Abstract:
Wire, or other material, is wrapped around a shaft as the shaft turns, producing a coil. After being slid off the end of the shaft, the coil can be re-coiled by repeating the process. By shaping the twice-coiled material, a variety of pleasing jewelry beads may be formed. A variety of jigs useful for performing process are disclosed. One jig is easily and inexpensively manufactured from a unitary length of small rod, bent to provide (a) a wrapping shaft, (b) a feature for securing a free wire end; and (c) an actuator handle. The novel principles can be implemented in many different embodiments.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION DATA 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of application 08/886,872, filed Jul. 2, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,927,059. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to simple and inexpensive techniques for producing coiled materials of the sort commonly used as raw materials in craft projects. 
     BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Coiled materials find many uses in craft projects. One example is the jewelry field, in which coiled materials (e.g. coiled wire) can be fashioned into bracelets, necklaces, earrings, beads, broaches, hair adornments, etc. 
     In the prior art, the most ancient technique for coiling wire is still the most common. This involves holding one wire in one hand, and physically coiling a second wire repeatedly around the first. 
     Another technique is to begin a coil and insert the coil into a vise with Teflon blocks. A hand crank drill then turns the wire and coils are made. 
     Jewelry makers sometimes make “jump rings” (the coupling rings commonly used, e.g., to join components in a necklace) by rotating a guide fixture, and guiding a wire to form a few coils therearound. The guide fixture may be turned by placing same into, e.g., a rotating chuck. This approach is not suitable, however, for producing long lengths of coil. Nor is it suitable for coiling of one flexible wire about another. 
     Accordingly, there is a long-felt need for a simple, inexpensive device that may be used by hobbyists to form coiled materials for use in various craft projects. 
     In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, this need is met by a novel jig having a shaft for helically wrapping a wire therearound to form coiled stock. This shaft is rotatable by a crank extending away from the shaft&#39;s axis. This crank includes a crank arm rigidly coupled to the shaft for applying a torque directly thereto. The jig further includes a receptacle for receiving an end of the wire-to-be-wrapped. The receptacle and the crank arm are both arranged to rotate about the shaft&#39;s axis with actuation of the crank arm. 
     In one particular embodiment, such a jig is formed entirely of a unitary member bent to form the shaft, the receptacle, and the crank. The shaft can be journalled in a bracket for rotation, or can be held in one hand and rotated using the other. Such an arrangement is highly effective yet very low in cost. 
     The foregoing and additional features and advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent from the detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the following drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a view of a coiling jig according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIGS. 1A and 1B show how a once-coiled material can be engaged in the jig of FIG. 1 to effect a second, recoiling operation, e.g. to form a craft bead. 
     FIG. 2 is a view of a mounting clamp which may be used to secure the jig of FIG. 1 to a work surface. 
     FIG. 3 is a view of a coiling jig according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 4 is a view of a coiling jig according to a third embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 5 is a view of coiled wire stock that can be produced by the jigs of FIGS. 1,  3 , or  4 . 
     FIGS. 6A,  6 B, and  6 C shows steps in the formation of a coiled bead from the coiled wire stock of FIG.  5 . 
     FIG. 7 is a view of a jig according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 8 shows a variant of the FIG. 7 jig. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to FIG. 1, a first embodiment of the present invention includes a chuck  10 , a hollow tube  12 , a stop collar  14  (with associated set screw - not shown), a nylon washer  16 , and a crank  18 . The jig is built around a main bar  20 , which in the illustrated example is fashioned from a 1″×1″ aluminum block. 
     The illustrated chuck  10  has a plurality of radially movable members  21  therein (FIGS. 1A,  1 B), permitting gripping of a member inserted into the throat thereof. This chuck is of a type wherein the throat (bore) extends all the way through the chuck. Female threads on the inside of this bore permit mounting of the chuck into threads cut onto the outside of the hollow tube  12 . 
     The bar  20  is drilled to permit passage of the hollow tube  12  therethrough and rotation of the tube therein. The tube  12  is secured in place relative to the bar by the stop collar  14  on one side, and the crank (which mounted on the outside of tube  12 ) on the other. An oil hole  22  permits lubrication of the tube  12  where it passes through the bar. By this arrangement, when the crank  18  is turned, the tube  12  turns and, with it, chuck  10 . 
     The jig is secured in place by a C-clamp  24  or the like, which fastens the jig to a work surface (not shown). 
