We can readily see
that the fork in a state of rest would stand half way between the two
banks from the action of the hairspring, and in the pallet action the
force of the escape wheel, one tooth of which rests on the impulse face
of a pallet, would be exerted against the elastic force of the
hairspring. If the force of the mainspring, as represented by the
escape-wheel tooth, is superior to the power of the hairspring, the
watch starts itself. The phases of this important part of the detached
lever escapement will be fully discussed.

ABOUT THE CLUB-TOOTH ESCAPEMENT.

We will now take up a study of the detached lever escapement as relates
to pallet action, with the point specially in view of constructing an
escapement which cannot "set" in the pocket, or, in other words, an
escapement which will start after winding (if run down) without shaking
or any force other than that supplied by the train as impelled by the
mainspring. In the drawing at Fig. 90 we propose to utilize eleven
degrees of escape-wheel action, against ten and a half, as laid down by
Grossmann. Of this eleven degrees we propose to divide the impulse arc
of the escape wheel in six and five degrees, six to be derived from the
impulse face of the club tooth and five from the impulse plane of the
pallet.

The pallet action we divide into five and four, with one degree of lock.
Five degrees of pallet action is derived from the impulse face of the
tooth and four from the impulse face of the pallet. The reader will
please bear in mind that we do not give these proportions as imperative,
because we propose to give the fullest evidence into the reader's hands
and enable him to judge for himself, as we do not believe in laying down
imperious laws that the reader must accept on our assertion as being
correct. Our idea is rather to furnish the proper facts and put him in a
situation to know for himself.

The reader is urged to make the drawings for himself on a large scale,
say, an escape wheel 10" pitch diameter. Such drawings will enable him
to realize small errors which have been tolerated too much in drawings
of this kind. The drawings, as they appear in the cut, are one-fourth
the size recommended, and many of the lines fail to show points we
desire to call attention to. As for instance, the pallet center at _B_
is tangential to the pitch circle _a_ from the point of tooth contact at
_f_. To establish this point we draw the radial lines _A c_ and _A d_