US376512A - Fence-building apparatus - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

P. P. CHAMBERLIN.

FENCE BUILDING APPARATUS.

Patented Jan.'1'7,1888.

. A, Fig. 1.

Witnesses: Inventor A Attorney N. PETERS, Phc'io-Lmwgnpher, Washinginn. By C.

' U ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE..

FRANK P. CHAMBERLIN, OF MIDDLETOWVN, OHIO.

FENCE-BUILDING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 376,512, dated January 17, 1888.

' Application filed June 9, 1887. Serial No. 240,653. (No model.)

.To all whom it mat concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK P. CHAMBER- LIN, of Middletown, Butler county, Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fence-Building Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

A kind of fence now commonly employed consists of several horizontal pairs of wires stretched along the line of the fence and supporting picketsinserted vertically between the wires of the pairs, the pickets being held firmly in place byftwisting together the two wires of each pair at points between the pickets. These fences are sometimes woven complete in a loom and then erected in place, and they are sometimes constructed on the ground by stretching the wires along the line of fenceposts, inserting the pickets, and making the proper twists in the wires. There are two distinct modes employed in twisting the wires. One mode consists in twisting the wires in ad Vance of the last picket inserted, then inserting a new picket, then twisting the wires again, and so on. The otherv mode consists in placing two or more pickets and twisting the wires between the pickets after the pickets are in place. My apparatus is designed with reference to the last-named mode of operation, though it is applicable to thefirst-named mode, and also to other modes and uses in connection with" wire-straining and wire-twisting.

My invention has reference to devices for holding the strands of wire and producing the tension on the wire as the fencebuilding progresses, and also to the devices for twisting the wires.

My improvements will be readily understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is afront elevation of a fence of the character specified under process of construction in the field, my improved tension apparatus being illustrated in connection therewith; Fig. 2, aperspective view of the upper portion of one of the fence-posts B in connection with a portion of my improved tension device, so much of the tension device being exhibited as pertains to one strand of wire; Fig. 3, a rear View of portions of one of the tension devices,

exhibiting the wire-keeper; Fig. 4, a side elevation of the machine employed in twisting the wires, and Fig. 5a horizontal longitudinal section of the machine.

In the drawings, A indicates a portion of the completed fence, consisting of horizontal strands of wire with vertical pickets retained therein by intermediate twists of the wire in a common manner; B, one of the usual fenceposts, to which the fence is secured by properly fastening the strands of wire against the face of the post, as by staples, in the usual manner, this post in the illustration being in advance of the completed portion of the fence and having the strands of wire not yet permanently attached, the post serving as a tensionpost or strain-point to which the strands of wire are stretched and by which they are tightly but yieldingly held; 0, a tension-bar temporarily'secured in advance of the tensionpost and supporting devices by which the strands of wire are held in proper tension;