     As summarized above, a first (“inner”) wire  17  (FIG. 5) is positioned in the throat of the chuck  10 , and the radially movable chuck members are tightened thereon. The distal end of a second (“outer”) wire  19  is secured to the chuck, e.g. by insertion into the small gap between two of the chuck&#39;s radially movable members  21 . By this arrangement, the distal end of the outer wire turns with the chuck. 
     With the wires thus arranged, the chuck is then rotated. As the inner wire is rotated, the operator trains the second wire othogonally thereagainst and (slowly) laterally therealong, thereby yielding a length of coiled stock  23  (FIG. 5) with the inner wire  17  extending therethrough. After a length of coil has thus been produced, the chuck is opened and the first wire, with the second wire now coiled thereabout, is inserted into the throat of the chuck (and, therethrough, into the hollow tube  12 ), and the chuck is then tightened onto the coiled second wire. The operator then resumes training the second wire against the rotating first wire, extending the length of the coil earlier formed. By alternately coiling wire, and then moving and regripping the coil thus formed in the chuck (so that the coil eventually extends through the chuck and into the hollow tube  12 ), coiled stock of arbitrary length is quickly and simply produced. Such a coil is shown in FIG.  5 . 
     Many crafts make direct use of the coil thus produced, without further use of the coiling jig. Some crafts, however, do make further use of the jig. An example is a coiled bead  25  of the type shown in FIG.  6 C. 
     To make the coiled bead  25  of FIG. 6C, the user first produces about eight to ten inches of coiled stock, e.g. of the sort  23  illustrated in FIG.  5 . This stock is then re-coiled—typically over a larger center member. FIG. 6A shows this process of recoiling over a metal rod  99 . (Other larger center members, including non-cylindrical shapes, can of course be used.) The shape of the bead is then adjusted, as necessary, by pliers to result in the bead shape shown in FIG.  6 B. Finally, the two ends of the center wire extending from the coiled stock are fashioned, by pliers, into coupling loops  97  (FIG.  6 C). 
     One way to effect the recoiling is shown in FIG.  1 A. In this arrangement, a dowel  30  (or metal rod or the like) is secured in the jaws of the chuck  10 . The exposed end  32  of the dowel has a slot cut therein. The inner wire  17  protruding from the end of the 8-10″ coiled stock formed earlier is positioned in the slot. The chuck is then turned, and the coiled stock is wrapped back along the dowel, towards the chuck. After all of the stock is recoiled, it is slid off the exposed end of the dowel  30  and finished as described above. 
     Another way to effect the recoiling is shown in FIG.  1 B. In this arrangement, a dowel  30  is again secured in the jaws of the chuck. In this arrangement, however, the inner wire  17  protruding from the end of the 8-10″ coiled stock  23  is inserted between the movable jaw members  21  of the chuck—off the axis of the dowel (in the same manner as the outer wire was earlier secured to the chuck when the coiled stock was first formed). Again, the operation proceeds by turning the chuck, and recoiling the stock on the dowel—this time progressing away from the chuck. After the stock is recoiled, it is slid off the exposed end of the dowel and finished as described above. 
     In other methods, instead of re-coiling the stock over a removable form (such as a dowel), the stock can be re-coiled over an article that is thereafter left in place to form part of the finished bead. In such an arrangement, this component article can be secured within the throat of the chuck, and the chuck (and article) rotated to permit the wrapping of the coiled stock therearound. 
     The selection of wire size and type depends on artistic and structural considerations. An exemplary implementation uses 20 gauge copper wire for the inner wire  17 , and 22 gauge sterling silver wire for the outer wire  19 . Wire sizes ranging from at least 16 to 26 gauge can be used, and others may be possible as well. Usually a larger wire is used for the inner wire, but sometimes it is desirable to use the same sized wire for both, or use a larger wire on the outside. 
     While the FIG. 1 embodiment was described as employing a C-clamp to secure same to a work surface, a generally more desirable clamping arrangement is shown in FIG.  2 . In this figure the apparatus includes the main bar  20  and a chuck  10 , as described above. (Additionally, this figure shows a take-up spool  62 , more particularly described in connection with the FIG. 3 embodiment, below.) The clamping arrangement includes a clamp bar  42 , and first and second threaded bolts  44 ,  46 —each with gripping handles  48 ,  50  on the head thereof. 
