AN IMPROVED SELF PROTECTING PORTABLE
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Nesbit Willoughby Wallace, Major Half-pay in Her
Majesty's Service, of Clifton in the County of Gloucester for an Invention of
AN IMPROVED SELF PROTECTING PORTABLE SAW
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Nesbit Willoughby Wallace
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th February 1883.
NESBIT WILLOUGHBY WALLACE, Major Half-pay in Her Majesty's Service of
Clifton in the County of Gloucester "AN IMPROVED SELF PROTECTING PORTABLE
SAW."
This Invention relates to an improved self protecting portable saw for military
and other use.
The saw is similar to a cross-cut saw in the form of the blade and handles, but the
latter instead of being rigidly fixed to the blade are pivoted to the ends thereof by
rule or other joints so as to be capable of being turned to positions at right angles
to the front or to the back edge of the blade or to any intermediate position for
use, or of being folded down along the serrated edge, the handles which are each
equal to half the length of the saw being grooved longitudinally to embrace and
sheath the saw teeth, which are thereby protected and prevented from injuring the
person carrying the saw. The saw is thus rendered conveniently portable without
the use of a separate case. The handles may be fixed in either position at right
angles to the length of the saw by any suitable locking device, but preferably by
a stud carried by a blade spring attached to one side of the handle near its pivoted
end, the said stud traversing the thickness of the handle so as to intersect the plane
of the saw blade. This stud is caused to spring into a corresponding hole made in
the saw blade near the edge in order to lock the handle in position, and in order to
enable the stud to be readily sprung in and out, it is provided with an extension
or pin of smaller diameter which projects from the opposite side of the handle to
the blade spring, so as by pushing it to enable the stud to be readily pushed back
out of the plane of the saw blade. The hole in the blade which receives the stud
runs out to the edge of the blade in the form of a slot of sufficient width only to
admit this pin, but not to give passage to the stud which when once engaged in
the hole or enlarged inner end of the slot, locks the handle securely in position and
cannot be unlocked except by end pressure on the pin as in locking. Instead of a
spring stud, sliding bolts engaging in suitably inclined slots or other suitablę
locking devices may be employed,

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Nesbit Willoughby Wallace in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
4th August 1883.
NESBIT WILLOUGHBY WALLACE, Major, half pay, in Her Majesty's Service of
Clifton in the County of Gloucester "AN IMPROVED SELF PROTECTING PORTABLE
SAW
"
This Invention relates to an improved self protecting portable saw for military
and other use.
The saw is similar to a cross cut saw in the form of the blade and handles but
the latter instead of being rigidly fixed to the ends of the blade are pivoted thereto
so that they may be turned to various positions relatively to the blade when the
saw is required for use, or folded down along the serrated edge of the blade, the
handles being grooved so as to sheath the saw teeth and prevent them from
injuring the person carrying the tool. The saw is thus rendered conveniently
portable as part of a military pioneer's equipment or otherwise, without the use of
a separate case. The handles may be fixed for use in either of two positions at
right angles to the length of the saw, that is to say they may project either from
the front or back edge of the blade and are rigidly secured in either position by
locking devices consisting of cross pins or studs passed through holes in the handles
and through corresponding holes in the blade. Each cross pin or stud is preferably
carried by a blade spring attached to one side of the handle the stud traversing
the handle so as to intersect the plane of the blade. In order to enable the stud
to be readily sprung in and out of the hole in the saw blade the stud is provided
with an extension or neck of smaller diameter which projects from the opposite
side of the handle to the spring to form a push piece and the hole which receives
the stud runs out to the edge of the blade in the form of a notch of sufficient
width only to admit this neck but not to give passage to the larger part of the
stud which when once engaged in the hole or enlarged inner end of the slot, locks
the handle securely in position and cannot be unlocked except by end pressure on
the stud as in locking.
Instead of a spring stud, sliding bolts engaging in suitably inclined slots or other
suitable locking devices may be employed.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a side view of the saw the one handle being shown closed upon the
teeth and the other projecting at right angles from the back of the saw, the handles
being also represented in various other positions in dotted lines. Figure 2 shows
the opposite side of a portion of the saw. Figures 3 and 4 represent cross sections
on line x-x Figure 2 through the pivot and locking stud of one of the handles the
stud being shown in the locked and open positions respectively. Figure 5 shows a
modification of the locking device and Figure 6 represents one end of the saw
blade separately
A is the blade and B B the handles pivoted to the ends thereof by rivets or
bolts C. Each handle is grooved or forked at its heel end as shown in Figures 3,
4 and 5 to receive the end of the blade and it is also grooved longitudinally as
shown in cross section at B¹ Figure 1 so as to embrace the serrated edge of the
blade when in the closed position represented in full lines at N° 4 Figure 1. The
two handles when closed meet end to end and sheath the whole of the teeth.
ends of the blade are each of the form shown in Figure 6 having a hole c to receive
The

page_text: the pivot and keyhole shaped notches D the narrow portions of which run out at
the edge of the blade and are curved concentrically with c. E are steel studs of a
diameter to fit the circular enlargements of the notches D and each provided with
a neck e of a diameter corresponding to the narrow portion of said notches and
terminating in a knob e¹. Each stud is fixed to a blade spring F whose other end
is fixed beneath the head of pivot C or otherwise secured to the handle. The stud
slides freely through a socket in the handle its larger part E crossing the groove in
which the blade is received, except when pressed back as shown in Figure 4. The
positions of the notches D shown correspond to the handles when in the positions
Nos 1 and 4 and an additional notch may be provided to correspond to position 3 if
required.
The handle may be strengthened by a steel plate G embracing it on two sides
and at back, said plate having sockets for the stud E to work through and being
screwed or rivetted to the handles which are made of hard wood grooved out in the
solid to correspond to the curvature of the blade or instead of the plate G there
may be a metal plate secured to the back of the handles and entering the forked
ends so as to prevent the handles being damaged by the back of the blade at G₁
when in position N° 1 and hold the handles firmly when in use. The back edge of
the blade may be straight and have a foot rule or other measure marked on it if
desired.
I prefer the spring locking studs and notches above described but it will be
understood that simple loose taper cross pins may be inserted in corresponding
holes through the handle and blade as shown in the section Figure 5 which needs
no further explanation.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention and the manner of
performing the same I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected
by the hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent is ;-
First. The combination with a saw blade of a pair of grooved handles pivoted
thereto as described, and locking devices on the handles engaging with the blade
whereby the handles may be fixed in different positions with regard to the blade
substantially as specified.
Second. In a saw consisting of a blade and of a pair of handles pivoted thereto
as described, the combination of the spring studs applied to the handles and the
notches in the blade both of the form shown for engagement substantially as and
for the purpose specified.
In Witness whereof I the said Nesbit Willoughby Wallace have to this my
specification hereunto set my hand and seal this third day of August A.D 1883.