US486221A - Wire-stretcher - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) A 2 Sheetsh-Sheet 1. I

J. DIETRICH.

WIRE STRETGHER.

Patented Nov. 15, 1892. l

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(No Model.) zvheets-sn'e'et 2.

` J. DIETRICH.

WIRE STRETGHER.

No. 486,221. y Patented Nov. 15,1892. i

Il i1' lilll lill UNITED "STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN'DIETRIOH, OF YELLOW CREEK, ILLINOIS.

WIRE-STRETCHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 486,221, dated November 15, 1892.

Application iiled March 31, 1 892- Serial No. 427,178. (No model.)

. To a/ZZ whom it may concern.-

' Be it known that I, JOHN DIETRICH, a citizen' of the United States of America, residing at Yellow Creek, in the county of Stephenson and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wire- Stretchers, of which the following is a speciiication. v

. My invention relates to improvements in wire-stretchers of that class in which a reciprocating lever has a step-by-step movement along a straight bar, the bar being attached to a post or other suitable support, and the lever being provided with a wire-holding clamp whereby the movement of the lever along the bar stretches the wire.

The invention is fully described and explained in this specification and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a top plan of my improved stretcher in operative position with relation to a post. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the stretcher, the view being in the direction indicated by the arrow d, Fig. l. Figs. 3 and 4 are bottom plans of the stretcher, showing its lever and other operatingparts in different positions.

In the views, A is a straight flat bar of iron or steel formed with preferably-square notches N N in its edges and having at one end an arm A at right angles to the bar and terminating in a point a, the arm and point being adapted to secure the bar to a post P in the manner shown in Fig. 1. Across the bar Alies a lever L, to which are attached straps L L2, embracing the bar and permitting the lever to slide freely thereon. Two pawls or dogs D D lie between the strap L2 and the lever on opposite edges of the bar A and are held in place by means of pivots pp', the rear ends of the pawls being connected by a short transverse bar C, connected with them by suitable pivots. The front end of each of the dogs D D is formed with a hook d, extending across the bar and having its end bent upward or downward to embrace the edge thereof and limit the lateral movement of the front end of the dog, and near the rear end of each of the dogs there is formed on its inner margin a preferably-rectangular lug d, adapted to enter in any one of the series of notches N on the corresponding edge of the bar A. The

short bar C is parallel to thelever L, and when the lever is at right angles to the bar, as in Fig. l, the space between the inner ends of the lugs d is considerably greater than the width of the bar A. It is evident, therefore, that if the lever be moved in the direction indicated by the arrow a, Fig. 1, until the lug on the dog D is free from the notch in which it lies both thelugs on the dogs Willbe entirely free from the bar, and the lever may be moved thereon toward or away from the arm A without difiiculty. It', however, the lever be swung in the direction indicated bythe arrow a' in Fig. 1, the dog D must be moved forward or toward the arm A until the 'parts reach the position shown in Fig. 3, when the lug of the dog D will enter one of the notches on the corresponding edge of the bar A in the manner shown in that ligure. If, then,the movement of the lever be reversed, the lug on the dog D must become the fulcrum or support of the lever, when the dog D will be moved forward until the parts reach the Vposition illustrated in Fig. 4t. This reciprocal movement of the lever may be continued as required, and at each movement of the lever in either direction one of the dogs will be advanced one step upon the bar A.

To the strap L is pivoted the front end of a bar E, lying along the face of the bar A and held in suitable relation thereto by means of a clasp E', pivoted to the bar E and embracing the bar A. The rear end E2 of the bar E is in a plane at right angles to the plane of the bar A and carries a short lever L3, which is pivoted to it by means of a pivot p3, Fig. 2. A cam F, pivoted to the lever Z3, has a slight sliding movement on the bar lt2 and is formed with fingers f f, which embrace the end of the bar, the ends of the fingers preferably joined by a rodf, lying in a notch e in the lower margin of the bar E2, this rod being intended to permit the sliding of the cam along the bar and at the same time to prevent'its escape therefrom. The lever L3 is provided with a shoulder, which overhangs the corrugated upper edge of the cam F and is adapted to clamp the end of awire WV, which it is. desired to stretch by means of the device. The

clamp thus formed is simple and powerful,

IOO

opposingsurfaces in such a Way as to render it diiiicult` to release it When desired. An examination of the relative position of the parts, as shown in Fig. 2, will show that a very slight movement of the free end of the lever L3 will be sufficient to release the wire; but nevertheless the pressure obtained by this clamp is sufiicient to hold the Wire firmly under any tension to which it is subjected in actual use.

The operation of the device is evident from the foregoing description and explanation of its parts, but may be brieiiy stated as follows: The end A of the bar being brought into enga-gement with a post in thevmanner shown in Fig. l, the lever, with its dogs and clamp, is moved to the rear end of the bar A that is, to the end farthest from the post. The clamp is then brought into engagement with one endof the Wire to be tightened, the other endbeing fastened to a post at a suitable distance from the stretcher. e The lever v is then moved reciprocally in the manner hereinbefore described, and by means of its dogs is moved forward step by step upon the bar until the Wire is sufficiently tightened or until the lever reaches the post. If the lever reaches the post before the wire is drawn tight, the wire may be fastened to the post in any desired manner or otherwise secured against slackening, and the dogs may then be released from the notches in the bar and moved again to the rear end thereof, when the clamp can again be applied to the wire and the operation of stretching repeated.

Having now described and explained my i invention, what I claim as new, and desire to 1 secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with the notched bar A and lever L, of the dogs D D', lying on opposite edges of the bar and pivoted to thelever, and the connecting-bar C, joining the ends of the dogs, the front ends of the dogs being formed to embrace the bar and their rear ends being provided with inwardlyextending lugs adapted to enter the notches in the bar, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination of the lever A, provided with notches N N in its opposite edges, the lever L, the dogs D D', formed with hooks d cl `and lugs el d', and the connecting-bar C, pivoted to the rear ends of the dogs, substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination, with the bar, the lever, and dogs attached to the lever and adapted to give it a step-bystep advance thereon, of `the bar E E2, moving with the lever, the 1e- `ver L3, pivoted to the bar E E2, and the cam F, pivoted to the lever L3 and sliding upon the bar E2, the lever being provided with a shoulder overhan ging the edge of the cam and `,adapted to form therewith a wire'holding Qclamp, substantially as shown and described.

4. The combination, with the bar A and lever L, of the bar E E2, formed with the notch `le, lthe lever L3, pivoted to the bar E2, and the cain F,pivoted to the lever L3 and provided 'With the iingersff and with the rod f', join- ;ing the ends of the fingers and sliding in a notch e, substantially as shown and described.

JOHN DIETRICH.

Witnesses:

Y. W. DOW, u CHARLES DIETRICH.

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