IMPROVED TOOLS FOR MAKING SCREWS
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Cook, of Coburg Road, Old Kent Road,
in the County of Surrey, Machinist, for the Invention of "IMPROVED
TOOLS FOR MAKING SCREWS."
Şealed the 3rd April 1860, and dated the 4th October 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Cook at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 4th
October 1859.
I, THOMAS COOK, of Coburg Road, Old Kent Road, in the County of
Surrey, Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVED TOOLS FOR MAKING SCREWS," to be as follows:-
. This Invention relates to an improved tool for making small screws. The
mode heretofore practised of making small screws has been to make them in
a "screw plate," that is, a steel plate having several screwed holes of different
sizes formed therein, said plate being hardened and tempered, that part of the
metal on which the screw is to be cut or formed by one or other of the holes
in such said plate being first filed or turned in a lathe to the proper size or
gauge. Now the object and intention of this Invention is to render these
operations more certain and expeditious than heretofore, which I propose to
effect by the use of a tool or two tools constructed and operated with in the
following manner :-First, as regards the forming or preparing of that part of
the screw on which the thread is to be cut of the proper size or gauge to

page_text: to receive a full thread, I employ a tool formed of a piece of metal of the shape
of the letter U, the upright parts whereof have bosses formed thereon. In
one of these bosses I form a screwed hole and pass a screw through the
same, one end of said screw is turned down as a short cylinder, and the other
end thereof fits into a handle, a nut being passed over said screw to hold same
tight. Through the other boss of said tool I form a cylindrical shaped hole
of the size of the wire of which the screws are to be formed. I also form a
slot through the bottom of the aforesaid U-shaped piece of metal, and in this
said hole I place and adjust by a screw, a cutter set to the proper gauge for
turning the wire of which the screw is to be formed of the proper size to
receive the thread or screw, said screw being formed by another tool presently
described; the length of the screw is determined by adjusting the before-
mentioned screw in the handle to the required distance. The before-mentioned
cutter may be so shaped as to make the under side of the heads of the screws
either square, conical, or otherwise, as desired. In using this tool the. wire for
the screw is held in the chuck of a lathe, and rotary motion imparted thereto,
the operator then passes the cylindrical hole in the tool over the outer end
of the wire, and presses the tool against it, by which the cutter thereof will
reduce it to the proper size without any further trouble, the wire continuing
to advance until it is arrested by the end of the screw which is in the handle
of the tool, as before stated. The operator now removes the tool from the
wire and passes another tool over the same, of the following construction, for
forming the screw or thread:-This tool consists of a split handle or double
handle connected together; into each of these handles a piece of metal is fixed
or connected, one of such said pieces of metal being capable of sliding on the
other, and having a cutter adjusted therein for forming the top of the head of
the screw, and cutting off the length of wire of which the screw has been
made. I form the piece of metal (upon which the aforesaid cutter slides)
with two horns at right angles to the cutter, one of these horns has a long
cylindrical hole formed therein, and the other and opposite horn has a piece
of metal hinged to the end thereof, and said hinged piece is kept forced
towards the first-mentioned horn by a spring, a screw being adjusted in the
aforesaid hinged piece, so as to come opposite to the hole in the aforesaid first
horn. The upper part of the said hinged piece has a recess or catch formed
therein to receive and hold together the upper end of two levers whose lower
ends are hinged to the bottom of the second-mentioned horn, crosswise thereof,
into each of these said levers a die or screw cutter is fixed so as to coincide
with the hole in the first-mentioned horn; a spring is also fixed between the
two aforesaid die levers for separating or opening the dies when they have

page_text: performed their duty. The operations of this screw cutting tool are as
follows: The operator passes the cylindrical hole in this tool over the
rotating wire, and presses the dies against the end thereof, which has the
effect of cutting a thread or screw around the same, and advancing the wire
between the dies, continuing to do so until the end of the screw thus formed,
coming into contact with the set screw which is in the end hinged piece of
metal, overcomes the pressure of the spring which before kept this hinged
piece pressed forward, and pressing against said screw forces the said hinged
piece outwards, and by these means disengages the catch which previously
held the die levers together, and allows them to open by the spring which is
between them, so as to enable the screw thus formed to continue its rotary
motion for forming the head of the screw, which the operator effects by
pressing forward the cutter, and forms the top of the head of the screw, which
is now finished; there is a spring placed between the handles for drawing the
cutter back.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Cook, in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 4th
April 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
Cooк, of Coburg Road, Old Kent Road, in the County of Surrey, Machinist,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Thomas Cook, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas Cook, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others, as I, the said Thomas
Cook, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVED TOOLS FOR
MAKING SCREWS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas
Cook, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same

