US2238104A - Tool handle - Google Patents

Description

L. P. FINLEY TOOL HANDLE pnl S, 1941. 2,238,104'

Filed Jan. 4, 1940 INVENTOR fawn/e0 @f7/MEV.

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ATTRNEY Patented Apr. 15, 1941 TOOL HANDLE Leonard P. Finley, Columbus, Ohio, assigner to The Union Fork and Hoe Company, a corporation of Ohio Application January 4, 1940, Serial No. 312,340

6 Claims.

This invention relates to handles for manual tools and particularly to means for reinforcing such handles in the area Where they are most liable to break, more especially handles for tools such as forks in which a certain amount of Ilexibility or spring is desired.

'Ihese handles are Wooden and usually are made of ash which is durable and strong and has the desired amount of flexibility and resiliency. They are usually tapered and reduced slightly in diameter at their lower ends to rit Within a tubular metallic member which in the case of `many tools of which forks are an example is a ferrule which forms a permanent part of the handle.

Some tools of which shovels are an example have a tubular socket formed integrally with the implement and the reduced end of the handle is chucked or fitted into the socket which terminates at the shoulder ilush with the handle above the shoulder.

In either case when the tool is in use there is a bending moment at the transverse plane oi the shoulder and consequently the handle is apt to break at that plane. tributing the stress of that bending moment in the case of shovel handles has been solved by slotting the handle to a point above the shoulder and putting a duplex reinforcing plate in the slot with Wings` or yiianges gripping the handle on opposite sides above the shoulder and the portion Within the socket being of the full Width or diameter of the handle for the length of the socket, preferably to its lower end, and being rmly riveted along its length to the socket and handle. Such a construction is shown in the United States patent to Brandenburg, No. 2,178,-

Both the strength and rigidity of the handle are thereby augmented and in shovels, which have to serve for prying as well as lifting, the maximum of rigidity is a desideratum. In other tools, such as long handled forks, rigidity is undesirable and the desideratum is to get the needed strength in the region of the maximum bending moment without detra-cting from the spring or flexibility of the tool handle, particularly at the lower end of the handle. It 1s known, for example, that the discharging of the contents of a fork from the tines is facilitated by the snap which is imparted to the fork head by the resilient return of the handle from a flexed `shape. which it assumes under stress to the normal shape when the stress is relieved,^as when the Weight which is being lifted to an cle- The problem of disvated place gets past the vertical plane of the hands.

In accordance With this invention the reinforcing member is designed to reinforce the handle at the shoulder by a member bearing externally of the handle for a distance above the shoulder and internally of the ferrule for a clistance below the shoulder, but the leverage of the member internally of the ferrule is only for such distance as is required properly to distribute the stress and is not sufficient to impair niaterially the flexibility of the handle at the region where it is most needed, the ferrule itself being of a thin gauge metal and suiiciently flexible to coact with the Wood.

More specifically the invention contemplates a reinforcing plate, preferably duplex, the portion of which within the ferrule is composed of two sections of more or less equal length, the rear one fitting within the ferrule and the other being an extension of narrower Width which affords lateral reinforcement but is entirely unattached to the handle transversely and leaves the portion of the handle and ferrule below the first section free to flex in the plane of the slot.

If the handle is curved or bent, as is the case with certain types offorks, the bend will ordinarily occur sufficiently below the shoulder to accommodate a straight section for the distance that the plate bears in the ferrule and the narrower extension may extend into the bend. If desired the second section may be made shorter or may be omitted altogether.

The invention also contemplates other details of construction as Will hereinafter more fully appeal'.

The illustrated embodiment of the invention Will now be described and thereafter the invention will be pointed out in claims.

Fig. 1 is a perspective of a fork embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional elevation of the lower portion of the handle.

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan of the same.

Fig. 4 is an isometric detail of the reinforcing member.

The illustrated fork is a pitch fork or hay fork. It is a three tined fork with a bent wooden handle I of the type known as a long handle, being a round wooden shaft of varying length up to 6 feet and generally tapered at its lower end to fit within a tapered, tubular. metallic ierrule 2, the ferruled end being reduced in diameter just the thickness of the ferrule so that its top` edge at the shoulder 3 makes a flush lit with the handle above the shoulder.

The handle I is shown as a bent handle though it will be understood that this characteristic of the handle is immaterial to the invention. The lower end of the handle is provided with the conventional bore 4 to receive the tang or shank 5 of the fork head 6, the usual over-cap l being employed to complete the attachment of the fork head and handle.

The ferrule 2 is of steel or other suitable material and since the bend occurs within its length it is ordinarily applied to the handle before the handle is bent. The ferrule will partake of the permanent bend and at the same time is suffciently flexible and resilient to yield 'and spring with the enclosed wooden shaft and not materially detract from the natural resiliency of the Wood.

The handle is shown as provided with a through transverse slot 8 in the central vertical plane of the handle from its lower end to a point a short distance above the shoulder 3. In the upper end of this slot is disposed the reinforcing member of the form shown in detail in Fig. 4. Since the reinforcing member occupies only the upper end of the slot it is evident that except as a matter of convenience of formation of the slot and of introduction of the reinforcing member in it, the slot need not extend below the reinforcing membei'.

