US2390674A - Serving tool - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 11,1945.

w. E. WHITE SERVING TOOL Filed Ju ly 1, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 11, 1945. I w wHlT 2,390,674

SERVING TOOL Filed July 1, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Dec. 11, 1945. W.IE.WHITE 2,390,674-

SERVING TOOL Filed July 1 194? high strength grades.

Patented Dec. 11 1 945 SERVING TOOL William E. White, Bethlehem, Pa., assigno'r to- Bethlehem Steel Company, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application new 1, 1942, Serial No. stasis Claims.

cessory clamps and special fittings to meet a wide range of functional requirements. 0

When such requirements do not require provision for subsequent takeup or load adjustment it is a common practice to save the cost of supplementary fittings by using the technique known as serving the strand. This practice, generally employed by linemen, consists of forming primary connections by passing the strand or cable through an anchoring device, returning a suitable length against itself loopwise and securing the loop by taking integral wires of the looped end in sequence and winding them tightly around the main strand and the remaining portion of the looped end. Every'wire so wound is given suihcient turns to develop adequate and permanent hold and when properly carried out the aggregate restraint of the successive windings is sufficient to maintain the loop against a slipping i'orce approximately equal to the ulti-- mate strength of the strand itself. In the ordinary 1'; inch size, for instance, this would be approximately 3200 pounds for standard, 5350 pound'sior Siemens-Martin, and 8000 pounds for Thetight-winding essential to this result demands drawing of the wires, as they are wound,

to a point of actual set. Heretoiore, pliers have been usedi'or the purpose, but their use is sub- Ject to several objections. One,,in' particular, is

' the diiiiculty of determining the actual strength of the serve. The pliers function solely as an intermittent gripping means, the wire recalling eiliciency, as gauged by resistance to slippage of the completed serve, may vary-under this method from almost nothing to a maximum fully up to requirements, yet visual inspection cannot fix fication and in the appended. claims. I shall:

therefore now proceed to describe my invention way of the operation;

the strength potential of a plier served connection within fifty per cent of its true value.

A. more serious trouble is that it has been found to be practically impossible to draw zinc coated wire effectively with pliers without critical damage to the zinc protective surface. Pliers will always out and tear the soft zinc coating far beyond any permissible amount. Copper clad strand is much more expensive, but where exacting standards of coating preservation prevail, as in fume-laden industrial areas, for instance, it has been preferred over zinc coated strand because it can be plier-served without injuring the coating.

Also, when pliers are used for serving, excess wire must be broken off by nicking the wire with the,cutting edge of the pliers and then bending back and forth. This practice does not always leave the wire end correctly turned in plane with the winding, and-with high strength wire the technique at best is uncertain and tedious.

One object of my invention is therefore a simple and economical serving tool which does not primarily depend on the operator's gripping strength for results.

Another object is a tool which readily adapts itself tothe varying size and irregular contour of the core around which it rotates and produces consistently tight wrapping throughout the tapering length of serve.

Another object is a tool which does the work of pliers in tight serving, with no serious efiect' on zinc coating, and with constant instead of intermittent tension.

A further object is a means of breaking excess wire integral with the 'serving'tool which leaves the wire end closely in layand accurately turned in towards thecore, thereby giving the serve a finished appearance and a safe surface condition.

Still other objects, purposes and advantages of my invention will appear hereinafter in the speciand refer to the accompanying foursheets of drawings forming a. part or this specification and in which like characters of reference indicate like parts of my invention.

serving tool,'the cutter'being retracted out of the Fig. 3 is a perspcotiveview showing the method of nicking the wire with the cutter preparatoryconstitute a rigid lever handle ,2.

cutter shown Fig. 7 is a front end elevation of the tool with the cutter of Figure removed;

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the serving tool with cutter;

Fig. 9 is a top plan view of a modified form of my serving tool which dispenses with the cutter;

Fig. 10 is a front end elevation of the tool shown in Figure 9; and

Fig. 11' is a Side elevation of the tool shown in Figures 9 and 10.

