AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE MODE OF CONSTRUCTING SHOVELS AND SPADES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Nimmo, of Jersey City, in the State of New
Jersey, United States of America, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVE-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Nimmo at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 17th
December 1866.
I, GEORGE NIMMO, of Jersey City, in the State of New Jersey, United
States of America, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE MODE OF CONSTRUCTING SHOVELS AND SPADES," to be
as follows:-
I take a flat bar or plate of metal (I prefer steel), and I reduce a portion
of it edgewise at the part from which the strap is to be made; I then reduce
the said bar so as to bring it to the required size for the blade of the shovel
or spade, but I do not reduce it with uniformity; I leave the central part of
the blade much thicker than the sides, so that the strap extends from the
thickest part of such blade, and is extended and drawn out as one piece of
metal, hence is very strong. Rollers and dies or hammers are employed to

page_text: give the said shape to the blade, and leave it the thickest in the central part
and on line with the strap. The blade is secured to the handle by means of
rivets, and I employ a back strap running from the blade along the handle if
desired; or the rivets may have T-shaped heads bent to the shape of the
handle, so as to grasp and firmly hold the wood composing the handle. At
the upper or bow end of the handle I employ rivets passing transversely through
such handle, and I protect the edges of the handle from wear, and prevent the
wood splitting out by the employment of curved plates running at the sides of
the handle, through which the rivets pass, and by these clamp the wood firmly
and sustain the same at the sides of the handle. Two or more shovels may
be laid together while the metal is being reduced, so as to leave the central
part of the shovel thickest, and the straps may be extended in the same way
while several are thus together, so as to facilitate the manufacture.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Nimmo in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 15th
June 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
NIMMO, of Jersey City, in the State of New Jersey, United States of America,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of December, A.D. One thou-
sand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said George Nimmo, Her special license that I, the said George Nimmo,"
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
George Nimmo, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
Curing 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 "AN IMPROVEMENT IN
THE MODE OF CONSTRUCTING SHOVELS AND SPADES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said George Nimmo, 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..

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Nimmo, 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 follow-
ing statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to
the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
In the Drawing Fig. 1 is a section longitudinally of the lower part of the
handle and blade; Fig. 2 is a cross section of the blade; Fig. 3 is a section
of a spade and part of the handle; and Fig. 4 is a plan of said spade. Similar
marks of reference denote the same parts.
My Invention relates to the manufacture of shovels and spades with the
blade made of a solid piece of metal, and thicker in the middle portions where
there is most wear, and thinner near the sides. And I secure the blade to
the handle by straps that are not welded to the blade; and I employ curved
plates riveted to place to prevent the handle splitting in use.
b
I take a flat bar or plate of metal, I prefer steel, and I reduce a portion of
it edgewise at the part from which the strap 6 is to be made; I then reduce
the said bar so as to bring it to the required size for the blade a of the shovel
or spade, but I do not reduce it with uniformity. I leave the central part 1
of the blade much thicker than the sides 2, 2, so that the strap 6 extends
from the thickest part of such blade, and said strap is drawn out thinner and
of the one piece of metal, hence is very strong. Rollers and dies or hammers
are employed to give said shape to the blade and leave it the thickest in the
central part and on line with the strap. The strap blade is secured to the
handle by means of rivets 3 and 4, and I employ a back strap d (see Fig. 1)
running from the blade along the handle, or else I use the rivets e with
T-shaped heads bent to the shape of the handle (see Figs. 3 and 4), so as to
grasp and firmly hold the wood composing said handle. At the upper or bow
end of the handle I employ rivets i, i, passing transversely through such
handle, and I protect the edges of the handle from wear, and prevent the
wood splitting out by the employment of curved plates running at the sides
of said handle, through which the rivets pass, and by these clamp the wood
firmly, and sustain the same at the sides and edges of the handle. Two or
more shovels may be laid together while the metal is being reduced, so as to
leave the central part of the shovel thickest, and the straps may be extended
in the same way while several are thus laid together, so as to facilitate the
manufacture.
What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is a shovel or spade
with the blade formed thickest in the middle, and extended in one piece to
form the strap, as set forth.

page_text: I also claim protecting the edges of the wood handle by the curved plates
or T-headed rivets applied in the manner set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Nimmo, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of April, A.D. One thousand
eight, hundred and sixty-seven.
Witnesses,
CHAS. H. SMITH,
121, Nassau St.,
.New York.
GEO. D. WALKER,
121, Nassau St.,
New York.
GEORGE NIMMO. (L.S.)