AN IMPROVED DIBBLE DRILL
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Oldham, of Southam, in the County
of Warwick, Farmer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED DIBBLE
DRILL."
Sealed the 23rd May 1853, and dated the 24th November 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Oldham
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 24th November 1852.
I, WILLIAM OLDHAM, of Southam, in the county of Warwick,
Farmer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"AN IMPROVED DIBBLE DRILL" to be as follows (that is to say): -
This machine is intended for sowing all sorts of grain by dibbing.
The frame is made of wood or iron, and rests at one end upon an
axle, and within two wheels fixed similarly to the common drill
machines now used, where the wheel and axle work together in
moving forward, and the former revolves round the axle when moved
in the opposite direction, and resting at the front end upon a guide
wheel revolving in a moveable standard projecting upwards and
working through a hole in the front of the frame; the dimensions of
the frame, and the distance between the wheels, depends upon the

page_text: number of dibbles used. To the moveable standard is attached
either a handle or pair of shafts as required. Within the frame and
fastened to the axle is a cog wheel working into a pinion or gear
wheel; from one side of which projects studs or catches. The
machine is thrown out of gear by a forked lever fixed to the frame.
When out of gear the pinion revolves round the axle, and when in
gear with the axle, and drives a cog wheel and also 'some cups
fastened to a plate upon the same axle. The cups revolve within a
chamber containing.seed, and deposit it into a receiver which has
a pipe extending nearly to the ground, through which the seed
falls. At the bottom of the pipe a valve is placed, which is opened
and closed at intervals by rolling studs fixed into one side of the
last mentioned cog wheel and acting upon levers. The same cog
wheel drives a pinion fixed upon a crank axle, to which is fastened.
a fly wheel. To the crank is attached a rod of iron, the top being
fixed to it so that the crank may revolve freely within its bearings;
the bottom of the rod or iron is screwed or fastened into a nut or
tube of iron, in which is placed the upper part of another rod, which
is fastened into the tube so as to move similarly to a swivel. The
top of the last mentioned rod works against the solid part of the
bottom of the first, and to the end of it a dibble is fixed. A curved
lever is fixed to the dibble rod, and works within a moveable perpen.
dicular slide, so as to make the dibble partially revolve. The slide
is attached to an iron frame, through and along which the dibble
iron moves; in the front of which a spring is fixed, which is fastened
to the dibble iron with a piece of cord or chain, or in lieu of the
spring and cord a piece of elastic material may be used, as experi-
ment may prove most beneficial, so that when the dibble is forced'
into the ground the spring acts by pulling it back to its proper
place.
The improvements in my dibble machines are, that they permit
the seed to escape at intervals, and thus drop into the holes made.
by the dibble or dibbles..
The sowing is completed by harrows attached to the back part. of
the machine, or by harrowing in the usual mode.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Oldham in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 24th May 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
WILLIAM OLDHAM, of Loutham, in the County of Warwick, Farmer,.
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria; by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of November,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two,
in the sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said William Oldham, Her
special licence that I, the said William Oldham, my executors, ad-
ministrators, and assigns, or such, others as I, the said William
Oldham, 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 "AN IMPROVED DIBBLE DRILL," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said, William Oldham, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, 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 im-
mediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Oldham, do hereby.
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the."
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof (that is to say): -
This machine is intended for sowing all sorts of grain by dibbing.
The frame is made of wood or iron, and rests at one end upon an
axle and within two wheels fixed similarly to the common drill.
machines now used, where the wheel and axle work together in.
moving forward, and the foriner revolves round the axle when

page_text: inoved in the opposite direction, and resting at the front end upon
a guide wheel revolving in a moveable standard projecting upwards
and working through a hole in front of the frame; the dimensions
of the frame and the distances between the wheels depend upon the
number of dibbles used. To the moveable standard attached
either a handle or pair of shafts, as required, within the frame, and
fastened to the axle is a cog wheel working into a pinion or gear.
wheel, from one side of which project studs or catches. The
inachine is thrown out of gear by a forked lever fixed to the frame.
When out of gear the pinion revolves round the axle, and when in
gear with the axle drives a cog wheel, and also some cups fastened
to a plate upon the same axle. The cups revolve within a
chamber containing seed, and deposit it into a receiver which has a
pipe extending nearly to the ground, through which the seed falls.
At the bottom of the pipe a valve is placed, which is opened and
closed at intervals by rolling studs fixed into one side of the last
mentioned cog wheel and acting upon levers. The same cog wheel
drives a pinion fixed upon a crank axle, to which is fastened a
fly wheel. To the crank is attached a rod of iron, the top being
fixed to it, so that the crank may revolve freely within its bearings.
The bottom of the rod of iron is screwed or fastened into a nut or
tube of iron, in which is placed the upper part of another rod,
which is fastened into the tube so as to move similarly to a swivel.
The top of the last rod works against the solid part of the bottom
of the first, and to the end of it a dibble is fixed. A curved lever
is fixed to the dibble rod, and works within a moveable per-
pendicular slide so as to make the dibble partially revolve. The
slide is attached to an iron frame, through and along which the
dibble iron moves; in the front of which a spring is fixed, which is
fastened to the dibble iron with a piece of cord or chain, or in lieu
of the spring and cord a piece of elastic material may be used as
experiment may prove most beneficial, so that, when the dibble is
forced into the ground, the spring acts by pulling it back to its
proper place.
The improvements in my dibble machine are, that they permit