page_text: was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Cook, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to improved tools for making small screws. The
mode heretofore practised of making small screws has been to make them in a
"screw plate," that is, a steel plate having several screwed holes of different
sizes formed therein, said plate being hardened and tempered, that part of the
metal on which the screw is to be cut or formed by one or other of the holes
in such said plate being first filed or turned in a lathe to the proper size or
guage. Now the object and intention of this Invention is to render these
operations more certain and expeditious than heretofore, which I propose to
effect by the use of tools constructed and operated with as herein-after
described.
And in order to explain this Invention as completely as possible, I now
proceed to describe the best means I am acquainted with for carrying the
same into practical effect, reference being had to the illustrative Sheet of
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the numeral figures and letters of reference
marked thereon respectively, as follows:-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of one of my improved tools for making screws;
Figure 2, à top plan view thereof; Figure 3, an end elevation; Figure 4 is a
side elevation of the other of my improved screw tools; Figure 5, an end
elevation thereof; Figure 6, a top plan view. At each of the foregoing
Figures I employ similar letters of reference to denote corresponding parts in
so far as such parts appear or can be seen at each of such said Figures respec-
tively.
First, as regards the forming or preparing of that part of the screw on which
the thread is to be cut of the proper size or guage to receive a full thread, I
employ a tool of the construction exhibited at Figures 1, 2, 3, of the accom-
panying Drawings, where A marks the handle, B a piece of metal connected
thereto, samme being formed with two bosses C and D. In the boss C, I form
a screwed hole and pass a screw E through the same, one end of said screw is
turned down as a short cylinder and the other end thereof fits into the handle A,
a nut G being passed over said screw to hold same tight, and for adjustmen

page_text: In using this tool the
rotary motion imparted
in the tool over the
as hereafter explained. Through the other boss D of said tool I form a cylin-
drical shaped hole of the size of the wire of which the screws are to be formed.
I also form a slot hole at a, Figure 1, through the bottom of the piece B, and
in this said hole I place and adjust by a screw a cutter H set to the proper
guage for turning the wire of which the screw is to be formed of the proper
size to receive the thread or screw, said screw being formed by another tool
presently described and exhibited at Figures 4, 5, 6. The length of the screw
is determined by adjusting the screw E in the handle to the required distance.
The cutter H may be so shaped as to make the under side of the heads of the
screws either square, conical, or otherwise as desired.
wire for the screw is held in the chuck of a lathe and
thereto, the operator then passes the cylindrical hole
outer end of the wire and presses the tocl against it by which the cutter H there-
of will reduce it to the proper size without any further trouble, the wire con-
tinuing to advance until it is arrested by the end of the screw E, which is in
the handle of the tool as before stated. The operator now removes the tool
from the wire and passes the tool exhibited at Figures 4, 5, 6, over the same
for forming the screw or thread as follows:-This tool consists of a split
handle or double handle A, B, connected together into each of these handles
a piece of metal C, C, is fixed or connected, the piece C is capable of sliding
on the piece C, this piece having a cutter D adjusted therein for forming the
top of the head of the screw and cutting off the length of wire of which the
screw has been made. To the piece C, I connect, by a nut Z, other pieces of
metal E, G, at right angles to the cutter, the piece G has a long cylindrical
hole formed therein, in which a metal bush a is inserted of the required
size to receive the wire of which the screws are to be made, the piece E has
a piece of metal H hinged or jointed thereto, said hinged piece being kept
forced towards the piece G by a spring I, a screw K being adjusted in the
aforesaid hinged piece so as to come opposite to the hole a.
The upper
part of the piece H has a recess or catch 2 formed therein to receive and
hold together the upper ends of two levers L, L, whose lower ends are hinged
to the bottom of the piece E, crosswise thereof.
L, dies or screw cutters b, b, are fixed so as to coincide with the hole in the
piece a. A spring c is also fixed between the levers L, L, for separating or
opening the dies when they have performed their duty. The operations of
this screw cutting tool are as follows:-The operator passes the cylindrical
hole a in this tool over the rotating wire and presses the dies against the end
thereof, which has the effect of cutting a thread or screw around the same and
of advancing the wire between the said dies, the operator continuing to do so
Into each of the levers L,

page_text: until the end of the screw thus formed coming into contact with the set
screw d which passes through the piece H overcomes the pressure of the
spring e which before kept the piece H pressed forward and pressing against
said screw forces the piece H outwards and by these means disengages the
catch 2, which previously held the die levers L, L, together, and allows them
to open by pressure of the spring f which is between them, so as to enable the
screw thus formed to continue its rotary motion for forming the head of the
screw, which the operator effects by pressing forward the cutter until he forms
the top of the head of the screw of the desired shape, which completes the screw
except the notch across the head which may be made by hand or otherwise.
There is a spring 9 placed between the handles for drawing the cutter D back.
M is a link connected by its end to the handles A, B, so that when they are
squeezed together the handle B pushes the cutter D forward.
Having now fully described and set forth the nature and object of my said
Invention of." Improved Tools for Making Screws," together with the best
means I am acquainted with for carrying the same into practical effect, I
would remark in conclusion that I hereby declare my Invention to consist in,
and. I claim the mode above particularly described, set forth, and represented
of constructing improved tools for making screws as above stated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Cook, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fourth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty.
THOMAS COOK. (..)