Improvements in Devices for Applying Stay-wires to Wire Fences.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Feb., 1896-Accepted, 11th Apr., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Devices for Applying Stay-wires to Wire Fences.
I, EDWARD FRANKLIN GROOM, of Gallatin, in the County of Daviess, and
State of Missouri, United States of America, Gentleman, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the saine is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention has for its object to provide a novel, simple, efficient, and
economical duplex spool-carrier particularly designed for conveniently and rapidly
applying vertical stay-wires to the longitudinal strands of wire fencing, but useful
for other purposes, such as making bird-nets, lawn-tennis nets, and animal cages or
other structures wherein longitudinal strands of wire or other material are con-
nected by transverse stays of similar material which is adapted to be rolled on reels
or spools and be unwound therefrom as the transverse strands are applied in the
manufacture or production of the fencing or other structure.
To accomplish this object my invention consists essentially in a device for
manufacturing a wire fencing, or other structure, composed of an open frame
having duplex forked rests and wire-delivery eyes at its ends approximately
coincident with the longitudinal axis of the frame, a single spool-carrying axle or
shaft mounted approximately central in the open frame, and a pair of spools
mounted on the said single axle or shaft, and adapted to carry two independent
wire rolls, the ends of which are led in opposite directions from the spools through
the wire-delivery eyes at the ends of the frame.
The specific construction of the device and the manner of operating the same in
applying the star-wires will be fully hereinafter described in detail, reference being
made to the accompanying drawings in which :-
Figure 1 is a perspective view showing several longitudinal strands or wires
with my improved device in position for applying and securing the transverse stay-
wire thereto, the parts being in the position they occupy before the device is
rotated around the longitudinal wire upon which the device rests.
Fig. 2 is an end elevation showing the position of the parts after the star-wires
have been wound around one of the longitudina! wires and the device has been
lowered against and is being rotated around another longitudinal wire for a
repetition of the operation.
Fig. 3 is a plan view on a larger scale of the improved device for applying the
stay-strands or wires to fencing or other structures, and
Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3.
In order to enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention I will
now describe the same in detail, referring to the drawings, wherein it will be seen
that the open frame of the device comprises substantially parallel side bars or
members 1 and 2 connected by end cross bars or members 3 and 4 all of which
parts are preferably composed of sufficiently strong wire or wire rods suitably bent
into the form shown.
The cross bars 3 and 4 are provided at their centers with wire-delivery eyes 5
and 6 between which the strands or wires 7 and 8 are extended from the rolls 9
and 10 carried by spools 12 and 13. The spools are rotatably mounted upon an
axle or shaft 15 preferably composed of a detachable bolt extending through the
side bars or members 1 and 2 centrally between the ends thereof, so that the two
spools can be mounted end to end upon the same axle or shaft. The spools are
each composed of a cylindrical body portion and two disk-heads 14 for the purpose

page_text: of enabling the wire to be wound thereupon and to retain the wire in position for
its subsequent delivery in the manufacture of wire fencing or other structures.
The wire-delivery eyes are so relatively disposed that they will properly deliver
the wire whichever side of the open frame is uppermost, as is necessary in the
manipulation of the device as will hereinafter appear.
The wire-delivery eyes are arranged approximately coincident with the major
axis of the open frame, so that the two wires are delivered coincident with the
major axis, or approximately so.
The cross bars 3 and 4 of the open frame are provided with duplex-forked
bearings or rests 16, each composed of a vertical cross arm having its ends
bifurcated or forked as at 17 so that either fork can straddle a longitudinal fence-
wire. The forks 17 constitute bearings which facilitate the rotation of the spool-
carrying frame in a circular path around the fence-wire as will be obvious from an
inspection of Fig. 2 of the drawings. The forks 17 lie coincident with the space
between the inner contiguous ends of the cylindrical bodies of the spools 12 and 13
so that when two of the forks 17 straddle a fence-wire the latter lies in the space
between the disk-heads 14 on the inner ends of the spool-bodies.
The disk heads on the inner ends of the spool-bodies are held separated by
placing them at some little distance from the extremities of the cylindrical bodies
of the spools, so that although the inner ends of the cylindrical bodies of the
spools are contiguous the disk-heads at the inner end portions of the cylindrical
bodies are somewhat widely separated for the purpose of providing the necessary
space to receive the longitudinal fence-wire.
In the practical use of the device, the ends of the two strands or wires 7 and 8
are fastened to the upper longitudinal strand or wire 18 of the fencing which can
be readily effected by lapping the ends of the wire around the longitudinal strand.
It will of course be understood that the longitudinal wires are first stretched in
proper position. The open frame is then pressed downward by the operator until
two of the forks 17 straddle and rest upon the second longitudinal strand 19, as
will be understood by reference to Fig. 1. The frame is then rotated in a vertical
plane once or twice around the wire 19 leaving the frame on the under side of the
wire, after which the operation above specified is repeated until the transverse or
vertical stay-wires are all applied to the longitudinal wires.
The chief advantages of my invention reside in its simplicity of construction and
the facility with which it can be economically manufactured and operated in actual
use due largely to mounting both spools on the single axle or shaft 15. The
device is efficient in rapidly applying vertical or transverse stay-wires to wire
fences; but it will be found useful for many purposes, such, for example, as making
bird nets, lawn-tennis nets, animal cages, or any other structure wherein longi-
tudinal strands of any material are connected by transverse stays of material which
can be wound on reels or spools and unwound therefrom during the application of
the transverse stay-strands.
In the practical use of my invention the frame may be guided vertically through
the medium of parallel uprights as is usual in devices of a similar character for
applying transverse stay-wires to the longitudinal wires of a fence.
The duplex-forked cross arms, mounted on the cross bars of the open frame in a
plane coincident with the major axis of the frame, are important features, in that
they enable the frame to be accurately rotated on a longitudinal wire and avoid
the necessity of journaling the open frame between uprights as heretofore.
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
1. A device for manufacturing wire fencing, consisting of an open-frame having
its ends provided with wire-delivery eyes and duplex forked bearings located above
and below said eyes for the purpose of straddling a longitudinal wire whichever
side of the fratne is uppermost, a single spool-holding shaft mounted centrally in

page_text: said frame, and a pair of wire-carrying spools both mounted on said shaft,
substantially as described.
2. A device for manufacturing wire fencing, consisting of an open frame com-
prising parallel side bars and transverse end bars, each end bar having a cross-arm
forked at its extremities and between which forks the wire-delivery eye is located,
said eye and said duplex forked cross-arm of each transverse bar lying approxi-
mately coincident with the major axis of the frame, a single spool-holding shaft
mounted in the open frame and a pair of spools mounted on said shaft and having
disk-heads at their ends, the disk-heads at the inner ends of the spools being held
separated to provide an intervening space for the reception of the longitudinal wire
when the forked cross-arms straddle said wire, substantially as described.
Dated this 27th day of February 1896.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.