IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF METALLIC AND OTHER BEDSTEADS, AND ARTICLES OF METALLIC AND OTHER FUNITUDE "
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Barnabas Daft, of the Irish Engineering
Company, Seville Iron Works, Dublin, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF METALLIC AND OTHER BEDSTEADS, AND ARTICLES
OF METALLIC AND OTHER FUNITUDE "
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Barnabas Daft at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th March 1856.
I, THOMAS BARNABAS DAFT, of the Irish Engineering Company, Seville
Iron Works, Dublin, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF METALLIC AND OTHER BEDSTEADS, AND
ARTICLES OF METALLIC AND OTHER FURNITURE," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a mode of joining legs of bedsteads to the angles
or corners of the frame, also to coating the same with brass or other suitable
metal or material, also to fastening in the castors, to tipping the ends of the
legs, and also to the manufacture of an elastic lath for the sacking of bed-
steads. 1 form a "spigot and faucet" joint to the legs, pillars, and angles of
bedsteads, sofas, chairs, and such like articles, by giving the spigot and faucet.
certain angles which shall make them firmly unite when simply put together
and driven home. I do this by employing moulds of iron or chills to cast the

page_text: "spigot and faucet" part of the leg and corner, the remainder being cast in
sand or chills as may be most convenient.
I coat the legs or pillars of iron, with brass, copper, tin, or other suitable
metal, by laying the legs into suitably prepared sand or metal moulds, and
running a coat of molten metal upon them, and in this way I am able to make
ornamental patterns. I fasten in the castor by a nut, and screw the latter
running from the castor to a convenient distance up the inside of the leg, and
through a washer made to butt against the sides of the leg, or against a flange
cast on the inside for the purpose as a stay to the bolt. I also run a bolt
through the entire of the leg and pillar, and secure it by a vase or other orna-
ment on the top of the post or pillar, thus binding the leg, corner, and post
firmly together. When castors are not used I "tip" the bottom of the legs
with brass or other metal, by forming the tip something like a button, putting
the shank up the leg, and closing or riveting over the same in the inside.
I make an elastic lath of the usual hoop iron, by turning the ends of two half
laths each half round, and closing them into a loop which corresponds with
them, and into the intermediate spaces between the ends of the laths and the
loop I put small blocks of vulcanized india-rubber, so that by elongating the
lath, the two halves thus jointed into one, the rubber is compressed and has a
strong tendency to assume its normal state.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Barnabas Daft in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 26th September 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
BARNABAS DAFT, of the Irish Engineering Company, Seville Iron Works,
Dublin, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Iler Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Thomas Barnabas Daft, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas
Barnabas Daft, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Thomas Barnabas Daft, my 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

page_text: 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 MANUFACTURE OF METALLIC AND OTHER BEDSTEADS,
AND ARTICLES OF METALLIC AND OTHER FURNITURE," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Thomas Barnabas Daft, my exccutors or adminis-
trators, 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 Thomas Barnabas Daft, do hereby declaro
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:
This Invention relates, firstly, to a mode of connecting legs of metallic bed-
steads and other articles of furniture to the angles or corners of the frame.
For this purpose I form a spigot and faucet joint to the legs and angles or
corners of the frame, and I give to the spigot and faucet such an inclination
as shall make them firmly unite when simply put together and driven home.
Figure 1 is a side view, and Figure 2 a vertical section of the post, and part
of the frame of a bedstead arranged according to my Invention. A, A, is
one corner of the rectangular frame to which the laths are attached, it is also
shown in plan at Figure 3. This frame is cast in one piece, and has sockets
or faucets a, a, at its corners, which are formed by introducing "chills" or
pieces of metal of suitable form into the mould in which the frame is cast, as
is well understood. The inclination which is most suitable for the sides of the
socket is shewn by the Drawing; B is the lower part of the pillar. or leg of
the bedstead, it has at its upper end a spigot b, which is also cast in a metal
chill, and is of suitable size for fitting into the socket a, of the frame A; C is
the upper part of the pillar, it also has a spigot at its lower eud which fits
into the socket a' of the frame A. Sometimes I cast the upper part of the
pillar in one piece with the lower part, and then but one spigot and faucet
joint is necessary; this arrangement is shewn at Figure 4. Figure 5 shews
the method which I employ when using pillars or legs of earthenware, china,
or glass, in place of metal pillars or legs; b and c are the parts which are of
carthenware, china, or glass, and b', c', are metal cups of suitable form for
fitting into the sockets in the frame, and into which cups the pillars or legs
are fixed by cement.
The second part of this Invention consists in a method of ornamenting the

page_text: legs or pillars of bedsteads, and other articles of furniture when of cast iron.
And this I do by placing the same in a suitable mould of sand or metal, and
casting therein upon the cast-iron leg or pillar, brass, copper, tin, or other
suitable metal, so as to coat or give a new surface to the leg or pillar. The
mould may either be plain, or so formed as to produce ornamental patterns
upon the surface of the leg or pillar as may be desired.
The third part of the Invention consists in a method of fixing the
castors to the legs of metallic bedsteads and other articles of furniture.
For this purpose (see Figure 6) a screw a is used, which passes up from
the castor to a metal washer b, (supported by suitable projections formed on
the interior of the leg,) where it is secured by a nut c; or the screw may
project upwards the whole length of the pillar, as is seen at Figure 2, and in
this case it is fastened at the top by screwing on a vase d, and it then serves
to hold the two parts of the pillar together.
The fourth part of my Invention consists in tipping the ends of the legs of
iron bedsteads and other articles of furniture, with brass or other suitable
metal, and this I do in the manner shewn at Fig. 7, in which A is the leg,
and B the tip of brass or other metal. The tip is fastened to the leg by
means of a tubular shank formed on the tip, this shank enters a hole in the
bottom of the leg, and is turned over or rivetted on the inside, as is shewn.
The last part of my Invention consists in a method of rendering metallic
laths elastic, so as to enable them to pass over the buttons on the frame when
the same is inade in one piece, as is described in this Specification. Figure 8
sbews a plan and side view of part of a lath constructed according to this
part of my Invention. A, A, are two parts of the metallic lath, in between
which is introduced a ring of hoop iron B, which contains a ring of vulcanized
india-rubber C; D, D, are two iron rings connected to the parts of the lath
When a
A, A, and passing round the vulcanized india-rubber ring C.
strain is put on the lath the india-rubber ring C is compressed, and having
a tendency to reassume its natural form it gives elasticity to the lath.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself to
the exact details described, but what I claim is, firstly, the mode of connect-
ing the legs of bedsteads and other articles of furniture to the angles of the
frame by means of a spigot and faucet joint, as described.
Secondly, the method of ornamenting the legs or pillars of bedsteads and
other articles of furniture, when of cast iron, by casting thereon brass, copper,
tin, or other suitable metal, so as to coat or give a new surface to the leg or
pillar.

page_text: Thirdly, the method herein shown and described of fixing castors to the
legs of metallic bedsteads and other articles of furniture.
Fourthly, the fixing tips of brass or other suitable metal to the ends of the
legs of iron bedsteads and other articles of furniture, as herein shown and
described.
Lastly, the method of giving elasticity to the metallic laths of bedsteads and
other articles of furniture by the use of vulcanized india-rubber, as herein
shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Barnabas Daft, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of September, in the
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
year of
THOMAS BARNABAS DAFT. (L.S.)
Witness,
WILL. PARE,
Of the Seville Iron Works,
Dublin.