Improvements in Miners' Picks and other Picks and Mattocks, and other similar Tools.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Aug., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 5th May, 1892-Accepted, 25th June, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Miners' Picks and other Picks and Mattocks, and
other similar Tools.
We WILLIAM GILPIN SENIOR AND COMPANY LIMITED of Wedges Mills and
Churchbridge Works Cannock in the County of Stafford Edge Tool Manufacturers
and THOMAS HENRY THACKER of Station Street Wyrley in the County of Stafford
Manager of Works do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The said invention has reference to those kinds of miners' picks and other picks
and mattocks and other similar tools such as adzes and axes in which the point
ended or other blade of the pick or mattock or tool is made capable of attachment
to and detachment from the shoe or socket in which the wooden handle is fixed so
that a worn pick or mattock blade or other tool can be readily removed and
replaced by a fresh one the same shoe or socket and its handle thus serving to hold
in succession a number of blades or tools.
The said invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described in the
detachable blades of the picks or mattocks or other similar tools and the shoes or
sockets of the same whereby the blade or tool is held with great firmness or rigidity
in the shoe or socket and the use of the tool facilitated.
We will describe the said invention as applied to a miner's pick.
According to the said invention we make on the top edge of the broad middle
part of the pick blade a stud or projection and on either side the said stud or
projection a depression or cut away part the said stud or projection and depressions
when the pick blade is in its place in the shoe or socket engaging with the top of
the said shoe or socket as hereinafter described.
The shoe or socket which we use with the pick blade described consists of the
usual flat tubular piece into which the wooden handle is fitted and fixed and a
rectangular or oblong shoe or socket open at each end for receiving the middle of
the pick blade. Sliding in the bottom of the socket is a wedge for fixing the blade
in the socket. In the top of the said socket is an opening of a size and shape
proper for the stud or projection at the middle of the pick blade to engage with the
uncut away parts at the top of the socket being of a size and shape proper for the
depressions on either side the stud on the pick blade to engage with.
In fastening the pick blade in the shoe or socket the wedge is withdrawn and
the pick blade introduced end wise into the socket and its stud engaged with the
opening in the top of the socket and its depressions engaged with the uncut away
parts of the top of the socket on either side the said opening. By driving home the
wedge it passes between the bottom edge of the blade and the bottom of the socket
and by a wedging action lifts and holds the middle of the blade interlocked by its
stud and depressions with the top of the socket. The blade is thus fastened with
great firmness or rigidity in the shoe or socket. To remove the worn pick blade
for replacing it by a new one the wedge is withdrawn when the worn pick blade is
unfastened and may be removed.
Instead of using one stud or projection at the middle of the pick blade two or
more studs may be used a corresponding number of openings in the socket being
made for receiving the said studs; and instead of lifting and holding the interlocked
blade with the socket by the direct action of a sliding wedge the said wedge may
act upon a rising and falling block between it and the pick blade.
We prefer to fashion the single or double stud or series of studs by stamping or
pressing by means of dies but they may be made by forging or otherwise.
1711 J of Aumust 1901

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Miners' Picks and other Picks and Mattocks, and
other similar Tools.
We, WILLIAM GILPIN SENIOR AND COMPANY LIMITED, of Wedges Mills and
Churchbridge Works, Cannock, in the County of Stafford, Edge Tool Manu-
facturers and THOMAS HENRY THACKER, of Station Street, Wyrley, in the
County of Stafford, Manager of Works, 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 following statement:-
The said invention has reference to those kinds of miners' picks and other picks
and mattocks and other similar tools such as adzes and axes in which the
point ended or other blade of the pick or mattock or tool is made capable of
attachment to and detachment from the shoe or socket in which the wooden
handle is fixed so that a worn pick or mattock blade or other tool can be readily
removed and replaced by a fresh one, the same shoe or socket and its handle thus
serving to hold in succession a number of blades or tools.
The said invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described in the
detachable blades or bodies of the picks or mattocks or other similar tools and the
shoes or sockets of the same, whereby the blade or tool is held with great firmness
or rigidity in the shoe or socket and the use of the tool facilitated.
