IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY POR MANUFACTURING FILES AND RASPS
Year: 1847

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
WINSLOW, now of Boston, in the State of Massachusetts and United States
of America, Merchant, but late of Burton Crescent, in the County of
Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Third day of July, in the eleventh year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said George Winslow, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said George Winslow, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, and such others as I; the said George Winslow, my executors,
administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein men-
tioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within Eng-
land, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in all Her Majesty's
Colonies and Plantations abroad, and in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey,
Alderney, Sark, and Man, an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
POR MANUFACTURING FILES AND RASPS," being a communication from a Foreigner
residing abroad; in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging
me, the said George Winslow, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, particularly and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be enrolled
in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar. months next
and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as

page_text: in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
George Winslow, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference
being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures
marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention, as communicated to me by my Foreign Correspondent,
consists in a peculiar arrangement or construction of mechanism for cutting or
forming the teeth of files and rasps by the pressure of suitably-formed chisels
upon the file or rasp blank, instead of effecting the operation by a series of
blows. The degree of pressure of the chisels is regulated to suit the varied
thickness of the file or rasp, and thus a uniform and proper depth of cut is
secured for all the teeth.
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 represents the improved machine.in
plan view; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same; Fig. 3 is a vertical,
central, and longitudinal section; Fig. 4 is an elevation of the front end of
the machine; Fig. 5 is a view of the back or rear end thereof, partly in
section, the better to shew the construction of the various parts; and Fig. 6 is
a section of the carriage L taken through the line e, f, of Fig. 1. The scale
on which the said Drawings are made is one fourth of the full size of the
machine. A is the framing of the machine, made of wood or other material, of
suitable strength to sustain the parts herein-after described. B is the main
shaft, through which motion is communicated from any suitable motive power
to the operative parts of the machine. This shaft is mounted in bearings at
the front end of the machine, as shewn in Fig. 4, and on its outer end a fly
wheel C, provided at its boss with a clutch box, is mounted loosely. To the
inner end of this shaft a circular disc or plate D is keyed, and in this disc a
long radial slot E is formed, for the purpose of receiving a crank pin F, which
forms a coupling joint between a connecting rod or sweep G and the disc D,
and may be adjusted to any required radius of that disc, to alter the throw of
the connecting rod. This rod or sweep G is also attached to an upright.lever
H by an adjusting pin I, which is capable of sliding in a slot K made through
the lever H. The upper end of this lever is jointed to a sliding carriage L,
which is sustained and guided in its motions by a pair of horizontal rails M, M.
Upon the top surface of the carriage L a pair of V grooves N, N, extend
transversely, for the purpose of receiving between them two slides or
rectangular pieces of metal O, O, which rest on the top surface of the carriage,