     The first bolt  44  first passes through an unthreaded bore  52  in the main bar  20 , and then threads into female threads  54  that pass through the clamp bar  42 . The second bolt  46  first passes through female threads  56 , and thence into an unthreaded seat  58  in the main bar  20 . 
     In use, the work surface (e.g. a table top) is positioned in the gap  60  between the main bar  20 , the clamp bar  42 , and the first bolt  44 . The gripping handle  48  of the first bolt is then turned to bring the facing surfaces of the two bars  20 ,  42  into engagement with opposing surfaces of the table top. Next, the gripping handle  50  of the second bolt  46  is turned to urge the two bars apart in the vicinity of the second bolt. This has the effect of urging the two bars together on the opposite side of the first bolt  44 , snugging the bars into tighter engagement with the table top. This lever action of clamping bar  42  about bolt  44  affixes the coiling apparatus more securely to a table top than can be achieved with the C-clamp approach of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of a coiling apparatus. Like the embodiment of FIG. 1, the FIG. 3 embodiment includes a chuck  10 , a hollow tube  12 , a stop collar  14 , a nylon washer, and a crank  18 , all built about a main bar  20 . Additionally included in the FIG. 3 embodiment are a take-up spool  62 , a brake assembly  64 , and a plurality of “outriggers”. 
     The take-up spool  62  (formed of circular metal spoked wheels  66  and  68  mounted on the outside of the hollow tube  12 ) is used to collect finished coiled stock that has extended  30  out of the hollow tube near the crank  18 , and which would otherwise droop down and possibly torque as rotation of the hollow tube continued. After the first six inches—or so—of coiled stock is produced, the stock protruding out the crank end of the hollow tube  12  is wrapped around the spool  62  each time more coiled stock is passed through the bore of the chuck  10 . 
     The brake assembly  64  includes a movable member that prevents undesired rotation of the chuck  10 . In the illustrated embodiment, this movable member takes the form of a pin slidably mounted in a bore through main bar  20 . This pin can be selectively extended through the bar and into mechanical engagement with spokes  72  of wheel  66  of the takeup spool  62 . When the pin is thus extended, the disk  66 , and thus the chuck  10 , are prevented from rotating. Locking the chuck in this fashion greatly facilitates the loosening and tightening of the chuck jaws, operations which are performed repeatedly in the above-described method of operation. For example, with the pin extended to its “lock” position, the chuck can be both loosened and tightened with a single hand, allowing the operator&#39;s other hand to be dedicated to other tasks. 
     The outriggers  66  provide support of the first, central wire at locations remote from the chuck  10 , facilitating use of this embodiment with long lengths of wire. Each outrigger  66  comprises a hollow shaft  74  affixed to the end of a bar  76 , the opposite end of which is clamped to a work surface by, e.g., a C clamp  78 . 
     FIG. 4 shows a third, “loom” embodiment of the coiling apparatus. Like the foregoing embodiment, this embodiment includes a chuck  10 , a hollow shaft  12 , and a take-up spool  62 . (In this embodiment, the take up spool is oriented with its axis transverse of the hollow shaft  12 —an arrangement that can likewise be employed in the FIG. 3 embodiment.) 
     New in FIG. 4 is a second chuck  80 , a second hollow tube  82 , an inner wire supply reel  84 , a frame  86 , a drive shaft  88 , a crank  90 , and a pair of drive chains  92 , each with associated sprockets  94 ,  96 . Drive shaft  88  is journaled at its two ends in the frame  86 . The crank  90  is mounted to an end of the drive shaft that extends slightly beyond the frame. Mounted on the drive shaft  88  are two sprockets  94 , through which drive power is applied to the first and second hollow tubes  12 ,  82  through the chains  92  and hollow tube sprockets  96 . 
     The first and second hollow tubes  12 ,  82 , are also each journal led in the frame, and extend out therefrom to support the inner wire supply reel  84  and the take up spool  62 , respectively. 
     In operation, an inner wire is first extended from reel  84 , through hollow tube  82 , through chuck  80 , across a reach and into chuck  10 . The two chucks are then tightened. A second, outer wire is secured to chuck  10  in the manner described above. Crank  90  is then turned, causing the chucks ( 10 ,  80 ), the hollow tubes ( 12 ,  82 ), and the reel/spool ( 84 ,  66 ) to rotate in tandem. As described above, the second wire is then trained around the inner wire, forming a coil that extends from chuck  10  towards chuck  80 . This coiling operation continues until the coil extends all the way across reach to chuck  80 . 
