US494358A - Trestle - Google Patents

Description

'(No Model.) v

A. W. WEEKS.

TRBSTLE No. 494,358. Patented Mar; 28,1893.

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UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

ALBERT W. WEEKS, OF PALMER, MASSACHUSETTS.

TRESTLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 494,358, dated March 28, 1 893.

' Application filed March 11, 1892. Serial No. 424,609. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern..-

Be it known that I, ALBERT W. WEEKS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Palmer, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Trestle, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to trestles, the object being to provide an improved knock-down trestle for supporting tables, work-boards, scaffold-flooring and analogous uses; which trestle-construction is light, but strong and rigid, and may be packed very closely, one part within another, for convenient transportation, and the invention consists in the peculiar construction and arrangement of the several parts of the trestle, all as hereinafter fully described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure l is a perspective view of a trestle constructed according to my invention,

said figure indicating, by dotted lines thereon, the positions, relatively, of certain parts before the latter are interlocked with each other. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section, illustrating the trestle members assembled or packed for transportation. Fig. 3 is a group composed of the several'separate parts of the trestle, showing the same in side elevation. Fig. 4 is a full size sectional view on line44, Fig. 2.

In Fig. 3 of the drawings the several parts of the trestle are clearly shown, and each consists, preferably, of a piece of tube, either brass, steel or iron.

A, is the top-rail of the trestle, and B, 0, and D, are the legs thereof, and they are arranged for use in the oppositely bracing positions shown. Said rail, A, is perforated at a point about centrally between its ends, and

-near each end thereof, to receive the upper ends of said legs, and one end of said rail is capped or closed, as shown, in order to make of it a suitable receptacle for portions of the said legs when all are knocked down for packing and assembled, as shown in Fig. 2. The central perforation, a, of said rail, A, is preferably made quite through it from side to side as shown, in order to afford the end of the leg, 0, which enters said perforation, a firm and rigid engagement therewith. The

perforations, a and a near the ends of said rail which receive the ends of the 1egs,-'B and D, are made preferably through only one side of said rail, as shown. The extremity of the leg, B, which engages with the rail, A, is made of a reduced diameter, thereby forming the "pivot-shaped end, I), to enter the rail perforation, and a bearing shoulder around its base against which the rail rests. The extremity of the leg, 0, which engages with the rail, A, is similarly formed with a pivot and shoulder. The end of the leg, D, which engages with the rail, A, is not reduced and shouldered as are those of the legs, B and 0, but it enters the perforation, a, through one side of said rail, and its end abuts against the inner opposite side of the latter. The smaller diameter of the leg, D, obviates the work of reducing its rail-engaging end, one of the objects of said reduction being to prevent making the perforations, a, a a solarge as to unduly weaken said rail.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the leg, B, has a perforation, b, therethrough about midway between its ends, and is formed at an incline to the axis of said leg. This perforation permits of passing the leg, D, through the last named leg whereby said two legs are arranged in the interlocked cross-braced positions shown.

Reference to Fig. 1 shows, by the dotted line thereon, about the position of the upper end of the leg, D, before said end shall have been sprung inwardly far enough to enter the perforation.

It is desirable to cause the legs, B and D, to be with firmness locked or engaged one with the other at their intersecting points in order to so connect them as to prevent the endwise vibration of the rail, A, without the addition of other parts for said connection. To this end the end of said leg, D, which is flexible, is given such an angle of incline as to require it to be bent laterally to insure its engagement with said rail; or, theperforation in said rail is so located as to require said bending or spring of the leg before its end can be entered therein. In other words, the engagement of the leg, D, with the rail, A, is to one side of the termination of the normal line of incline of said leg. Hence, when said leg, D, is engaged with rail, A, as

