IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF COMBS
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
I WILLIAM SPENCE of 8, Quality Court Chancery Lane in the County of
Middlesex Patent Agent do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF COMBS " (a communication to me from
abroad by Louis Marie Chorier of Paris in the Republic of France comb manu-
facturer) to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in the mechanical method of cutting the
teeth of combs. The machine under this invention cuts with the same precision
and at the same time both the largo and small teeth of the comb.
The machine is composed of a frame or bench on which are mounted two
carriages, two supports or standards, and a screw in two parts with different
threads but inclined in the same direction.
One carriage actuated by the part of the screw with three threads has in it a
double groove for adjusting the position of one of the circular saws or cutters by
means of a screw and allowing the headstock to follow the contours of a fixed
template.
The second carriage is like the former and receives its motion from the part of
the screw with a single thread so that its advance is only at the rate of a third of
that of the first named carriage.
The second cutter mounted on the headstock of the second carriage being
intended for cutting the fine teeth has to be accurately guided by means of a kind
of clip or guide with an adjusting screw. This clip or guide is fixed by a screw on
another piece capable of sliding on a part which forms a counterpoise and abuts on
an adjusting screw belonging to the support of the second cutter.
This arrangement allows: first-the adaptation of the guide to the wear of the
saw: secondly-the causing of this guide to swing on its centre as soon as the
combs mounted on the comb-carrying drum are brought in contact with its extremity
and thereby maintain the blade in its proper place until the comb leaves it, when
the guide is caused by the counterpoise to resume its former position.
The comb-carrying drum is composed of two discs kept apart by stretchers on
which are fitted holders for the small plates of horn or other material in which the

page_text: teeth are to be cut to form combs. This drum is mounted on a shaft suitably
driven the motion of which shaft is transmitted through gearing to the before-
named screw with differential threads on it and the cutters are independently
driven from any suitable tension apparatus. The headstocks of the carriages have
extending from them adjustable contact pieces which during the longitudinal
movement of the carriages are caused to follow the contours of the fixed templates.
When the carriages have arrived at the end of their course and beyond the
reach of the combs the first carriage strikes a clapper by means of a pointer thereby
warning the attendant that the operation is finished and the parts of the machine
must be disconnected and arranged for a further operation. This is done by means
of a handle on a wheel on the 'slinft of the screw with differential threads whereby
the carriages are returned to their first position, when after fresh plates of horn or
other material have been placed on the drum the machine is again put in action for
a new operation.

page_text: I WILLIAM SPENCE of 8 Quality Court Chancery Lane in the County of
Middlesex Patent Agent do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF COMBS" (being a communication to
me from abroad by Louis Marie Chorier of Paris in the Republic of France
Comb Manufacturer) and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This Invention relates to improvements in the mechanical method of cutting the
teeth of combs.-The machine under this Invention cuts with the same precision
and at the same time both the large and small teeth of the comb.-The means
employed are productive of considerable advantages.
In the accompanying drawings Fig: 1 represents an external elevation of the
machine.
Fig: 2 is a plan or horizontal view of the same.
Fig: 3 shows in transverse section on an enlarged scale the arrangement of the
comb-carrying drum and that of the cutting apparatus.
As will be seen on reference to these figures the machine is composed of a frame
or bench A on which are mounted two carringes B and B¹ two supports or
standards C and C¹ and a screw O on each half of which is a thread of different
pitch but inclined in the same direction, the pitch of that half of the screw
actuating the carriago B being three times that of the other whereby in one
revolution of the screw the carriage B moves through three times the space that
the carriage B' moves.
The carriage B actuated by the part of the screw with threads of the greater.
pitch receives a double groove serving to adjust the position of the circular saw or
cutter F by means of the screw E (Fig: 3) and permitting the headstock H
which separates it to follow the contours of the template G fixed on tho cross
piece R.
The carriage B¹ is like the former, it receives its motion from the part of the
screw with a single thread of the smaller pitch the consequence of which is that
its advance is three times slower than that of the carriage B.
The gutter F mounted on the headstock H of the carriage B' being necessarily
fine as it is intended for the fine teeth requires to be accurately guided. This result
is obtained by means of a piece I which embraces the disc on each side being
prolonged below its axis and the spreading of the branches of which can bo
regulated by means of a small screw situated at the lower part.
The guide I is itself fixed by means of a screw on another pieco J capable of
sliding on the piece K. forming a counterpoise and abutting on an adjusting screw S
belonging to the support of the cutter F¹
This arrangement allows, first, the regulating of the guide according to the wear
of the saw, secondly, the causing of this to swing on its contre (as shown by dotted
lines in Fig: 3) as soon as the combs mounted on the drum T¹ come in contact
with the extremity of the piece I the effect of which is to maintain the blade
just in the place in which it works and even to the moment in which the comb
quits it. At this moment the guide influenced by the counterpoise K is caused to
resume its former position.
The comb-carrying drum mounted on the shaft L is composed of two discs T T¹
kept apart as required by stretchers N on which are pincers P intended to hold
the small plates of horn or other material in which it is desired to form teeth.
The shaft L receives its motion through the fast and loose pulleys M and M².
This motion is transmitted to the screw O through the intervention of the three

page_text: toothed wheels a, b, c, one of which a can be changed at will according to the
distance apart required to be given to the teeth of the combs under operation.
The wheel b is only an intermediate wheel mounted in adjustable bearings.
The two cutters F and F receive their motion by means of cords of transmission
passing over loose pulleys belonging to any suitable tension apparatus.-These cords
of transmission may as in Fig. 4 pass over an intermediate shaft in which case
the motion would be transmitted to the cutters F and F¹ through a wheel y and
pinion. The cross piece R fixed to tho supports C and C³ receives two regulating
slides worked by means of the screws U and U in a transverse direction and upon
which are fixed the templates G and G¹ the forms and dimensions of which depend
upon those of the comb to be made.
The headstocks carry a contact piece V V₁ the length of which can be regulated
by means of a set screw and which follows during the longitudinal movement of
the carriages the outline of the templates. The contact with the latter is main-
tained by a spiral spring X situated on the side of the headstocks which participate
at the same time in the different displacement of their contact piece on the
templates.
When the carriages have arrived at the end of their course and are beyond the
reach of the combs one of them (B) strikes by-its pointer Y on the clapper Z.-
The attendant is thus warned that the operation is finished and that he ought to
disconnect.-After having disconnected the adjustable bearings by means of the
handle on the wheel c he brings back the carriages to their first position places on
the drum T fresh plates of horn or other material and puts the machine again in
action for a new operation.
It will be readily conceived that by reason of the screw O with differential
threads the machine is enabled to cut simultaneously teeth of different sizes and
distances apart.
It is to be understood that the right is reserved of increasing the number of the
drums and varying the number of comb carriers on each drum and consequently tho
accessories required for the same.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed (communicated to
me from abroad as aforesaid) I declare that what I claim is :
First: The arrangement on the same frame or bench of two combined special
tools or apparatus cutting simultaneously teeth of different sizes for producing
combs of whatever kind at a single passage or operation substantially as herein
described.
Secondly: The longitudinal displacement of these tools or apparatus by means of
a single screw with differential threads substantially as herein described.
Thirdly: The moveable guide for automatic disconnection intended to keep the
tool in its proper place for work substantially as herein described.
Fourthly The arrangement of means of regulation combined together and with
special templates whether for bringing the cutters into a given relative position or
for communicating to them the transverse movement required by the form of the
combs to be toothed substantially as herein described.
Dated this sigth day of October 1884.