     Both chucks are then loosened, and the coiled stock just produced is moved to the right in the figure, through the throat of chuck  10  and into hollow tube  12 . Any coiled stock extending out the right end of hollow tube  12  is wrapped around take up spool  62 . The chucks are then retightened (chuck  80  is retightened on the inner wire alone; chuck  10  is tightened on newly-coiled stock), and the just-described wrapping operation is repeated. 
     By use of this loom embodiment, arbitrarily long lengths of coiled stock can readily be formed at a fast pace. 
     In all of the foregoing embodiments, the second wire is trained about the outside of the inner wire. The precise placement of this second wire during this training operation is accomplished—in the most rudimentary methods of the invention—by holding the second wire between the operator&#39;s thumb and index finger, and letting it slip therethrough as it coils about the inner wire. This manual positioning of the second wire assures that the wraps of the second wire about the first are all adjacent (assuming that this is what is desired). 
     Another arrangement—still relying on manual positioning of the second wire as it wraps about the first—is to employ a ring clamp. Ring clamps are well known to jewelers as simple lever-based devices for gripping a ring so that it may, e.g., be securely held against a polishing wheel. In this method, the second wire is passed through the ring clamp, and the ring clamp is positioned as desired next to the inner wire to position the second wire as it coils therearound. (The clamp is not fully tightened, so that the second wire can draw through the clamp to coil about the inner wire.) 
     In more sophisticated embodiments (e.g. a variant of the FIG. 4 embodiment), operator positioning of the second wire against the first can be obviated by a mechanism which automatically and continuously repositions the point along the inner wire at which the outer wire is trained thereagainst. In one such embodiment, the drive shaft  88  is threaded with a thread having the same pitch as the desired coil. A pinch clamp is then mounted on a nut that travels down the drive shaft as the shaft rotates, and the second wire is routed through the pinch clamp. As the clamp travels linearly down the threaded drive shaft, the point of application of the second wire against the first likewise progresses down the first wire, mechanically controlled by the geometry of the threads on the drive shaft. 
     In most embodiments, a single outer wire is coiled about a single inner wire. But this need not be the case. Interesting effects can be obtained by employing two or more wires for the “inner” wire. (Two wires will tend to lie side by side, creating coiled stock with a flat aspect. Simple fixtures can be devised to hold plural wires flat within the jaws of the rotating chuck.) Likewise it is sometimes desirable to coil two or more wires about an inner wire. A silver and a copper wire, side by side, for example, gives a pleasing visual effect. Moreover, plural outer wires need not all be coiled in the same operation. For example, a relatively large wire can first be coiled about an inner wire. Then, in a subsequent operation, a relatively smaller wire can be coiled thereon—between the wraps of the larger wire. 
     Having described and illustrated the features of my inventive work with reference to a variety of embodiments thereof, it should be apparent that these embodiments can be varied in arrangement and detail without departing from the general principles of my invention. For example, while I have described the fabrication of coiled stock useful in making articles of jewelry, it will be recognized that coiled materials have other craft uses as well. Stock for baskets, ornaments, and sculpture are but a few examples. Similarly, while I most commonly use wires of sterling silver and copper, it will be recognized that other types of wire, including gold, bronze, colored, etc., can alternatively be used. Likewise, while I have described the coiling of wire onto wire, it will be recognized that elongated component materials other than wire can alternatively be used. (I sometimes find it desirable to coil wire onto string, for example. If string, or another limp medium, is used as the base onto which a material is coiled, it is helpful to provide means for holding the string taut. This is readily accomplished in the third embodiment by stretching the string taught between the two chucks. In other embodiments, the string may be kept taught between a single chuck and a fixed object to which the end of the string is attached through, e.g., a swivel.) 
     Still further, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various of the mechanical components of the illustrated embodiments can be substituted with other components. The chuck, for example, may take the form of a clamp that holds the wire(s), etc., in place with a set screw arrangement. Similarly, the direct drive or chain drive systems can be replaced with ones employing gears (including worm drive arrangements). The stop collar  14 /washer  16  arrangement can be replaced with an oil-impregnated bushing that is press-fit into an oversize bore formed in the main bar  20 . Myriad other arrangements can, of course, be employed—each providing its own advantages, in accordance with the particular application being addressed. 
