T-lock joint

May 10, 1938. lshelby 2,116,584

T-LOCK JOINT

Filed Oct. 5, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1

<img file="US2116584A_D0001.tif" />

ATTORNEY.

May 10, 1938.

2,116,584

L. SHELBY

T-LOCK JOINT

Filed Oct. 5, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2

<img file="US2116584A_D0002.tif" />

ATTORNEY.

Patented May 10, 1938

2,116,584

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

2,116,584 T-LOCK JOINT Leon Shelby, Fenton, Mich.

Application October 5, 1936, Serial No. 104,015

Claims.

This invention relates to lock joints and more particularly to T lock joints for use wherever it is necessary to join two or more pieces of wood together. To overcome the problem of making, ₅ and to make a joint that is not only tight, but one that requires no clamping after the glue has been placed in the joint, I have provided a new and improved T lock joint that is ready for immediate use upon assembly and so constructed 10 that the glue, or other cementing substance, dries while the assembled article is in practical use.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved T lock joint for use in joining two or more pieces of wood to15 gether and to continue to hold them together after the glue, or other cementing substance, has lost the major part of its adhesive power.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved T lock joint for use in the manufacture of furniture, screens, screen doors, sash, doors, and the fastening of the segments of circular door tops.

The above and other objects will appear more clearly from the following more detailed descrip₂₆ tion, and from the drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a part of a door, the stile thereof being partly broken away to illustrate the T lock joint in accordance with the present invention;

₃₀ Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a detail of a male joint;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective of the stile of a door showing the T lock joint as applied at the bottom or top of the stile;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view showing a window sash with one of the sides broken away to show how the joint is used;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective of an upper sash of a window showing the joint with a single 40 T joint;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view in elevation of a five panel door illustrating how the T joint is used in a door of this type;

Fig. 8 is a perspective of the female portion of 45 the joint;

Fig. 9 is a perspective of a male portion of the joint;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary view showing a five panel door with the T joint, as shown in Figs. 2 50 and 3, running the whole length of the stile of the door;

Fig. 11 is a view in elevation of an arched doorway showing how the same is assembled by means of keys; and ¢5 Fig. 12 is a perspective view of one of the keys (Cl. 20—92) for use in securing the arched door-way together, as shown best in Fig. 11 of the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings, the numeral 15 designates the stile of an ordinary two panel door in common use today, while the numeral 16 rep- 5 resents the bottom rail and the numeral IT the lower panel. As best shown in Figs. 2 and 4 of the drawings, the stile 16 is morticed, as at 18, a sufficient depth to receive the T-shaped tenoned portion 19 formed on the bottom rail 16, as shown 10 best in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The T-shaped tenoned portion 19 has formed thereon a plurality of transverse ribs 20 which are formed parallel with the end of the bottom rail 16 to form a male portion of a T-joint and the morticed recess 18 15 is formed to correspond with the number of ribs formed on the tenoned portion 19 to form the female portion of the joint, and should the stile of the door be exceptionally wide, the tenoned portion 19 would be extended or elongated the required width of the stile and the morticed por- ^Mtion of the stile would also be extended in width to receive the required number of ribs on the tenoned portion of the rail, these T-ribs being formed in groups of two, three or four, as de- g₅sired, and conveniently shaped to securely hold the rail within the morticed portion of the stile when securely driven thereinto. The center rail 21 is tenoned, as shown best in Fig. 9 of the drawings, the tenoned portion being a short projec- ₃θ tion 22α having an enlarged pair of elliptically shaped ribs 22 formed thereon, and the stile of the door, at the required height, has formed therein a recess or socket 23, as shown best in Fig. 8, said recess or socket being adapted to re- 35 ceive the enlarged portion of the tenon 22. The recess 24 is cored out and generally shaped as an ordinary key hole, as at 23, so that when the enlarged tenon portion 22 is inserted into the socket opening 24, the tenoned portion 22 may be 40 forced or driven into the cored or slotted portion 23 and locked therein to hold the center rail securely in place. This feature does away with the morticing of the stile 15 the entire height of the panel IT, it being necessary only to mortice the 45 stile 15 a sufficient depth to receive T-lock joint 19. The lower rail 16 is grooved as at 26, the center rail 21 is grooved as at 27 and the stile 15 is grooved as at 25 to receive the panel IT. Inasmuch as the top rail of the door is a duplicate '50 of the bottom rail 16 and is secured to the stile 15 in the same manner, it is not thought necessary to describe the same.

