IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FIRE-RESISTING AND BURGLAR-RESISTING SAFES
Year: 1884

page_text: I, THOMAS HARBY, Secretary of Milner's Safe Company Limited, of Phoenix Safe
Works, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster do hereby declare the nature of
my Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FIRE-RESISTING AND
BURGLAR-RESISTING SAFES to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the construction of fire-resisting and burglar-resisting
safes, the object being to increase the strength and solidity thereof and to render
their construction more simple and consequently less costly than heretofore.
It has hitherto been the general custom in fixing together the plates which form
the sides and the top, bottom and back of such safes, to connect the same together
by tenons and mortises formed along the edges and to place strips of angle-iron
along the inside angles of every joint, and then to rivet the sides, top, bottom, and
back to their respective strips of angle-iron.
These tenons were then hammered to rivet the same and the projecting parts
had to be chipped away and filed to make level and even edges, and this finishing
operation was most laborious and required skilled workmen to perform the same;
in addition to which the plates had necessarily in the first instance to be made
larger than would have been required if no tenons or mortises were requisite and
hence there was a needless expenditure of material as well as labor.
The Invention consists mainly in so constructing the angle-iron for these joints
that tenons and mortises in the edges of the plates are unnecessary.
For this purpose one of the flanges of the angle-iron is rolled thicker on its outer
surface near to the angle, this extra thickness being equal to that of the plates
which are to form the top, bottom, back and sides of the safe, and this extra part
being continued beyond what would be the angle of ordinary angle-iron to a
distance equal to the thickness thereof and consequently equal to the thickness of
the plates.
The angles and corners made by this extra thickness of metal should all be
perfectly square, thus producing external rebates on the angle iron so that two
plates can be simply rivetted to the flanges and the angle-iron itself forms the
square outside angle, and at the same time makes a strong joint without tenons
and mortises.

page_text: At the corners where three of these angle-irons meet the joint may be made by
mitreing two of them together (for instance the two along the edges of the bottom
plate) and cutting away the flanges of the third, leaving only the part forming
the extra thickness for a distance sufficient to allow its end to fit down upon the
angle-irons.
Another method of forming this corner joint is to cut one of the angle pieces
square at the end and to cut away such portions of the other two as would enable
them to fit on to each other without a mitre joint.
This construction may be applied either to those safes which have single walls,
and are intended principally for resisting the action of fire, or to those which have
double walls (between which are placed hardened steel plates which are intended
to prevent them from being drilled through) and which are called "burglar
resisting safes; the thickness of the angle-iron inside the outer walls forming (with
the outside of the inner walls) the spaces to contain these plates.
The corners of this safe are thus fourfold in thickness, none of the joints of the
four thicknesses coinciding with any of the others.
-
To strengthen the walls of these safes (whether fire or burglar resisting, or both)
bands are used at the front and back, holding the sides, and top, bottom and back
together.
These bands were bent round and joined together formerly by tenons and
mortises and finished like the sides, but according to this Invention the same
system as used for joining the plates is carried out also with regard to the bands,
by forming a short angle piece of the requisite width, the outside or inside edges of
the same being rebated to receive corresponding rebates on the ends of straight
pieces which are rivetted thereto and complete the band, which is thus made with
perfect corners and with no tenon joints which would require skilled finishing.
Dated this Nineteenth day of Januarv 1884.