D, brackets by means of which the tensionbar is attached to the fence-post B; E, the tension device, permanently secured to the tension-bar, there being one tension device for each strand of wire employed; F, a gage-toe forming a prolongation of the bracket D, this toe being so located with reference to the tension-bar that when the toe lies against the face of the'fence-post B the tension-bar will be in the line of the intended fence; G, ears projecting from each side of the bracket D at right angles to the toe F, and provided each with a bolt hole parallel with the toe F, through which a lag-screw may be inserted, the ears G and toe F forming angular seats each side of the bracket, these seats being adapted alternatively to engage the post B; H, a plate rigidly secured against the wedge of the tensionbar, this plate forming a portion of the tension apparatus pertaining to one strand of wire; J, a plate to the rear of the plate H and parallel thereto, and formedby curving the plate H rearwardly and upwardly, both plates H and J being wider than the tension-bar is thick; K, notches in the side edges of the plates H and J, these notches forming seats in which the two wires of a strand may lie, the wires passing along the face of the fence-post B, thence through the notches K, and then straddling the tension-bar G; L, a lever pivoted on an axis reaching across from plate H to plate J, this pivot-axis lying in the hori zontal plane ofand centrally between the pairs of notches K; M, vertical notches in the lever L, these notches being in the line of the notches K, so that the wires passing through the notches X will also pass through the notches M; N, a ratcheted segment pivoted to the free end of the lever-L; O, a pin in the edge of the tensionbar, adapted to be engaged by any chosen one of the ratchet-teeth of the segment, and thus serve in retaining the free end of the lever L in any angular position of elevation in which it may have been placed; P, a wirekeeper pivoted in the tension-bar in advance of the plate H, this keeper consisting of a horizontal bar pivoted in the tension-barand provided with arms at each end projecting at right angles to the pivot portion, the keeper being capable of being turned in the tension-bar, so that the arms may project downward and prevent the wires from becoming displaced sidewise from the slot in the plate H, and also capa ble of being turned up out of the way, so as to permit the wires to be inserted into or removed from these slots; Q, the lag'screw employed in bolting the bracket D to the fencepost B; R, a geared machine by means of which the twists are given to the wires between the pickets in constructing the fence; S, a pairof bars or plates riveted together parallel to each other fiatwise, with a space between them to receive gear-wheels; T, a handle secured at one end of the pair of plates; U, a spur-gear disposed between the plates near the handle end thereof and havingahub each sidejournaled in proper hearings in the plates; V, a handerank detachably connected with the gear U, thcshank of this crank being square and fitted for engagement with the central square opening of the gear; \V, an intermediate gear disposed between the plates S and fitted to revolve freely on the pivot and engaging and adapted to be driven by the gear U; X, a wrench-gear journaled in the plates in a similar manner to the gear U and engaged and adapted to be driven by the gear \V; Y, hubs projecting from each side of the gearX and journaled in suitable hearings in the plates S; Z, prolongations of the plates S beyond the periphery of the gear X, these prolongations being slotted or gapped,so as to form openings from the extremities of the plates rearwardly to the bearings which carry the hubs Y; a, a radial slot in the gear X from the periphery thereof inwardly to and somewhat beyond the center, this slot extending transversely through the gear and having a width adapted to receive the wire of which the strands of the fence are formed; 1), the central web of the gear X, this web being much less in thickness than the total length of the hubs Y or than the total outside thickness of the plates S where these hubs are journaled; c, a stop-pin fitted to slide through a hole in one of the plates S a short distance from the center of the intermediate gear; (I, a spring secured to the plate S, into which the stop pin slides, and resting with its free end upon the outer end of the stop-pin and serving to press the stoppin inward toward the intermediate gear; and e, a countersink in the face of the intermediate gear at a distance from the center of the gear corresponding with the position of the stop-pin, so that as the gear revolves the countersink will come opposite the stop-pin, the angular position of the countersink in the gear \V being such as to be brought into coincidence with the stop-pin when the slot to of the gear X e0- incides with the slot in the prolongation Z of the plate.

The crank V being turned,it is obvious that rotary motion will be transmitted through the gear W to the gear X and that two wires in the slot a will become twisted together.

In using the implement the handle is grasped by the lel't hand and the slotted prolongation Z is advanced horizontally over the two wiresof the strand between two picketsthatis, in case the fence is bei ngconstrnctcd in that mode. The instrnmcntbcing pushed endwise, the two wires of the strands take position near together at the root of the slot a, this slot having been held in registry with the slotted prolongations Z by the stop-pin engaging the countersink in the gear V. \Vhen the instrument is thus properly engaged with the pair of wires, the crank is turned with aright-hand motion-that is to say, if the crank hangs downward the operator pulls it toward him. This right-hand motion of the crank and gear U serves in giving a similar right motion to the slotted gear X. The consequence is that the first quarterrevolution of the gear X brings the slot a vertically with its opening downward. \Vere the crank turned in the other direction, or were it turned in thedirection indicated, and an even number of gears employed in the system, the first quarter-turn oi the gear X would result in the slot a being vertical, with its opening upward, in which case the pointof the implementwonld drop downward and disarrange the wires in the slot. The operator continues to turn the crank until the desired number of twists have been given to the wire-generally two twistsand each time the gear \V makes one revolution the fact will be indicated by a snapping ofthe stop-pin into the countersink; but the walls of the countersink are not so abrupt as to prevent the continued turning of the mechanism. When the desired number oftwists have been given, themotion is stopped when the stoppin is in the countersink, thus leaving the slot a again in registry with the slotted prolongation Z. The result ofthe turn-. ing of the gear'X has been to form twists in the wires upon each side of the gear. Only that portion of the pairs of wires engaged by the slot not becoming subjected to the twisting action, the inner terminals of the twists will therefore lie elosel y up against the central web of the gear X, and this web being thin permits the inner ends of the twists of wires to lie very close together, thus permitting quite a number of twists to be gotten into the wire between pickets placed very close together. When the twisting is complete, the implement is withdrawn horizontally from the wire, the untwisted central portion of the wires passing out ofthe slot in the gear, while the inner terminations of the twisted central portion of the wires pass out through the slots in the prolongations Z of the side plates. The crank V being removable from the hub of the gear U permits of the handle being removed, so that theimplement may be stored away insmaller straddling the tension-bar.