In the form shown the reinforcing member consists of two similar steel plates 9a and 9b, each having longitudinal fianges IU and ll along its top and bottom edges for about half its length. These flanges are of just the length from the shoulder 3 to .the upper end of the slot and the plates are placed back to back and are disposed in the slot 8 with the flanged portions occupying the portion of the slot above the shoulder. the flanges of course is turned down after the plates are introduced andthe handle will be fiat tened off on both sides and the flanges will be curved and depressed in the wood so that the flanges will merge into the surface of vthe handle.

width at the lower end. The bend of the handle u begins at the plane of the lower end of section A.

In practice the unflanged portion of the reinforcing member extends into the ferrule for about one-third of its length, and lsince there are no rivets or other fixed transverse attachments it is obvious that the reinforcing lmember does `not interfere with the flexibility and resiliency of the lower end of the handle below the section A. In other words the rigidity is limited to a short length on either side of the shoulder.

The tapered portion B of the reinforcing vmember augments the lateral stability and strength without impairing the flexibility of the handle. If desired this section ,may be omitted or its length may be adjusted according to need. Longitudinal These corrugations will extend but a short Way if at all into the section B of the plates.

One of It is obvious that various modifications may be made in the construction shown in the drawing and above particularly described within the principle and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1.For forks and the like, a wooden handle having its lower end for a substantial distance reduced in diameter to receive a ferrule and terminating in a shoulder, a tubular ferrule fitting on and coextensive with the reduced end, the handle having a vertical slot therethrough extending both sides of the shoulder, and a reinforcing member comprising a plate disposed within the slot and extending from the upper end of the slot into the ferrule, the portion of the reinforcing member within the ferrule having a section at its upper end coextensive in width with the internal diameter of the ferrule and the reg mainder of the portion being of lesser width than and out of contact with the internal face of the ferrule, whereby the flexibility of the lower end of the handle is substantially unimpaired.

2. For forks and the like, a wooden handle having its lower end for a substantial distance reduced in diameter to receive a ferrule and terminating in a shoulder, a tubular ferrule fitting on and coextensive with the reduced end, the handle having a vertical slot therethrough extending both sides of the'shoulder, and a reinforcing member comprising a plate disposed within the slot and extending from the upper end of the slot into the ferrule, the portion of the reinforcing member within the ferrule having a section at its upper end coextensive in width with the internal diameter of the ferrule and the remainder of the portion being o'f lesser width than and out of contact with the internal face of the ferrule, whereby the flexibility of the lower end of the handle is substantially unimpaired, the portion of the reinforcing member above the ferrule being flanged externally of the handle and embracing the handle between the flanges.

3. For forks and the like, a wooden handle having its lower end for a substantial distance reduced in diameter to receive a ferrule and terminating in a shoulder, a tubular ferrule fitting on and coextensive with the reduced end, the handle having a vertical slot therethrough extending both sides of the shoulder, and aA reinforcing member comprising two similar plates disposed contiguously within the slot and extending from the upper end of the slot into the ferrule, the portion of each plate within the ferrule being not more than one-half the length of the portion of the handle within the ferrule and the upper half of said portion being coextensive in width with the internal diameter of the ferrule and the lower half being tapered to a substantially lesser width, and the portion of each plate above the ferrule being flanged externally of the handle and embracing the handle vbetween the flanges, the flanges of the two plates extending oppositely away from the slot.

4. For forks and the like, a wooden handle having a bend near its lower end and shouldered above the bend and having its -lower end vertically slotted to a point above the shoulder, a tubular ferrule fitting on the lower lend up to the shoulder, and a reinforcing member comprising a plate disposed in the slot and extending from the upper end of the slot into the ferrule and fitting within the ferrule only up to the region of the bend, the handle below the bend being free to flex.

5. For forks and the like, a Wooden handle having a bend near its lower end and shouldered above the bend and having its lower end Vertically slotted to a point above the shoulder, a tubular ferrule fitting on the lower end up to the shoulder, and a. reinforcing member comprising a metal plate disposed in the slot and extending from the upper end of the slot into the ferrule`l` and fitting within the ferrule only up to the region of the bend and having a narrower extension within the bend, the handle below the bend being free to ex, the portion of the reinforcing member above the shoulder being flanged externally of the handle and embracing the handle between the flanges.

6. For forks and the like, a wooden handle having its lower end for a substantial distance reduced in diameter to receive a ferrule and terminating in a shoulder, a tubular ferrule fitting on and coextenslve with the reduced end, the handle having a vertical slot therethrough extending both sides of the shoulder, and a reinforcing member comprising two similar plates disposed contiguously within the slot and extending from the upper end of the slot into the ferrule, the portion of each plate within the ferrule being at its upper end coextensive in Width with the internal diameter of the ferrule'and the remainder of the portion being of lesser width than and out of Contact with the internal face of the ferrule, whereby the flexibility of the lower end of the handle is substantially unimpaired, the portion of each plate above the ferrule being flanged externally of the handle and embracing the handle between the ilanges.

LEONARD P. FINLEY.

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