Improvements in Implements for Cutting Glass Tubes.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Feb., 1891-Accepted, 28th Mar., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Implements for Cutting Glass Tubes.
UEQTE
I, ALEXANDER EVERETT HUNT, of 432, Lackawanna Avenue, Scranton, in
the County of Luzern and State of Pennsylvania, in the United States of America,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :—
Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 show four styles of my implement.
Figures 5 and 6 show two other styles of the implement, and
Figure 7 a side view of the implement shown in Figure 6, the closing toggle
lever being left off and a spring substituted therefor.
Figures 8, 9, 10 are side elevations, and partial sections of three other styles of
the implement.
Figure 10 is a broken top view of Figure 8.
Figures 11, 12, 13 and 14 are views illustrating another style of the implement.
Figure 15 is a broken elevation and section of the implement shown in
Figure 11, slightly modified, and
Figure 16 is a cross section in the line, of Figure 15.
My invention relates to a novel construction of a hand implement for cutting
glass tubes such as are used for gauges, and other purposes, and the invention con-
sists in an implement adapted for being carried in and operated by the hand for
cutting incisions and thereby producing determined lines of fracture in glass
tubing which is to be made into determined lengths of tubes for ganges and other
purposes, said implement comprising in its construction connected arms, one of
which carries a cutter and enters the glass tube, and the other a clamp which
bears upon the outside of the tube, or rice rers, the said arms upon being pressed
together by the hand of the operator or by the combined agency of levers, or
springs, or screws or wedges and the hand of the operator cause the cutter to bear
with force enough against the inside of the tube to effect a circular cut transversely
of the length of the tube when the tube is revolved, during this operation pressure
being exerted by the clamp on the outside of the tube, sufficient to ensure a perfect
operation. The invention also consists in the combination with the said implement,
of a graduating scale on one of the arms and a sliding gauge stop on said graduated
arm, whereby determined lengths of tubing may be cut; it also consists in a recess
formed in the clamp of one of the arms and a notch in the periphery of the gauge,
whereby the edge of the cutter is guarded, and the implement can be compactly
closed without injury, for transportation; it also consists in providing means for
the ready removal of the cutter and the insertion of a new one.
A. in Figures 1,
and 3 represents my improved implement formed with two
arms a, a connected at the rear ends thereof by a bow spring b. c is a circular
beveled edge cutter, fitted in a slot on the inner side of the arm a near its
front end. This cutter revolves on a pin d passed longitudinally into the arm
through the cutter. This pin may be in the form of a screw with an enlarged
square head as shown in Figures 11 and 13, or simply a pin of uniform diameter
as shown in Figure 15. When constructed as in Figures 1 and 15, a notch fis
provided in the arm a' in rear of the cutter so as to allow the pin to be driven
out sufficiently far to free it from the cutter and allow the cutter to be taken out
of its place and another substituted, whereupon the pin can be forced back to its
original position through the cutter. e is a concave, segmental clamp provided on
the forward end of the arm a and adapted to fit or impinge upon the outside of a
glass tube during the operation of cutting an incision into said tube. This will
be better understood by reference to Figures 9, 11, 15 and 16 of the drawings.

page_text: B is a sliding tubular gauge slipped upon the arm a' and confined at any desired
point thercon by a set screw This gauge operates in conjunction with a
graduated. scale g markedsonthe-arm' 'a',fam thus ensures the cutting of the
tubes at exact lengths as required. The implement in Figure 1, is brought into
action by compression with the hand directly upon the arms a, a'. The imple-
ment shown in Figure 2, is provided with a circular internally flared wedging
ring C, and by forcing this ring up the inclines i of the bow spring with the
hand, the arms a, a will be forced into operative position. The ring C, Fig. 2
may have eccentric slots a and close and open the arms by turning. The imple-
ment shown in Figure 3 is brought into action by means of a ring C similar to
that shown in Figure 2, and a screw rod and handle C¹ connected to the bow
spring by a nut and a hub of the ring C. By turning the handle C¹ the
ring Crises on the inclines and forces the arms a, a toward each other. In
Figure 4 the arms a, a' are connected by a pivot pin and are pressed apart by
means of a spiral spring. For compressing the jaws a ring Chaving a screw
thread in its inner periphery which fits short sections of a screw thread on the
arms 'a, a is employed for closing the arms. By turning the screw ring C it is
caused to rise on the inclines of the arms and thereby force the jaws toward
each other.