     To illustrate the range of embodiments according to the present invention, consider the winder arrangement  101  shown in FIG.  7 . This embodiment includes a bracket frame  102  and a jig  104 . The bracket frame  102  has two vertical uprights  106 ,  108 , connected by a base member  110 . As can be seen, the frame  102  can be formed simply by bending a strip of sheet metal with two right-angle bends. The jig has a main wire wrapping shaft  112  and a handle  114  intercoupled through members  116  and  118 . Member  116  forms a receptacle, or eye  120 , through which wire can be passed, as detailed below. Illustrated member  118  is perpendicular to shaft  112 . Handle  114  is parallel to shaft  112  but offset therefrom. The illustrated jig is formed of round metal rod stock or stiff wire (e.g., 16 gauge). 
     In operation, the bracket frame  102  is screwed to a base (e.g., a board) by a screw that passes through a hole in the base member  110  of the bracket. (Other known attachment means can naturally be used, including the illustrated C-clamp  122 , etc.) The user then takes the end of a wire and pushes it through the eye  120  of the jig and wraps it around a neck  124  of the eye or otherwise secures same. The shaft  112  is then inserted through holes  126 ,  128  in the bracket uprights  106 , 108 , journalling the shaft for rotary motion. 
     A right-handed user next holds the trailing portion of the wire against the shaft  112 —next to the eye  120 —with the thumb of the left hand, while operating the crank handle with the right hand in a circular motion to spin the shaft  112  around its own axis. As the shaft is rotated, the wire wraps around the shaft and is urged against the previous wrap(s) by the user&#39;s left thumb. Continued cranking yields a coil of wire around the shaft. 
     When a coil of the desired length has been formed, the user cuts or otherwise frees the end of the wire from the eye, and slides the coil off the end  136  of the shaft. Typically, the user then inserts a center wire through the axial bore of the just-removed coil to increase the structural integrity of the coil. By using a relatively small center wire, the coil is more pliable; by using a relatively large center wire, the coil is more sturdy. 
     While the coil so-produced is usable as—is in some applications, other applications re-coil the coil to yield, e.g., the ornamental jewelry beads discussed above. To facilitate such re-coiling, the illustrated winder  101  has a second, larger jig (e.g., made of 8 gauge wire), which passes through a second set of commensurately larger holes  126   a ,  128   a  in the bracket frame  102 . 
     As before, the end of the coil (or the wire extending from the bore thereof) is passed through the eye  120  and secured in place. The free part of the coil (or the protruding center wire, initially) is urged against the (larger) shaft  112  by the user&#39;s left thumb as the shaft is rotated by the user&#39;s right hand. As the shaft is turned, the coil stock is wrapped there-around, yielding the re-coiled coil shown, e.g., in FIG.  6 A. Again, when the re-coiling is completed, the end of the coil is freed from the eye  120 , and the re-coiled coil (i.e., bead) is slid off the end of the shaft. 
     It will be recognized that, as the shaft  112  spins around its axis, the eye  120  and the handle  114  similarly rotate about this axis. Member  118  is rigidly coupled to the shaft  112 , and includes a first portion  140  extending in one direction away from the shaft, and a second portion  142  extending in a second, opposite direction away from the shaft. The handle  114  is affixed to the outermost-end of this second portion. 
     While the illustrated eye  120  lies in the same plane as the shaft  112  (with its eye defining an opening that faces in a direction orthogonal to the axis of the shaft), it will be recognized that different arrangements can naturally be employed. For example, the same basic structure can be used, but with the eye rotated ninety degrees, so that the material defining the eye lies in a plane orthogonal to the shaft, and the eye&#39;s opening faces in a direction parallel to the shaft&#39;s axis. Many entirely different arrangements for securing the wire&#39;s free end can also be employed, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. One such arrangement  144  is shown in FIG.  8  and includes a wire attachment dimple  146 . 
     While the just-described operation journalled the shaft in the bracket, this need not be the case. The jig  104  can instead be held in the user&#39;s left hand, resting on the side of the user&#39;s index finger, while the left thumb presses the wire against the shaft. The right hand, again, moves the handle in a circular motion to rotate the shaft and effect the wrapping. 
     In view of the foregoing, it should be recognized that the arrangements described above illustrate but a few of the many forms my inventive work may take, and should not be understood as limiting the scope of my invention. Rather, I claim as my invention all such embodiments as may fall within the scope and spirit of the following claims, and equivalents thereto.