page_text: and move backwards and forwards upon it. To these slides 0, 0, the toggle.
joint or progressive levers P, P, are respectively connected by one end in a
manner which will admit of their moving horizontally. The other end of each
of the said progressive levers P, P, is similarly jointed to the tail end of one
of two long horizontal levers Q, Q, which are arranged as seen in Figures 1
and 2, and move or play respectively on the fulcra or pins R, R, which
are suitably and strongly connected to a horizontal bed plate S, fastened to the
top rails of the frame. T, T, are the chisel holders, which consist of curved
pieces of metal, made respectively with jaws, and other suitable appliances or
contrivances, for firmly holding the two chisels U, .U. These chisel holders
are respectively jointed to the forward ends of the two levers Q, Q, by one of
two small connecting bars V, V. The said curved chisel holders are made
to move towards and from one another; and for this purpose as well as for
setting them so that the angle of the plane of each chisel to its adjacent face of
the file may be adjusted, or increased or diminished as circumstances. may
require, the chisel holders should move or play, and be guided in their motions
between such slides or contrivances as may be connected with or applied to
the bed plate S in a manner suitable for allowing of their adjustment thereon
and adaptation to the cutter holders, to ensure their proper action, as specified.
W is a long horizontal carriage or slide, which rests upon the bed plate S, and
is sustained by it in such a manner as to admit of its moving freely to and fro
in a longitudinal direction. This carriage W has an arch X applied to it (as
shewn in Fig. 2), to stiffen or strengthen it. The object of this carriage is to
support the file blank during the operation of cutting the teeth on its two
opposite sides. For this purpose it carries puppets Y and Z, or suitable
contrivances for receiving and holding the file. One of them (viz.) Y, has a
socket made in it to receive the shank of the file, which is secured therein by
one or more screws a, a. The other puppet has a small centre point b
projecting from it, the said point being made to enter a small indentation.
or punch hole made in the small end of the file. These puppets should be so
applied to their slide or carriage as to be capable of being moved laterally and
horizontally in one direction or the opposite, the object of the same being to
admit the file to accommodate itself in a proper manner to the cutters, or so
that each cutter may operate to an equal depth, when both are forced against
the file so as to compress it between them, and by their pressure raise a tooth,
or make an indentation on two opposite sides of it. The carriage or slide W
should be moved inwards a short distance during each interval between any
two successive closings of the cutters on the file.
is provided, which is supported at its ends by
framing A and bed piece S, as shewn at d, e.
For this purpose a screw c
bearings applied to the main
This screw is placed below

page_text: the carriage W, and passes through and works in projection extending
down from the carriage, a female screw being turned in the hollow of the
projection to fit the thread of the male screw c. The machinery by which
the screw c is revolved, or partially revolved, during certain intervals of time, is
thus described:-9 is a small ratchet wheel fixed on one end of the screw c, and
shewn best at Figure 5. h is a spur wheel mounted loosely on the journal i 5
of the screw projected beyond the box d. i is a small pawle or click jointed to
one arm of the wheel h, and taking into the teeth of the ratchet wheel. k is
ä vertical rack bar, so applied to and sustained by an upright lever / moving
on a pin or fulcrum m 5, projecting from the main framing as to be capable
of being moved up and down. The said rack, when thrown against the spur
wheel h, engages with it. A connecting rod m is jointed at its lower end to
the lower end of the rack bar, and at its upper end to one arm of a crank
lever n,
which vibrates on a fixed fulcrum at o. A small projection or stud p
projects from the side of the sweep or connecting rod G, and in such a manner
as not only to come in contact with the pendant arm of the crank lever n when
the sweep G is moved rearwards, but to force the said arm backwards, and so
actuate the lever as to elevate the rack bar k to the extent required to cause the
wheel h to rotate, which motion will carry the pawle i against the ratchet wheel
g of the screw c in such a manner as to turn the screw a little, or to the extent
required in its bearings, and thus move the carriage W, and file a short distance.
rearwards, or the distance required for the cutters to make another closing upon
the file. The extent of motion of the screw (which motion determines what is
termed the fineness of the cut or width of the teeth of the file) is regulated by
putting a pin q in one of a series of holes r, r, r, made in the lower end of
the rack bark (see Fig. 5), which rests upon the pin q; and as the rack
bar is connected, as before stated, to the crank lever n, the higher the
said pin q is raised the more it will draw the pendant arm of the crank
lever n backwards, or towards the rear of the machine, so that the stud p
of the sweep G will not strike it so soon as it otherwise would. As the
said stud p continues to move through the same distance (the amount of
throw of the connecting rod or sweep G being determined before the machine
is put into operation), the amount of rotation of the screw c will depend
on the extent of motion given by the stud p to the crank lever n. In order to
throw the rack bar k out of gear with the wheel h when it may
to stop the operation of the machine, the lever
zontal shifting lever S by a rod t, jointed to both.
upon a fulcrum u, supported by a bracket from the framing, and is connected
with a clutch v, which slides over a feather edge on the driving shaft B by
means of a rod i and vibrating lever 2, and is intended to take into a clutch
be necessary
is connected to a long hori-
The shifting lever S turns