aforesaid, its upper end is sprung or slightly curved inwardly, as shown, and to operate said engagement the rail, A, is slightly lifted as shown in dotted lines, and then forced downward onto the end of said leg. Ordinarily, the trestle parts are assembled by first putting the rail, A, and legs B and D, together as described, and then putting the third leg, C, in place on the rail. The springaction of the leg, D, when engaged with the rail, A, creates such a strong frictional engagement of the intersecting parts of the legs, B and D, and imparts such a tensional strain to the rail, A, as results in great firmness and rigidity of the frame or truss formed by the parts, A, B and D. The said legs or standards, B, C and D, are, as shown, preferably provided with roughened or serrated lower ends b 0, din order to give them such enengagement with a floor as will prevent their slipping when the trestle may be loaded. The said three legs or standards, B, O, D, are preferably of such circumferential dimensions as permits them to be packed telescopically one within the other, and the rail, A, is adapted to inclose and protect, by its capped end, the open end of the leg, B, and the adjacent ends of the legs, 0 and D, inclosed by said leg, B. Said rail, A, is preferably made to slide somewhat tightly over the open end of the leg, B, whereby it is properly retained on the latter. The closed end of the rail, A, prevents any of the trestle-parts sliding out from said rail through said end during transportation.

that I claim as my invention is 1. A knock-down trestle consisting of a toprail, two cross-braced legs, one engaging by one end with said rail and having a perforation therethrough from side to side about midway between its extremities formed at an incline to the axis thereof, and the other of said two legs passing through said perforation and engaging with said rail, combined with a third leg engaging also with said rail by one end and arranged in laterally and oppositely bracing position to said two firstnamed legs, substantially as set forth.

2. A knock-down trestle consisting of a toprail having side perforations to receive the ends of the legs, two cross-braced legs, one engaging by one end in one of said perforations in the rail, and having a perforation therethrough from side to side about midway between its extremities formed at an incline to the axis thereof; and one leg passing through said leg-perforation and having its upper end bent laterally and engaged with one of said rail-perforations, combined with a third leg engaging also with said rail by one end and arranged in a laterally and oppositely bracing position to said two firstnamed legs, substantially as set forth.

3. A knock-down trestle consisting of a toprail having side perforations to receive the ends of the legs, two cross-braced legs, one

engaging by one end in one of said perforations in the rail, and having a perforation therethrough from side to side about midway between its extremities formed at an incline to the axis thereof; and one leg passing through said leg-perforation and having its upper extremity engaged with said rail to one side of the termination of the normal line of incline thereof, combined with a third leg engaging also with said rail by one end arranged in a laterally and oppositely bracing position to said two first-named legs, substantially as set forth.

4. A knock-down trestle consisting of a tubular top-rail having side perforations to receive the ends of the legs, two tubular cross-braced legs, one engaging by one end in one of said perforations in the rail, and having a perforation therethrough from side to side about midway between its extremities formed at an incline to the axis thereof; and one leg passing through said leg-perforation and having its upper end bent laterally and engaged with one of said rail-perforations, whereby the intersecting parts of said two legs are caused to have a firm frictional engagement, and a tensional strain is imparted to said rail, combined with a third leg engaging also with said rail by one end arranged in a laterally and oppositely bracing position to said two first named legs, substantially as set forth.

5. A knock-down trestle consisting of a tubular top-rail having one end closed and having side perforations to receive the ends of the legs, two tubular cross-braced legs, one engaging by one end in one of said perforations in the rail and having a perforation therethrongh from side to side about midway between its extremities formed at an incline to the axis thereof, and one leg passing through said leg-perforation and bent laterally and engaging by its upper extremity with one of said rail-perforations combined with a third tubular leg engaging also with said rail by one end and arranged in laterally and oppositely bracing position to said two first.

named legs, said rail and legs being adapted, substantially as described, for longitudinal telescopic assemblage, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. A knock-down trestle consisting of a tubular top-rail having one end closed and leg-perforations for the engagement of the ends of the trestle-legs therewith combined with three tubular trestle-legs, substantially as set forth, said rail and legs being of varying diameters whereby, upon knocking down the trestle, said legs are assembled one within the other, and partially within said rail, substantially as set forth.

ALBERT l/V. WEEKS.

\Vitnesses:

R. F. BURR, O. V. WEEKS.

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