Pipe-vise.

(Application filed May 22, 1901.)

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THE NORRIS PETERS CO, PHOTO-LITHO, WASHINGTON, D. C.\

United States Patent Office*

WILLIAM E. ECKARD, OF WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE· HALF TO HENRY KIEL, OF WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA.

PIPE-VISE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 688,772, dated December 10, 1901.

Application filed May 22,1901. Serial No. 61,337. (No model.)

To coll whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, William E. Eckard, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wheeling, county of Ohio, and State of West 5 Virginia, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Pipe-Vises, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a new and useful improvement in pipe-vises, and has for its io object to so construct a vise of this description as to adapt it for holding brass and other soft-metal pipes so as to prevent them from being marred by the pressure necessary to rigidly secure them while being cut, threaded, 15 or otherwise operated upon.

A further object of my invention is to retain the ordinary features of a pipe-vise while providing for the holding of soft-metal pipe.

. With these ends in view this invention consists in the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and then specifically designated by the claims.

In order that those skilled in the art to 25 which this invention appertains may understand how to make and use the same, the construction and operation will now be described in detail, referring to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in 30 which—

Figure 1 is a perspective of a vise made in accordance with my improvement, showing the smooth circular jaws adapted for holding soft-metal pipe; Fig. 2, a detail section 35 through the upper jaw and cross-head, showing the manner of swiveling the operatingscrew to said cross-head and of securing the upper jaw in place within the head; Fig. 3, a similar view of the lower jaw and that por40 tion of the base-plate in which the jaw is secured; Fig. 4, a detail front view of the lower jaw adapted for use upon iron or hard-metal pipes. Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view of one side of the yoke, showing the manner of 45 attaching the same to the base-plate; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the latch which serves to attach the yoke to the base-plate.

In carrying out my invention as here embodied, A represents the base-plate, having 50 formed therewith the flange or apron B, and also formed with this base-plate are the lugs

C on each side thereof, by means df which the yoke D is secured and pivoted to the base, the arrangement being of ordinary construction and forming no special part of my 55 invention. The yoke has formed upon its vertical members guideways E, on which run the cross-head F, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, and in this cross-head is swiveled the lower end of the operating-screw G by the collar H, 60 being secured upon a reduced portion of said screw by means of the pin I, as will be readily understood. The operating-screw, as is usual,is threaded through the horizontal portion of the yoke and carries the lever J for 65 its manipulation.

The cross-head F has a dovetail groove formed in its lower face for the reception of the corresponding-shaped shank K of the upper jaw L, and when this shank is in position 70 it is held against accidental displacement by the spring-latch M, which is pivoted upon the cross - head -and adapted to swing down in front of the shank and bear thereagainst. This spring-latch has a small lug or detent N 75 formed upon its lower end, adapted to snap into the recess O, formed in the shank, and thus hold the latch against a sidewise swinging movement until this detent has been sprung outward, after which the latch may be 80 turned sidewise out of the path of the shank, so that the latter may be withdrawn from the cross-head. This arrangement provides for the ready removal of one jaw and the substitution of another therefor, the object of which 8i will be hereinafter set forth.

The jawL is semicircular in shane,as clearly shown in Fig. 1, the internal contour thereof being such as to fit the pipe to be held, and the lower jaw L' corresponds with the upper 90 jaw L, so that these two jaws when in their closed position would form a circle of the same diameter as the outside diameter of the pipe being clamped.

P represents the shank of the lower jaw,and 95 is wedge-shaped in the same manner as the shank K, and thereby adapted to fit within the corresponding dovetail groove in the baseblock Q, formed upon the base-plate. This shank is likewise secured in place against ac- 100 cidental displacement by the spring-latch R, which is pivoted at S to the flange B, said

688,772 latch carrying a detent T, adapted to snap into the notch’ϋ, formed in the shank P.

From this description it will be seen that when a pipe of any given diameter is to be5 operated upon the upper and lower jaws of a corresponding internal diameter are utilized and secured in the base-block and crosshead, as above set forth, and when a pipe of another diameter is to be operated upon a corio responding set of jaws are substituted for the ones last used. The fact that the jaws are smooth upon their inner surfaces will prevent them from marring the pipe, however soft the metal of which it is composed, and yet perij mits sufficient pressure and friction to be brought to bear thereon to hold it rigid while being operated upon. These jaws should be of sufficient length to spread thepressure over a considerable surface of the pipe, and there20 fore further insure said pipe being rigidly held without being marred. Should the pipe be forced to turn within the jaws, no injury will be occasioned thereby, since no rough or cutting surface is in contact with the pipe.

When it is desired to use the pipe for ordinarypurposes, such as the clamping of iron or steel pipes, the jaws L and L' may be removed, as before set forth, and jaws of the construction shown in Fig. 4 be substituted 30 therefor, which are V shape and have serrations or teeth V formed upon their clampingsurfaces, and being provided with the wedgeshaped shanks W, which correspond with the shanks K and P, they are adapted to fit with35 in the dovetail slots in which the last-named shanks are adapted to fit and held in the same manner as the latter. The base-plate, yoke, and cross-head are perfectly made of malleable iron, while the jaws and operating-scre w 40 are made of steel.

In Figs. 5 and 6 I have shown the means I employ for fastening the free end of the yoke to the base-plate, a is a latch which is pivoted at the point b to the base-plate. This 45 latch has an opening cl formed therethrough, through which is adapted to protrude a lug e, formed with and extending out from the yoke D. This opening cl is slightly undercut, so that when the latch is in the position shown 50 in Fig. 5 the strain upward upon the yoke D will tend to rather hold the latch in place than to displace the same, /is a finger-hold formed upon the upper end of the latch for the purpose of swinging the latch outward 55 and releasing the yoke, g is a toe formed upon the inner and lower edge of the latch and extending underneath a cut-away portion of the lower free end of the yoke D. This toe is for the purpose of raising the yoke D as 60 the latch is swung outward, and thus release the pressure upon the object which the jaws are gripping. Another purpose of this toe is that when the free end of the yoke D is forced downward it will strike this toe g and close the latch automatically. This latch is of 65 great advantage in devices of this description, for the yoke can be secured or released almost instantly.