page_text: box attached to the fly wheel, and connect or disconnect the driving shaft B
and fly wheel C, as circumstances may require. The power by which the
machine is driven may be applied to a crank projecting from the fly wheel, or
to a pulley or other equivalent attached to it. When the shifting lever is
moved so as to gear or connect together the fly wheel and driving shaft, it is
kept in its position by a small lever w (see Figure 4), having a knob x, by
which it may be elevated or forced down. The lever w rocks on a fulcrum at
y. The inner end of it has a bent spring z resting on it, the shape of which
will be seen in Figure 3. There is a small projection or stud a' applied to
the under side of the carriage W, as shewn in Figure 3. The said projection
should be made adjustable thereon, and should be so disposed that at the
completion of the last teeth, or the two rows of teeth of the file, it will strike
or be moved against the top part of the spring, and force that spring down
so as to trip the lever w, or depress its inner end, by which means its outer.
end will be raised up sufficiently to allow the shifting lever to move laterally.
When thus released, a spring b', which is connected by a rod 3 to the lever 2
of the clutch v, will throw the clutch out of connexion with the fly wheel, and
stop the action of the machine. c¹ is a cog wheel fixed on the journal of the
screw c, and gearing into a spur gear d¹ fixed on one end of a shaft e¹, which shaft
has a small crank wheel f¹ on its other end, at the front end of the machine.
The object of the various parts just above described is to enable a workman,
by turning the crank wheel f¹, to readily and quickly rotate the screw c in a
direction necessary to create a return movement of the carriage W to the
extent required to commence cutting another file.
The next portion of the machinery to be described is that by which the
cutters, during any increase or diminution of the thickness of the file, are
caused to operate on it by a uniform pressure, so as to cut to a uniform depth..
The operation of cutting the file always commences at its smaller end, or
the opposite end to that on which the shank is made; from this end the file
usually, increases in thickness towards its middle part, from whence, to the
shank it is generally of about a uniform thickness; but it is necessary that
during the whole of the operation a uniform pressure of the cutters on the file
shall be preserved. It will be understood that the sliding carriage. L cannot
advance so far forward at each closing of the cutters on the file as it did at the
preceding closing of them; or in other words, its range of motion forward is.
diminished a little at each operation of the cutters. This results from the
peculiar manner in which it is connected to the levers by which the cutter slides
are operated, consequently it will be seen that the obtuse angle of the toggles or
progressive levers gradually decreases while the file is being cut towards its

page_text: middle part. This creates a loss of power applied to the cutters, to cause them
to enter the file to the required depth. In order, however, to make up for this
loss, the compensatory machinery is employed, which I shall now proceed to
explain. The lower end of the lever H is connected to a horizontal sliding
bar g (placed at the lower part of the machine), by means of a bent bar h,
jointed to both the lever and sliding bar. The bar g is sustained in proper
bearings, so as to move backwards and forwards longitudinally. At its front
end this bar g' is furnished with a series of notches or teeth ¹, into which a
projection, from a small lever m¹ (see Fig. 4), catches. This lever m¹ vibrates
upon a fulcrum n', and is connected to a short lever o¹ (placed above it, and
adjacent to the disc or circular plate D of the driving shaft, as shewn at Fig. 4),
by a bar p jointed to both. The lever o rocks on a fulcrum q', when it
is struck on the top edge of its inner arm by a small cam r, which is
affixed to the revolving disc D for that purpose, and comes in contact with
the lever at every revolution of the disc. By this means (the outer arm
of the lever o' being raised as its other arm is depressed) the lever m
is raised sufficiently to remove the projection or catch out of contact
with the notches of the sliding bar g. The object of the notches k¹ and
mechanism connected with them, as last specified, is to maintain the position
of the bar g as it is gradually forced forward while the file is being cut from
its point or smaller end to its middle part. The sliding bar g' has a cord s¹
fastened on to it, and extending from it to a barrel or pulley t¹, fixed on a
horizontal cross shaft u, the outer end of which carries a peculiarly-shaped
cam v', as shewn at Figures 2 and 5. The periphery of this cam is grooved
out so as to receive a cord w¹, one end of which is fastened to that part of the
periphery of the cam which is nearest to the shaft. From the said cam the
cord w¹ proceeds to and is wound around and attached to a pulley or drum a
mounted on an axle, having its bearings in the framing. Around this drum
another cord y' is also wound, which cord extends downwards and is tied to a
long lever or bar 2', which vibrates on a fulcrum at a², and has a weight b
hung on it, as seen in Fig. 2. The front end of the lever z¹ passes through a
vertical slot c², made in an upright d² (see Fig. 4). Near the inner side of
the lever a sliding bar f is placed, and is supported by an arm g² (Fig. 5)
and the upright d', through both of which it is free to move in a longitudinal
direction. It has an arm or stud h² projecting from a slider, fitted to slide
on the bar, and be fixed thereon by a set screw k² (see Fig. 1). The stud h
rests against the iron trammel 2 of the weight 6. The sliding bar f has one
end of a horizontal lever m² jointed to it, or made to project through a slot cut
in a piece of plate iron n² affixed to the bar. The lever m2 works on a

