IMPROVEMENTS IN BOOK RACKS
Year: 1888

page_text: Communicated from abroad by SYLVANUS J. TALBOT, Gentleman, of Milford, New
Hampshire, United States of America.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co. Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature
of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BOOK RACKS," and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
This invention consists of an improved book rack which, while adapted to be easily
and quickly taken to pieces and packed in a small space, is at the same time extremely
strong and rigid.
Of the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my improved book rack, and
Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken near the outer edge of the same through the
fastening and supporting pieces.
A, B and C are the shelves held at any desired distance apart by the corner posts D).
The upper and lower shelves are provided with holes into which fit the dowelled
ends of the corner posts D. The intermediate shelf B is provided near its corners
with end slots b which fit over the parts d¹ of the corner posts D, the diameter of the
posts being reduced at these points to form two shoulders between which shoulders
the said shelf is held.
The dowelled portions d' d' at the bottom of the corner posts are preferably flush

page_text: with the bottom of the lower shelf C while the upper dowelled portions d d project for
some distance above the level of the top of the shelf A.
The shelves are held firmly together by means of the end rods E E and the upper
and lower clamping pieces H and G. The threaded upper end e of the rod E screws
into the upper clamping piece H, while the lower threaded end e' is adapted in like
manner to screw into the tapped holes e¹¹ in the lower clamping piece G.
The shelves are provided at each end with hole through which pass the rods E E,
the said holes being preferably in line with and midway between the corner slots or
holes in which rest the corner posts D.
The rack is put together as follows:
The corner posts D are first placed with the reduced parts d¹ in the four slots bat
each corner of the shelf B. The dowelled portions dd and d² d² are next inserted in
the corner holes of the top and bottom shelves respectively. The rods F being first
screwed into the top clamping piece H are next passed down from above through the
holes in the ends of the shelves made to receive them. The under side of the clamping
pieces H are provided with holes d³ ³ into which fit the ends of the upwardly pro-
jecting dowelled portions d above the shelf, so that the bottom of the clamping piece
rests on the top surface of the shelf. Finally the lower clamping pieces G G are screwed
onto the lower ends of the rods E and tightly against the under surface of the lower
shelf, thereby fastening the whole firmly together.
It will be seen at once that the book rack is much stronger and more durable when
fastened together in this manner than if the ends of the corner posts projecting above
and below the top and bottom shelves respectively were screw threaded and fitted with
nuts, or even if ordinary nuts were used on the threaded ends of the rod E to hold the
shelves together instead of the clamping pieces G and H.
The ordinary wooden nuts employed in articles of this kind are made with the
grain of the wood running parallel to the axis of the screw, whereas in the clamping
pieces G and H, the tapped holes being made in the side of the pieces, the grain of
the wood is at right angles to the axis of the screw, and hence the threads are much
stronger and less easily stripped than in the case of the ordinary wooden nut.
Furthermore the natural tendency of the shelves to warp is effectually prevented
by this form of fastening device, and the weight of the shelves is much more evenly
distributed than in book racks fastened together by the ordinary methods.
The upper clamping devices H H may, if desired, have plain under surfaces bearing
all the way across the upper shelf similar to the under pieces G G. The cutting away
of the material of the said pieces H as shown, between the three bearing portions, is
done for ornamentation and does not materially affect its strength. Any ornamentation
of carving etc. may be employed with good effect on the clamping pieces.
Any number of shelves may obviously be fastened together in this manner, all,
excepting the top and bottom being like the shelf B provided with end slots fitting
into reduced shouldered portions made at corresponding distances along the four
posts D similar to the shelf B.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A book rack consisting of the combination with dowelled shouldered corner
pieces of slotted and perforated shelves, screw threaded end rods and tapped clamping
pieces, whereby the said pieces, when in place, firmly clamp the upper and lower
shelves against the shouldered corner pieces, substantially as described.
2. A book rack consisting of the combination of upper and lower shelves A and C,
having corner holes, one or more intermediate shelves B provided with end slots b
corner posts D having dowelled portions d d² and reduced portions d', screw threaded
end rods E and clamping pieces G and H, substantially as and for the purposes
described...
3. A book rack consisting of the combination with corner posts D1) having dowelled

page_text: ends d d², of perforated shelves A and C, screw threaded end rods E, lower clamping
pieces G and upper clamping pieces H provided with holes d³, substantially as and for
the purposes described.
4. In a book rack the combination of a rod E threaded at its ends, with clamping
pieces G and H, whereby the shelves of the rack may be clamped against shouldered
corner pieces, substantially as described.