As shown best in Figs. 7 and 10 of the drawings, there is disclosed the conventional five panel 66

2,116,584 door which has, as shown in Fig. 7, a bottom, rail iG, a stile 15, and a plurality of intermediate rails 28. The top and bottom rails 16 are formed and driven into the morticed recess of stile 15 in the same manner as the bottom rail 16 in Fig. 1 of the drawings, and the intermediate rails 28 are secured to the stile as is the center rail 21, as shown in Figs. 1, 8 and 9 of the drawings, the only difference being that in place of the wide 10 panel 17, we have a plurality of smaller panels 29 with the stile 15, the bottom and top rails 16 and the intermediate rails 28 having their perimeters grooved a sufficient depth to receive the panels 29. As shown in Fig. 10 of the drawings, 15 the stile 15 is morticed the entire length thereof, as designated by the numeral 30, and has a slot 30α running the entire height of the stile, to receive the top and bottom rails 16, the panels 29 and the intermediate rails 28, the only difference 20 being in the assembly of the modification as shown in Fig. 10 of the drawings, whereby it is necessary to insert the bottom rail into the morticed recess 30 and slot 30α of the stile 15, and then insert one of the panels 29 following this 25 operation with the insertion of one of the center rails 28 and repeating this operation until the desired number of rails and panels have been assembled into one unitary structure and the top rail 16 is securely driven in place, the top and 30 bottom rails 16 and intermediate rails 28, being suitably grooved to receive the panels 29.

Referring to Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings, Fig. 5 illustrates a section of the lower sash of a window with a portion thereof broken away to show 35 the mortice and tenon features, the numeral 31 designating one side of the sash which would correspond to the stile 15 of the door having therein the morticed recess 32 adapted to receive the tenoned portion 33 formed integrally with the 40 lower cross member 34 of the sash, the tenoned portion 33 having formed thereon transverse ribs similar to those shown on the door rails 16, Fig. 3, the sash member 8! having grooves, as at 35, to receive the window glass. As in the door struc45 ture, the T-lock idea is adaptable for use in conjunction with window frames as shown and should the sash be exceptionally wide there would be formed a plurality of ribs sufficiently spaced to form a tight joint, as shown in Fig. 3 of the draw50 ings. Fig. 6 discloses a perspective view of the upper sash of the window frame wherein the lower sash cross member 36 is morticed, as at 37, to receive the vertical sash member 38, which has formed thereon the tenoned projection 39, 55 the sash members 36, 38 being grooved as at 40 to receive the glass 41.

Fig. 11 shows an arched doorway 42 formed of a plurality of segments, each segment midway the ends thereof being morticed as at 43, 44 to 60 form a key-way into which key-way is adapted to be inserted a key 45, Fig. 12, which when driven into the H-shaped morticed recesses 43—44 acts as a securing means to securely hold the segments in locked relationship. This embodiment 65 of the invention discloses a new and improved means for securing the segmental sections of a circular door top, or wherever it is necessary to form an arc or circle.