compass, and also permits of the crank being so placed in the gear U as to come in the proper position forgiving the final twists to the strands both in high and low position upon the fence-that is to say, the highest strand of the fence, may be given its completing twists by a pulling motion'of the crank toward the operator horizontally, while the completing twists with the lowest strands of the fence may be given by an upward pull ofthe crank, these conditions being most favorable for the accomplishment of the final and harder part of the work in the different positions necessarily assumed by the operator in twisting the high and low strands, respectively.

In setting up the tension apparatus the tension-bar is secured to a fence-post at a reasonable distance from the starting-point of the fence. The wires are attached in the usual manner to a post at the starting-point and carried along the line of the fence against the faces of the intermediate posts and against the face of the terminal post B, and on through slots in the tension device, and then onward,

Beyond the tension-bar the wires may lie upon the ground or go to their spools or coils, or otherwise, according to circumstances. After the wires are inserted sidewise in the notches of the tension device, the keepers P are turned down,

thus preventing the displacement of the wires sidewise from the notches. When the wires are to be removed from the notches, or when wire splices are to pass the notches, the keepers are turned up out of the way. The wires are pulled as taut as practicable from the front of the tension-bar, and then the free ends of the levers f are elevated, so as to deflect the two wires of each pair upwardly and downwardly, respectively, the wires resting in the notches K and being deflected by the bottoms of the notches M in the levers. A bend is thus given to the wires at each tension device and frictional resistance offered to the passage of the wires through the tension device as the construction of the fence progresses. The degree of resistance offered by the tension de-- vice is adjusted by adjusting the position of the levers, any chosen one of the ratchet-teeth of the segments being engaged with its retaining-pin 0. To arrange for the tension of the wire strands by deflecting the wires between supports is well known and has proved quite satisfactory, and my improved device offers many ad vantages for the purpose.-

The tension-bar O has two of the brackets D, and the tension-bar is secured to the fencepost B by a lagscrew, Q, through each bracket into the post, and the toes F serve in gaging the position of the tension-bar, so as to bring the notches of the tension device in proper line with the wire strand, .and they also serve to prevent the twisting of the tension-bar around the post under the strain of the wires, the toes being efflcientfor this purpose whether the postB be round or square. By having two 01' the ears G, the toe F being located centrally with reference to them, the tension-bar may be readily secured to a post so as to arrange for the wires passing upon either face of the post. In Fig. 2 the wires are indicated by dotted lines and are assumed as running in front of the post B. If the wires are to run against the rear face of the post, the lag-screw will be inserted through the hole in the ear G. (Shown as idle in Fig. 2.)

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, with a supporting post or bar, of tension devices E, each having plates H and J, provided with outwardly-open side notches for the reception of wires, lever L,-

pivoted thereto and provided with notches M to engage the wire, a ratcheted segment, N, and pin 0, arranged for adjusting the angular position of the lever, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, with a supporting post or bar, of tension devices E, each provided with plates having outwardly-open notches K, lever L, pivoted thereto, a ratcheted segment and ,pin for regulating the angularposition of the lever, and a wire-keeper, P, pivoted near one of said plates and arranged to turn down, so as to prevent the disengagement of wires from said slots, and to turn up, so as to permit such disengagement, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, substantially as, set forth, of tension-bar O, tension devices E, attached thereto, and brackets D, secured to the tension-bar and provided with a gage-toe and with ears G, having bolt-holes provided for the attachment of the tension-bar to a post. l

t. Plates S, secured together so as to leave a space between them and provided with a handle and slotted prolongations Z, whose slots are of a width to permit the passage of two wires twisted together, and bearings for gears, a gear, X, having a slot of a width adapted to twist two wires together, as described, and journaled in the forward end of said plates, and having a central web, b, thinner than the total thickness of said plates where it supports said gear, and a gear probeing provided with slot a, and one of said i motion to the gears, substantially as and for gears being provided with countersink e, stopthe purpose set forth.

pin 0 adapted to elwa c said countersink T 4 T spring (2, arranged to iii-( ass the stop-pin into FRA1\K CHAMBDRLIL' said countersink and to automatically yield Witnesses:

to the forcible rotation of the gear having the l J. XV. SEE,

countersink, and crank V, for giving rotary l W. A. SEWARD.

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