IMPROVE- MENTS IN VICES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Teague, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Foreman Pattern Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN VICES."-A communication from abroad by John Simpson,
of Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America.
Sealed the 24th November 1871, and dated the 5th June 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Teague at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
5th June 1871.
I, ALFRED TEAGUE, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Foreman Pattern Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN VICES," to be as follows:-
The said Invention consists in constructing and arranging the parts
of vices in the manner herein-after described, whereby great rapidity
and facility in adjusting the jaws of vices are secured. In a horizontal
hole in the bench leg carrying the fixed jaw of the vice I secure a
socket, the said socket having in its interior a half screw box or a half

page_text: female screw or screw rack bar, the said half screw box being situated
near the axis of the socket and supported on the lower side of the
socket. Within the said socket a hollow bar or casing slides, the said
casing having the same width externally as the interior of the socket,
but being of less depth than the interior of the socket, the said casing
can consequently besides sliding in the socket also have motion
vertically but not horizontally. The said casing surrounds the half
screw box on three sides, the fourth or bottom side of the said casing
being cut away, or having a broad slot in it through which the supports
of the half screw box pass. In the axis of the said casing is a screw, the
threads of which have the same pitch as the threads or teeth on the
half screw box. The end of the screw protrudes from the outer end of
the casing and carries a cross tube or socket in which the handle of
the vice works. The outer end of the said casing carries the moveable
jaw of the vice. By turning the handle of the vice in one or other
direction the screw advances in or retires from the fixed half screw box
carrying the casing and moveable jaw with it, the turning of the handle
effecting the motion of the moveable jaw precisely as in an ordinary
vice. When however it is wished to give considerable motion to the
moveable jaw so as to open and close the vice rapidly it is only necessary
so far to turn the screw as to loosen the hold of the jaws on any article
which may be held between them (should any article be held between
them), when by lifting the handle of the vice the screw is raised out of
the half screw box, and by a sliding motion the moveable jaw can be
brought into the required position. By depressing the handle of the vice
the screw is again made to gear with the half screw box, and the vice
may be tightened by turning the handle. When the jaws of the vice are
not gripping anything the adjusting of the moveable jaw may be effected
by lifting the handle without the preliminary turn, which is necessary
when anything is held in the vice. In depressing the screw into the
half screw box it is desirable to give the handle of the vice a slight turn
so that in case the thread of the screw is not immediately over the
concave thread of the half screw box it may be brought into that
position and the screw made to engage with the half screw box without
difficulty.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alfred Teague in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 2nd December 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
TEAGUE, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Foreman Pattern
Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria,. By Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-fourth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Alfred Teague, Her special licence that I, tho
said Alfred Teague, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Alfred Teague, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN VICES," a communication to
mo from abroad by John Simpson, of Cleveland, Ohio, United States
of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alfred
Teague, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describo 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 Alfred Teague,. 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:—
The said Invention consists in constructing: and arranging the parts
of vices in the manner herein-after described,. whereby great rapidity
and facility in adjusting the jaws of vices are secured. In a horizontal
.
hole in the bench leg carrying the fixed jaw of the vice I secure a socket,
the said socket being in its interior a half screw box or a half female
screw or screw rack bar, the said half screw box being situated near tho
axis of the socket and supported on the lower side of the socket.

page_text: Within the said socket a hollow bar or casing slides, the said casing
having the same width externally as the interior of the socket, but being
of less depth than the interior of the socket the said casing can conse-
quently besides sliding in the socket also have a motion vertically but
three
not horizontally. The said casing surrounds the half screw box on
sides, the fourth or bottom side of the said casing being cut away or
having a broad slot in it through which the supports of the half screw
box pass. In the axis of the said casing is a screw the threads of which
have the same pitch as the threads or teeth on the half screw box.
The end of the thread protrudes from the outer end of the casing and
carries a cross tube or socket in which the handle of the vice works.
The outer end of the said casing carries the moveable jaw of the vice.
By turning the handle of the vice in one or other direction the screw
advances in or retires from the fixed half screw box carrying the casing
and moveable jaw with it, the turning of the handle effecting the motion
of the moveable jaw precisely as in an ordinary vice. When however
it is wished to give considerable motion to the moveable jaw so as to
open and close the vice rapidly it is only necessary so far to turn the
screw as to loosen the hold of the jaws on any article which may
held between them (should any article be held between them) when
by lifting the handle of the vice the screw is raised out of the half screw
box and by a sliding motion the moveable jaw can be brought into the
required position. By depressing the handle of the vice the screw is
again made to gear with the half screw box and the vice may be
tightened by turning the handle. When the jaws of the vice are not
gripping anything the adjusting of the moveable jaw may be effected
by lifting the handle without. the preliminary turn which is necessary
when anything is held in the vice. In depressing the screw into the
half screw box it is desirable to give the handle of the vice a slight
turn, so that in case the thread of the screw is not immediately over
the concave thread of the half screw box it may be brought into that
position and the screw made to engage with the half screw box without
difficulty.
be
Having explained the nature of the said Invention I will proceed to
Jaconibo with reference to the accompanying Drawing the manner in

