Improvements in and relating to Spades, Hoes, and other like Implements or Tools.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 4th June, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 29th Feb., 1892-Accepted, 2nd Apr., 1892
TOTON 21
Improvements in and relating to Spades, Hoes, and other like
Implements or Tools.
A communication from abroad by LEON GAYON, of 16, Rue Drouot, Paris, in
the Republic of France, Inventor.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool and 6 Bank Street Manchester
both in the County of Lancaster and 323 High Holborn in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:--
Up to the present, hoes, shovels and other similar flat implements or tools,
which have a socket for fixing the handle of the tool in, have been constructed by
hammering, when cold, a thin plate of iron or steel, but it is not without difficulty
that the necessary socket therein for the handle has been formed by hammering.
A thin plate of metal has to be used for this work, and there are considerable
difficulties in carrying out the work, besides which the metal so treated whilst
cold frequently cracks and tears in the vicinity of the socket for the handle.
Further, in tools constructed in this manner, the most expensive part, that which
holds the handle, is thrown aside as soon as the working end is worn out, without
itself being worn in any way worth mentioning.
The object of this invention is a new method of constructing spades, hoes and
other like implements or tools, whereby these various inconveniences are entirely
removed, and the invention consists in dividing each of these tools into three
separate parts, of which the two parts which are the most expensive to construct
may be used to an almost indefinite extent. For this purpose, the plate or blade
of the spade or hoe is constructed separately, and is connected to the handle-
socket by means of an intermediate part forming a stirrup or tie, which may
be used, as may also the socket, in connection with quite a number of similar tools.
If, for instance, the implement be an ordinary square-bladed spade, the blade, in
place of being in one piece with the handle-socket, comprises, on the contrary
three distinct parts, the spade, properly so called, that is, the blade; the socket; and
the stirrup or tic. The blade is made whilst cold with an angular central rib produced
simply by stamping, it is also provided with an opening of any suitable form,
preferably just at the bottom of such rib. The socket comprises the socket
properly so called, intended to receive the handle of the tool, and a part having
the shape of a triangular truncated pyramid, slightly curved, which is made to
penetrate the rib aforesaid, where it is retained by means of a stirrup or tie which
is fitted on each side of the rib and projects on to the external face of the tool
blade, on the one hand, through the opening aforesaid, and, on the other hand,
over the upper edge of the blade. A part of the socket passes, therefore, on the
one hand, over the stirrup or tie, and, on the other hand, into the rib on the blade
and, on emerging therefrom, passes again over the stirrup or tie above the opening
in the blade.
The whole is, consequently, held very firmly in position.
The same tool could be easily transformed into a hoe, by simply altering the
shape of the socket, the other parts retaining the same shape and position.
By having a triangularly shaped blade, but with a curve in it, a tool could be
fitted up in the same way but more particularly arranged for digging in compact
soils, whilst, by forining the blade in the shape of a scoop, it could be used for
digging or loading up wet sand.
In certain cases, the workman may have roots to cut, or clods to break; for

page_text: this purpose, the socket of these tools lias an upper part, arranged either in the
form of a cutter or of a diamond point, in order to do such cutting or breaking up.
Thus, as may be easily understood from the description just given, it is seen
that the same socket may be utilised indifferently for several different tools;
further, that this socket, as well as the stirrup or tic, do not wear away at
all, so to speak, seeing they themselves perform no work, consequently, it will
suffice to replace the spade, properly so called, or the spade, when it becomes worn
out, which, being of very simple construction, will always be very inexpensive.
It will, therefore, be apparent that a very great economy may be obtained by
this form of construction.
This new method of construction allows of the same handle being employed for
separate tools, as these latter have all similar sockets, and the tools being
produced by means of moulds allows of a precision which renders all these
tools interchangeable, having one and the same handle fitting the sockets of these
various tools.
Dated this 3rd day of June 1801
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Spades, Hoes, and other like
Implements or Tools.
A communication by LEON GAYON, of 16, Rue Drouot, Paris, in the Republic
of France, Inventor.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors 6, Lord Street, Liverpool and 6 Bank Street,
Manchester both in the County of Lancaster, and 323 High Holborn in the
County of Middlesex Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Up to the present, hoes, shovels and other similar flat implements or tools, which
have a socket for fixing the handle of the tool in, have been constructed by
hammering, when cold, a thin plate of iron or steel, but it is not without difficulty
that the necessary socket therein for the handle has been formed by hammering.
A thin plate of metal has to be used for this work, and there are considerable
difficulties in carrying out the work, besides which the metal so treated whilst cold
frequently cracks and tears in the vicinity of the socket for the handle.
Further, in tools constructed in this manner, the most expensive part, that
which holds the handle, is thrown aside as soon as the working end is worn out,
without itself being worn in any way worth mentioning.
The object of this invention is a new method of constructing spades, hoes and
other like implements or tools, whereby these various inconveniences are entirely
removed, and the invention consists in dividing each of these tools into three
separate parts, of which the two parts which are the most expensive to construct
may be used to an almost indefinite extent. For this purpose, the plate or blade
of the spade or hoe is constructed separately, and is connected to the handle socket
by means of an intermediate part forming a stirrup or tie, which may be used, as
may also the socket, in connection with quite a number of similar tools.
In order that the invention may be fully understood, reference is made to the
accompanying sheet of illustrative drawings, which shows front and side views of
several tools of the same class constructed according to this invention.
On this sheet of drawings,
Figures 1 and 2 are front and side views respectively of a shovel.
Figures 3 and 4 are corresponding views of a hoe.