page_text: I THOMAS HARBY Secretary of Milners Safe Company Limited of Phoenix Safe
Works Liverpool in the County of Lancaster do hereby declare the nature of my
Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FIRE RESISTING AND
BURGLAR RESISTING SAFES and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This Invention relates to the construction of fire resisting and burglar resisting
safes; the object being to render such construction more simple, and consequently
less costly than heretofore.
It has hitherto been the general custom in fixing together the plates which form
the sides and the top and bottom of such safes to connect the same together by
tenons and mortises formed along the edges and to place strips of angle iron along
the inside angles of every joint and then to rivet the sides, top, and bottom to their
respective strips of angle iron.
These tenons were then hammered to rivet the same and the projecting parts
had to be chipped away and filed to make level and even corners, and this
finishing operation was most laborious and required skilled workmen to perform
the same. In addition to which the plates had necessarily in the first instance to
be made larger than would have been required if no tenons or mortises were
requisite and hence there was a needless expenditure of material as well as labor.
This Invention consists mainly in so constructing the angle iron for these joints
that tenons and mortises in the edges of the plates are unnecessary.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention I will now proceed to
describe in detail the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or
carried into practical effect, and in order that the same may be clearly understood
I have annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings illustrative thereof and have marked
the same with Figures and letters of reference corresponding with those in the
following explanation thereof.
The ordinary method of constructing these safes is illustrated in section at Fig. 1.
on the Drawing. a, a being the angle iron, b, 6 the plates, and c, c the bands; the
corners of the plates and bands being shown as dovetailed together, the ends of the
tenons projecting as they would be previously to hammering, chipping and filing.
According to my Invention instead of using angle iron of the ordinary pattern,
one of the flanges of the angle iron is rolled thicker on its outer surface, near the
angle at d, d Fig. 2, this extra thickness being equal to that of the plates which are
to form the top or bottom and sides of the safe, and this extra part d, d being
continued beyond what would be the angle e of the ordinary angle iron to a
distance equal to the thickness thereof, and consequently equal to the thickness of
the plates.
The angles and corners made by this extra thickness of metal should all be
perfectly square, thus producing external rebates f,f on the angle iron so that two
plates can be simply rivetted to the flanges and the angle iron itself forms the
square outside angle and at the same time makes a strong joint without tenons and
mortises as shown in section Fig. 3.
At the corners where three of these angle irons meet the joint may be made by
uniting two of them together, for instance the two along the edges of the bottom
plate as shown at g, g (see also detached view at Fig. 4.) and cutting away the
flanges of the third as shown at h, h Fig. 4. leaving only the part d, d¹ forming
the extra thickness for a distance sufficient to allow its end to fit down upon the
lower angle irons.

page_text: Another method of forming this corner joint is to cut one of the angle pieces
square at the end and to cut away such portions of the other two as would enable
them to fit into each other without a mitre joint.
This construction may be applied either to those safes which have single walls
and are intended principally for resisting the action of the fire, or to those which
have double walls between which are placed hardened steel plates which are
intended to prevent their being drilled through and which are called burglar-
resisting safes, a section of one of which is shown at Fig. 5. k, k, being the hardened
steel plates; the thickness of the angle iron a', a¹ inside the outer walls forming
(with the outside of the inner walls) the spaces to contain these sheets.
The corners of this safe are thus fourfold in thickness, none of the joints of the
four thicknesses coinciding with any of the others.
To strengthen the walls of these safes (whether fire or burglar-resisting or both)
bands are sometimes used at the front and back holding the sides and top and
bottom together. These bands were bent round and joined together formerly by
tenons and mortises and finished like the sides, or in the case of the back band all
four corners were tenoned as shown at Fig. 1. but according to this Invention the
same system as used for joining the plates is carried out also with regard to the
bands by forming a short angle piece 7, 1 of the requisite width (see Figs. 3 and 5)
the outside or inside edges of the same being rebated to receive corresponding
rebates on the ends of straight flat pieces m, m which are rivetted thereto and
complete the band and with no tenon joints which would require skilled finishing.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed or carried into practical
effect I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention the construction of
fire-resisting and burglar resisting safes, in the manner hereinbefore more particularly
set forth and illustrated by the Drawings annexed and more particularly I claim
the peculiar sectional form of the angle iron employed whereby I am enabled to
dispense with the use of tenons and mortises at the edges of the plates, and thus
greatly to economize both labor and material in constructing such safes and at the
same time to secure increased rigidity and strength and more power to resist
burglary or other violence.