The manner in which the device is assembled 70 is as follows:

In modern mill production the various parts of the doors or windows such as the stiles and rails, panels, etc., are manufactured to the desired requirements and, as best shown in Fig. 1, ¢5 the door stiles are morticed at the top and bottom to form a female joint and to receive the T-lock tenoned male projections on the rails, the stile being also grooved sufficiently to also receive the panels. In assembling the conventional twopanel door, the center rail is glued about its ten- 5 oned portion 22 and is inserted into the enlarged recessed portion 24, there being one provided in each door stile, two stiles to each door, and driven down tightly into the key-hole shaped socket 23, the panel Π being glued along its 10 edges and inserted into the grooves 25, 27. The lower rail 16 having the tenoned portion 20 thereon, is then covered with glue and driven into the morticed recess 18, adapted to receive the same, the panel 17 nesting in the recessed portion 26 15 which has sufficient glue therein to hold said panel in place. The upper panel 17 is then similarly inserted into the grooves of the center rail 2i and stile 15 and the top rail 16, not shown, is then driven into the morticed portion at the top 20 of the stile, glue having first been applied to said grooves. In assembling the five-panel door as shown best in Fig. 7 of the drawings, one of the center cross rails 28 is inserted into the morticed recess on the stiles IS and when one of the cross 25 rails has been located in place one of the panels 29 is inserted in the groove 25 and engaged in the groove 26 and then a second cross rail 28 is driven into another morticed recess at the desired height and the panel 29 engages the groove 27 .30 in cross rail 28. Another panel 29 is then inserted in the groove 25 and pushed upwardly into place as described above until the top and bottom rails 16 are secured in place and the door is ready for use, the T joints and grooves .35 being sufficiently glued as above described. As shown in Fig. 10 of the drawings, the morticed recess runs the entire length of the stiles so that it is only necessary to insert the top cross rail, slide first a panel and then a cross rail followed 40 by another panel and a cross rail and inasmuch as the cross rails and stiles have grooves therein to receive the various panels the door is finally assembled and the bottom cross rail (6 is driven in place and the door is ready for use. Each 45 tenoned portion and each morticed portion of the various parts of the door as well as the grooves to receive the panels are supplied with sufficient glue or other adhesive material so that once the T-locking tenoned portion is in place the door 50 is held securely assembled and is ready for immediate use, there being no need to clamp the same as was formerly required where a simple tenon and mortice was used, until the glue had sufficiently dried to withdraw the clamps from 55 the assembled door.

In assembling window sash, the cross members are sufficiently morticed to receive the tenoned T-locking portions of the vertical upright members of the sash and glued in place, the glass 41 eo being inserted within the groove 40 and the grooved top portion of the frame which is similar to the bottom portion 36, Fig. 6, is then secured in place. The bottom portion of the window sash shown in Fig. 5 is quite similarly formed, the only 65 difference being that the side members 31 are morticed to receive the tenoned T-locking means 33 and each member being grooved as at 35 to receive the window glass. It will be seen that once the sash is assembled and glued, it is not 70 necessary to clamp the same, the T-locking portions, and the morticed recessed portions adapted to receive the same, form a tight securing joint which enables the user to put the completed or assembled window to immediate use without jg

2,116,584 waiting for the adhesive substance to thoroughly dry.

In assembling the segments 42 as shown in Fig. 11 of the drawings, each segment is morticed to 5 form a T-shaped recess which is aligned with a T-shaped morticed recess in the adjoining segment so that when the built up structure is in alignment the user simply drives the H-shaped key, Fig. 12, into the double T-shaped recesses 43, 10 44 of each pair of segments, the H-shaped key forming a locking means to hold the arch or circle in the shape desired.

It will be seen from the above that I have provided a new and improved T-locking joint, simple 15 to manufacture, with modern mill machinery and very inexpensive to assemble. This new and improved idea does away with all clamping means now necessary in the art of furniture, screen, screen door, sash, door and segmental door top 20 manufacture wherein it has been necessary to not only clamp the assembled article until the glue or other securing means has become thoroughly dry, but wherein it has been necessary to have additional rooms or lofts to store the as25 sembled articles while drying. With the present invention, once the parts have been manufactured for production it is simply necessary to glue and assemble the various articles and inasmuch as the morticed recess is adapted to snugly re30 ceive the tenoned portion of the adjoining se curing member, the article once assembled may be put into immediate use thereby being a great time and money saver not only to the manufacturer but to the user.

Although the invention has been described as ₅applied to a specific installation, it is understood that certain variations and modifications may be employed without departing from the fundamental principles as indicated by the scope of the following claims. 10