, In its preferred form, best shown in Figures 5 to 8, inclusive, the tool I consists essentially of a piece of steel rod of adequate length, strength and thickness, bent at the middle in a U-shape to The ends 3 and 4 of said U-shape are bent upwardly and rearwardly to form a rounded seat 5 of suitable size to receive therein the twisted strand 5. Upturned end 3 terminates in a forwardly and upwardly extending flattened integral hook i, and the other. end i is bent transversely inward toward but not touching end 3 and terminates in upper rearwardly and upwardly projecting offset integral hook 8. Hooks I and 8 are joined together at their bases by short welded rod insert 9. Pivotally mounted by rivet ID or the like on fiattened hook "I is the cutter l I, comprising a short bent bar forming at one end a handle i2 and at the other or pivoted end providedwith a nicking or cutting edge [3 turned inwardly toward rod insert 9.

All bearing surfaces in seat 5, hooks l and'd and rod insert 9 which come into pressure contact with galvanized wire surfaces while the tool is being operated are rounded and polished. Plating these bearing surfaces with a suitable hard metal such as chromium,flalthough not essential,

is further helpful toward preserving a smooth finish and lessened wear on the zinc coating.

A slightly modified form of the tool, in which for greater simplicity and lessened cost of manufacture the cutter II has been eliminated, is shown in Figures 9 to 11, inclusive. This tool is identical with the former construction, with the same U-shaped lever handle 2 of steel rod having its ends 3 and '4 bent upwardly to form rounded seat 5 for receiving the strand and end a terminating in upwardly and rearwardly projecting hook 8, except that on end 3 as th cutter H is dispensed with a rounded lower hook Id may take the place of the fo'rmer's flattened hook I. The function of these lower hooks, I or la, depending on the type, is in either case the same, simply a winding means to carry forward the stiff wire about the strand, but the hook 8 deflects the wire in a direction opposed to its normal proceeds imposes a constant tension which resists the flow of the 'wire through the lower hook sufficiently to set up a positive drawing and flexing action.

This will be better understood from a description of the operation of serving a typical inch, seven wire strand as illustrated in Figures '1 to 4, inclusive, of the drawings, although the size mentioned is only an example and-other sizes and varieties of multiwire strand may easily be served with tools of appropriate dimensions.

The end of the strand iii to beserved is fastening means and lapped back to form a loop. The exact length of the lapped end of course will vary with the number and thickness of the wires and the number of turns desired, but for strand of the dimensions given it should not be less than 24 inches and may be of greater length if convenient. The lapped end of the strand is then fanned, or separated, about to the point H, and the first wire I8 is brought by hand to point l9, without tool. Rounded seat 5 of the tool is then placed on the strand l5, and the first wire I8 is passed upward through hooks i and 8 and woundby tool around the main strand 6 and the remaining six-wires of the lapped end for about seven to ten turns, nicked by the cutting edge [3,

snapped by hand and snugly laid by rotating the tool further. The second wire 20 is then wound around the main strands and the fiv other wires, nicked, cut and laid as before. Third wire 2|, fourth wire 22, fifth wire 23 and sixth wire 25 are similarly treated, and the serve is completed by winding the seventh or last wire 25 in similar fashion around the main strand alone and cutting like the rest. If the cutter ll is omitted, a saw or file or wire cutting pliers may be used instead, with, of course, the drawback of requiring the additional cutting tool, but in any case nicking on the outer face of the wire only, as done by the cutting edge [3, gives considerably more favorable breakage with respect to end alignment and lay than double-edged tools such as wire-cutting 'pliers, Also, the cutter H is so positioned as to enable the operator after nicking the wire to lay the end of the wire close to the strand as he completes the severing of the wire, with resultant advantages of safety. and

sively about a core of constant eccentricity and diminishing size as wire are successively taken from the lapped end, yet it produces consistently tight wrapping throughout the tapering length of serve with slight dependence on the skill or gripping strength of the operator.

