Improvements in or relating to Pipe Wrenches.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Apr., 1898-Accepted, 28th May, 1898
Improvements in or relating to Pipe Wrenches.
A communication from THOMAS MCNAIR RIGHTER, of the City of Mount Carmel,
County of Northumberland, State of Pennsylvania, United States of America,
Gentleman.
1, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT, of 111, Hatton Garden, in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent, 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 :-
This invention consists in a pipe wrench comprising a handle which serves as a
lever, a pair of rotating jaws on opposite sides of the handle mounted on a pivot
bolt passing through the same, and a chain which is connected with the handle at
one end and provided with pivot pins which project from the links on both sides of
the chain and are adapted to engage slots on the inner faces of the jaws.
For a detailed description of the invention, reference is had to the following
specification and to the accompanying drawing in which
Fig. 1 is a side view of our improved wrench showing it in operation, one of the
jaws being removed to show the interior construction.
Fig. 2 is a cross section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, some of the parts being
shown in full.
Fig. 3 is a side view showing the manner of releasing the grip, and
Fig. 4 is an inside view of one of the jaws.
Referring to the drawing, A is a handle or lever through one end of which a
pivot bolt
passes, said bolt being free to turn in the handle. Upon the projecting
ends of the pivot bolt are a pair of rotating jaws 2 connected with the bolt so as to
turn simultaneously. As shown, they are connected by suitable keys or feathers 3.
Between the jaws and the lever are preferably placed washers 4 and upon its outer
ends the pivot is provided with a head 5 and nut 6, or other suitable means for
retaining the jaws in position.
The jaws 2 are preferably circular and provided with a series of recesses 7
suitably curved to receive pipes or rods of different diameters and provided with
teeth to prevent slipping. The inner faces of the jaws between the recesses are
provided with inclined slots 8 extending inward a short distance from the periphery.
Connected with the handle near the pivot 3 is a chain B which cooperates with
the jaws to grip the article to be turned. The pivot pins 9 of the chain project
from both sides thereof and are adapted to pass into the slots 8 in the jaws. To
avoid any tendency of the pins to slip out of the slots the latter are preferably
inclined instead of radial. The chain should be long enough to embrace the
largest pipe for which the jaws are adapted. In Figs. 1 and 3 the wrench is shown
in operation upon a pipe C.
The operation is as follows: The jaws are rotated until the recess best adapted
for the pipe or rod is brought into proper position. The wrench is then applied
to the pipe and the chain wrapped around it as shown in Fig. 1, the projecting ends
of one of the pins in the chain being passed into a pair of the slots 8. It will be

page_text: evident that when the lever is moved in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1 it
will draw the chain powerfully against the pipe, causing the teeth of the rotary
jaws to take hold, after which the pipe will turn with the lever. Immediately
when the lever is moved backward or in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3 the
chain will slacken and the entire wrench will turn freely about the pipe into
position to take a new grip.
It will be seen that this improved wrench is very simple in construction and
that a single wrench may operate upon many sizes of pipe. Instead of the bolt
and nut shown in the drawing the pivot pin may be upset or riveted upon the
jaws. The jaws may be connected to the pin by splines, as shown, or by any
equivalent construction.
Having now particularly described & ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and in what manner
the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is
1. In a pipe wrench, the combination of a lever, a pivot bolt passing through
the lever, a pair of jaws fixed upon and adapted to rotate with said bolt, toothed
recesses in the periphery of said jaws, slots in the inner faces of the jaws
between the recesses, and a chain connected with the lever and provided
with pins adapted to engage the slots in the jaws, substantially as described.
2. A pipe wrench comprising a lever or handle, a pivot bolt free to turn in an
opening in said handle, a pair of circular jaws arranged upon the bolt on opposite
sides of the handle, inclined slots in the inner faces of said jaws, said slots
extending inward from the periphery and being inclined to the radii, a chain
connected with the handle near the pivot bolt, said chain having pins projecting
from the sides thereof adapted to be seated in the inclined slots of the jaws,
substantially as described.
Dated this 12th day of Anril 1908
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.