In Figures 5, 6 and 7 the arms a, a¹ are formed with handles a² a3 and are
connected by lapping lugs at and a pivot a. In the construction Fig. 5 a turn
buckle and right and left screw device D is provided for closing the arms, the
operation of which will be readily understood; and in Figure 6 a toggle lever
device D, applied either at the extremity of the arms a, a³ as shown in full
black lines or at the sides of the arms as shown by dotted lines; when applied
as shown in dotted lines the pivots of the toggle device run at right angles to
those shown in full black lines. In Figure 7 a strong thrust spring is shown for
forcing the arms toward one another. In Figure 8 the arms a, a' are connected
at their rear ends by means of two upright pins k, l, the upper ones of which
play loosely in the holes A. On these pins, between the handles of the arms,
spiral springs are applied. A toggle lever device E is employed for causing the
arm a to move toward the arm a'. The connecting pin 4 of the toggle device
moves in a segmental, slotted, arc shaped piece e'. On the ends of the said con-
necting pin, handle-knobs El are applied, and by means of these knobs the toggle
is straightened so as to move the arm a toward the arm a. In Figure 10, the
construction shown in Figure 4 of the drawings, is modified, by providing a lever
or levers extending forward from the pivot j, and bearing, respectively, by means
of a tit or projection f upon an arm, thereby causing the arms a a¹ to move
toward each other. In Figure 11, the arms a, a' are crossed and pivoted together
at, and the said arms are extended back so as to form handles a² a³. Under this
construction the arms a, a¹ are caused to move toward each other by pressing the
handles together. In Figure 9 the construction of arms a, a' shown in Figure 8
are adopted but an elbow lever G is pivoted to the arm a and connected to a
link G, and the rear spring of pin is dispensed with. With this con-
struction the arm 'a is forced toward arm a¹ by pressure on the lever G,. such
pressure straightening the toggle G2 formed by said lever and the link G¹
In using the implement it is grasped with the right hand of the operator by
its rear portion, while the glass tube H is held in his left hand. The arm a¹ is now
inserted within the glass tube Has illustrated, for instance, in Figures 9, 11, 15
and 16. The glass tube H abuts against the gauge B which gives the determined
length of the tube to be cut or incised. The arm a with its clamp e is now
forced against the outside of the glass tube directly opposite the point of impact
of the cutter against the inner surface of the tube, as illustrated in Figures 15
and 16 of the drawings. The operator with his hand alone or with the aid
of the auxiliary leverage, screw, wedge, or spring means represented, produces
the requisite pressure upon the cutter c to cause it to cut a circular channel on the
inside of the glass tube when the tube is rotated with the 'operator's left hand.

page_text: The rotation and pressure having been continued a brief time, the pressure is
relaxed and the cutter withdrawn from the tube, whereupon by a slight tap upon
the tube below the point of cut or channel, the tube will be separated at such
point, leaving an even square cut edge at the separated ends of the glass tube.
The within described glass cutting implement is provided with a recess h in the
clamp e in order to receive the upper edge of the cutter ; and with the notch h¹
in the periphery of the gauge stop B to admit the under portion of the arm a; so
as to be snugly packed without injury.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. The within described hand implement for cutting incisions or determined lines
of fracture on glass tubes, said implement comprising connected arms, one of which
carried a cutter and enters the glass tube,, and the other a clamp which bears on
the outside of the tube; or vice versa; the said arms being pressed together by the
hand of the operator alone, or by the combined agency of mechanism, with force
enough against the inside of the tube, or the outside thereof, to effect a circular
cut transversely of the length of the tube when the tube or implement is revolved,
during this operation pressure being exerted by the clamp sufficient to ensure perfect
operation, substantially as described.
2. The combination with the implement of a graduated scale and a sliding gauge
stop, substantially as described.
3. A recess formed in the clamp of one of the arms and a notch in the periphery
of the gauge stop, substantially as described.
.
4. The means as described, whereby a ready removal of the cutter and the
insertion of a new one, can be effected, substantially as described.
Dated this 27th day of February 1901°
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.