CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF AXES, ADZES, PICKS, AND OTHER TOOLS HAVING A HOLE OR EYE FORMED IN THEM FOR RECEIVING A HANDLE
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Smith, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Hammer and Edge Tool Manufacturer, and Stamper and
Piercer in Iron and Steel, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF AXES, ADZES, PICKS, AND OTHER TOOLS HAVING A HOLE
OR EYE FORMED IN THEM FOR RECEIVING A HANDLE."
Sealed the 5th December 1865, and dated the 7th June 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Smith at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with bis Petition, on the 7th
June 1865.
I, THOMAS SMITH, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Hammer
and Edge Tool Manufacturer, and Stamper and Piercer in Iron and Steel, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF AXES, ADZES, PICKS, AND OTHER LIKE TOOLS HAVING A
HOLE OR EYE FORMED IN THEM FOR RECEIVING A HANDLE," to be as follows (that
is to say):
For the purpose of avoiding elaboration I will confine my description to
the manufacture of axes as being more commonly used and understood. For
this purpose I take a bar of iron or steel, rolled, hammered, or otherwise
reduced to the size required, and I heat the end sufficiently hot and place it
edge way between two closing dies, operated on by an ordinary stamp or other
equivalent means; or one part or half of the desired die may be formed or
attached to the under side of the stamp hammer; and by these means I
purpose displacing the metal radially into the volume of the bar, so as to form

page_text: an eye, the small portion left between the meeting of the dies being removed
by any suitable convenient means; I next bring the end of the bar under the
operation of shears or clippers for removing the eye with sufficient metal to
form an axe from the bar in case of steel being used; but in case of the bar
being of iron, the part so removed may be of such a size as to require steel
to be applied at either edge of the piece to form the edge and pole of the
finished axe, and thus I continue to re-heat, punch, and divide until I work
up the bar; the parts so divided I designate "moulds" or "blanks," and as
before stated in case of the material used being iron I proceed to weld on or
insert steel for the edge as well as for the pole when so desired; I next re-heat
the blank or mould so prepared, and drive into the eye a mandril of the form
in its tranverse section of the eye I desire-in-the finished axe, and with the
mandril so inserted I pass the mould either between rollers or under a tilt
hammer or other convenient means for flattening and spreading out the metal,
so as to more nearly assume the finished form of the axe; and if necessary I
re-heat and lay the blank or mould so treated on or between dies; but by
preference I connect the upper die with the face of the hammer I purpose
using in its reduction, which is merely a common stamp worked by steam,
water, or other convenient power, preferring to have sufficient weight or force
that by three or four quickly repeated blows the said mould under operation
will be struck in and made to assume the full volume of the dies, all super-
fluous metal being driven out around, the meeting of the dies forming a
fin around the axe, which being removed by clipping or other convenient
ineans, and the mandril driven out from the eye leaves thé 'axe cómparatively
in a finished state and ready for hardening and grinding. From this it will
be seen that .complete uniformity and strength is ensured in any quantity that
has to be made with the same dies and tools; thereby obtaining the great
desiderata first not only of making an axe with a solid eye and symmetrical
in shape at a comparative trifling cost and labour, but, what is much more
important the making of such and other like tools of solid steel of a superior
kind to that ordinarily used or required by the old process of manufacture,
namely by welding steel or iron together.
I do not think it necessary to further describe my improvements as applied
to the various tools requiring wood or other equivalent handles, as the dies;
and appliances have only to be adapted for their construction to ensure their
production in a rapid, uniform, and greatly improved condition.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Smith in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th
I .. ? December 1865.
:
. TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS SMITH,
of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Hammer and Edge Tool Manu-
facturer; and Stamper and Piercer in Iron and Steel, send greeting..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen. Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five; in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did for Herself, Her heirs and successors; give and grant unto me, the
said Thomas Smith, Her special license that I, the said Thomas Smith, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas
Smith, my, executors, administrators, or 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF AXES, ADZES, PICKS, AND OTHER LIKE TOOLS HAVING A HOLE OR
EYE FORMED IN THEM FOR RECEIVING A HANDLE,.upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Thomas Smith; by an instrument in writing.under my
hand and seal, 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 Thomas Smith, do hereby declare. the:
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following>
statement (that is to say)-
..
For the purpose of avoiding elaboration I will confine my description to the
manufacture of axes as being more commonly used, and understood. For this
purpose I take a bar of iron or steel, rolled; hammered, or otherwise reduced.
to the size required, and I heat the. end sufficiently.hot and place it edgeway.
between a top and bottom closing die operated on by an ordinary stamp or
other equivalent means; or one part or half of the desired die may be formed
5 or attached to the under side of the stamp hammer, and by these: means I'
purpose displacing the metal radially into the volume of the end of the bar
under operation, so as to form a solid eye or. hole for receiving the handle in
the finished axe, the small portion left between the meeting of the dies being