We will describe the said invention as applied to a miner's pick.
According to the said invention we make on the top edge of the broad middle
part of the pick blade, a stud or projection and on either side the said stud or
projection a depression or cut away part the said stud or projection and depressions
when the pick blade is in its place in the shoe or socket, engaging with the top of
the said shoe or socket as hereinafter described.
The shoe or socket which we use with the pick blade described consists of the
usual flat tubular piece into which the wooden handle is fitted and fixed and a
rectangular or oblong shoe or socket open at each end for receiving the middle of
the pick blade. Sliding in the bottom of the socket is a wedge for fixing the blade
in the socket. In the top of the said socket is an opening of a size and shape
proper for the stud or projection at the middle of the pick blade to engage with the
uncut away parts at the top of the socket being of a size and shape proper for the
depressions on either side the stud on the pick blade to engage with.
In fastening the pick blade in the shoe or socket the wedge is withdrawn and
the pick blade introduced endwise into the socket and its stud engaged with the
opening in the top of the socket and its depressions engaged with the uncut away
parts of the top of the socket, on either side the said opening. By driving home
the wedge it passes between the bottom edge of the blade and the bottom of the
socket and by a wedging action lifts and holds the middle of the blade interlocked
by its stud and depressions with the top of the socket. The blade is thus fastened
with great firmness or rigidity in the shoe or socket. To remove the worn pick
blade for replacing it by a new one, the wedge is withdrawn when the worn pick
blade is unfastened and may be removed.
Instead of using one stud or projection at the middle of the pick blade two or
more studs may be used, a corresponding number of openings in the socket being
made for receiving the said studs; and instead of lifting and holding the interlocked
blade with the socket by the direct action of a sliding wedge the said wedge may
act upon a rising and falling block between it and the pick blade.
We prefer to fashion the single or double stud or series of studs by stamping or
pressing by means of dies but they may be made by forging or otherwise.
We will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying drawings
the manner in which the said invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in elevation, a miner's pick, the detachable blade of which is

page_text: attached to the shoe or socket of the nandie according to one or the arrangements
constituting this invention.
Figure 2 represents in vertical section; Figure 3 in end elevation and Figure 4
in plan, the head of the pick Figure 1, drawn to a larger scale;
Figure 5 represents a horizontal section of the shoe or socket with the wedge in
its withdrawn or unfastening position.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the
drawings.
a is the wooden handle of the pick fixed in the flat tubular piece b² of the shoe or
socket. The said shoe or socket has an oblong or rectangular figure and is open
at each end for receiving the middle of the pick blade c; d is the sliding wedge
working in the lower part of the shoe or socket for fixing the pick blade in the
said shoe ur socket, the said wedge being prevented from being wholly withdrawn
from the shoe or socket by the cross pin e on the end of the wedge bearing against
the contracted end of the shoe or socket as seen in Figure 5. In the top and
middle of the shoe or socket is a rectangular opening f and on the top edge of the
broad middle part of the pick blade e is a stud or projection of a size and shape
proper to fit closely in the opening f in the shoe or socket.
h
C
In fastening the pick blade e to the shoe or socket to which the wooden
handle a is affixed, the wedge d is withdrawn into the position represented in
Figure 5 and the pick blade is introduced endwise into the shoe or socket and its
stud or projection engaged with the opening in the top of the shoe or socket.
The wedged is next pushed or driven between the bottom edge of the blade and
the inclined bottom of the shoe or socket b. The middle of the blade is thereby
lifted in the socket by a wedging action and its stud or projection is interlocked
with and firmly held in the opening in the shoe or socket as represented in
Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4. The pick blade is thereby held with great firmness or
rigidity in the shoe or socket and the use of the said pick facilitated.
In order to ensure additional firmness in the fastening of the blade to the shoe,
the blade at its middle may be made broader than that represented in Figure 2 and
have a depression or cut away part on either side the middle stud or projection /
as represented in Figure 5. In this modification the depressions or cut away
parts in the blade engage, when the pick blade is fastened in the shoe, with the
solid or uncut away parts of the top of the shoe as seen in the said Figure 5.