page_text: fulcrum o² at its opposite end, and at its middle it is jointed or connected to
the lower arm of a vertical lever p², which turns on a fulcrum q² projecting
from a longitudinal, fixed, or stationary bar ². At its upper end the lever p?
is connected to a pawle or lever S³, one end of which rests in one of a series
of notches to made in a plate u³, which is screwed to the slide or carriage W;
and the other end of the pawle or lever s carries a projecting pin, which is
made to traverse an irregular slot v², w, x, y, formed in a piece of metal z,
screwed on to the top girt a³ of the frame. From y² to 2 the slot is hori-
zontal, while from a to w² it inclines downwards, and from w² to v it is again
horizontal. The object of the lever på and its pawle S² is to impart (by reason
of the inward movement of the carriage W) a forward motion to the slide f³,
whereby its stud h² will be made to press against the trammel of the weight
62, and slide it forwards on the lever z', and thus increase the power of the weight
on the cord y, which increase of power is disseminated through the mechanism
to the cutters. As the cutting operation progresses towards the middle of the
file it becomes necessary that the weight 62 should gradually be removed towards
the front end of the lever on which it hangs. This is effected by the carriage
W, which gradually presses the upper arm of the lever p back, until the pin
of the lever Se falls into the inclined part w², x², of the slot v³, w², a, y². While
the pin is passing down the said inclined part, the rear arm of the lever S² will
be tripped up so as to raise its front arm out of the notch of the plate u².
This being effected, the slide W will continue its inward progress without
further acting upon the lever p². The tripping of the lever or pawle out of
the notch takes place when the cutters have reached the middle or thickest
part of the file. Each of the slides O, O, before mentioned as sliding between
the grooves N, N, has an arm b³ extending rearward from it, and supporting
a female screw bearing or box c³. A screw shaft d³ extends through these
screw boxes, and is provided with two male screws es, fs, one being what is
termed a right-threaded, and the other a left-threaded screw. A hand wheel
g³ is fixed on one end of the screw shaft d³, while on the other end a ratchet
wheel h³ is fastened. Into this wheel a pawle connected with the lever ³ takes
and is held in contact therewith by a helical spring. The pawle lever i³ is
arranged as shewn on the Drawings, and vibrates in a vertical direction on a
fulcrum at . To the inner end of this lever a spring chain is attached,
which extends. downwards, and is fastened to a pin m³ projecting from the
rear side of a circular plate n³ fixed on the shaft u', which carries the cam
piece v. The object of the two right and left-threaded screws on the screw
shaft d³ is to enable an attendant to set the edges of the chisels to their proper
distance apart when they commence to cut at or near the top or small end of

