A NEW OR IMPROVED RATCHET BRACE OR RATCHET DRILL BRACE AND GRAB COMBINED
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Gilchrist, of the City of Glasgow, in the
County of Lanark, North Britain, Engineers' Ironmonger, for the
Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED RATCHET BRACE OR RATCHET DRILL
BRACE AND GRAB COMBINED."
Scaled the 15th September 1870, and dated the 24th March 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Gilchrist at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
24th March 1870.
I, JAMES GILCHRIST, in the City of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, Engineers' Ironmonger, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "A NEW OR IMPROVED RATCHET BRACE OR RATCHET
DRILL BRACE AND GRAB COMBINED," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This said Invention consists of a ratchet brace or ratchet drill brace
and grab combined, having the actuating hand lever formed with a
brace or double kneed and armed crank; the head of one arm carries
the ratchet and ratchet spindle with the drill socket all revolving loose

page_text: within it, in the same axial line as a friction holding head and feeding
screw spindle in which it swivels, the spindle working in a screw nut
turning in the outer eye or end of the other arm of the double crank
ratchet brace. The socket spindle carries and turns the drill pointing
towards the holding swivel head, which, with its feeding spindle below,
serves as the holding grab, having the drill turning within the space
between the arms holding these and forming the crank drill brace and
grab, with the plate, flange, or other article or piece of work to be
bored placed and held between the point of the drill and holding head,
and within the space between the arms forming the brace and grab, all
so as to draw or feed the drill steadily within the hole as it is being
bored by the tightening and feeding of the holding swivel head turned
by hand in the nut screw. A centre screw pin with a jam nut is inserted
behind the ratchet spindle in the boring arm to receive the strain and
lessen the friction. The mere removal of the swivel screw bush or nut
and its feeding grab screw from the second or lower arm, and the
introduction of a long drill (in the socket of the ratchet) passed out
through the hole or eye of the removed screw makes the tool also into a
simple ratchet or brace (at pleasure), the upper pointed and tempered
extremity of the screw above or outside of the end of the ratchet spindle
serving as the turning centre of the tool when thus worked as a ratchet
brace or drill only.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by Elizabeth Gilchrist, of Number Sixty, Walworth Terrace,
Kent Road, Glasgow, Widow, Sole Exccutrix of the late James
Gilchrist, of the City of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Engineers' Ironmonger, deceased, in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 22nd September 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ELIZABETH
GILCHRIST, of Number Sixty, Walworth Terrace, Kent Road, Glasgow, 3
Widow, Sole Executrix of the late James Gilchrist, of the City of
Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Engineers' Iron-
monger, deceased, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of March, in the year 3

page_text: of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto the said James Gilchrist, Her special licence that he,
the said James Gilchrist, his exccutors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as he, the said James Gilchrist, his executors, adminis-
trators, 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 "A NEW OR IMPROVED RATCHET
BRACE OR RATCHET DRILL BRACE AND GRAB COMBINED," upon the condition
(amongst others) that he, the said James Gilchrist, his executors or
administrators, by au instrument in writing under his, or their, or one of
their hands and scals, should particularly 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 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 Elizabeth Gilchrist, 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 in writing, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawings, and to the several letters and figures marked
thereon, that is to say :-
This said Invention consists of a ratchet brace or ratchet drill brace
and grab combined, having the actuating hand lever formed with a
brace or double kneed and armed crank; the head of one arm carries
the ratchet and ratchet spindle with the drill socket, all revolving loose
within it, in the same axial line as a friction holding head and feeding
screw spindle on which the armed crank swivels, the spindle working
in a screw or nut retained in the outer eye or end of the grab arm of the
double crank ratchet brace. The socket spindle carries and turns the
drill pointing towards the holding swivel head, which with its feeding
spindle below serves as the holding grab, having the drill turning
within the space between the arms, holding these and forming the crank
drill brace and grab, with the plate, flange, or other article or piece of
work to be bored, placed and held between the point of the drill and
holding head, and within the space between the arms forming the brace

