IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR TURNING SHAFTS, SPINDLES, AND OTHER LIKE CYLINDRICAL ARTICLES
Year: 1884

page_text: I EDWIN POWLEY ALEXANDER of 36 Southampton Buildings in the County of
Middlesex Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents do hereby declare the nature
of said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR TURNING
SHAFTS, SPINDLES, AND OTHER LIKE CYLINDRICAL ARTICLES" (a communication to
me from abroad by Japy Brothers and Company of Paris in the Republic of France
Manufacturers) to be as follows:-
This invention relates to certain combinations and arrangements of parts con-
stituting a self acting machine for turning cylindrical shafts spindles and other like
articles the feed being effected by the action of the turning tools alone without the
intervention of any special. mechanism for traversing either the work to be turned
or the tool holder. The improved turning machine may be constructed according
to two arrangements one of which when used as a parallel lathe, dispenses with the
use of screws or gearing hitherto employed for imparting the to-and-fro longi-
tudinal motion to the tool. The second arrangement may be constructed on the
principle of a screw cutting machine.
In both arrangements however the tool consists of a screw plate or die serving
to feed the shaft longitudinally or to traverse the tool carrier as the case may be
and at the same time to rough out the work in combination with a number of
cutters placed immediately behind the screw plate or die for the purpose of
finishing the work commenced thereby. The screwplate serves also to support
the shaft or spindle to be turned and thus enables one of the cone supports to be
dispensed with. The advantages of the improved machine are as follows:-
1. It admits of the increasing at will and as may be found requisite the number
of the cutters and as regard sthe screw plate the number of working teeth, the work
being proportional to the number of tools in contact with the material. The screw
plate or die may be replaced by a series of cutters arranged in the form of a comb.
2. The work executed by turning the shaft or the tool is proportional to the
pitch of the screw plate.