Figures 6 and 7 represent sections taken at right angles to one another of a
miner's pick in which two studs or projections at the middle part of the pick blade
are used and a corresponding number of openings in the top of the shoe or socket
for the said studs or projections to engage or interlock with.
Figure 8 represents a plan of the same and Figure 9 a side elevation of the
same.
In the said Figures 7, 8 and 9, the two studs or projections in the middle part of
the pick blade care marked h, i and the openings in the top of the shoe or socket />
to receive the said studs are marked k, k.
In this arrangement we have represented a modification for lifting and holding
the interlocked blade in the shoe or socket. In addition to the sliding wedge a we
use in the shoe or socket and between the said wedge d and the flat bottom of the
blade, a rising and falling block m upon which the wedge acts and through the said
block lifts the blade c and holds it in its interlocked position in the shoe as will be
understood by an examination of Figure 6. A cross pin n carried by the block m
works in slots at opposite sides of the shoe b (see Figure 7) and prevents the said
block m from taking other than a rising motion when the wedge d is driven
home.
The wedge arrangement last described may be used with a blade having a single
locking stud or projection or with a blade having more than two studs or
projections.
Figure 10 represents in elevation, partly in section, and Figure 11 in plan an
adze fastened to its shoe or socket according to this invention,

page_text: P, p' is the adze; p³ the stud or projection at the middle of the body of the same
engaged or interlocked in the opening p in the socket b and c is the wedge, the
action of the fastening parts being the same as that of the corresponding parts of
the pick herein first described.
Figure 12 represents partly in elevation and partly in section, a hedge cutting
tool called a knife slasher fastened to the handle shoe or socket according to the
said invention, and
Figures 13 and 14 represents horizontal sections of the same taken on the dotted
lines in Figure 12; and
Figure 15 represents partly in elevation and partly in section, a hedge cutting
tool called a brushing or trimming hook fastened to the handle-shoe or socket in
the same way.
y is the knife slasher, and 92 is the brushing or trimming hook, the shank part of
the blade of each of which is furnished with studs or projections r, which engage
with openings at 8, & in the socket or shoe b attached to the wooden handle t is
the sliding wedge for holding the interlocked shank part of the blade or hook in its
place in the socket or shoe b.
a;
In these arrangements the sliding wedge is prevented from being wholly
withdrawn from the socket or shoe by its hooked end t engaging with the spring t
A set of hedge cutting tools may be used with one shoe or socket and handle, the
locking or engaging parts of the said hedge cutting tools being alike in construction
and size for fitting in the same shoe or socket.
We apply the said invention to picks generally and to axes and to all kinds of
hedge cutting tools and other like tools to which it is applicable substantially in the
ways we have described aud represented it as applied to miners' picks, adzes and
knife slashers and brushing or trimming hooks.
°
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and the manner of performing the same, we declare that we claim as the said
invention
The improvements hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings in connecting the detachable blades or bodies of miners' picks and other
picks and mattocks, adzes, axes, and other similar tools to the shoes or sockets
of the same fixed to the handles; that is to say, making at the middle or shank
of the blades or bodies of the said tools and articles, one or more studs or
projections and forming in the shoes or sockets of the said tools and articles
one or more openings for the said stud or studs or projections to engage or
interlock with for fastening the said blades or bodies in the said shoes or
sockets, the holding of the interlocked blades or bodies in their shoes or sockets
being effected by means of a wedge substantially as described and illustrated; also
the modification in which depressions in the blade or body of the tool or article are
used in combination with a stud or studs or projections as described and illustrated;
also the combination with the fixing wedge of a rising and falling block for securing
or holding the interlocked blades or bodies in their shoes or sockets substantially as
described and illustrated.
Dated the Second day of May 1892.
WILLIAM GILPIN, SENR., & CO., LIMTD.,
E. Wildman Burnett, Man. Director.
THOMAS HENRY THACKER.