IMPROVEMENTS IN HANDLES FOR AUGERS, GIMLETS, AND OTHER TOOLS AND INSTRUMENTS TO WHICH SUCH HANDLES MAY BE APPLICABLE
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Avery, of 32, Essex Street, Strand, London,
Patent Agent; for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN HANDLES FOR
AUGERS, GIMLETS, AND OTHER TOOLS AND INSTRUMENTS TO WHICH SUCH
HANDLES MAY BE APPLICABLE." A communication.
Sealed the 19th February 1856, and dated the 25th August 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Avery at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 25th August
1855.
I, JOHN AVERY, of 32, Essex Street, Strand, London, Patent Agent, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HANDLES FOR
AUGERS, GIMLETS, AND OTHER TOOLS AND INSTRUMENTS TO WHICH SUCH HANDLES MAY
BE APPLICABLE," a communication, to be as follows; and relates to the. employ-
ment, within the handle, of a doublé ratchet movement, and reversing gear for
the same, to enable the auger, gimlet, or other tool or instrument to be rotated
in either direction at pleasure by a person turning the handle back and forth
in a portion of a circle without relinquishing his hold of the handle, thereby
not only enabling the tool or instrument to be used in confined places or
positions, but affording greater_convenience for operating in all places or
positions.

page_text: ....
"
The shell or external part of the handle is of the same form externally as
the common auger or gimlet handle; but instead of being solid, is divided
centrally in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the auger into two parts, the
said parts being screwed together by screws. This shell should be, preferably,
made of cast metal, in which case the necessary cavity in the interior to con-
tain the ratchets, pawls, etc. may be formed in the casting. The socket to
receive the auger or other tool or instrument fits to turn freely in two bearings,
one in each part of the shell of the handle, and has tightly secured to it two
ratchet wheels, whose teeth incline in opposite directions, the said ratchet
wheels being allowed plenty of room to turn freely in the cavity of the handle.
Opposite the upper ratchet wheel there are two sliding spring pawls, one on
each side, arranged lengthwise of the handle, and opposite the lower ratchet
wheels two similar pawls. A small shaft is fitted to bearings formed in the
ends of the two parts of the handle half an inch, thus bringing the axis of the
shaft in a plane which passes between the pawls. This shaft has a small lever
outside the handle to turn it as far as is necessary, and is furnished with two
toes, one of which plays in recesses, made in one of the upper pawls and its
corresponding lower pawl, and the other in similar recesses in the other two
upper and lower pawls. The side of each recess, which is farthest from the centre
of the handle is beveled, and the toes of the shaft, which are arranged parallel
with each other, occupy such a position; that when turned into the recesses
either of the two pawls act on the beveled sides of the recesses, and force those
two pawls out of gear with their respective ratchet wheel, but leaving the
recesses of the other two pawls, and allowing them to engage with their
respective ratchet wheel. The consequence of this is, that by turning the
handle back and forth the auger will be turned to the right, or in the direction
for boring, the lower ratchet being the right-hand ratchet; but if the positions
of the toes were reversed by means of the lever outside the handle, the direc-
tion of the rotation of the auger would be reversed. This last lever, which,
to express its duty, may be termed the reversing shaft, is made slightly elastic,
so that when left free it may enter one of two notches made in the end of of
the handle to receive it, and by that means is confined to keep the toes in
position to ungear either of the two ratchet wheels.
The two pawls to each ratchet wheel are not absolutely necessary, as one
for each might serve the purpose very well, but by employing two better security
is afforded...

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Avery, in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 25th
February 1856.
371
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
AVERY, of 32, Essex Street, Strand, London, Patent Agent, send greeting:
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Avery, Her special licence that I, the said John Avery,
execu-
tors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I; the said John Avery, "
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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN HANDLES FOR AUGERS, GIMLETS,
AND OTHER TOOLS AND INSTRUMENTS TO WHICH SUCH HANDLES MAY BE APPLICABLE;"
(a communication,) upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John
Avery, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should parti-
cularly 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 immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent:
j
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Avery, 'do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in 'what manner the same is to be per-
formed; to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, that is to say
This Invention 'relates to the employment, within the handle, of a double
ratchet movement, and reversing gear for the same, to enable the auger,
gimlet, or other tool or instrument to be rotated in either direction at pleasure
by a person turning the handle back and forth in a portion of a circle without
relinquishing his hold' of the handle, thereby not only enabling the tool or
instrument to be used in confined places or positions, but affording greater
convenience for operating in all places or positions.
In the accompanying Drawing, which formis part of this Specification,
Fig. 1 is an outside view of an auger, having applied to it one of the handles,
which form the subject of this Invention; Fig. 2 is a central section of the
handle, taken lengthwise; Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the same, taken

page_text: in the line x, y, of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a view of the handle, with one of the
two parts of which its shell or external portion is formed removed, to shew
the interior; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the socket which receives the
auger, gimlet, or other tool or instrument. Similar letters of reference indicate
corresponding parts in the several Figures.
auger
A, B, is the shell or external part of the handle, which is of the same
form externally as the common auger or gimlet handle; but instead of being
solid, is divided centrally in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the into
two parts A and B, the said parts being screwed together by screws c, c. This
shell A, B, should be, preferably, made of cast metal, in which case the neces-
sary cavity in the interior, to contain the ratchets,. pawls, &c., herein-after
described, may be formed in the casting. C is the socket, to receive the auger,
or other tool or instrument, which fits to turn freely on two bearings, formed
one in each part of the shell A, B, of the handle, and has tightly secured to
it two ratchet wheels, a, b, whose teeth incline in opposite. directions, the said
ratchet wheels a, b, being allowed plenty of room. to turn freely in the cavity
of the handle. Opposite the ratchet wheel a there are two sliding spring
pawls a¹, a', one on. each side, arranged lengthwise of the handle; and opposite
the ratchet wheel b, two similar pawls b', 6'. D is a small shaft, which is
fitted to bearings formed in, the ends of the two parts A and B of the shell
of the handle, half in each, thus bringing the axis. of. the, shaft in a plane
which passes, between the pawls a', a¹, and those b', b. This shaft has a small
lever foutside the handle, to turn it as far as necessary, and is furnished with
two toes d, d, one of which plays in recesses e, e¹, made in one pawl a', and
its corresponding, pawl b', as shewn in Fig. 3, and the other in similar recesses
in the other two pawls. The side of each recess e.which is farthest from the
centre of the handle is beveled, as shewn in Fig. 2, and the toes d, d, of the
shaft D, which are arranged parallel with each other, occupy such a position,
that when turned into the recesses either of the two pawls a¹, a¹, or b¹, b', they
act on the beveled sides of the recesses, and force those two pawls out of gear
with their respective ratchet wheel, but, leaving the recesses of the other two
pawls, allow the latter to engage with their respective ratchet wheel. This is
illustrated in Fig. 2,, where the toes are represented as having left the recesses
of the pawls a', a', and entered those of the pawls 6, 6, allowing the former
to fall into gear, and throwing out the latter. The same condition is illustrated
in Fig. 4... The consequence of this is, that by turning the handle back and
forth the auger will be turned to the right, or in the direction for boring, a
being the right-hand ratchet; but if the position of the toes were reversed
by means of the lever f, the direction of the rotation of the auger would, be

page_text: JOHN AVERY. (L.S.)