IMPROVEMENTS IN DRILL BRACES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO SPANNERS
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Ernest Thorold, of Lee, in the County of Kent, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN DRILL BRACES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS
ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO SPANNERS."
Sealed the 9th June 1863, and dated the 13th December 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Ernest Thorold at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 13th
December 1862.
I, ERNEST THOROLD, of Lee, in the County of Kent, do hereby declare the
'nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN DRILL BRACES, WHICH IM-
PROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO SPANNERS," to be as follows:-
These improvements consist in substituting for the usual: ratchet and.
pawl used in ordinary hand drilling machines (commonly called ratchet braces)
a cylindrical wheel or barrel forming or being the body or part of the body of
the brace, the circumference of which may be made of any desired form, viz.,
either plain, concave, or convex, or may present a succession of flat, concave,
convex, or other formed surfaces.
The handle or lever of the drill brace is held in such a position (by means.
of a guide or guides) so that when moved to and thro', or backwards and
forwards in the usual manner, the short end of the handle or lever comes in.
close contact with the wheel, barrel, or body of the brace, pressing or jamming,
so hard thereon that circular motion may be communicated to the drill, brace:

page_text: similar to that of ordinary rachet braces, but thus doing away with the
ratchet and pawl of such hand-drilling machines.
If desired, a spring may be employed to press and keep the short end of the
lever or handle in contact with the said wheel, barrel, or body of the brace.
In one part of the body of the brace is the usual set screw, and also the usual
aperture in which to insert the drill bit.
In applying these improvements to spanners, it is simply necessary to make
the aperture in the body of the brace of the desired form to fit the nut or
other article to which the spanner is applied. (The set screw would not be
required.)
The principle may also be applied to spanners by doing away with the said
body of the brace, in which case the nut or other article would represent and
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Ernest Thorold in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 12th
June 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ERNEST
THOROLD, of Lee, in the County of Kent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Ernest Thorold, Her special licence, that I, the said Ernest
Thorold, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Ernest Thorold, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 DRILL BRACES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO SPANNERS," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Ernest Thorold, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, 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

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Ernest Thorold, 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:-
These improvements consist in substituting for the usual ratchet wheel and
pawl used in ordinary hand-drilling machines (commonly termed ratchet
braces), a cylindrical wheel or barrel, forming or being the body or part of the
body of the drill brace, the circumference of which may be of any desired form,
viz., either plain, convex or concave, or may present a succession of flat,
convex, concave, or other suitably formed surfaces, the form of the end of
handle varying accordingly.
The handle or lever of the drill brace is held in such a position by any
suitable and convenient means by a guide or guides, so that when moved to
and thro' in the usual manner the short end of the handle or lever comes in
contact with the wheel, barrel, or body of the drill brace, and may be pressed
so hard thereon as to enable the user to communicate the usual rotary motion
to the drill brace, but thus doing away with the usual ratchet of ordinary
ratchet braces.
If desired, a spring may be employed to keep the short end of the lever in
contact with the body of the brace. The drill brace is furnished with the
usual set screw and aperture for the insertion of the drill.
In applying these improvements to spanners, the set screw would of course
not be required, but it would be necessary to make the aperture in the body of
the brace of the desired form to fit the nut or other article to which the
spanner or wrench is applied. The principle may also be applied to spanners
or such like articles by doing away with the body of the drill brace, in which
case the nut or other article would represent and act as the body.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Figures 1 and 3 are elevations; Figures 2 and 4 are plans looking on socket
or aperture for insertion of drill; the short end of handle being shewn in
dotted lines, also part of body of drill brace.
A is the cylindrical wheel, barrel, or body of brace; B is the usual set screw;
C is the usual aperture for the insertion of the drill; D is the handle or lever
of brace (D being the long end, and d the short end thereof); E, E, the guide
or guides of the handle or lever; F is a bolt passing through guides and end
of handle; G, G, are springs.

page_text: barrel or body A, and may be pressed 'so tightly thereon as to enable the user
to communicate the usual rotatory motion to the drill brace..
Springs are not absolutely necessary, but are applied by preference to keep
the short end of the lever in immediate contact with body of brace. They may
be of any convenient form and fixed in any way desired. The guide or guides
(E, E,) may be composed of two separate plates, as in Figure 1, or in one
piece, as in Figure 3, or they may be arranged in any other suitable and
Also,
convenient form as not interfering with the principle of the drill brace.
as before stated, the circumference of the body of the brace need not neces-
sarily be quite plain, but may be of any form preferred, the end of the lever
being altered accordingly.
And having now described the nature of my Invention and the manner in
which the same is or may be carried into effect, I claim "Improvements in
Drill Braces, which Improvements are applicable to Spanners," substantially
in manner herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Ernest Thorold, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
ERNEST THOROLD. (L.S.)