page_text: longitudinal vertical section; Figure 3 a plan of under side, and Figure 4
an end elevation of the same; Figure 5 represents the said vice in
longitudinal vertical, section (partly in elevation) in which the screw
of the moveable jaw is shown disengaged from its half screw box
preparatory to the rapid adjusting of the said moveable jaw; Figure 6
represents in horizontal section, and Figure 7 in end elevation a portion
of the vice as herein-after explained. The same letters indicate the
same parts in the several Figures of the Drawing.
By the forms described of the bar
a is the fixed jaw of the vice carried by the bench leg a³ as usual.
In a horizontal hole in the said bench leg a metallic socket b is secured
by the flange and screws at c, c. The socket 6 is shown in horizontal
section in Figure 6, and end elevation in Figure 7. In the interior of
the socket b is a half screw box or screw rack bar d. The said half
screw box d is situated near the axis of the socket b and supported on
the lower side or bottom of the said socket as best seen in Figures 2,
5, and 7; e is the moveable jaw of the vice carried by the bracket ƒª of
the hollow bar or casing f. The said hollow bar or casing ƒ slides
within the socket b and has the same width externally as the interior
of the said socket 6, but is of less depth than the interior of the said
socket (see Figures 2, 3, and 4.)
or casing ƒ and socket 6 the said casing f besides being capable of
sliding in the socket 6 is capable also of a vertical motion in the said
socket (see Figure 5). The casing fin the socket & surrounds the half
screw box d on three sides, the fourth side or bottom of the casing being
nearly cut away or having a broad longitudinal slot f' in it through
which the supports of the half screw box d pass. In the axis of the
casing ƒ is a screw the threads of which have the same pitch as the
threads of the half screw box d. The screw 9 is capable only of a
rotatory motion in the casing f, the said screw turning at one end in the
bracket h and at the other end in the collar or boss i of the said casing.
The outer end of the screw g is secured to a cross tube or socket / in
which the handle 2 of the vice works. When the parts of the vice are
in the respective positions represented in Figures 1 and 2 the turning
of the handle in one or other direction causes the screw g to advance
in or retire from the fixed half screw box d. The casing f is thus made
to slide in the socket 6, and the moveable jaw e is adjusted or brought
to the required distance from the fixed jaw a. When howover after
using the vice it is wished to give considerablo motion to the moveable

page_text: jaw e so as to open or close the vice rapidly the handle is slightly
turned so as to move the screw 9 and loosen the hold of the jaws a, e,
on any article which may be held between them. By then lifting the
handle of the vice the casing f moves vertically in the socket b and
the screw is thereby lifted out of and ungeared from the fixed half
screw box b, as illustrated in Figure 5. When the parts occupy the
positions, Figure 5, by sliding the casing fin its socket 6 the moveable
jawe can be rapidly removed from the fixed jaw a and again advanced
the required distance to the said fixed jaw. By then depressing the
handle and giving the said handle a slight turn the threads of the
screw 9 re-enter or re-engage with the threads of the fixed screw box d,
as illustrated in Figure 2, when the vice may be tightened by turning
the handle l.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner 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 illus-
trated, as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of
the said Invention; but I claim as the said Invention, the improvements
in vices herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawing, that is to say, the construction and arrangement or combination
of the socket b; fixed half screw box or half female screw d, sliding
casing f, and screw 9, whereby the said screw g of the moveable jaw is
capable by a vertical motion of the said casing in the said socket of
being ungeared from and geared with the fixed half screw box and the
rapid and easy adjusting and tightening of the said moveable jaw
thereby effected, substantially as described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Teague, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
ALFRED TEAGUE. (L.S.)