US2433974A - Pick and like handles - Google Patents

Description

M. J. ANTEL Jan. 6, 1948.

PICK AND LIKE HANDLES Filed Feb, 18, 1944 Patented Jan. 6, 1948 PICK-AND LIKE IHANDLES *Montague John Antel, Johannesburg, Transvaal,

'Union'bf South'Africa ,.-Application February 18, 194.4,?Serial-No;522,971 In the Union or South Africa J une-2,3,v 1941 1 A'pick tool comprises a metal pick'head and a "-wooden'handle secured in the eye of the head. The eye and the outerendof the handle, that is the portion of the handle that engages with the eye; 'areflared'outwardly. Usually also the cross section of the flared-portion of Lthe'handIe and the eye is elliptical; with its majoraxis lying in thedire'ction 'of' the leng'th of thepick head.

i This invention which 'is' a continuation in part or application-440,734, filed April 27; 1942, relates 1 to wood handles for picks, hoesandother tools, -'which' are outwardly flared-as=described above and the flared end of which is fitted with a" metal -ferr1-11e so that the eye engages with sa'id ferrule andnot directly "with the wood "of the handle;

said ferrule being itself outwardly-flaredboth internally and externally. It is essentialfor the successfuI use of the pick' -thatsuch ferrule shall rem'ain- 'rigidlyfixed to the wood handle.

The invention-is"illustratedin the accompanyi-ng drawings'"intvhich:

Z Figur I-is av perspective View showing the end -portions ofa pick handle,- 1 and a 'pick head.

Figures: IIandIII are respectively anelevation and: an end view of =the;-ferrule-b1ahl f for the head leend'of thehandle.

EFigure IV.'shows diesishaping-the ferrule.

Figure V is a perspective View of a prospectors gad-constructed according to the invention.

Figure VI shows the -corresponding ferrule blank.

; lnuthezdrawingsa 2 indicates. a: pick .head' with the usual eye 3 for receivingflther'handle. Said eye is roughly .elliptical .in its cross-sections and flares in thedirection from its inner end 4 to its outer end 5. v I

516. indicates the-wooden handle having-an outer :end .portion31...on..whichthe ferrule 8 isnfirmly ;mount.ed.' The ferrule. is. shaped externallyto en- :gage. in "the eye 3 and ls-accordingly of=muchthe same..elliptical .cross sectional and lengthwise :fiaring form as...the.eye. -TIIhe-ferrule wall' being of much the same-thickness throughout; the handle end portion' 7 also has approximately the samefelliptical and flaring-form as the eye3- and .:as*the-eX ter-nal surface of theferr'ule.

Inzso-me pick- -handles having this elliptical cross section the flare is present principally in the plane including the long axis of the ellipse, and in others principally in the plane at right angles thereto, that is the plane including the short axis.

The end 7 shown is of the last mentioned form, r

the short diameter 9 at the extremity being greater than the short diameter H! at the base of the flare; but the end being materially of uniform width across its long diameter I l.

The flare extends outwardly from a waist l2;

said waist being constituted by the cross section of the wood at the base of the flare being diametrically smaller than both said flared end and theportionfilfi oflthe wooden handle which'lies 'on the other side of the waist from'the flare. In somejpickhandles said handleportion l3.fiares away from the waist; and sometimes the crosssectional forms of 'theflared end and of said han- -ferruleseats. -'Also, inthe example shownfthe waist is both diametrally and" circumferenti'ally ess than the-fiared'end l and thehandle portion 13. The-close "fitting" of, the ferrule 8 onthe -fiared-wood-end l, withits smaller end lfi'seated insaidwaist l2, accordingly locksthe ferrule positively against endwisemovementon the handle ineither direction.

In present practice the manufacture'bffthe ferrule- 8-in its flaring shape is completedgbefore it isassembled-with the woodhandle. Also-the outer-end-portion l of the handle is not originally fiaredjbut is made of such shape and'size that thepre-formed ferrule can be passed over 'it,-in the direction indicated-by the arrow A'until'the sma-ller-end lli of the ferrule engages the waist -12. The flaringof' the outer end portion "of the handle on one :or both the axes of the ellipse; "to 'lo'ckflthe ferrule-in such'position; is then-effected by driving a wedge or wedges into a slit previously cut in from- 'theouter--end=cf the handle. The weakness of this construction liesint-he wedge, -Which-is-apt to loosen and so cause loosening of the ferrule.

I It is theobjectof "the inventionteavoid such loosening of the ferrule. According to the, invention the handle or at least the head endthere- 'of-is'-provided;-before its assembly with theferrulepin its final form'comprising the'flaringend I, the'enlarged portion '13 and the waist l2 between' them; said end 1 being of'solid wood. *fTheferrule is-provided; prior to the assembly, as-a ferrule blank ll, FiguresII and III; which is tubular in-the' sense that it has circumferential continuity, though not necessarily at all cross sections. The blank is of such diametral dimensions as to pass easily over the pre-formed flared end 1 and to its final position in Which it surrounds said end 1 and said waist l2. positioned its shape is changedto conform to that of the flared end and the waist and so that it fits said parts.