page_text: any file. The use of the ratchet wheel h³, pawle and lever ³, chain &³, and
circular plate n³, is to aid the compensation cam v¹ and its weight in causing
the chisels to act on the file with the force required as its thickness increases.
When the cam v¹ rises up, the front end of the pawle lever i will be depressed
by the chain 1, and in consequence thereof the pawle at its other end will be
raised against the ratchet wheel. The return movement of the carriage L
will cause the said ratchet wheel to be borne against the pawle in a manner
sufficient to partially rotate the ratchet wheel, and consequently the screw
shaft, in a direction that will cause the screws e³, fs, which act in their bearings,
to move the slides O, O, towards one another, whereby, when the carriage L
moves forward to the extent of its motion, the progressive levers may be
brought nearer into line with each other, and, of course, with greater power
on the levers intervening between them and the cutter holders. The object of
the slide bar g', cord S¹, pulley t¹, shaft u', cam v³, cord w', and weight b², made
to operate directly on the said cord, or through a barrel or drum a¹, a cord y',
and lever ¹, as herein-before described, is to create an additional power which
shall act on the toggles or progressive levers P, P, and make up or compensate
for the loss which gradually takes place in the operation of progressive levers
P, P, while cutting the file from the small or rear end towards its middle
part, as before described. The cam v' should be made of such size and shape
as will enable the weight to gradually act with an increasing leverage on the
shaft u, proportionate to the power lost by the progressive levers. The
mechanism by which the trammel of the weight b² is moved along the lever
on which it hangs is intended as another help or aid to the compensating
apparatus. The said mechanism may be often used to advantage when the
remaining compensation apparatus requires additional power to make it
operate as desired. In the Drawing, the cutters are represented as made with
straight edges, and are such as would be employed to cut straight teeth
extending across the blank, as in the ordinary file; but when rasps are to be
made, the form of these cutters should be varied, so as to make the peculiar
teeth required. The part of the machine exhibited in the end elevation, in
Fig. 4, is termed the front part or front end, while the opposite end, or that
shewn at Fig. 5, may be designated as the rear end of the machine; and
I make mention of this in order that the application of the words "forwards,"
"backwards," "front," or "rear," or other words of like import herein-before
used, may be correctly understood.
Having now pointed out the various parts which constitute the improved
file-cutting machine, and described their several uses, I will briefly recapitulate
the working of the parts, in order that their combined movements may be fully

page_text: .
understood. A file or rasp blank, suitably prepared in the usual way, is
secured in the puppets Y, Z, of the carriage W, which carriage is drawn to
the front of the machine before the operation of cutting the blank is com-
menced, and the clutch v is brought into contact with the clutch box of the fly
wheel c. Rotary motion being thus communicated to the shaft B, the disc D.
is caused to revolve, and, through the connecting rod G, give a vibrating
motion to upright lever H. The upper end of this lever H being connected
with the carriage L, will cause it to slide forward and operate. the pressing
apparatus P, Q, and T, by which means the pressure for the cut of the teeth
is given to the chisels U.
One tooth having been thus made on each side of
the file or rasp blank, it is necessary to move the carriage W forward a suffi-
cient distance to allow the chisels U. to cut a second tooth at a suitable
distance from the first. This is effected by giving a partial rotation to the
screw c, which connects the carriage W with the fixed framing. For this
purpose a stud p is attached to the connecting rod G, and is placed in such a
inanner as to come in contact (at every throw of the rod G) with the pendant.
arm of the lever'n, which lever, through its connecting rod m, gives an upward
motion to the rack k when thus acted on by the stud p. While the machine
is in operation, the rack is in gear with the cog wheel, which is mounted
loosely on the shaft of the screw c, and being provided with a click or pawle i,
which takes into the teeth of a ratchet wheel g, fixed on the shaft of the
screw c, the upward motion of the rack causes the wheel 9 to partially rotate,
and thus gives the required inward motion to the screw c for producing the
gradual inward progress of the carriage W with the blank. I will not here
repeat the means of modifying the amount of the upward rise of the rack k, or
the action of the parts for throwing it out of gear with the wheel h, as they will
be fully understood by the foregoing description; but I will now proceed to
shew the connection of the various parts for adjusting the pressure of the
chisels or cutters to the increase in the thickness of the blank. The throw of
the connecting rod G (which is invariable when once set) being the immediate
cause of the forward motion of the carriage L, which motion produces the
closing of the chisels on to the blank, it will be readily understood that if the
relative movements of these parts are absolute, the chisels will meet at a
uniform distance apart, and thus, when the blank increases in thickness, pro-
duce too deep a cut. To remedy this, the upright lever H, which conveys the
motion of the connecting rod G to the carriage L, is made to vibrate on a
moveable fulcrum or pivot in the bent bar h', which is itself supported by the
sliding bar. g. When, therefore, a proper forward motion is given to the
carriage L to insure the right action of the cutting or pressing apparatus, the

