US1060843A - Floor-jack. - Google Patents

Description

' R. M. HUSTON.

FLOOR JAGK.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 1, 1912.

1,060,843. Patented May 6, 1913.

ROBERT M. HUSTON, OF FALL RIVER, KANSAS.

FLOOR-JACK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 1, 1912.

Patented May 6, 1913.

Serial No.712,805.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ROBERT M. HUSTON, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Fall River, in the county of Greenwood and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in F loor-Jacks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a floor jack, and has for its object the provision of a device of this character adapted to be used when laying flooring, said jack being constructed in such manner as to engage a joist, and with said joist as a support, acting to force the floor boards into firm engagement with each other and to hold said boards into position while they are being nailed.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device of this character that will be self-sustaining after it has been placed in position. In other words, one that will maintain itself in position upon the joist and continue to exert pressure against the floor while leaving the hands of the operator free to perform the operation of nailing.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device of this character that will be adjustable to supports of different widths so that it may be used equally as well upon rafters when applying roofing, boards, or upon studding when applying sheathing or siding.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved method of mounting the removable member of the ack upon the stationary member thereof.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the detailed description which now follows.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a jack constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof showing the device in position upon a joist, and Fig. 3 is an edge elevation of the jack.

Like numerals designate corresponding parts in all of the figures of the drawing.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 5 designates a body bar having an inturned foot 6 adapted to engage beneath a joist.

7 is an L-shaped bearing block, the long side of which lies flat against the body bar 5, and is provided with a dowel pin 8 adapted to enter in one of a number of openings 9 formed in said body bar. Pivoted between the long part of block 7 and the short part thereof, is a lever 10. This lever is pivotally mounted upon a screw or bolt 11, having a nut 12 upon its opposite end. The lever 10 is provided with a downwardly extending lug 13 to which is pivotally connected at 14, a presser foot 15. The front end of this foot is preferably grooved at 16 to adapt it for engagement with tongue and groove flooring.

The operation of the device is novel and important. In operation, the body bar 5 is placed in the position shown in Fig. l, and

the lever 10 is moved downwardly to the po sition therein shown. It is apparent that as this lever is brought down from a substantially vertical position, the foot 15 will be forced into engagement with the outermost piece of flooring 17, and that the thrust of said foot against said flooring will tend to move the body bar 5 to the right. This causes the corner 18 of block 5 to engage the top of the joist, and the corner 19 of foot 6 to engage the bottom of the joist. Downward movement of the lever 10 is limited by the lug 13, contacting with the transverse portion 20 of block 7 but by the time this lug contacts with the block, the pivotal point 14 has passed beyond the center. That is, it lies below a line drawn from groove 16 to the screw or bolt 11, and consequently the device will remain rigidly in place, leaving the hands of the operator free to nail the piece of flooring 17 to the joist. The distance between the openings 9 is equal to the distance between the dowel pin 8 and the screw or bolt 11, so that when the dowel pin is shifted from one of these openings to the other, one of said openings will always be in proper position to have the screw or bolt 11 pass through. This renders the adjustment of the device to contact with joists, rafters and studding of various sizes very eas E rom the foregoing description it will be seen that simple and eflicient means are herein provided for accomplishing the objects of the invention, but while the elements shown and described are well adapted to serve the purposes for which they are intended, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise constructic-n set forth, but includes within its purview, such changes as may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a device of the character described, the combination with a supporting body bar having a joist engaging foot at its lower end, of a bearing block of L-shaped form, an operating lever and pivot member for mounting said operating lever in said- L-shaped bearing block, said pivot member passing through said L-shaped bearing block and through said body bar, a fixed member carried by said bearing block and adapted to engage in any one of a number of openings formed in said body bar, the distance be tween said openings being equal to the distance bet-ween said fixed member and said pivot member and a presser foot pivotally connected to said lever.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with a supporting body bar having a joist engaging foot at its lower end, a bearing block of L-shaped form, an operating lever and pivot member for mounting saidv operating lever in said L- shaped bearing block, sald plvot member passing through said L-shaped bearing block and through said body bar, a fixed member carried by said bearing block and adapted to engage in any one of a number of openings formed in said body bar, the distance between said openings being equal to the distance between said fixed member and said pivot member, a presser foot pivotally connected to said lever, a lug carried by said leverv which contacts with the transverse portion of said L-shaped bearing block to limit the downward movement of said lever,

the pivot of said presser foo-t passing through said lug and said pivot lying below the center of movement of said lever from inoperative to operative position when the device is in operative position.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT M. HUSTON.

Witnesses A. F. WILKmsoN, M. A. I-IIoKox.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C.

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