In practice it is convenient to use circular tube stock, preferably solid drawn tube. A piece of this is cut to the intended length of the ferrule,

: and is pressed in parallel dies to make its cross sectional form throughout of the ellipticalcross- When so sectional form and size of the extremity l8 of the handle; the diametral dimensions of the circular tube having been chosen suitably for that purpose. The resulting parallel, elliptical-sectioned, and tubular blank I'l-sh0wn in Figures II and III -is then assembled with the wood handle.

The conformation of the parallel blank I! to the wood handle comprises the reduction of diametral dimensions of the blank in progressively increasing degree in the direction from its outer end to its inner end; and usually it consists specifically in similarly progressively reducing the circumferential dimensions of the blank.

One method of effecting such circumferential diminution is by pinching up the superfluous circumferential extent into folds 19, the length l of which extends lengthwise of the blank and th depth d of which varies progressively along the length in order to absorb the increasing amount of superfluous ferrule wall material corresponding to th decrease of circumferential extent of the flared end 1 towards the waist l2.

In order that these folds may be produced without interfering with the general smoothness of the external surface 20 of the ferrule on which the internal surface 2! of the eye 3 bears when the handle and pick head are assembled, th folds are formed at the extremities of the long dimensions of the ferrule. It is customary to shape.

the eye of the pick so that its ends in the direction of the length of the pick provide clearance spaces 22 which are not occupied by the ordinary ferrule, and in which the aforesaid end folds can be accommodated without affecting th regular wedging seating of the eye on the ferrule. In other cases the eye is specially shaped to receive the folds I9.

The shaping of the ferrule blank to the flaring end of the handle and the formation of the folds may be effected by means of dies 23, Figure IV. Said dies are formed with end clearance spaces 24 which give space for the folds l9 and terminate at somewhat sharp edges 25 which bite into the blank metal as the dies close together. and so have the effect of tensioning the ferrule well metal around the side faces of the flaring end.

Another method of contracting the circumferential dimensions of the tubular blank is by the formation in the tubular blank of gapping that removes some of the metal; and the circumferential closing together of the edges of the gapping in the step of shaping the ferrule to the flaring wood end. In the example shown in Figures V and VI, the eye of the head of the prospectors gad differs from that of a pickaxe in being of smoothly curve-d form in transverse section. The tubular blank 25 is provided with gapping consisting of longitudinal slots 2'! extending from the inner end 28 of the ferrule but terminating short of its outer end 29. The slots widen towards the inner end of the ferrule so that the amount of ferrule material left between the median lines of the gap diminishes in that direction. The thus pre-formed blank is passed onto the flaring end of the handle and the ferrule is pressed by dies to conform its shape to that of said flaring end; such shaping bringing the opposite edges 39 of the slots closer to one another. To retain against separation the portions of the inner end of the ferrule that are separated by the slots, they are secured to the head by the rivet 3! which passes through both portions and the head.

A pick handle is commonly provided with a ferrule 32 at its inner or lower end in order to protect such end against being split or mushroomed when it is struck on th ground for the purpose of loosening the pick head. According to the invention said ferrule 32 is fixed in the same way as the head ferrule 8, viz. by flaring the wood end 33 from a shoulder 34, passing onto it a parallel tubular ferrule blank and conforming said blank to the flared end, as described above. As the ferrule 32 is much shorter than the head ferrule B and the gain of diameter of the flare is correspondingly smaller it is preferred to secure the ferrule 32 additionally as by splitting the upper rim of the ferrule 32 at 35 and driving the tongues 33 so formed into the wood of the handle.

' The ferrule 32 may be also additionally secured by a rivet 31.

It will be noted that no expansion of the handle end is required, and consequently there is no Wedge to loosen.

I claim:

A wood tool handle having a solid and outwardly flared end extending from a waist and a similarly flared tubular ferrule fitting on said flared end and said waist; the cross-section of the flared end and of the ferrule being basically elliptical; the ferrule comprising longitudinally extending folds formed in its wall, said folds being at the ends of the long axis of the elliptical formation and being of progressively varying depth in the direction of the length of the handle.

MONTAGUE JOHN AN TEL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 379,439 Bell Mar. 13, 1888 1,914,802 Cochrane June 20, 1933 2,132,555 Baxter Oct. 11, 1938 1,339,638 Velchansky et al. May 11, 1920 2,160,258 Berliner May 30, 1939 2,211,147 Miller Aug. 13, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 867 Great Britain Jan. 15, 1894 34,987 Germany Apr. 10, 1886

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