The Tippecanoe latch is worked with a wooden spring and when properly
made, of well-seasoned wood, will probably outlast a metal one, for wood
will not rust and cannot rot unless subjected to moisture.
The position of the spring in Fig. 201 shows the latch with the bolt
sprung back. The fact that the bolt-hole in the catch is empty also tells
the same story. The drawing of the outside of the door (Fig. 203) shows by
the position of the peg that the door is fastened. To open the door, push
back the bolt by sliding the peg to the opposite end of the slot. From a
view of the edge of the door (Fig. 202) one may see how the peg protrudes
on the outside of the door.
Fig. 201. Fig. 201½. Fig. 202. Fig. 203.
[Illustration: The Tippecanoe. A jack door-latch.]
Although the Tippecanoe latch is made of quite a number of parts, it is
really a very simple device, but in order to display the simplicity of its
construction to the ambitious jack-knife latch maker I have drawn all the
parts but the spring stick natural size (Figs. 204 to 207), but since the
original diagram is drawn too large for this page and was reduced by the
engraver there is a scale of inches at the bottom to give the reader the
proportions.
There are no fixed dimensions for this or any other lock, latch, or catch,
but the proportions here given are probably the ones that will fit your
door. The foundation block is shown by Fig. 204. Upon this the latch rests
and is securely nailed or screwed to the door. Figs. 205 and 206 are two
wooden clamps which are fastened to the door and also to the foundation
block (Fig. 204). These clamps must be notched as in the diagrams to allow
for the movement of the bolt, but since the bolt (Fig. 207) is larger and
thicker at the butt the notch in Fig. 205 is made just a trifle larger
than the butt end of the bolt and in Fig. 206 the notch is made a trifle
smaller than the opposite end of the bolt. The object of the offset on the
bolt (Fig. 207) forward of the peg is to make a shoulder to stop it from
shooting too far when the spring is loosened.
Fig. 204. Fig. 204½. Fig. 205. Fig. 206. Fig. 207.
[Illustration: Detail parts of Tippecanoe door-latch.]