IMPROVEMENTS. IN SPADES, SHOVELS, FORKS, AND OTHER SIMILAR IMPLEMENTS AND TOOLS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John William Yates, of Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS. IN
SPADES, SHOVELS, FORKS, AND OTHER SIMILAR IMPLEMENTS AND TOOLS."
Sealed the 15th May 1866, and dated the 14th March 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John William Yates at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th March 1866.
I, JOHN WILLIAM YATES, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
5 Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SPADES, SHOVELS, FORKS, AND OTHER SIMILAR IMPLEMENTS
'AND TOOLS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists, firstly; in the following improvements in the handles
of spades, shovels, forks, and other implements and tools which have handles
similar to those of spades. I will describe my Invention in connection with a
spade. The 'said
d'handles are ordinarily made principally of wood, and are con-
nected to the blade of the spade by means of two straps or trough-like plates
welded to the blade, which plates are rivetted one on one side and the other
on the other side of the wooden handle. In making the said handles according
to my Invention I weld to the tang of the blade an iron tube of an elliptical
figure in cross section, the longer diameter of the ellipse being in a plane at
right angles to that of the blade of the spade, the said tube forming the

page_text: principal part of the handle I fix a short wooden handle of the ordinary shape
in the said tube by means of rivets. By making the said handles in the way
described great strength is secured in the said handles, and the wooden part
is not so likely to get loose as in handles of the ordinary construction. Although
I prefer to make the tubular part of the handle of an elliptical figure in cross
section, yet I do not limit myself thereto, the essence of this part of my
Invention consisting in making the tube of greatest diameter in a plane at
right angles to that of the blade of the spade, by which means the greatest
strength is secured in the direction in which the greatest strain is exerted in
using the spade.
My Invention consists, secondly, in fixing on that part of a spade or similar
implement on which the foot is placed in using the implement, and which is
called the "tread," a separate piece of wrought or malleable cast iron, or other
hard metal, which said separate piece can be replaced by a fresh one when it
becomes worn. I make the said separate piece of such a figure that it clips
the top edge of the blade of the spade, and is fixed 'thereon by a rivet-near the
outer edge of the said blade. The edge of the blade is cut away where the
separate piecò is fixed on it in order to make the separate piece lie nearly flush
with the top edge of the blade.. The inner end of the separate piece engages
in an under cut in the cut away part of the blade, and is thereby kept down
firmly in its place on the edge of-the-blade of the spade.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John William Yates in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
18th September 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
WILLIAM YATES, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
.said John William Yates, Her special licence that I, the said John William
Yates, my executors, administrators; and assigns, or such others as I, the said
John William Yates, 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,

page_text: .
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for, "IMPROVEMENTS
IN SPADES, SHOVELS, FORKS, AND OTHER SIMILAR IMPLEMENTS AND TOOLS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John William
Yates, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent,
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John William Yates, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
My Invention consists, firstly, in the following improvements in the handles
of spades, shovels, forks, and other implements and tools which have handles
similar to those of spades. I will describe my Invention in connection with a
spade. The said handles are ordinarily made principally of wood, and are
connected to the blade of the spade by means of two straps or trough-like
plates welded to the blade, which plates are rivetted one on one side, and the
other on the other side of the wooden handle. In making the said
handles according to my Invention I weld to the tang of the blade an
iron tube of an elliptical figure in cross section, the longer diameter of
the ellispe being in a plane at right angles to that of the blade of the spade,
the said tube forming the principal part of the handle. I fix a short wooden
handle of the ordinary shape in the tube by means of rivets. By making
the said handles in the way described great strength is secured in the said
handles, and the wooden part is not so likely to get loose as in handles of
the ordinary construction. Athough I prefer to make the tubular part of the
handle of an elliptical figure in cross section, yet I do not limit myself thereto,
the essence of this part of my Invention consisting in making the tube of
greatest diameter in a plane at right angles to that of the blade of the spade,
by which means the greatest strength is secured in the direction in which the
greatest strain is exerted in using the spade.
My Invention consists, secondly, in fixing on that part of a spade or similar
implement on which the foot is placed in using the implement, and which is
called the " tread, a separate piece of wrought or malleable cast iron, or other
hard metal, which said separate piece can be replaced by a fresh one when it
becomes worn, I make the said separate piece of such a figure that it clips

