Improvements in the Manufacture of Axes and like Tools.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Jan., 1891
Complete Specification Left. 15th Oct., 1891-Accepted, 15th Jan., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by CHARLES WHITE HUBBARD, of 110, Diamond
Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America, Manufacturer.]
Improvements in the Manufacture of Axes and like Tools.
:-
I, JAMES JOHNSON of 4 Clayton Square Liverpool in the County of Lancaster
Patent Agent do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
In the manufacture of axes as heretofore commonly practiced, it has been
customary to forge a blank approximately into the final shape of the ax-poll, to
apply to it a blank to form the bit or cutting-edge, and then by forging to weld
these parts together, to shape them, and to draw the bit out into the finished form.
This operation requires the exercise of a very high degree of skill, and adds
greatly to the cost of manufacture of the ax, the reason for this being mainly that
as the ax-poll and the bit are of different kinds or grades of metal, the poll of iron
or semi-steel and the bit of high carbon steel, they require different treatment, and
the heat which is proper to the working of one is apt to burn or injure the other.
Besides this, the operation of welding and shaping the conjoined parts of the tool
is at best a crude work, and makes it necessary to devote much labor to the finish
of the ax, and making it into a neat and merchantable article. The same difficulties
apply to a greater or less extent to the manufacture of hatchets, adzes, mattocks,
picks, and similar edged cutting tools. The object of my invention is to overcome
these difficulties and to simplify the making of axes and like tools, so that it can
be performed by comparatively unskilled labor, and that the cost may be lessened
accordingly. To this end my invention comprises a method by which the parts of
the ax (the cutting-bit and the poll) are formed separately by forging, and are
then united by the process of electric welding. It also relates to an improvement
in the manufacture of the blank of which the head of the ax is constituted.
My invention consists essentially
First. In shaping separately a steel cutting bit and a poll blank having its sides
brought together to form the eye but not welded together and then passing through
the bit and poll blank when in contact an electric current so as to heat their
adjacent ends and weld them together. Further improvements consist in making
the adjacent ends of the poll blank and bit corrugated or serrated so as to fit into
each other and in so proportioning the poll blank and cutting bit that the said
cutting bit extends back to the eye of the poll blank.
Second. In constructing poll blanks of a rolled bar of metal having a rib and
wings so disposed that when the said metal is cut into lengths and the wings are
brought together a properly shaped poll blank is formed.
1
T
1001
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Axes and like Tools.
1 JAMES JOHNSON of 4 Clayton Square Liverpool in the County of Lancaster,
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:-
My invention consists essentially,
First. In shaping separately a steel cutting-bit and a poll blank having its sides
brought together to form the eve but not welded together and then passing through

page_text: a
the bit and poll blank when in contact an electric current so as to heat their
adjacent ends and weld them together. Further improvements consist in making
the adjacent ends of the poll-blank and bit corrugated or serrated so as to fit into
each other and in so proportioning the poll-blank and cutting-bit, that the said
cutting-bit extends back to the eye of the poll blank.
Second. In constructing poll blanks of a rolled bar of metal having a rib and
wings so disposed that when the said metal is cut into lengths and the wings are
brought together, a properly shaped poll-blank is formed.
I shall first describe the mode of manufacture of the head of the axe referring
to Figures 1 and 2, of which Figure 1 represents a rolled blank of the proper
shape; Figure 2 is a vertical cross-section of the blank shown in Figure 1, and
Figure 3 shows the blank bent into proper shape to constitute the axe poll.