Although I have shown and described my invention in considerable detail, I do not wish to be limited to the exact and specific details so shown and described, but may use such substitutions, modifications and equivalents thereof as are embraced within the scope of my invention or as are pointed out in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A tool for serving with wire a metallic strand, comprising a lever arm provided at one end with a concave strand receiving seat having thereabove two fingers, one of which is curved to partially embrace theserving wire, and the second finger spaced above and apart from the first finger to deflect the wire from its normal course sufficiently to set up the required tension for tight wrapping.

2. A tool for serving with wire metallic strand or the like, comprising a rod bent into a U-shape to form an operating lever handle, the ends of said rod being curved upwardly to form a rounded seat portion for receiving the strand.

above the seat portion-a hook proiecting !or.-

tending r'earwardly and upwardly from-the other end of the rod above the flrsthook for drawing the wire tightly under constant tension through the winding means.

3. A tool for serving with wire a metallic strand or the like, comprising a handle portion for rotatin the tool, a concave seat portion at one end or the handle for receiving the strand, and a pair of smooth opposed hooked surfaces above the concave seat portion onset therefrom ior i'rictionally engaging the wire'while allowing an' even wrapping flow therethrough.

4. A serving tool for helically wrapping wire around strand or'the' like, comprising a handle for rotating the tool, a seat formed at one end of the handle for supporting the strand during the wrapping operation, and oi'iset spaced hook-' shaped contact projections adjacent to the seat' and formed integrally therewith for engaging and wrapping the wire around the strand during the rotation of the tool.

5. A serving tool for helically wrapping wire around strand or the like, comprising a round rod bent centrally adaptedto form a U-shaped handle, a seat formed near 'each end of the rod for supporting the strand during the wrapping operation, a flattened hook-shaped contact portion formed at one end of the rod adjacent to its seat portion,- a rounded contact hook portion formed at the opposite end or the rod adjacent to its seat portion and in spaced relation to the flattened contaethook portion for engaging and wrapping the wire around the strand during the rotation of the tool, anda cutter pivotally at- ;tached to the flattened hook for nicking or. severing the wirel after the. required wrap in operation v 1 L 6. A serving tool for helically wrapping .wire arolmd-strand or the like, comprising a, continuous length of round metal rod formed into an elongated U-shaped handle, extended portions oi'therod bent and rearwardly to form a large hook opening toward the handle for enmtheltrandandapairotsmallerlateral above the large hook, one of said smaller hooks being'in oflset relation to the other smaller hook for winding and drawing the wire around the strand tightly during the rotation of the tool.

7. A serving tool for helically wrapping wire around strand or the like, comprising a U-shaped rod member adapted to be used as a handle and having both end portions'bent upward to form a hook adapted for embracing the strand to be wrapped. the end of said end portion nearest the wound portion of the strand terminating in a forwardly bent lateral hook adapted for winding the wireabout the-strand upon rotation of the tool, and the other end of said end portion being bent transversely and terminating in a rearwardly bent lateral hook adjacently above and oiIset from the forwardly-bent hboir adapted for engaging and tightly drawing the wire about the strand during said rotation. 2o 8. A serving tool for helically wrapping wire around strand or the like, comprising a handle, a pair of strand receiving seat portions thereon, a lateral extension member connecting said seat portions, a'wire-engaging hook upon one of said seat portions and a wire-tensioning hook above said wire-engaging hook. v 9. A serving tool for helically wrapping wire around strand or the like, comprising a rod bent .centr'ally to form a handle, each end of said rod ally forward to form a wire-engaginghook,-.an d

the other free rod end extending transversely beyond the first rod end and being bent rearward to form a wire-tensioning hook.-

10. A serving tool for helicaliv'wrapping around strand or the like, comprising a rod bent centrally to form a handle,..both ends of said rod being bent rearwardly to term a rounded seat for ,wnrsaun-wm'm being bent rearward upon itself to form a strand receiving seat, one tree rod end being bent laterwire-receiving and wire-tensioning hooks at their

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