page_text: the top edge of the blade of the spade, and is fixed thereon by a rivet near
the outer edge of the said blade. The edge of the blade is cut away where
the separate piece is fixed on it, in order to make the separate piece lie nearly
flush with the top edge of the blade: The inner end of the separate piece
engages in an undercut in the cut away part of the blade, and is thereby kept
'down firmly in its place on the edge of the blade of the spade.
:
Having explained the nature of my Invention I will proceed to describe,
with reference to the accompanying. Drawings, the manner in which the same
is to be performed.
"
?
Figure 1 represents an elevation, and Figure 2, a section of a spade, the
handle of which is constructed according to my Invention; Figures 3, 4, 5,
and 6 represent the parts of which the spade is composed.
1.
In making the handle of the spade, Figures 1 and 2, I weld to the tang a
of the blade 6 (shown separately in Figure 4) an iron tube c, the said tubė
forming the principal part of the handle. The said tube e is of an elliptical
figuré in cross section, às best seen in the cross section of the said tube,
Figures 5 and 6; Figure 6 representing the tube of the full size. In welding
'the elliptical tube c,to the tang a, the said tube is so placed that the longer
diameter of the ellipse is situated in a plane at right angles to that of the
blade 6 of the spade (see the section, Figure 2). After the welding of the
tube c to the tang a, a short wooden handle d (shown separately in Figure-3)
is inserted into the top of the tube and fixed thereto by the rivets e.' The
handle is then complete. Instead of welding the elliptical tube forming the
principal part of the handle to the tang of the blade, as described and illus-
'trated, the said elliptical tube may be attached to the blade in a variety of
ways. For example, the elliptical tube may be welded to a strap or plate,
as represented in elevation in Figure 7, and section in Figure 8, and the plate
rivetted to the back of the blade of the spade, as illustrated in elevation in
'Figure 9 and section in-Figure 10. And instead of employing a short wooden
handle to complete the metallic handle of the spade, as in Figures 1 and 2, a
short metallic handle made by casting may be employed, as represented in
Figures 9 and 10, in which the short metallic handle is marked f. The
metallic handle is shown separately in elevation, section, and plan in Figures
11, 12, and 18. When I employ a. short metallic handle to complete the
tubular part of the handle I fix the said. metallic handle by shrinking the
tubular handle thereon; or instead of the arrangement last described for
connecting the elliptical tube or handle to the blade, the arrangement repre-
sented in section in Figure 14, and elevation in Figure 15 inay be employed,
that is to say, I take a strap or plate having a tang, represented in Figure 16,

page_text: :
to the tang g, of which plate I weld the elliptical tube.c, and to the front of
the tang g I weld by its lip or piece h a second plate represented in Figure 17:
A trough-like plate: is thus made, into which the upper part of 'the blade is
inserted as represented in the section, Figure 14, fa: portion of the blade
indicated in dotted lines in Figure 15 being cut away: After the insertion, of
the blade between the plates i, k, the, said; parts i; k, and blade are secured
together by a rivet, or rivets When the blade of the spade is worn it may be
removed.and replaced by a new one. Although I prefer to make the tubular.
part of the handle of an elliptical figure.in. cross section as represented, yet
tubes of other similar forms.in cross section may be.employed. For example,
the tube shown in section. in: Figure 6 may have its longer sidės parallel or
nearly parallel, the shorter sides only being curved, or the said:tube. may be
nearly rectangular in' cross section, but. of greater diameter in one direction
than the other, the four "angles being rounded: By making the tubulář
handles of spades and, other similar implements; and tools of an elliptical or
other similar figure in cross section, the greater diameter of which tubes.is
situated in a plane at right-angles to that of the blade of the implement or
tool, the greatest strength is secured in the direction in which the greatest
strain is exerted in using the implement, or tool, and the separate ends or
pieces are less liable to get loose than in handles of the ordinary construction.
Figure 18 represents the blade of a spade provided with "treads." made
according to my Invention, and Figure 19 represents the blade prepared to
receive the said treads; Figure 20 represents. the tread separately on a larger
scale; and Figure 21 represents the same attached to a blade; are the treads,
or those parts upon which the foot is placed in using the spade; the said
trends consisting of separate pieces of wrought or malleable cast iron or other
hard metal having somewhat of a hook 'form, that is, such a form that they
will readily clip the top edge of the blade m, as represented in the Drawing.
The edge of the blade is cut away at n (see Figure 19), where the treads or
separate pieces are fixed on it, in order to make the treads lie flush or nearly
flush with the top edge of the blade. The inner end of the tread is inclined
as represented, and enters the undercut part at n when placed on the edge of
the spade, and is thereby kept down firmly in its place. Each tread is fixed
to the blade by a rivet p passed through the eye part 9 of the tread. When
treads of the kind described and represented are worn they can readily bo
replaced by fresh ones.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit
myself to the precise details herein described and represented, as the same may

page_text: be varied-without departing from the nature of my Invention; but I claim as
my Invention,
Firstly, the improvements in the handles of spades, shovels, forks, and other
similar implements. and, tools herein-before described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawings, that is to say, making the principal. part of the said
handles of tubes of an elliptical, figure in cross section, or of tubes which in
cross section are longer in one direction than in the other, the said elliptical
or other tubes being so applied to the blade of the implement or tool that
their longer diameter is situated in a plane at right angles to that of the said
blade, whereby the greatest strength is secured in the direction in which the
greatest strain is exerted in using the implement or..tool...
Secondly, 'the improvement or improvements in the treads of 'spades and
similar.implements herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawings, that is to say, making the said treads of a separate piece of metal
constructed and connected to the edge of the blade, substantially in the
manner described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said John William Yates, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Seventh day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six...
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
JOHN WILLIAM YATES. (L.B.)