By means of suitable rolls, I roll a bar of iron or steel of the shape shown in
Figures 1 and 2 having a thick middle portion 2 and curved side portions 3 which
extend from the middle portion in opposite directions in substantially the same
plane, and with a concavity 5 on the inner side of the middle portion 2. Such bar
of metal may be rolled easily and cheaply. When so rolled, I cut it transversely
into blanks as shown by the dotted cross lines in Figure 1. I then take such blank,
which is of the cross sectional form shown in Figure 2, and bend it into the
form shown in Figure 3, but preferably without welding the ends of the parts 3
together.
shall now describe the manner in which the cutting-bit is applied to the blank
of Figure 3, and will refer to Figures 4 and 5 of which Figure 4 is a longitudinal
section of a finished axe made according to my invention; and Figure 5 is a
longitudinal section showing the parts of the axe placed together but before they
are united by welding.
3. is the axe-head made as above described and having an eye c for the axe-
helve. 2 is the cutting bit reduced by suitable dies to the shape shown in Figure 5.
Having made these parts of the axe I place them in suitable clamps connected with
the conductors of a dynamo, and pass through them an electric current which will
raise their ends to a welding heat, and these ends, having been brought into contact
and pressed firmly together, will unite so as to make a perfectly sound and complete
axe. The manufacture of the axe is then practically completed, and as neither
part in welding need be heated to more than a small depth, it is obvious that there
will be no danger of injuring the cutting-bit by heat, and that the work can
therefore be performed with comparatively unskilled labor. This fact makes it
possible also to temper the cutting-bit before applying it to the head.
By welding the parts together without first uniting the ends of the poll-blank,
I am enabled to dispense with the last named step altogether as a separate
operation, since the very act of welding the bit to the head will firmly fix the parts
of the head and will make an axe as perfect as can be produced by any other
method. The saving in cost thus attained will be appreciated by those skilled in
the art.
In welding the hard high-carbon steel-bit to the head, which is usually made of
soft iron, the softer material will upset more easily than the harder and is apt to
produce a lateral bulging on the axe. To prevent this I form the end of the steel
cutting bit with corrugations as shown in Figure 5. When this corrugated surface
is pressed against the iron head, the corrugations embed themselves in the iron
and thus produce a firm weld with much less upsetting than when plain surfaces
are butt-welded.
The cutting bit is preferably made of the shape illustrated in Figures 4 and 5,
i.e. with its sides concave, the concavity extending from the rear end nearly to the
cutting edge and of nearly uniform longitudinal section throughout its width. The
reason for this is, that in shaping the bit in the dies, the metal is caused to flow
uniformly from the middle towards the ends, and a better and more quickly formed
article is therefore produced, whereas if the curvature be convex, the tendency is
to crowd the metal from the ends towards the middle, making the work of shaping

page_text: more difficult and producing an inferior article. In its cutting properties, this
cutting-bit is also better than the rounded and ridged bits.
It will be noticed that in the axe illustrated in the drawing the steel bit extends
back to the eye of the iron poll. I get a material advantage from this construction,
since it affords a better axe, the eye of which is strong and well protected.
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 :-
First. In the art of making axes &c., the improvement which consists in shaping
separately a steel cutting-bit and a poll-blank having its sides brought together to
form the eye, but not welded together, and then passing through the bit and poll-
blank an electric current, heating them thereby and welding their ends together by
contact, substantially as and for the purposes described.
Second. In the art of making axes &c., the improvement which consists in
shaping separately a steel cutting-bit with corrugated end, and a poll-blank,
passing through these parts an electric current, heating them thereby and welding
the corrugated end of the bit to the end of the poll-blank by contact; substantially
as and for the purposes described.
Third. An axe having an iron poll and a steel cutting-bit welded to the poll,
and extending back to the eye thereof; substantiaily as and for the purposes
described.
Fourth. In the art of making axes &c. the improvement which consists in shaping
separately a head blank and a steel cutting bit, each of finished form and having
correspondingly shaped ends, passing through the said parts an electric current
heating them thereby and welding them together by contact; substantially as and
for the purposes described.
Fifth. A rolled bar substantially of the shape shown in Figure 2, and adapted
to be divided into axe-poll blanks; substantially as described.
Dated the 14th day of Ante 1001
J. JOHNSON.