Improvements in Cricket Bats.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Apr., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 17th Jan., 1894-Accepted, 17th Feb., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Cricket Bats.
JAMES WHITESTONE 97 Friern Road East Dulwich London S.E. Civil
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in cricket bats and consists in making the
blade and sometimes the handle partly of thin elastic metal-by preference steel--
so cut bent and formed as to afford sufficient stiffness and spring pliability and
elasticity instead of wood as heretofore used. Also in improved methods of
attaching handles to blades of cricket bats and in an improved manner of
distributing the weight of material in a bat more efficiently than heretofore.
In carrying out my invention I make the blade of sheet steel slightly curved on
the face and turned back or flanged at the edges and lower end and having a
projecting tang at the upper end for connecting with the handle by means of a
serving of wire gut or string. By preference I turn the sheet upwards for some
distance at the back of the blade from the lower end so as to form with the front
and edges a socket to receive a wood back extending the whole length of the blade
and at its upper end where it is thickest notched to receive the lower end of a
wood handle when such is used. The flanged edges of the steel blade are bent
over so as to retain the wood back in place. The steel should not be either very
hard or very soft-the quality used for good wood saws is suitable-and the blade
should be tempered in its finished shape.
When a steel handle is desired I make it of sheet steel slotted diagonally or
obliquely leaving narrow strips of metal which when the sheet so slotted is bent
into the shape of the handle form a series of spirals of longer or shorter pitch
according to the obliquity of the slots. Or otherwise and by preference the sheet
may be perforated with "lozenge" or "diamond" shaped openings so that when
bent the metal left between them forms two intersecting series of spirals but I do
not confine myself to any particular shape of opening hole or perforation. The
upper part of the wood back instead of being notched out as for a wood handle is
prolonged by a projection fitting inside the hollow handle for a short distance up
from the lower end of the same and the handle may be made in one piece with the
steel portion of the blade.
I distribute the weight of the bat as follows-First I make the steel bladed bat
including its wood back and handle as light as practically possible and desirable.
Then I take a well balanced wood bat of any required total weight and ascertain
the position of its centre of gravity relatively to one end. This position I fix
arbitrarily for the centre of gravity of the steel bladed bat when finished. Then
I find the difference between the weights of the two bats that is to say between
the unfinished steel bladed bat and the finished wood but the wood bat being the
heavier of these and I divide this difference into two parts such that when one part
is added at the top of the handle and the other part is added at the bottom of the
blade the centre of gravity of the steel bladed bat shall be in the position
determined as aforesaid. I prefer to add the necessary weights in the form of lead
loading.
Dated this Camantaorth dox of Anril 1893

page_text: Improvements in Cricket Bats.
I JAMES WHITESTONE of 1 Castalia Villas Underhill Road, East Dulwich
London S.E. (and lately of 97 Friern Road East Dulwich, London S.E.) Civil
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
My invention relates to improvements in cricket hats and consists in making the
blade, and sometimes the handle partly of thin elastic metal, by preference steel,
so cut bent and formed as to afford sufficient stiffness and spring pliability and
elasticity instead of wood as heretofore used: also in improved methods of
attaching handles to blades of cricket bats, and in an improved manner of
distributing the weight of material in a bat more effectively than heretofore.
In order that my invention may be more readily understood I will describe it
with reference to the accompanying sheet of drawings in which
Figs. 1, 2, and 3 are respectively side, front, and back elevations of the upper
part of a bat made with steel blade, but handle of cane or other material or
materials now employed therefor.
Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7 represent cross sections of the same bat taken respectively on
the lines marked 4, 5, 6 and 7 on the front elevations.
Fig 8 is a development of the upper part of the steel blade, shewing the form
of the upper part of the flat steel sheet before being bent.
Figs. 9, 10, and 11 are respectively side, front, and back elevations of the upper
part of a bat having both blade and handle formed out of one piece of sheet steel.
Fig. 12 is a development of this part when the sheet is cut and perforated, but
prior to bending.
Figs. 13, 14, and 15 are respectively side, front, and back elevations of the lower
part of both the above bats.
Figs. 16, 17, and 18 are enlarged views of the bolt nut and washer attaching a
handle to a blade.
