Ax IMPROVEMENT IN ADJUSTABLE WRENCHES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Garrett Tongue, of the Firm of Tongue and
Birkbeck, Patent Agents and Engineers, of 34, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "Ax
IMPROVEMENT IN ADJUSTABLE WRENCHES."-A communication from abroad
by John Parker Lindsay, of the City, County, and State of New York,
United States of America.
Sealed the 13th December 1867, and dated the 28th June 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Garrett Tongue
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th Juno 1867.
JOHN GARRETT TONGUE, of the Firm of Tongue and Birkbeck, Patent
Agents and Engineers, of 34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"AN IMPROVEMENT IN ADJUSTABLE WRENCHES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to that description of wrenches for screwing up bolts
or nuts and holding or performing other work in which a permanent jaw from
the main bar is used in connection with a sliding jaw made adjustable by a
milled head screw; and the nature of this improvement consists in combination
with a ribbed or feathered construction of the main bar and swell or shoulder,

page_text: where it forms a back-edge junction with the permanent jaw of a peculiar
recessed construction of the sliding jaw, whereby while without adding
materially or objectionably to weight, increased strength and stability is given
to the wrench where it is usually liable to rupture, and the sliding and
permanent jaw may be brought into the closest requisite position relatively to
each other. The main bar of the wrench with its head or permanent jaw is
preferably forged solid without welding. On the back side or edge of this bar
is formed a longitudinal rib, feather, or spline, the same constituting a lateral
projection to brace or give increased strength to the bar where it usually
proves weakest, and as a stiffener to the bar at this part or at the root thereof,
or at its junction with the fixed or permanent jaw; the bar is swelled out or
formed with a shoulder on its rear side or edge. This rib or spline may be
made of any desired shape in its cross section, and be made to extend longi-
tudinally from the permanent jaw to any desired distance along the back of
the main bar. The adjustable jaw and its appendages may be made of
malleable cast iron, or any other suitable metal, and of any desired form to
suit the permanent jaw and main bar, on which latter it slides or is adjusted
by means of a milled head screw, but with this peculiarity that not only is the
sliding jaw made to fit the main bar, but also by a groove the spline, and by a
recess when screwed up close to receive within it the stiffening shoulder of the
main bar. When it is desired to use the back end of the permanent jaw for
hammering purposes, as is frequently the case, the working parts may be
locked or steadied and increased weight or effect given to the blow by screwing
or jamming the moveable jaw close, or butt up against the permanent jaw.
It is also desirable that the back edge of the moveable jaw should project a
less distance from the main bar than the permanent jaw, and be rounded off
to prevent its use as a hammer head. The handle of the wrench which may
be of wood should be made to a gauge so that it exactly fits the shank of the
main bar, one end of the handle having a seat in the socket nut, which nut
also supports the bearing of the milled head of the screw that operates the
adjustable jaw; this socket nut should be placed upon the shank with cou-
siderable force so that there is no danger of its working loose; a nut at the
extremity of the handle serving to hold the latter on to the shank. Thus
attached the handle is restrained from splitting or working loose.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Garrett Tongue in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 28th December 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
GARRETT TONGUE, of the Firm of Tongue and Birkbeck, Patent Agents and
Engineers, of 34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight bundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs, and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Garrett Tongue, Her special licence, that I, the said John
Garrett Tongue, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said John Garrett Tongue, 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, exercise, and vend within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"AN IMPROVEMENT IN ADJUSTABLE WRENCHES," a communication to me from
abroad by John Parker Lindsay, of the City, County, and State of New York,
United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said John Garrett Tongue, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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 Groat 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 Garrett Tongue, 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 :—
This Invention relates to that description of wrenches for screwing up bolts
or nuts and holding or performing other work in which a permanent jaw from
the main bar is used in connection with a sliding jaw made adjustable by a
milled head screw; and the nature of this improvement consists in com-
bination with a ribbed or feathered construction of the main bar and swell or
shoulder, where it forms a back edge junction with the permanent jaw of a
peculiar recessed construction of the sliding jaw, whereby, while without

page_text: is given to the wrench where it is usually liable to rupture, and the sliding
and permanent jaws may be brought into the closest requisite position
relatively to each other.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention I will now proceed to
describe the Drawing hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 represents a side or longitudinal view of a wrench constructed
according to this improvement, showing also in red lines the position of the
moveable jaw when screwed close up; Figure 2 a transverse section of the
same through the line a, x, iu Figure 1; and Figure 3 a longitudinal section
through the sliding or movable jaw detached; and Figure 4 a similar section
through the rear or handle portion of the wrench, showing how such part
if desired be constructed to give it permanency and strength.
may
The main bar A of the wrench with its head or permanent jaw B is
preferably forged solid without welding, and afterwards milled or dressed in
the usual way. On the back side or edge of the bar is formed a longitudinal
rib, feather, or spline C, the same constituting a lateral projection to brace or
give increased strength to the bar where it usually proves weakest and as a
stiffener to the bar at this part or at the root thereof; or at its junction with
the fixed or permanent jaw B the bar is swelled out or forined with a shoulder
a on its rear side or edge. This rib or spline C may be made of any desired
shape in its cross section, and be made to extend longitudinally from the per-
manent jaw B to any desired distance along the back of the main bar A, and
its width as a rule is by preference increased as the bar A in its transverse
section approaches a square; this rib or spline C should be made or forged of
the same piece with the bar A and permanent jaw B. The adjustable jaw D and
its appendages may be made of malleable cast iron or any other suitable metal,
and of any desired form to suit the permanent jaw B and mam bar A, on
which latter it slides or is adjusted by means of a milled head screw E, but
with this peculiarity, that not only is the sliding jaw D made to fit the main
bar A but also by a groove b, the spline C, and by a recess c, when screwed
up close to receive within it the stiffening shoulder a of the main bar A.
By this construction great additional strength is secured, that is, by the
spline C and shoulder a to the bar A without adding materially or objectionally
to weight of the wrench, which is by this means strengthened where breakage
usually occurs, while by the recess c formed in the adjustable jaw D, the
latter may be worked up to hold between it and the permanent jaw B the

page_text: thinnest piece of metal, or where it is desired to use the back end of the per-
manent jaw for hammering purposes, as is frequently the case, the working
parts may be locked or steadied, and increased weight or effect given to the
blow by screwing or jamming the moveable jaw D close, or so as to butt up
against the permanent jaw B. It is also desirable that the back edge of the
moveablo jaw D should project a less distance from the main bar A than the
permanent jaw, and be rounded off to prevent its use as a hammer head.
The handle F of the wrench, which may be of wood, should be made to a
gauge so that it exactly fits the shank d of the main bar A, one end of the
handle having a seat in the socket nut e, which nut also supports the bearing
of the milled bend of the screw E that operates the adjustable jaw, this
socket nut should be placed upon the shank with considerable force, so that
there is no danger of its working loose, a nut fat the extremity of the handle
serving to bold the latter on to the shank; thus attached the handle is
restrained from splitting or working loose.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention and the manner in
which it is carried into practice, tho improvement which is claimed under the
abovo in part recited Letters Patent is as follows:-The combination with the
bar A, permanent jaw B, spline C, and shoulder a of the adjustable, jaw D
made with a groove b and recess c to receive through and within it said spline
and shoulder in the adjustment of the wrench, substantially as herein shown
and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Garrett Tongue, have hereunto set
my band and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of December, in the year of
our Lord Oue thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
JOHN GARRETT TONGUE. (L.8.)