An Improved Pick for Dressing Mill Stones and other Purposes.
Year: 1890

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Pick for Dressing Mill Stones and other Purposes.
I JACOB WARREN TRUAX of Essex Junction in the County of Chittenden State of
Vermont United States of America, Millwright, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to an improvement in mill-stone picks, and has for its object
to provide a tool of simple and economic construction and one in which the blades may
be conveniently inserted or removed as occasion may demand.
The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several
parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth and pointed out in the claims.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this
specification, in which
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the pick ; and
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same.
Similar figures and letters of reference indicate like parts in both figures.
In carrying out the invention, the head 10, is constructed of steel, and on each end
of said head two preferably semi-elliptical spring jaws 11, are formed, the concave
faces of each set of jaws constituting the inner faces, whereby an essentially oval-
shaped opening 12, is obtained between each of the opposed jaws. The body is further
provided at its centre with an opening, into which the upper end of any approved
style of handle 13, is introduced.
The blades 14, are flat and constructed of steel; they are of even thickness from
their cutting edge a, to a point a', near their inner end, from which point a' the blades
are made to taper in such manner that they may be readily inserted between the
spring jaws. The tapering of the blades at their inner ends is best illustrated in
Figure 2. The taper of the reduced ends of the blades is preferably of no greater
length than the extreme width of the opening 12, between the jaws.
In practice, the thin, tapering or wedge-shaped end of the blade is introduced
between the jaws at one end of the body, and the said blade is then driven to place by
striking a mill-stone, a block of wood, or other substance, violently with the outer en
of the blade which has just been introduced into the head; a second blade is inserted
in the opposite end of the head in the same manner.
To remove a blade for purposes of sharpening, or to insert a new one in place of one
broken, the body may be laid upon any support in such manner upon its side that one
of the blades will project over the edge of the support, whereupon, the blade is struck
a quick, strong blow upon its upper edge, which drives the blade downward at an
angle, and creates a space between the inner end of the blade at the top and the inner
wall of the opening 12 between the jaws in which the blade is held. The blade may
be driven out entirely by inserting a wedge in the space thus formed.
I desire it to be distinctly understood that while I have described the tool as being
especially adapted for use in connection with a mill-stone to dress the same, the body
may be made sufficiently strong and the blades so tempered that the tool may be
utilized for removing the scales from boilers, or for analogous uses.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is,
1. As an improved article of manufacture, the head 10, formed with integral,
semi-elliptical jaws 11, at its opposite ends, the space between the working faces of
the jaws being less than the thickness of a single blade to be used therewith, and the
rear walls of the oval openings formed by the said jaws forming abutments for the
blades, substantially as set forth.

page_text: 2. The combination, with the head 10, formed with a pair of integral semi-elliptical
jaws 11 at both ends, and a single thin blade forced between each pair of jaws, the
thickness of the single blades where grasped being greater than the space between the
grasping edges of the jaws and said blades being thinner at their inner ends to
facilitate their entrance between the jaws, substantially as set forth.
Dated this Sth day of July 1890
J. W. TRUAX.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.