Improvements in Bedsteads.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Aug., 1899-Accepted, 30th Sept., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bedsteads.
I, FREDERICK WILLIAM GOLBY, of 36, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by Ottomar
Steiner, of Frankenberg, Saxony, Manufacturer, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement: ---
The head pieces foot pieces &c. of bedsteads at present in use ordinarily con-
sist of wooden planks put together with wooden columns at the corners, or of
metal tubes or metal staves. The first of these form case like bedsteads, which
often have a very ill shaped appearance. Moreover, neither air nor light can
properly reach the bedding especially the mattresses, the consequence being that
the moisture and the like given off by the sleeper are retained in the mattress,
thus causing rotting and mildew. For this reason the head pieces &c. for bed-
steads have been constructed of metal tubes or rods so as to form an airy bed-
stead. These, however, have other disadvantages, so that they have not met
with general approval by the public; as, firstly, the cost of production is rela-
tively considerable and secondly this being the principal ground of objection,
such bedsteads are never securely fixed owing to the difficulty of putting them
together and, therefore the imperfect connection of the parts. Difficulties of
various kinds are experienced in connection with the transport of such bed-
steads and the export thereof to countries where the custom's charges are made
according to the weight of the article is very expensive owing to the heavy nature
of the goods. The production of bedsteads of the kind necessitated special
auxiliary machinery and for joining the tubes or rods together cast pieces are
often employed, whereby the weight of the bedstead is certainly not lessened.
The object of this invention is to obviate the disadvantages before referred to
and to construct an airy wholesome bedstead which in spite of its trifling weight
is very strong and will compare favourably in appearance with the well known
iron and brass bedsteads.
For this purpose, the head pieces &c., are made wholly or partially of wooden
staves, of any preferred cross section, driven, or wedged, into thin metal tubes
and firmly connected together without any other fastening contrivances than
wood screws, nails or the like, and formed into a bedstead by means of hooks
and eyes.
With a view to strengthening the thin metal tubes (brass, copper
or the like) a thin sheet metal casing can be laid under, or the wooden staves
may be surrounded with a sheet metal covering which is firmly connected at the
rounded off contact edges with a strip of sheet metal let into the wooden staff,
this being effected by soldering. These bedsteads are more easily and con-
veniently produced than the ordinary metal bedsteads and are exceedingly strong
as well as being lighter with a larger area of stave.
The invention is illustrated in the acompanying drawing in which

page_text: Fig. 1 is an elevation of a bedstead head piece or foot piece and
Fig. 2 to 11 show to an enlarged scale examples of the forms in the staves of
which the bedstead is constructed.
Similar letters denote corresponding parts in all the figures.
The head piece or foot piece a is composed of a number of wooden staves
joined together horizontally and vertically by means of wood screws b, nails
or the like.
These staves may be wholly or partially driven or wedged into
thin metal tubes and be furnished with metal rings.
The object of this method of manufacture is to prevent any gap between the
wooden rod and the metal covering, as the latter easily bends in when not lying
flat. The wooden rod, on the other hand, is protected in every way against
rending or splitting and made extremely, strong especially at the connecting
spots.
Fig. 2 represents a wooden rod cover which a metal ring & lying as closely
as possible to the same, is firmly pressed and held in proper position by means
of a block or wedge e driven into the end of the wooden rod c.
Fig. 3 illustrates a wooden rod c driven into a thin metal tube f. The
diagonal section surfaces of the ends of the rods come into contact together so
that by a few strokes of a hammer on the head ends the. rods can be wedged
exceedingly firm into the tube f, any space between the wooden rod c and the
metal tube f being filled up. An ornament g of any preferred kind can be
pushed over the metal tube and fastened.
Fig. 4 represents a similarly diagonally cut wooden rod c, which is driven from
both sides in the same manner into a metal tube f and thus wedged:
Fig. 5 shows a sheet metal covering h laid over the wooden rod c; which,
after the wooden rod section c has been driven in is firmly pressed against the
outer tube f.
Fig. 6 illustrates a wooden rod c cut more than once diagonally, having a sheet
metal covering h and firmly wedged in the same. Over the sheet metal cover-
ingh metal rings are provided at the contact surfaces. These rings i hold the
covering together so that after the latter has been immersed in varnish the
seam thereon disappears.
Fig. 7 represents a wooden rod c with a sheet metal covering the seam of
which is soldered with the assistance of a strip of sheet metal & let into a groove
in the rod c. After filing or polishing the soldering spot the seam. is no longer
visible.
For the purpose of soldering and firmly fitting the pieces &c. to the wooden
rod the latter is placed with the sheet metal covering in a mould having screw
adjustable sections which are pressed to the covering by turning the screws.
Fig. 8 is a cross section of Fig. 4.
Fig. 9 is a cross section of Fig. 6.
Fig. 10 is a cross section of a wooden rod c wedged in a sheet metal covering h,
which again is covered with an outer metal covering (brass, copper or the
like) f, the seam of which can be soldered with the assistance of the underlaid
sheet metal casing h.
Fig. 11 is a cross section of Fig. 7.
All these rods covered with metal can be easily worked and joined together like
ordinary wooden rods whereby a cheap method of producing bedsteads is ensured.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my sáid
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
-
Head pieces, foot pieces &c., for bedsteads, consisting wholly or partially of
wooden rods of any prepared cross section, firmly connected together without the
employment of any other means of joining than wood screws, nails and the
like, and driven or wedged into metal tubes furnished with sheet metal casing
laid under for strengthening purposes or with an underlaid strip of sheet metal

page_text: to facilitate soldering and which are more easily and conveniently produced than
the ordinary metal bedsteads and exceedingly strong, as well as being lighter
with a larger area or bulk in relation to the staves substantially as described.
Dated this 9th day of August 1899.
F. W. GOLBY,
Patent Agent, 36, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.