page_text: removed by any suitable convenient means, such as an ordinary fly press or
punch; I next bring the end of the bar under the operation of shears or
clippers, or other means for removing the eye part so operated on with
sufficient metal to form an axe from the bar in case of steel being used; but
in case of the bar being of iron the part so removed may be of such a size as
to. require steel to be applied at either end of the piece to form the edge and
pole of the finished axe, and thus I continue to re-heat, punch, and divide,
until I work up the bar. The parts so divided I designate "moulds" or
"blanks," and, as before stated, in case of the material used being iron, I
proceed to weld on or insert steel for the edges as well as for the pole, when
so desired, spreading out the blade part during the process of welding by a
tilt hammer, stamp, or other convenient means, so as to more nearly assume
the finished form of the axe. I next re-heat and insert a mandril, and lay the
blank or mould so treated in or between dies, which forms the most important
feature of my Invention, and by preference I connect or form the upper die
with the face of the hammer I purpose using in its reduction, which may be
a common stamp worked by steam, water, or other convenient power, pre-
ferring to have sufficient weight or force that by three or four quickly-repeated
blows the said mould under operation will be struck in and made to assume
the full volume of the dies, all superfluous metal being driven out around the
meeting of the dies, forming a fin around the axe, which being removed by
clipping or other convenient means, and the mandrils driven out from the eye,
leaves the axe comparatively in a finished state and ready for tempering and
slightly grinding or finishing. From this it will be seen that complete
uniformity of shape and strength is secured in any quantity that has to be.
made with the same dies and tools, thus obtaining the great desideratum, first,
not only of making an axe with a solid eye and symmetrical in shape at a
comparative trifling cost of time or labour, but what is much more important,
the making of such and other like tools of solid steel of a superior kind to that:
ordinarily used or acquired by the old process of manufacture, namely, welding
plates of iron, or steel and iron together, as when solid steel is used it is never
required to be heated to such a degree as required for welding, therefore it is
more dense in its nature and suitable for the purpose than if welding steel
had been partly used.
I do not think it necessary to further describe my improvements as applied
to the various tools. requiring a deep eye for receiving a wood or other equi-
valent handle and uniform shape and finish by the use of finishing dies, as the
dies and appliances have only to be adapted for their construction to ensure
their production in a rapid, uniform, and greatly improved condition; but

page_text: with a view of being well understood as to the true character, nature, and
extent of my Invention, I will further describe same the in connection with
the Drawings hereunto annexed (that is to say):-
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 represents a top die in a side view, partly in section, for the purpose
of exhibiting its depth and general internal form, which is defined by the
hollow part marked a, a, while the part b represents a projection in the die
for forming the eye of an axe as will be hereafter seen, while the shank part ç
is for attaching the die to the hammer whether worked or put in motion in
the ordinary manner in common stamps, or set up and worked, or actuated by
steam, atmospheric, or other convenient power capable of simple control and
active movement; Figure 2 is a top view of the corresponding lower, die to
the one exhibited at Figure 1, the sunken cavity being marked with the
same letter of reference, as also the central projection b, which I prefer to
be slightly conical, as also the whole of the cavity for the purpose of the more
ready removal of of the work; d is a projection at the end of the sunken cavity,
in each side for the purpose of catching and holding the hot iron or steel in
position; for as soon as the two dies are brought together with the momentum
afforded by the once used or gravitating momentum of the hammer with the
top die, so the hot iron will be struck into the die, and these projections will
prevent the hot metal shifting from the operation of the two projections b, b,
burying themselves into the metal, displacing it outwardly so as to fill up the
surrounding parts and form the eye of the axe to the extent of their projec-
tions from the base, which I prefer to be slightly beneath the face line of the
dies; the small portion left in the work between the two projections being
removed, as will be hereafter referred to, not that the use of such like dies
are new, as I have used them somewhat extensively for the manufacture of
hammers and, blanks to be worked up and variously fashioned, always adopting
the plan'here shewn of having the projection for forming the, eye on each die.,
I name this as a recent Patent has been obtained by Richard Vaughan,
No. 2564, 1863, for forming solid eyes in such dies, in the Specification of
which he represents the projection for forming the eye on one die only. And
I will suppose that with these two dies well and properly set in suitable
appliances that I take a bar of iron or steel of the proper width and size, and,
after heating the end to a white heat, I place it on the lower die, its end.
being close against the end marked e, e, and resting on the central projection
b when the top die may descend, and by a few rapidly repeated blows a mould.
for an axe will be formed, which when divided from the bar will represent the

