Improvements in Scaffolds for Building Purposes.
Year: 1890

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Scaffolds for Building Purposes.
We, GEORGE STORRS MACLAURIN, Painter, of No. 935 North Twenty-sixth Street,
City of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, and JOHN HAMILTON CRANKSHAW,
Insurance Agent, of No. 1202 De Kalb Street, Norristown, County of Montgomery,
State of Pennsylvania, United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of our
said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Our invention has relation to portable scaffolds, and has for its object to provide
inexpensive, secure and readily adjustable devices for supporting the uprights and
securing the same in position to the building and also to provide readily adjustable
safe and secure supporting brackets for the ledge boards and splicing devices for the
uprights.
Our invention consists in readily adjustable securing devices for supporting the
uprights, adjustable frictional brackets for supporting the ledge boards and splicing
device and other parts, hereinafter particularly set forth.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improvement in scaffolds secured in position
to the front of a building.
Figure 2 is a perspective view in detail of the improved supporting bracket
detached from its securing hand and hooks with a section of the upright, shown in
position in dotted lines.
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Figure 3 is a perspective view showing in detail the adjustable upright securing
device detached.
Figure 4 is a perspective view showing in detail the upright splicing device.
Figure 5 is a side elevation of the adjustable supporting bracket.
Figure 6 is a perspective view of the securing bracket hooks and band constructed
in double form having a bracket provided on two sides of the upright.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.
The securing devices or braces A are secured to the uprights, P, by a pin, P,
preferably passing through holes provided in the upright, P, and in the brace, A, and
having thereon a thumb screw, s; to the end of the securing arm, A, is provided an
adjustable cross arm, a, a', the sections adapted to slide into or on each other, to fit
any ordinary sized window frame; a pin p', passes through the end of the arm, A,
and through the adjustable cross arun, a, a', while a thumb screw, s¹ on the pin, p¹
clamps and secures the arms in the desired position; the arms a², a³, are pivoted to
the adjustable arm, a, a', near its extremities and are secured adjustably to the arm, A,
by the pin, p, passing through the same and through the said arms and clamped
together by the thumb screw, 32, as shown in the drawings. These arms, a², à³, act as
braces to the arm, A, and to the adjustable cross arm, a, u¹, longitudinal slots, l, are
provided in the respective arms to allow of the passage of the several securing pins
and easy adjustment of the arms thereon to fit a window frame of any ordinary size.
It will be seen that the contraction or expansion of the adjustable arm, a, a
requires an adjustment of the arms, a³, a³, in their position on the arm, A, for which
purpose the slotted orifices are provided. When the uprights, P, are in position as
shown in Figure 1 the adjustable cross arm a, a' is fitted in the window frame,
preferably in the groove provided for the sash and upon the lower sill; once fitted
with the respective arms properly adjusted on the securing pins the thumb screws
are turned and clamp the respective arms in position on the arms, A, which in turn
is secured in the desired position on the upright P, by means of the pin, p, and
thumb screw, s, each window is preferably provided with a set of securing arms.

page_text: On the uprights, P, for the purpose of supporting the ledge boards, L, adjustable
arms or brackets, B, are provided and adjustably secured by means of the band, B¹,
which passes around the upright, P, and is provided with hooked projections, b, into
which the pins or spindles, 6 provided on the bracket, B, are adjusted.
The band, B', neatly fits around the upright, P, and as the bracket B, is adjusted
thereto, in the manner described, the downwardly projecting arm, J, of the bracket B,
bears tightly against the face of the upright P, with which it comes in contact by
reason of the weight of the ledge board, L, and the burden upon it, and is thereby
firmly sccured in any position at which it is set and prevented from slipping or falling,
the greater the pressure on the arm B, the more securely will the bracket be bound
to the upright P. If desired a strip of rubber, r, may be provided on the face of
the arm, J, to hear against the face of the upright, P.
As shown in Figure 6 a double securing bracket may be provided on the upright P,
having an encircling band B' and a double set of projecting hooks, b, secured thereon,
the downwardly projecting arms J, of the brackets B, binding upon the uprights, P,
in the manner substantially as described in the construction of the single bracket.
The rubber r, instead of being provided on the downwardly projecting arm, J, for
frictional purposes may be provided, if desired, on the inside of the band, B, opposite
to the downwardly projecting arm, J.
The object of this construction of bracket is to provide additional flooring or ledge
board space; by this means a third ledge board may be secured between the two
outer ledge boards supported on the brackets by any ordinary supporting plate
stretching from ledge board to ledge board and underneath the intervening
board.
In the uprights P, I provide a secure and readily adjustable splicing device shown
in detail in Figure 4, the respective ends of the parts of the uprights to be spliced
are cut out at an equal angle of about degrees leaving a shoulder t, against which
the respective ends of the parts to be spliced rest; to the partially pointed end of
each respective upright is provided a securing and guide plate 9 into which the pro-
jecting edges of the fixed plate, d, provided on the inclined surfaces of the other
section of the upright tightly and securely fits within the flanges g', of the plate g
holding and securing the plate d, which thus binds tightly and firmly and forms a
perfect splice for the uprights P.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
First. In portable scaffolds a securing arm movably secured to the upright and
adjustable cross arms secured to the inner end of the securing arm said arms
adjustable on the securing arm for the purposes substantially as hereinbefore set forth
and described.
Second. In a portable scaffold a securing arm, A, movably secured to the upright P
adjustable cross arm a, a', secured to one end of the arm A, adapted to fit into and be
secured upon the window frame braced and adjusted in the manner substantially as
hereinbefore set forth and described.
Third. In a portable scaffold securing arm A, movably secured to the upright P,
through the medium of the pins, p, a thumb screw, s adjustable cross arm a, a,
secured to an adjustable on the end of the arm A, through the medium of pins and
thumb screws and bracing arms a³, a³, secured to the adjustable cross arm and
adjustably secured to the arm A, substantially as hereinbefore set forth and described.
Fourth. In a portable scaffold, brackets for supporting ledge boards adjustably
secured on the uprights of the said scaffold by a band adjusted around and upon
said upright, and lower projecting arm provided on the main supporting bracket,
adapted to bear and press against the surface of the upright by means of the pressure
or load upon the main arm, substantially as herein before set forth and described.
Fifth. In a portable scaffold a supporting bracket B having a downwardly pro-

page_text: jecting arm J, said bracket adjustably secured to the upright P, by the partially
encircling band B¹, said bracket B, secured to the band B', through the medium of
the pins and the hooks b substantially as hereinbefore set forth and described.
Sixth. In a portable scaffold a supporting bracket B downwardly projecting arm J,
provided with a rubber surface band B' adjustable around and upon the upright P,
to which said band the bracket B, is secured in the manner substantially as herein-
before set forth and described.
Seventh. In a portable scaffold a double supporting bracket having two sets of
arms, B, each provided with downwardly projecting arms, J, said brackets adjustably
secured to the upright P, by the partially encirling band B', said brackets secured to
the said band B¹, through the medium of the pins 6' and the hooks b, substantially as
hereinbefore set forth and described.
In a portable scaffold two sections of uprights P, provided with an annular mortise
at their respective ends adapted to fit together, shoulders, t guide plate g secured to
their respective ends and provided with flanges 9' and securing plates d the edges of
which are adapted to engage in the flanges g¹, provided on the end of the corre-
sponding action of the upright to be spliced in the manner substantially as herein-
before set forth and described.
Dated this 30th day of June 1890
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.