IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CERTAIN DESCRIPTIONS OF SHOVELS OR LIKE IMPLEMENTS
Year: 1875

page_text: .
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Nathaniel Griffin at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 30th
September 1875.
I, NATHANIEL GRIFFIN, of Harborne, in the County of Stafford, Edge
Tool Maker, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CERTAIN DESCRIPTIONS OF SHOVELS OR
LIKE IMPLEMENTS,” to be as follows (that is to say) :—
My improvements apply to the manufacture of the description of
shovels known as miners' shovels, Bristol rib shovels, and draining
shovels or tools, as also the construction of a shovel that will combine
in its use a spade and fork, and these several and similar implements
I purpose producing in the following way :-I make the blade of the
miners' shovel from a steel blank of suitable gauge, and hammer it into
the desired concave form, coffering it inversely, and on the front over
the coffered sunken part I apply a separate coffer united to the blade by
rivetting, at the same time allowing the front coffer to be of sufficient
length for receiving the handle.
The description of shovels known as Bristol rib I also produce from a
nh kad

page_text: steel I hammer and work so as to raise a side and top rib, which leaves
the shovel depressed or deepened to impart to it the requisite strength,
forming and raising down the centre a coffered ridge which (by
preference) I effect by suitable stamps and dies, and into this raised
coffered ridge I apply a solid rib and socket by rivetting the said solid
rib to the rib or coffering of the shovel, and at the top end of the solid
rib a suitable socket is formed for receiving the handle, and this same
description comprehends the solid rib applied on the top of the blade of
the shovel or beneath it, leaving the operation of inverse coffering to be
applied or not, which in some cases would be necessary when greater
strength in the implement is desired. Notwithstanding I propose
manufacturing this same description of shovel without the addition of a
solid rib and socket, in which case I allow the sheet steel of which the
shovel is composed to stand up from the middle of the top end, with
which to form a socket for receiving the handle, and imparting the
necessary strength by applying a strap and double loop rivet to the back
of the shovel near the end of the tree or handle.
In applying my improvements to the production of draining spades
I cut the blade out of sheet steel, and deflect the said blade gradually
from the point to the top, as also in cross section, to obtain strength,
and I also deflect a coffered ridge, which rises on the back, and into this
coffered deflected ridge I apply a solid shank with combined divided
langets, the shank for receiving the blade by rivetting, and the langets
for receiving the common spado handle.
In combining a spade with a fork I proceed in the following
manner: I form the two side prongs and a centre prong which extends
up and forms langets for receiving the handle, notwithstanding the
handle may be applied to a socket or otherwise, and (by preference)
I flatten the points of the prongs, taking care to preserve sufficient
strength for holes to be made through the same for carrying rivets,
which rivets pass through a short blade of steel, thus converting an
ordinary agricultural three pronged forked into an open blado spade, the
cutting edge of which will be found highly useful in cutting weeds or
breaking up heavy soil.