page_text: surplus motion of the lever H is thrown to its other end, and thereby the bar
gis slidden forward. This bar is retained in the position it has thus taken by
a finger or catch ', which drops into a notch in the end of the bar; but this
catch being made to rise and fall at every rotation of the disc D (as was pre-
viously explained), the bar g' will be allowed to slide back, and permit the
lever H to regain its position. It is, however, necessary to give a certain
amount of bite to the chisels, and for this purpose a shifting weight is employed,
the progress of which along the bar z has been fully described. The bar g',
being connected by a cord s¹ to the pulley t¹, when thrust forwards causes that
pulley to partially rotate, and thus to wind up a portion of a cord w' on to the
cam v', which is fixed on the shaft of the pulley t¹. This cord w' is coil'd
round a pulley x', and attached thereto; and from the same pulley a cord y¹
depends, which is attached to the weighted bar ¹. It will therefore be seen
that as the leverage of the weight is increased, so will the resistance to the
forward motion of the bar g' be increased, and thus the relief given to the
lever H will be regulated, which lever, as before explained, if working on a sta-
tionary fulcrum, would always communicate the same amount of forward motion
to the carriage L. The increase in the thickness of the blank under operation,
at the same time that it presents an obstruction to the uniform closing of the
chisels, renders it necessary that the pressing levers in connection with their
holders should be adjusted to such increase. This increased thickness being,
in fact, the cause of the forward motion of the sliding bar g', the motion which
that bar conveys to the axle of the pulley t¹ is employed to draw the inner
ends of the pressers P together, and thus to decrease the proximity of the
cutting edges when they close upon the blank. A circular plate m³, mounted
on the shaft u' of the pulley t¹, being connected to the pawle lever by the
chain, raises the pawle of that lever into contact with the ratchet wheel h³
of the screw shaft d³; and when the carriage L on which that shaft is mounted
moves forward, the ratchet wheel is forced round one tooth by its contact with
the pawle, and thus through the action of the screws e, f, the sliding pieces
0, 0, are made to approach and draw the ends of the pressers P nearer together,
whereby the chisels are adjusted.
Having now described the nature of the Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be carried into operation, I wish it to be understood that
I claim, under the above in part recited Letters Patent,-.
First, the general arrangement of machinery as above described and set forth
in the accompanying Sheets of Drawings, whereby the teeth of a file or rasp
may be produced on a blank with great uniformity, and on the opposite sides
of a blank, at one and the same operation...

page_text: And I claim, in combination with the apparatus which operates the cutters
or chisels, the power-compensating mechanism, whereby by the action of a
weight on a cam or eccentric I am enabled to create an additional power to
operate on the chisels, which shall be a compensation or equivalent for the
loss of power which takes place in the progressive levers as the file increases in
thickness, and while the operation of cutting it from its small end towards its
middle part is going on.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Winslow, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-seven.
Taken and acknowledged by George
Winslow (party hereto), at Boston,
in the United States of America,
the Fifteenth day of December,
One thousand eight hundred and
GEORGE (L.s.) WINSLOW.