page_text: the seed to escape at intervals, and thus dropped into the holes
made by the dibble or dibbles. The sowing is completed by
harrows attached to the back part of the machine, or by harrowing
in the usual mode. And in order that my Invention may be most
fully understood and readily carried into effect, I. will proceed to
describe the means pursued by me.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figures 1, and 2, show two side views; Figure. 3, is a vertical
section; and Figure 4, shows a plan of a dibble drill machine
constructed according to my Invention. Figures 5 and 6, .show
several views of some of the parts separately; a, a, is the framing of
the machine, which may be constructed of wood or iron, but I
prefer iron, and is supported upon the axle b, of the travelling.
wheels 61, 61, and there are ratchet wheels and drivers in the bosses
of the wheels b¹, b', in order to give motion to the axle and parts
connected therewith when travelling forward, and to allow the
wheels, b¹, to turn loosely on the axle when the machine is
moving in the opposite-direction, as is well understood in this class
of machinery; c, c, are the shafts by which the machine is drawn over;
the land, but other arrangements for obtaining the draft or onward
movement of the machine may be employed without departing from
iny Invention; d, is a cog wheel fixed on the axis b, which takes
into and drives the pinion e, fixed on the axis e¹, supported in
bearings on the side framings as shewn; e², e², are discs fixed on the
axis e¹; and e³, e³, are studs on the discs e², which in their rotation
act on the levers, et, et, so as to raise the slides f¹, f¹, at the bottom
of each of the seed pipes or conductors f, f, and thus deliver the
seed into the holes made in the land by the onward movement of
the dibbers, the nature and action of which I will hereafter describe;
g, is the seed chamber, and h, is an axis carried by supports on the
side framing as shewn, and receives motion by the pinion h, taking
into the cog wheel d; the axis h, gives motion to the discs and cups
for conveying the seed into the receiver i, from which it is delivered
to the tube or conductor f, as is well understood. And I would
'

page_text: remark, that the tube f, may have another slide or valve, as shewn
by dotted lines, in order to arrest each portion of the seed and
thereby shorten the distance it has to fall when over the hole;-j, is
a forked lever moving on a stud carried by a support fixed to the
framing; the fork of the lever j, embraces a clutch which slides on a
feather on the axis b, so as to throw the machinery out of gear with
the axle b, when required; j¹, is an arm on the lever j, which enters
one of the notches on the fly wheel k², so as to stop the machine
when all the dibbers are out of the land; d¹, is a pinion fixed on the
axis k, turning in bearings carried by the side framings of the
inachine; the piñion d', and axis k, receive motion from the cog
wheel d; ; is a cog wheel fixed on the axis k, which gives motion
to the pinion , fixed on the crank axis l, which turns in bearings
also carried by the side framings; and 2, is a fly wheel fixed on the
crank axis l; m; m, are connecting rods attached to the cranks on
the axis ; and m', m¹, are conical dibbers fixed on the ends of the rods
m, m; the lower parts of the rods m, m, pass through slides o¹', o¹, and
are so constructed as to be capable of making a partial revolution
on their own axes at the time they are forced into the land,
and this is accomplished by connecting them to their upper parts
by a swivel joint at the part m², as shown by the detached views,
Figure 6, there being curved arms m³, m³, fixed on the rods m,
which move up and down in the perpendicular guides formed by the
upright rods n, n, supported on the horizontal guides 0, 0, in which
the slides o¹, o¹, move to and fro, and the slides o¹, o¹, are connected
by rods o², 02, to cranks on the axis 2, which receives motion by
means of the cog wheel ¹ taking into the pinion p¹ fixed on the
axis p, so as to retain the dibber whilst a hole is being made, and
then carry it forward into a position for its next descent to form
another hole..
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that
I make no claim to the mechanical parts separately, and the
details may be varied without departing from my Invention; but
what I claim is, the combination of apparatus hercin described,

page_text: whereby measured quantities of seed are delivered into the holes
produced by the dibbers as herein explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Oldham, have here-
unto set my hand and seal this Nineteenth day of May, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-
three.
Witness,
JNO. COOK,
12, Cursitor Street.
WILLIAM OLDHAM. (L.S.)