Different views of the same parts are indicated by the same letters.
Referring to Figs 1 to 8 inclusive and Figs. 13, 14, and 15, A is the upper part
of the steel blade, slightly curved on the face, and turned back or flanged at the
edges B, the lower end C and over the shoulders at H, and having a projecting
tang D for connecting with the handle E by means of a serving of wire, gut, or
string (not shewn on the drawings) and by the bolt, nut, and washer F, which are
shewn to an enlarged scale in Figs. 16, 17, and 18.
By preference I turn a part of the sheet upwards for some distance at the back of the
blade from the lower end as shewn at G (Fig. 15) so as to form with the front and
edges a socket to receive a wood back J extending the whole length of the blade,
and at its upper end,-where it is thickest,-notched to receive the lower end of the
handle E. The flanged edges B of the steel blade are bent over as shewn
particularly in Figs. 3, 7, and 15 so as to retain the wood back J in place.
و"
When a steel handle is desired I make it of sheet steel, slotted diagonally or
obliquely leaving narrow strips of metal, which, when the sheet so slotted is bent
into the shape of the handle, form a series of spirals of longer or shorter pitch
according to the obliquity of the slots. Or otherwise, and by preference, the sheets
may be perforated as shewn in Fig. 12 with "lozenge or diamond" shaped
openings, so that, when bent, the metal left between them will form two intersecting
series of spirals, but I do not confine myself to any particular shape of openings
holes or perforations. The sheet is cut to such widths that when bent to the shape
of the handle, there shall be at the back a space of about three sixteenths of an
inch between its edges, as shewn at K on Fig. 11.

page_text: The wood back, instead of being notched out at its upper part as described for a
cane handle, is prolonged by a projection fitting inside the hollow handle as far as
the line L-L on Figs. 9, 10, and 11, or thereabouts, but is otherwise made as
before described. The upper end of the handle is filled in by a suitable plug, and
the handles in all cases are to be covered with a serving of waxed thread or with
leather as is now usual.
When the steel handle is made in a separate piece from the blade, it is terminated
at the lower end as shewn by the curved dotted line M on Fig. 10. The dotted
lines on Figs. 8 and 12 denote the commencement of the bends to form the flanges
or portions turned back at the edges.
prefer to make the wood backing of willow on account of its lightness, and
with the front flat, so as to leave a small space between it and the curved steel
blade. The wood may be of a quality inferior to that at present used in good
cricket bats, and may be glued up in pieces. Where extra pliability is desired the
wood may
be partially sawn through at right angles with the centre line of the bat,
and, with the like object, the flanged portions, B, of the steel blade may be
notched.
The steel should not be either very hard or very soft:-the quality and temper
used for wood saws is suitable :-aud the blade should be tempered in its finished
shape.
I distribute the weight of the bat as follows. First I make the steel-bladed bat,
including its wood back and handle, as light as practically possible and desirable.
Then I take a well balanced wood bat of any required total weight, and ascertain
the position of its centre of gravity relatively to one end. This position I fix
arbitrarily for the centre of gravity of the steel-bladed bat when finished: then I
find the difference between the weights of the two bats, that is to say between the
unfinished steel-bladed bat and the finished wood bat (the wood bat being the
heavier of these) and I divide this difference into two parts such that when one
part is added as nearly as possible to the top of the handle and the other part is
added as nearly as possible to the bottom of the blade, the centre of gravity of the
steel-bladed bat shall be in the position determined as aforesaid. I prefer to add
the necessary weights in the form of lead loading.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. Blades for cricket bats made of thin steel or other elastic metal substantially
as herein set forth.
2. Handles for cricket bats made of thin steel or other elastic metal substantially
as herein set forth.
3. The combination of the blade A, the handle E, the bolt F, and wood
backing J as herein particularly described with reference to Figs. 1 to 8 inclusive.
4. The combination of the blade and handle in one piece of thin steel or other
elastic metal with the wood backing as herein particularly described with reference
to Figs. 9 to 15 inclusive.
5. Cricket bats made partly of thin steel or other elastic metal and partly of
wood and loaded at both ends as herein set forth.
Dated this Seventeenth day of January 1894.
JAMES WHITESTONE.