IMPROVEMENTS IN VICES AND SCREW BENCHES
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Roberts, of Millwall, Poplar, Engineer, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN VICES AND SCREW BENCHES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Roberts at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 25th
May 1861.
I, WILLIAM ROBERTS, of Millwall, Poplar, Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN VICES AND SCREW BENCHES,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in vices and screw benches.
In constructing vices according to my Invention I form the fixed jaw thereof
with a plate projecting out horizontally from the back of the jaw. This plate
passes underneath the top or surface of the bench to which the vice is secured,
and is screwed to it. The screw of the vice passes through a nut in the fixed
jaw immediately under the horizontal plate. The stem of the screw at its
outer end passes, as is usual, through the moving jaw of the vice; this jaw is
not hinged, as commonly, to the fixed jaw, but is at its lower end turned up
horizontally, and passes through a hole under the screw in the lower part of
the fixed jaw. There is also a hole through the fixed jaw over the screw just
on a level with the horizontal plate before mentioned, and through this hole

page_text: a horizontal bar fixed at one end to the moveable jaw passes, and this bar is
continued along in a slot in the horizontal plate until it comes to the end of
the 'screw where it has a lump attached to it, which serves as a bearing for
the end of the screw, and an arm on this lump or bearing connects it with tho
end of the horizontal portion of the moveable jaw. When the screw is turned
the lump at its end and consequently the moveable jaw is drawn by it one
or other direction, and this jaw when a piece of work is being held is pre-
vented tipping by the arm which connects the lump or screw bearing with the
-tail-of the moving jaw. The head of the moving jaw is made to turn on a
centre at a point over that where the screw passes through the jaw, so that the
nipping surface may adapt itself to the surface of the work, should this be
inclined. The screw is worked by means of a small wheel at its end, so that
it can be turned rapidly, and to give the nip a lever is employed turning on the
axis of the wheel, and capable of being made by fast to the wheel by a bolt
entering holes in the periphery of the wheel. For the use of carpenters and
other workers in wood a similar apparatus may be constructed principally or
entirely of wood.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Roberts in the Great Seal Patent Office, on
the 25th November 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERTS, of Millwall, Poplar, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Roberts, Her special licence that I, the said William
Roberts, my, executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said William Roberts, 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 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 VICES AND SCREW BENCHES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Roberts, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
.