page_text: Figures and o, and 7 and & are also front and side views of tools, bit of signty
modified shapes.
Figures 9 and 10 show the stirrup for connecting the parts as will be hereinafter
specified.
Figures 1 to 14 inclusive are views illustrative of modifications in the various
tools.
In all the figures, like letters of reference indicate like parts.
If, for instance, the implement be an ordinary square-bladed spade or shovel as
in Figures 1 and 2, the blade, in place of being in one piece with the handle-socket,
comprises, on the contrary, three distinct parts, the spade, properly so called, that
is, the blade A, the socket B and the stirrup or tie C. The blade A is made whilst
cold with an angular ceutral rib a produced simply by stamping, it is also provided
with an opening a' of any suitable form, preferably just at the bottom of such rib.
The socket B comprises the socket properly so called, intended to receive the
handle of the tool, and a part B' having the shape of a triangular truncated
pyramid, slightly curved as is shown more clearly in Figures 11 to 14 inclusive.
This part B is made to penetrate the rib a aforesaid, where it is retained by means
of a stirrup or tie C shown separately in Figures 9 and 10 which is fitted on each
side of the rib a and projects on to the external face of the tool blade, on the one
hand, through the opening a' aforesaid, and, on the other hand, over the upper edge
of the blade, as is evident from Figures 1 and 2. The part B₁ of the socket passes,
therefore, on the one hand, over the stirrup or tie, and, on the other hand, into the
rib a on the blade, and, on emerging therefrom, passes again over the stirrup or
tie above the opening a in the blade.
The whole is, consequently, held very firmly in position.
The same tool could be easily transformed into a hoe, as shown in Figures 3
and 4, by simply altering the shape of the socket B B', the other parts retaining
the same shape and position.
By having a triangularly shaped blade, but with a curve in it, as illustrated by
Figures 5 and 6, a tool A' could be fitted up in the same way, but more particularly
arranged for digging in compact soils into which the implement A of Figures 1, 2, 3
and 4 could only penetrate with difficulty. Further, by forming the blade in the
shape of a scoop, as shown at A", Figures 7 and 8, could be used for digging or
loading up wet sand.
In certain cases, the workman may have roots to cut, or clods to break; for this
purpose, the socket B B of these tools has an upper part B arranged either in the
form of a cutter or of a diamond point, in order to do such cutting or breaking up
as shown in Figures 11, 12, 13 and 14.
Thus, as may be easily understood from the description just given, it is seen that
the same socket may be utilised indifferently for several different tools; further,
that this socket, as well as the stirrup or tie, do not wear away at all, so to speak,
seeing they themselves perform no work, consequently, it will suffice to replace the
spade A A' A", properly so called, or the blade, when it becomes worn out, which,
being of very simple construction, will always be very inexpensive.
It will, therefore, be apparent that a very great economy may be obtained by
this form of construction.
This new method of construction allows of the same handle being employed for
separate tools, as these latter have all similar sockets, and the tools being produced
by means of moulds allows of precision being used, which renders all these tools
interchangeable, having one and the same handle fitting the sockets of these
various tools.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be perforined, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is-
1. The improvements in and relating to spades, hoes, and other like implements
or tools, which consist in forming such of three or more parts capable of being

page_text: disconnected, so that the expensive part (the socket) may be made renewed use of
indefinitely, the socket part and the blade part being connected together by a stirrup
or tie, the whole substantially as hereinbefore described and shown.
2. A spade, hoe or other like implement or tool with its blade having a rib (a)
and an opening (a) for receiving respectively the end of the handle socket and
one end of a stirrup or tie C by which the handle-socket and the blade are held
together, substantially as hereinbefore described and shown.
Dated this 27th day of February 1892.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.