page_text: and grab, so as to draw or feed the drill steadily within the hole as it is
being bored by the tightening and feeding of the holding swivel head,
turned by hand in the nut or screw in the grab arm. A centre screw
pin with a jam nut is inserted behind the ratchet spindle in the boring
arm to receive the strain and lessen the friction. The mere removal of
the swivel, screw bush, or nut and its feeding grab screw from the
second or lower arm and the introduction of a long drill (into the socket
of the ratchet) passed out through the hole or eye of the removed screw,
makes the tool also into a simple ratchet or brace (at pleasure), the upper
pointed and tempered extremity of the screw above or inside of the end
of the ratchet spindle serving as the turning centre of the tool when
thus worked as a ratchet brace or drill only.
And in order that the said Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, may be properly understood I shall now proceed to describe
the several explanatory Figures on the Sheet of Drawings which I have
hereunto appended for the purpose of showing the nature of the said
Invention, and the best modes and means I am at present aware of for
performing or carrying it into effect or practice, the same reference letters
and numerals indicating the same or like parts in all the Figures, that is
to say :-
Figures 1 and 2 are respectively a side elevation and plan of the
ratchet drill brace and grab combined, capable also of being used as a
ratchet drill brace when desired, all constructed in accordance with and
illustrative of one modification of this said Invention; and Figure 3 is a
side elevation of the same, corresponding to Figure 1, showing the
working parts in vertical section on the line 1-1 in Figure 2, to show
the construction and arrangement of these parts; Figure 4 shows a
corresponding section to Figure 3 of a slightly different construction of
the head and screw details of the grab arm B", 6", to that shown in that
Figure, more suitable for making the tool into a ratchet drill brace only;
Figures 5 and 6 are an elevation and plan of the ratchet head and arm,
showing a different construction and arrangement of the ratchet pall to
that shown in the former Figures 1 to 4; and Figure 7 is a sectional
elevation of the new tool as arranged for being used as a ratchet brace
only, with the long drill inserted instead of the short one.
This said Invention consists of a ratchet brace or ratchet drill brace
combined with a "grab" or grab action for holding the work to the drill
or the drill to the work. The frame is formed of the actuating hand

page_text: lever A with or having the brace or double-kneed two-armed crank
B, B', B", by preference formed of malleable iron or malleable cast iron,
in one piece with the ratchet arm A, B, B', but it might be formed
with the lower arm B" attached to and removable from the strong knee
part B by any convenient portable and rigid fixture. The eye b and
ratchet working head b' of the arm B' carry the ratchet wheel C, ratchet
spring pall C', and ratchet spindle C, with the socket C" of the drill a
formed partially up into it, all fitted to revolve loose and within the
eye b, b', so far much as ratchet drill braces have been heretofore, but
having the socket or actuating spindle C² of the drill a made in the
form of a short "boss" C² with a close or solid upper or outer end C
revolving on collar bearings in the eye bon cach side of the ratchet
wheel C, carrying and turning the drill a pointed towards and all
revolving in the same axial line, as indicated by the red lines 2-2 in
Figure 3, and as that of or passing through the friction holding head d
and its feeding screw grab spindle D, carried and working in the eye or
end head of the other or grab arm B" of the double-crank ratchet
brace A, B, B', B". The point or stem d' of the grab head d for holding
and pressing the article or work to be bored towards the drill a is
made so as to swivel or revolve loose in the point of the feeding screw D,
or vice versa, the screw D, and brace A, B, B', B", to do so on the
stem d'. The holding head d, d', is formed of tempered steel, hollow on
the top to allow the drill a to pass through the work, with an annular
and outer flat rim on top formed with teeth or roughened like the face
of a vice, to catch or hold on to the plate or other piece of work ≈, and
not revolve, but be stationary therewith while the hole is being bored
therein, the steel stem d being attached by a swivel groove and
pin ", d, to the step bearing D', having a small steel bearing plate Du
at bottom for the step or pivot end d¹ to rest and turn freely in and on
and sustain the strain, and which can be lubricated by a small hoic
at d. The feeding screw spindle D works in a corresponding hollow
screw E formed in the eye or head of the grab arm B", and either
actuated by a detachable pin-shaped hand lever D² (as indicated in
dotted lines in Figure 3) inserted into holes D formed for the purpose
in the head D³, or by other equivalent lever or wheel, so as to tighten
and feed down or slacken back the drill a to or from the work, and
bore the holes all in the direct axial or straight line of the drill a, and
steadying and holding head d and screw D steadily in the position the
instrument is set at starting to bore the hole by the operator. Instead

page_text: Having thus particularly described the nature of the said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is or may be performed, I have to
state that I do not restrict myself to the precise details herein described
and delineated; but what I believe to be novel and original, and therefore
declare that what I claim is,―
First. The construction and arrangement of the parts of a ratchet drill
brace or ratchet drill brace and grab combined, substantially as described
and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Second. The construction of a ratchet drill brace with a second arm
(as B", ",) for grasping and boring the work between it and the ratchet
arm (as B', ',), which allows it to be used as a ratchet drill brace,
substantially as herein described and shown in the accompanying
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Elizabeth Gilchrist, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
Witness,
WALTER BIRRELL,
Insurance Broker,
Royal Exchange,
Glasgow.
ELIZABETH GILCHRIST. (L.S.)