Improvements in Wrenches.
Year: 1889

page_text: Complete specification Left, 10th July, 1009-Accepted, zord NOV., 1000
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Wrenches.
1, VINCENT J. MCDONNELL of No. 3804 Locust Street, Philadelphia, State of
Pennsylvania, United States of America, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to that class of wrenches commonly known as monkey-
wrenches" and it consists in an improved adjusting and securing device substantially
such as hereinafter described.
The object of my invention is to provide a device in the wrench for adjusting and
securing it to fit the nut or bolt to be turned, which shall be capable of being most
easily adjusted, secured and released without the tedius screwing and adjusting which
is usually necessary in wrenches of this class.
In the accompanying drawing in which similar letters of reference refer to similar
parts.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a monkey-wrench with the securing
device half turned.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the securing device partially turned.
Figure 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view on the line x, x of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a rear view in detail of a portion of the adjusting lever.
Figure 5 is a detail view of the dog or pawl.
A is the mian body of the wrench.
A' is the adjustable section, of the usual construction in monkey-wrenches secured
on the plane sided shank B by the loops b, b upon which it slides in being adjusted.
The plane shank B has provided in its upper surface a screw-threaded semi-circular
shaped groove or gutter a. extending from the handle to within an inch or thereabout
of the hammer end.
E is a short circular tube provided on the lower half of its circumference with a
screw-thread corresponding to the screw-threaded groove a.
This circular tube E is
adjusted to the movable section of the wrench A' through the medium of the screw d
which is screwed tightly in the position shown in Figure 1 to the section A¹. The
portion of d projecting beyond and out of the section of the wrench A¹ is provided
as shown, with a screw the thread of which is the reverse of the trend of the thread
of the groove a.
Upon this screw-threaded projection d the circular tube E is
screwed, leaving however a slight intervening space between it and the section A' for
the purpose hereinafter described.
D is a lever or projection attached to the circular tube E in the position shown in
the drawings and is employed as a means to readily rotate the circular tube E and
when the screw-threads are disengaged to slide it in the groove to the desired position.
Pivotted to the projection D at is a lever e, which operates the dog or pawl e¹ and
engages or disengages it with the teeth or notches t provided semicircularly on the
inner end of the section A' as shown. A springs is provided as shown to keep the
pawl engaged in the teeth t while g is a projection provided in the lever e and to
the rear of the lever D adapted to engage by means of a catch on its extremity with

page_text: the notch n provided in the rear of the lever D when it is desired to keep the pawl e¹
disengaged from the teeth t.
The operation is substantially as follows; When it is desired to set the
wrench to fit a particular nut, the lever e is pressed in, and the pawl e¹ thereby
disengaged from the teeth t, and the projection 9 at the same time engages with the
notch n and bolds it in that position. The lever D is then thrown into the position
shown in the dotted lines to the left in Figure 3. The edge c of the lever e, extending
beyond the surface of the lever D, strikes upon the upper edge of the plane shank B
when in the position shown in the dotted lines to the left in Figure 4, and thus being
slightly jarred back, releases the projection g from the notch n. The springs then
acting forces the pawl e¹ forward and engages it in the teeth t. The screw-threads of
the circular tube E when in this position are disengaged from the screw-threaded
groove a, and the circular tube E is freely slid along in the groove a by means
of the projection or handle D to the desired position required for the nut
to be turned. The projection D is then turned up into the position shown in
Figure 1, and then down to that shown in the dotted lines to the right in Figure 3,
the pawl e clicking over the teeth t and securing the circular tube E in that position.
It will be noticed that as the screw-trend of the groove a is toward the handle end,
this turn of the tube E slightly tends to tighten the wrench-section A¹ on the nut to
which the wrench is fitted, to which purpose the trend of the screw d also assists, its
thread being the reverse of that of a.
The pawl, teeth, and lever device shown and described is a convenient method of
securing the tubular section E in its desired position relatively to the wrench-
section A¹. I do not, however, limit myself to this particular pawl device for
securing the tubular section.
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 In a wrench, a semicircularly-shaped screw-threaded groove provided on the
main shank or stem, in combination with a tubular shaped section secured to the
adjustable section of the wrench, said section provided with a handle projection and
with screw threads on a portion of its circumference adapted to fit and operate in
the screw threads of the groove of the shank or stem, a pawl adjusted to the tube-
section operated by a lever, and notches provided on the end of the adjustable section
of the wrench to engage said pawl, substantially in the manner and for the purpose
as hereinbefore set forth and described.
Second In a wrench, the screw-threaded groove a, in combination with the
tubular section E secured to the adjustable section A' and provided with screw-
threads on a portion of its circumference and a handle or projection D, the screw d,
connecting the tubular section E with the adjustable section A, a pawl el, adjusted to
the tubular section E, a lever e, and teeth t provided on A', substantially as herein-
before set forth and described.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.