page_text: 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 William Roberts, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:
This Invention has for its object improvements in vices and screw benches.
In constructing vices according to my Invention, I form the fixed jaw thereof
with a plate projecting out horizontally from the back of the jaw;
this plate
passes underneath the top or surface of the bench to which the vice is secured,
and is screwed to it. The screw of the vice passes through a nut in the fixed
jaw immediately under the horizontal plate. The stem of the screw at its
outer end passes as is usual through the moving jaw of the vice; this jaw is
not hinged as commonly to the fixed jaw, but is at its lower end turned up
horizontally and passes through a hole under the screw in the lower part of
the fixed jaw. There is also a hole through the fixed jaw over the screw
just on a level with the horizontal plate before-mentioned, and through this
hole a horizontal bar fixed at one end to the moveable jaw passes, and this
bar is continued along in a slot in the horizontal plate until it comes to the
end of the screw where it has a lump attached to it which serves as a bearing
for the end of the screw, and an arm on this lump or bearing connects it
with the end of the horizontal portion of the moveable jaw. When the
screw is turned the lump at its end, and consequently the moveable jaw, is
drawn by it in one or other direction, and this jaw when a piece of work is
being held is prevented tipping by the arm which connects the lump or screw
bearing with the tail of the moving jaw. The head of the moving jaw is
made to turn on a centre at a point over that where the screw passes through
the jaw, so that the nipping surface may adapt itself to the surface of the
work should this be inclined. The screw is worked by means of a small
wheel at its end, so that it can be turned rapidly, and to give the nip a lever
is employed turning on the axis of the wheel and capable of being made
fast to the wheel by a bolt entering holes in the periphery of the wheel; for
the use of carpenters and other workers in wood a similar apparatus may
be constructed principally or entirely of wood.
And in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto
.annexed.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a front view; Figure 2 a side view; Figure 3 a horizontal
section taken at the line 1, 1, Figure 2; and Figure 4 a vertical section
taken at the line 2, 2, Figure 2, of a vice constructed according to my
Invention.
a is the fixed jaw; it is secured to the bench, of which a portion is shewn
at by the strap c, and the lower end of the stem a', on which the fixed jaw
is formed is fitted into a hole formed for it in the floor of the workshop, or is
otherwise suitably retained; d is a slotted bar or plate fixed to the jaw a;
this plate or bar bas holes d' in it to receive screws, by means of which, in
conjunction with the strap c already mentioned, the vice is firmly fixed to
the bench; e, e, are tie rods connecting the further end of the plate or bar d
with the stem a¹ of the fixed jaw; these tie rods are for the purpose of
stiffening the plate or bar d and preventing it bending at the point where
it is connected with the stem of the fixed jaw; f is the moveable jaw; the
lower end of its stem is turned up into a horizontal position, and passes
through a hole formed to fit it in the stem a¹ of the fixed jaw; g is the
screw of the vice; its stem passes through the moveable jaw f so that the
screw can turn freely; the screw also passes through a nut h, by preference
of brass, and which is fitted into a hole formed to receive it in the stem a'
of the fixed jaw; the further end of the screw is carried in a bearing i in
which it can turn freely, but retained from longitudinal movement by the
nut jat its end; the bearing i is fixed at the end of a bar j attached by a
screw to the moveable jaw, and passing through the fixed jaw at a point
immediately over the nut h; this bar j is formed with a dovetail which
enters and slides in the slot in the bar or plate d, and the sides of this slot
are suitably formed to retain it; k is an arm connecting the bearing i with
the horizontal portion f¹ of the stem of the moveable jaw.
In the Drawing
this arm is shewn made in one piece, both with the bearing i and the hori-
zontal stem f, the latter being secured by a screw and nut to the moveable
jaw, but this may be varied, and in small sizes very conveniently, by making
f and f¹ in one piece, and forming a joint between the end of the latter
and the arm k. The end of the screw is squared and receives a small wheel
which is retained in its place by a nut m; l' is a handle for turning the
wheel, and by means of it the screw may be worked very rapidly when there
is no strain upon it. In order to nip work firmly between the jaws a lever
'm', is employed; it is capable of turning freely on the screw as a centre ; in
the periphery of the wheel are holes, and there is a bolt m² on the lever

page_text: which can be pushed forward and. made to enter either of these holes, and the
lever can then be employed to turn the screw. In order that the vice may
hold inclined work more conveniently the head of the moveable jaw is made
capable of turning; to permit of this the upper part of the stem of the jaw
is made to terminate in a cylinder, and the head of the jaw is formed with
a socket to fit the same as is clearly shewn at Figure 5; the two parts can
be secured the one to the other by a pin if desired; as respects this part of
my Invention, I would remark that I am aware that similar turning heads
have been before applied to the fixed jaws of vices, but this arrangement is
less convenient, particularly in vices of large size.
Figure 6 is a vertical section of a similar arrangement adapted to a
carpenters or other bench; a is the top of the bench supported on a leg b;
c is a wooden jaw; d is a wooden screw passing through the same and working
in a female screw cut in a hole in the block fixed to the leg b; into the
further end of the screw a metal pin e is fixed, and this turns in a metal
bearing f; this, as before, is fixed to a bar 9 connecting it with the jaw c,
and it slides in a groove in a slotted plate h fixed underneath the top a of
the bench. The jaw c, as in the former case, has a horizontal bar of metal j
fixed to it; the said bar passes through the leg 6 and is connected or formed
in one piece with an arm k attached to the bearing f.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Roberts, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
W". ROBERTS. (L.S.)