page_text: For a shaft say of 30 m/m a pitch of 3 m/m may be used whilst in the ordinary
lathe the pitch is only about 0 m/m 5 hence the work is accomplished six times more
quickly with the improved machine than with the lathe.
3. By the aid of the second arrangement shafts of any indefinite length can be
turned.
In both arrangements the machine is entirely automatic and one workman can
attend to several of such machines.
In the first arrangement the apparatus is mounted on a lathe bed provided with
back centre for shafts of a certain diameter; the tool being caused to travel along
the bed.
I.
The tool consists of a carrier through which the work is passed which carrier
travels along the bed and carries four radially disposed cutters with their regulating
screws. A circular screw plate or die is fixed to a second or outer plate by screws
which outer plate is also fixed by screws to the carrier.
The release of the material removed is facilitated by inclining the lower portion
of the aperture in the carrier through which the shaft to be turned is passed.
In commencing work the tool is brought over the back centre (which should have
the same diameter as the finished shaft) the cutters brought to bear exactly at their
points by the regulating screws and then fixed by set screws. The lathe is now
put in motion and the tool pressed gently forward to engage the screw plate or
die.
In the Second Arrangement the tool is fixed on the lathe mandrel and turns with
it whilst the shaft which does not revolve is supported by being passed through a
cross bar.
In this arrangement if desired the tool may be mounted on the cross bar and the
shaft made to turn along with the lathe mandrel...
The mandrel being made hollow or tubular for the passage through it of the
shaft any length of shaft can be turned in,this machine..
'I'
This second arrangement of machine may be mounted in two ways namely either,
to engage, the shaft to be turned at the front end as in a screw tapping machine or
at the rear by pushing back, the tool.
2
In the latter case the cross bar serves to maintain or support the shaft in the
direction of the axis of the machine and to prevent it turning.
When one shaft leaves the screw plate a fresh one can be immediately engaged
there with so as to cause the first which is still held by the cutters, to pass out."
Dated this sixteenth day of October 1884
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page_text: ... 1
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
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1)
I EDWIN POWLEY ALEXANDER of 36 Southampton Buildings in the County of
Middlesex Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents do hereby declare the nature
of the said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR
TURNING, SHAFTS SPINDLES AND OTHER LIKE CYLINDRICAL ARTICLES" (a communi-
cation to me from abroad by Japy Brothers and Company of Paris in the Republic
of France Manufacturers) 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 certain combinations and arrangements of parts con-
stituting a self acting machine for turning cylindrical shafts spindles and other like:
articles the feed being effected by the action of the turning tools alone without the
intervention of any special mechanism for traversing either the work to be turned
or the tool holder. The improved turning machine may be constructed according
to two arrangements one of which when used as a parallel lathe dispenses entirely
with the use of screws or gearing hitherto employed for imparting the to-and-fro
longitudinal motion to the tool. The second arrangement may be constructed on
the principle of a screw cutting machine. In both arrangements however the tool
consists of a screw plate or die serving to feed the shaft longitudinally or to traverse
the tool carrier as the case may be and at the same time to rough out the work, in
combination with a number of cutters placed immediately behind the screw plate.
or die for the purpose of finishing the work commenced thereby.
The screw plate or die serves also to support the shaft or spindle to be turned.
and thus enables one of the cone supports to be dispensed with.,
The advantages of the improved machine are as follows:-
1. It admits of the increasing at will and as may be found requisite the number
of the cutters, and, as regards the screw plate the number of working teeth, the
work being proportional to the number of tools in contact with the material. The
screw plate or die may be replaced by a series of cutters arranged in the form of a
comb.
2. The work executed by turning the shaft or the tool is proportional to the
pitch of the screw plate. For a shaft say of 30 m/m a. pitch of 3 / may be used
whilst in the ordinary lathe the pitch is only about 0 /m 5, hence the work is
accomplished 6 times more quickly with the improved machine than with the
parallel lathe.
3. By the aid of the second arrangement shafts of any indefinite length may be
turned.
In both arrangements the machine is entirely automatic and one workman can
attend to several of such machines.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a face view of the lathe mounted on a
bed and provided with a back centre for shafts of a certain diameter.
Figure 2 is a transverse section showing the face of the tool travelling on the
bed.
Figure 3 is a face view on a larger scale of the tool showing the position of the
cutters (four being here shown) with their regulating screws. The circular screw
plate A is fixed to the plate B by screws (four being shown in the Drawings)
which plate B is also fixed by screws to the carrier.
Figure 4 is a section through the centre of the tool the release of the material
removed being effected by the inclined plane P. This section shows the shaft
before, during, and after, turning..

page_text: In commencing to work 1st regulate or adjust the cutters, 2nd-bring the tool over
the back centre (which should have the same diameter as the finished shaft)
3rd bring the cutters to bear exactly at their points by the regulating screws c and
then fix them in place by the set screws d.
The Lathe is now put in motion and the tool pressed gently forward to engage
the screw plate or die.
:
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The shaft or spindle may be turned completely from end to end that is to say
the tool can pass beyond it by dispensing with the cutter bar and replacing the
centre by a plate drawing the shaft.
Figure 5 is a longitudinal view of the second arrangement of machine mounted
after the fashion of a screw cutting machine. The tool is fixed on the lathe
mandrel and turns with it whilst the shaft which does not revolve is supported by
being passed through a cross bar H. In this arrangement if desired the tool may
be mounted on the cross bar H and the shaft made: to turn along with the lathe
mandrel.
Figure 6 is an end view of the machine.
As the mandrel is made hollow or. tubular for the passage through it of the shaft
any length of shaft can be turned in this machine.
This second arrangement of machine may be mounted in two ways namely either
to engage the shaft to be turned at the front end as in a screw cutting machine or
at the rear by pushing back the tool.
In the latter case the cross bar H serves to maintain or support the shaft in the
direction of the axis of the machine and to prevent it from turning.
When one shaft leaves the screw plate a fresh one can be immediately engaged
therewith so as to cause the first which is still held by the cutters to pass out.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what'
I claim is
A self feeding turning machine or tool acting automatically or without the aid
of any intermediate appliances for traversing longitudinally either the shaft to be
turned, or the tool carrier, arranged and constructed substantially as herein before
described.
Dated th
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