In- PROVEMENTS IN MILL BILLS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Lec, William Lee, and Edward Lee,
all of the City and County of Chester, for the Invention of “In-
PROVEMENTS IN MILL BILLS."
Sealed the 26th July 1870, and dated the 31st January 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Lee, William
Lee, and Edward Lee at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 31st January 1870.
We, THOMAS LEE, WILLIAM LEE, and EDWARD LEE, all of the City
and County of Chester, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for " IMPROVEMENTS IN MILL BILLS," to be as follows:-
The tools employed for cracking or dressing millstones by hand labour
and known as mill bills are each constructed according to our Invention
of three principal parts. These may be distinguished as (1) the holder
or head, (2) the cutting tool, and (3) the cutting tool fastener.
The holder or head, which is of about the length of a solid bill, is
formed with a socket or its equivalent into or to which a handle of the
ordinary kind can be secured and with a dovetail or other groove to

page_text: receive the cutting tool; the inner surface of the said groove is ribbed
or notched. The cutting tool consists of a flat piece of steel of such
width and thickness that a cutting edge can be conveniently maintained
without reheating or forge dressing; it is placed in the groove in the
holder or head and is adjustable therein, that is to say, it can be moved
forward from time to time as it wears, so as to project beyond the holder
or head and present a cutting face. A raised biting piece is formed on
it to fit between or into the ribs or notches. The cutting tool fastener
consists of a wedge adapted to slide into the dovetail groove over the
cutting tool or other mechanical equivalent.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Lee, William Lee, and Edward Lee in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 30th July 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wе, THOMAS
LEE, WILLIAM LEE, and EDWARD LEE, all of the City and County of
Chester, sond greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of January, in the
year 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 us, the said Thomas Lee, William Lee, and Edward
Lee, Her special license, that we, the said Thomas Lee, William Lee,.
and Edward Lec, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said Thomas Lee, William Lee, and Edward Lee,
our executors, administrators, 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
“IMPROVEMENTS IN MILL BILLS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that we, the said Thomas Lee, William Lee, and Edward Lee, our
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or
their, or one of our or 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

page_text: Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Thomas Lee, William Lee and
Edward Lee, 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, reference being had
to the Sheet of illustrative Drawings appended hereto, and to the figures
and letters marked thereon, that is to say:-
The tools employed for cracking or dressing millstones by hard labour
and known as mill bills are each constructed according to our Invention
of three principal parts. These may be distinguished as (1) the holder
or head, (2) the cutting tool, and (3) the cutting tool fastener.
The holder or head, which is of about the length of a solid bill, is formed
with a socket or its equivalent, into or to which a handle of the ordinary ·
kind can be secured, and with a dovetail or other groove to receive the
cutting tool; the inner surface of the said groove is ribbed or notched.
The cutting tool consists of a flat piece of steel of such width and
thickness that a cutting edge can be conveniently maintained without
reheating or forge dressing; it is placed in the groove in the holder ог
head and is adjustable therein, that is to say, it can be moved forward
from time to time as it wears so as to project boyond the end of the
holder or head and present a cutting face. A raised biting piece is
formed on it to fit between or into the ribs or notches. The cutting
tool fastener consists of a wedge adapted to slide into the dovetail
groove over the cutting tool or other mechanical equivalent.
On the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, Fig. 1 is a perspective
view; Fig. 2, a longitudinal section; Fig. 3, a front or face elevation.;
Fig. 4, a transverse section at the line A, B; and Fig. 5, a transverse
section at the line O, D, all of a mill bill fitted with a cutting tool with
parallel sides, a tapering tool fastener of two thicknesses, and. security
key for locking the fastener. Figs.. 6 and 7 are side and edge. views of
the cutting tool; Figs. 8 and 9, side and edge views of the tool fastener;
and Fig. 10, a perspective view of the security key. Like parts in all
these views are indicated by the same parts.
a denotes the holder or head; as here shewn it is formed with a
dovetailed groove to receive a cutting tool of a vee like form ip

page_text: transverse section or otherwise formed to receive any suitable tool.
Ribs or projections marked 6 are so formed on the inner face of a
that there are notches or recesses between them to receive a thrust
projection on the cutting tool hereafter mentioned. c is a socket for
the handle d. A handle of any other ordinary or convenient kind may
be used. In practice we prefer to cast the head a in one piece of tough
cast iron or of cast malleable iron. e is a cutting tool with parallel
sides formed with a thrust projection e¹ thereon, to fit into the notches
or recesses in the inner face of a. The said projection is by preference
made by bending over the bar from which the cutting tool is made,
but it may be brazed or otherwise secured thereto, and it may be either
continuous across the entire width of e, or only project at intervals.
As above mentioned the cutting tool may be of a vee form in transverse
section or other form, we prefer that shewn. In the Drawings a new
cutting tool is shewn; hence fis fitted in the uppermost recess. ƒis the
tool fastener formed so that it fits against the inner sides and inner front
surfaces of the groove or way in a and against the flat surface of e, the
object being to prevent the latter from working loose when the bill is
in use.
The sides off may be parallel or tapering for their entire
length if desired. The head off is bent over as shewn at f¹ to provide
a surface for slackening f by a blow when it is necessary to romove it.
g is a security key which is driven into a key way on a, it bears against
the flat surface of f. g may be dispensed with in practice; but for safety
we prefer to use it.
Fig. 10 shews a portion of a mill bill constructed in accordance with
our Invention, in which instead of a security key being used a screwed
thumb bolt marked his employed; a lock nut may be placed on the said
bolt if desired. Our said mill bills, which are used in the same manner as
solid mill bills, are adjusted for use by placing the cutting tool e in the
groove, socket, or way, care being taken to fit the projection c¹ into the
proper notch or recess so as to allow the proper length of c to project
beyond a, then by driving in funtil a, e, and fare tightly jammed
together, and afterwards by driving in g or if either of these or any
equivalent therefor is employed. As e wears fis moved downwards into
another recess.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention and particu-
larized the same by details which
117
have
found

page_text: practice we claim, constructing mill bills or picks cach with a holder or
head, a cutting tool, and tool fastener, combined and arranged sub-
stantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Lee & Edward Lee, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, the Twenty-ninth day of
July, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy.
In the presence of
W. M. EDWARDS,
Witness.
WILLIAM LEE. (L.S.)
THOMAS LEE.
(L.S.)