page_text: purpose
form as exhibited in a top view at Figure 3, and in a central longitudinal sectional
view at Figure 4 the part marked f representing the small portion occupying
the space between the two projections in the top and bottom die marked
b, b; and we will further suppose that this part is knocked out by an ordinary
punch actuated in any convenient way; this done, I reheat, and in case of iron 5
open the edge as indicated by the dotted lines j, Figure 8, for the purpose of
inserting a piece of welding steel, and now re-heating the mass for the
of welding and uniting the steel to the blank at the' same time by means of a
tilt or other suitable hammer or appliances, beating, spreading, and flattening
the edge portion until it is as near the finished shape as convenient, as exhibited 1
in a side view at Figure 7, which, when done, the work if necessary may be
re-heated, when I insert a mandril as there exhibited and detached at Figure 5,
and in an end view at Figure 6, taking care that the thicker part as defined by
the letter g is towards that part of the mould marked h, which is for the pole
or head part of the axe, while the thin part as at i must be in the direction 1
of the blade of the axe for the important operation of receiving its finished
form by being laid on a bottom die as exhibited in Figure 8, in order that its
corresponding top die (partly shewn in section at Figure 9 for exhibiting the
recessed part k, k, which in reality is the exact counterpart of the lower
die) may be brought in contact with it, and by a repeat of blows will strike 2
the work into the full recesses of the dies; thus imparting to the work their
exact keen counter shape, forcing out any superfluous metal more than is
required to fill up the dies' into a thin fin around their meeting parts.
An axe thus formed I have exhibited in a flat view at Figure 10, exhibiting
the fin forced out between the dies; which when clipped off by any simple 2
convenient means will leave the axe in a symmetrical uniform shape as
exhibited in flat and edge view at Figure 11, only simply requiring grinding
of the edge, and grinding and polishing of the head to complete its entire
finish, thus ensuring not only great uniformity as to weight, but also to
economize the. cost of production, as by these means skilled labour as 3
now understood in their manufacture will be to a very great extent superseded.
In the manufacture of adzes, picks, and other like tools requiring a deep
hole for the handle, with little iron on either side, I merely vary the shape
and fashion of the dies accordingly; observing that in every instance I prefer
the projection forming the eye to be equal or nearly so on each die, as it 3
makes the iron or steel each side of the eye uniform in its condition.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same may be carried into effect, I wish to observe that I do not
claim as of my present Invention, and under these my in part recited Letters.

page_text: Patent, the making of axes, adzes, picks, and other like tools with solid eyes
for the reasons herein-before explained, nor do I purpose confining myself to
any exact mode, means, or apparatus for carrying my Invention into effect, as
the same may be varied without departing from the spirit of my Invention,
which consists of making axes, hatchets, adzes, picks, and other like tools in
the manner herein described and exhibited, more particularly the use of the
finishing dies as exhibited for the manufacture of axes at Figures 8 and 9,
the same being varied with the other general appliances according to the
like description of tool desired to be made, by which great economy of labour
and uniformity of shape, weight, and quality are ensured.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Smith, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
Witness,
WILLIAM LOACH,
Clerk to James S. Cockings,
Patent Agent,
Birmingham.
THOMAS SMITH. (L.B.)