Combined Post-Hole Digger and Wire-Stretcher. Page: 2 of 3
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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.
JOHN JOSHUA ARMSTRONG, SR., OF WEIMAR, TEXAS.
COMBINED POST-HOLE DIGGER AND WIRE-STRETCHER.Specification of Letters Patent.
Patented Aug. 18, 1908.
Application filed July 16, 1907. Serial No. 384,001.
To all whom it may concern:
Be it known that I, JOHN JOSHUA ARM-
STRONG, Sr., a citizen of the United States,
residing at Weimar, in the county of Colo-
5 rado and State of Texas, have invented a new
and useful Combined Post-Hole Digger and
Wire-Stretcher, of which the following is a
'specification.
The invention relates to a combined post
10 hole digger and wire stretcher.
The object of the present invention is to
improve the construction of fence building
tools, and to provide a simple, inexpensive
and efficient combined post hole digger and
15 wire stretcher of great strength and durabil-
ity, capable of enabling barbed wire to be ad-
vantageously handled, and adapted to per-.
mit one person to stretch and fasten the same
at a fence post.
20 A further object of the invention is to pro-
vide a tool of this character, adapted when
digging a post hole to retain the earth and
thereby enable the same to be readily re-
moved from the post hole.
25 With these and other objects in view, the
invention consists in the construction and
novel combination of parts hereinafter fully
described, illustrated in the accompanying
drawing, and pointed out in the claims hereto
30 a pended; itbeing understood that various
changes in the form, proportion, size and
minor details of construction, within the
scope of the claims, may be resorted to with-
out departing from the spirit or sacrificing
35 any of the advantages of the invention.
In the drawing:-Figure 1 is a perspective
view of a combined post hole digger and wire
stretcher, constructed in accordance with
this invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view, illus-
40 trating the manner of stretching a fence wire.
Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view,
illustrating the manner of securing the shank
of the handle to the shovel blade. Fig. 4 is a
horizontal sectional view, taken substan-
45 tially on the line x-x of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an
enlarged detail view of a portion of the shank
and the handle, illustrating the construction
of the same and the wire stretching means
carried thereby. Fig. 6 is a detail perspec-
50 tive view of the foot guard.
Like numerals of reference designate cor-
responding parts in all thefigures of the draw-
ing.
1 designates a shovel blade, consisting of a
55 flat back 2 and angular sides, composed of in-.
ner diverging portions 3 and outer converg-ing portions 4. The inner and outer portions
of the sides form inner angular recesses, and
the two sides are adapted to cooperate to re-
tain the earth in the shovel to enable the 60
former to be removed from a post hole. . The
tool is adapted to be jarred by striking it
against the ground to empty it of its contents.
The handle 5 of the tool is connected with
the shovel blade by means of a shank 6, pro- 65
vided with a lower straight attachment por-
tion 7, which is secured by rivets, or other
suitable fastening devices to the back of the
shovel blade. The shank is provided at the
upper or inner edge of the shovel blade with 70
a longitudinally disposed flange or lip 8,
spaced from the attachment portion 7 and
engaging the rear face of the back 2 of the
shovel blade. The flange or lip and the at-
tachment portion form a recessto receive the 75
upper edge of the back of the shovel blade,
as clearly illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawing.
By this construction, the shovel blade is rig-
idly secured to the shank. Also the rear
flange or lip forms a guard for preventing the 80
shovel blade from being injured while stretch-
ing a fence wire. The handle 5, which is
preferably constructed of tubular metal, is
interiorly threaded at its attached end to re-
ceive the adjacent end 9 of the shank, which 85
is reduced and threaded to fit in and engage
the. screw threads of the handle, as clearly
shown in Fig. 5 of the drawing.
The shank 6 is provided at its intermediate
portion with a forwardly extending bend 10, 90
forming a rear seat, which is adapted to fit
against a fence post 11, as clearly illustrated
in Fig. 2 of the drawing to enable the device
to be fulcrumed on the said post 11 for
stretching a fence wire 12. The shank is 95
provided adjacent to the intermediate bent
portion and at one side of the latter with
wire clamping means, consisting of a rigid
jaw 13 and a pivoted clamping lever 14, ful-
crumed at an intermediate point on the 100
shank by means of a rivet 15, or other suit-
able fastening device, and provided with a
wire engaging head 16. The fixed jaw con-
sists of a laterally projecting recessed por-
tion, forming a recess to receive the wire, and 105
the head of the clamping lever, and provid-
ing a lug or projecting portion, spaced from
the side of the.shank and operating to brace
and guide the clamping lever 14. The head
16 of the clamping lever 14 is provided with 110
a curved edge, which cooperates with the end
wall 17 of the recess of the fixed jaw to clampNo. 896,345.
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Armstrong, John Joshua, Sr. Combined Post-Hole Digger and Wire-Stretcher., patent, August 18, 1908; [Washington D.C.]. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth513677/m1/2/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 4, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.