pivoted jaw
levers.
Fig 2 is a plan view at the line x, x.
Fig. 3 is a section in larger size of the cross key and part of the stepped
incline.
Fig. 4 is a sectional plan_view of the straps showing the cross key.
Fig. 5 is a side view partially in section of the vice with a slide" jaw.
Fig. 6 is a plan view partially in section of the vice shown in Fig. 5.
Fig. 7 is an end elevation with the screw in section, and
Fig. 8 is an elevation partially in section of a modified form of slide jaw.
The jaws A and B are of any desired size and shape and the downwardly pro-
jecting jaw legs or levers A¹ B¹ are represented in Fig. 1 as guided by the plate C
and pivot bolt D, so that the jaw B and lever B₁ swing upon the bolt D. In
Fig. 5 the jaws A B are represented as having the jaw legs A2 B2 and a bar C¹
connected to the jaw leg B2 and sliding through a box A3 upon the jaw leg A².
In Fig. 8 the bar C¹ extending out from the jaw leg B² is represented as passing
into a box above the table L, while in Fig. 5 the bar C¹ is below the table L.
If desired, there may be a leg or support A* extending down from the jaw leg or
lever to the floor for supporting and stiffening the parts,

page_text: In order to connect the vice to the bench or table L, the plate or flange A³
extends out to the rear of the jaw A and screws or bolts may pass through the
same into the table, and there is a stepped incline G at the back of the jaw A.
The straps E E are connected at their front ends where there is a screw
threaded hole forming a nut E' for the screw F which may be rotated by any
suitable lever handle F, and it acts against the leg or lever of the jaw B, and the
straps E extend one at each side of the jaw legs or levers, and near their rear ends
there is a cross key H passing through a mortise in the straps and held in posi-
tion by nuts 4 upon screw threaded projections from the cross key, and this cross
key is adapted to engage the stepped incline G.
In Figs. 1 and 3 this cross key H is represented as grooved or recessed at its
front edge to engage the rounded edge of one of the steps of the incline G.
In Figs. 5 and 8 the cross key H is represented as passing down between one
tooth and the next of the stepped incline, and in both forms the bearing of the
cross key against the stepped incline is rounding so that a proper bearing may be
taken by the cross key against the stepped incline, even when the straps E may
be at a greater or less inclination, and the straps and cross key are to be moved
with the jaw B to a position adapted to receive the article to be grasped between
the jaws, and then the pressure upon such art cle is given by the screw F.
It is necessary to prevent the front end of the straps E from dropping down,
and with this object in view, a pin I is inserted in a horizontal slot in one or
both of the straps E, or there may be a pin beneath such straps, as indicated by
dotted lines in Fig. 1.
It is advantageous to introduce a plate 10 between the end of the screw F and
the jaw leg B to prevent the end of the screw embedding itself in the metal of
the jaw, and to hold this plate 10 in position, there is a lip or projection upon its
upper end lapping over the straps E and by which such plate is suspended.
It is also important to keep the end of the screw F towards the jaw leg or lever,
and for this purpose the spring 12 may be used, as shown in Fig. 5, acting against
a downward projecting flange 16 from the nut E¹. The spring, however, may be
placed in one of the straps E, as shown by dotted lines at 13, Fig. 8, the same
acting aginst the pin I. It is, however, generally preferable to employ a
spring 14 in a recess or mortise in the plate A5 and acting beneath the bar C¹
against the leg or lever of the front jaw B, so that by its expansion the vice may
be opened when the cross key H is lifted from the stepped incline, and this
spring is compressed when the front jaw is pushed towards the article to be
grasped, together with the straps E and cross key H, the latter dropping against
one of the teeth of the stepped incline when the inward movement has been
completed.
By making the box A³, through which the bar C¹ slides by a cored casting,
the ends of the mortise may be smaller than the middle portion, so that only the
end portions of the mortise in the box require finishing, the bar C¹ sliding through
such box and resting upon the finished portion thereof, as represented in the
drawing.
When this vice is made in the form represented in Fig. 1, it is advantageous
to place a spring, as shown at L¹, for opening the jaws, and in order to adapt the
jaws of the vice to the surface of the article to be grasped between such jaws, a
separate face K may be provided to such jaw, the rear of such face being the
segment of a cylinder resting in a similar shaped recess in the jaw B, and held in
position by a pivot pin passing through a lug 5 at each end of the jaw, so that the
jaw face may turn upon the pivot pin to accommodate itself to the shape of the
article held in the vice.
In vices that are made of malleable iron with jaw levers or legs extending down
from the jaws, difficulty has been experienced in rendering the malleable iron
uniform throughout the jaw levers or legs, and these parts are liable to break, in
consequence of the cast-iron not being uniformly decarbonized. To lessen this

page_text: risk, I make the jaw levers or legs with grooves on their opposite edges so as to
be substantially in the shape of the letter H sectionally, as seen in Fig. 2, in order
that the action of the heat in rendering the cast iron malleable, may be uniform.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
First. The combination with the jaws and jaw levers or legs, of straps extending
one at each side, a nut portion uniting the front ends of the straps and a cross
key near the back end of the straps and a stepped incline or rack behind the
stationary jaw, substantially as set forth.
Second. The combination with the jaws in a vice, of straps extending one at
each side of the jaw leyers or legs united by a nut portion at the front end, a
screw passing through such nut portion, a cross pin in a mortise through the
straps and nuts for holding the cross pin in position, and a stepped incline or
rack behind the stationary jaw for receiving the cross key, substantially as set
forth.
Third. The combination with the vice jaws and the straps and screw, of a cross
key, screw mortises in the back ends of the straps and the stepped incline or rack
with which such cross key comes into contact, the surfaces of the respective parts
being rounded so as to take a uniform bearing the one on the other, substantially
as set forth.
Fourth. The combination with the stationary jaw, of a moving jaw, straps
passing one at each side of the jaw legs or levers and united at their outer ends
by a nut, a stepped incline behind the stationary jaw, a cross key passing through
the straps and engaging the stepped incline and a pin for supporting the straps
near their outer ends upon the moving jaw, substantially as set forth.
Fifth. The combination in a vice with the stationary and moving jaws, of a
guide bar fastened to the moving jaw and passing through a box connected with
the stationary jaw, straps and a nut for uniting them at the front end, a cross
key through the straps near their rear ends, a screw passing through the nut and
acting upon the moving jaw, and a spring for compressing the moving jaw towards
the screw, substantially as set forth.
Sixth. The combination in a vice with the stationary and moving jaws, of a
guide bar fastened to the moving jaw and passing through a box connected with
the stationary jaw, straps and a nut for uniting them at the front end, a cross
key through the straps near their rear ends, a screw passing through the nut and
acting upon the moving jaw, and a spring for compressing the moving jaw towards
the screw, and a suspended plate intervening between the end of the screw and
the moving jaw, substantially as set forth.
Seventh. The malleable iron jaw and jaw levers or legs that are H shaped in
cross section, in combination with the straps, nut and screw for acting upon the
moving jaw, substantially as set forth.
ERNEST DE PASS,
Chartered Patent Agent,
78 Fleet Street, London, and 5^ Market Street, Nottingham,
Agent for the Applicant.