IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY AND APPARATUS FOR GRINDING AND TURNING METALS.
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Hiram Barker, of Manchester, in the County
of Lancaster, Engineer and Tool Maker, and Francis Holt, of
Manchester aforesaid, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY AND APPARATUS FOR GRINDING AND TURNING
METALS.'
Sealed the 12th December 1858, and dated the 20th June 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Hiram Barker and
Francis Holt at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 20th June 1853.
We, HIRAM BARKER and FRANCIS HOLT, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY AND
APPARATUS FOR GRINDING AND TURNING METALS "to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists, first, in a combination of parts for grinding
spheres, particularly applicable for making ball valves. The cast metal
balls, as they come from the foundry, are placed between two metal
discs, each disc being furnished with a circular grooved recess into
which the balls are put along with pieces of wood or other substances
to keep them separate from each other; one of the discs is stationary,

page_text: and the other revolves, and they are both immersed in a cistern or
chamber containing emery and water, or any other grinding material;
the two discs are pressed together, and the rotary motion given to one
of them causes the balls to rub against the discs, thereby grinding their
surfaces into regular spheres. Secondly, in an improved mode of
reversing the direction of motion in a lathe or other machine for turn-
ing; this is effected by attaching a slide reaching from near the centre
to the circumference to the back of a face plate; into this slide a stud
projecting from a slot lever attached to the end of the back shaft
enters; consequently, when the back shaft revolves the stud, which is
adjustable in the slot lever, causes the face plate to move through part
of a revolution, and then back again, producing a slow motion for cut-
ting and a quick return. Thirdly, in an improved mode of producing
irregular forms, such as cutters for cutting the teeth of wheels, &c., &c.
The cutting tool is fixed in the short end of a bar furnished with a
spherical projection joined to the ordinary hand rest socket, the other
end of this bar is longer, and brought in contact with the template or
shaper of the required form, and multiplied to any extent that may be
thought necessary. Fourthly, in an improved maundrill for turning,
consisting of a bar of iron made conical in one part, and having a screw
and nut near the small end of the conc; a bush furnished with a conica!
hole, and split open in one place, fits on the conical part; the object to
be turned having been put on the bush, the screw nut is tightened up
against the bush, thereby forcing it partially up the cone, and expand-
ing the bush; by this means the object to be turned is securely held on
the maundril, which is then put in the lathe, and the object turned in
the usual manner. By slackening the screw nut the object on the
maundril is at liberty to be taken off, thereby saving much time and
labor. In some cases the screw and screw nut may be dispensed with,
and the bush tightened on the cone by a tool brought against the loose
head centre, which, for all light turning for machine purposes, will be
suflicient. In some cases, also, the cone may be cast or wrought with
a plate by which the maundril is fixed to the face plate.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Hiram Barker and Francis Holt in the Great
Seal Patent Office, on the 20th December 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we,
HIRAM BARKER, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer
and Tool Maker, and FRANCIS HOLT, of Manchester aforesaid, En-
gineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS IIer most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the seven-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Hiram Barker and Francis Holt, Her
special license that we, the said Hiram Barker and Francis Holt, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
Hiram Barker and Francis Holt, our 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, and Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY AND
APPARATUS FOR GRINDING AND TURNING METALS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said Iliram Barker and Francis Holt,
by an instrument in writing under our hands and scals, or under the
hand and seal of either of us, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
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 we, the said Hiram Barker and Francis
Holt, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement (that is to say):
Our Invention, consists, first, in an improved combination of parts
for grinding metal balls to make them spherical. Secondly, in an

page_text: improved combination of machinery applicable to lathes for turning for
giving a reciprocating motion to the face plate. Thirdly, in an im-
proved mandril or tool on which articles to be turned are fixed. And,
lastly, in an improved combination of machinery for turning articles of
a definite shape. And in order that our Invention may be fully under-
stood, and readily carried into effect, we will proceed to describe the
means pursued by us, reference being, had to the annexed Sheet of
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1, is a sectional elevation, and Figure 2, a plan, with the
cover removed, of our improved combination of parts for grinding balls.
a, is a metal chamber or dish, and b, is a lid or cover; grooves are
turned in this dish and in the lid corresponding to the size of the
metal balls to be ground; these balls are marked c. c. in Figure 2; and
d, d, are blocks of wood or other suitable material placed between the
metal balls to keep them asunder. The lid, is furnished with a square
shank 6', in order that motion may be given to it by the spindle of a
drilling machine, or in any other convenient manner. The balls to be
ground are taken in the state they leave the foundry, and put into the
groove of the dish a; emery and water, or other suitable grinding ma-
terials, are then added, and the lid b, is put on; rotary motion is then
given to the lid, and if the lid itself is not sufficiently heavy, pressure
must be given to increase the action on the balls to be ground. It has
been found from experience that six brass balls of two inches in dia-
meter can be ground sufficiently spherical to act as valves of locomotive
engine pumps in six or seven hours, thereby producing a great saving
in labour, as such ball valves are generally turned by hand. Figure 3,
is an elevation, and Figure 4, a plan of our improved machinery for
giving a reciprocating motion to the face plate of a lathe; e, is part of
the spindle of a lathe; f, the face plate; and y, the back shaft, to the
end of which is fixed a slot lever g; this lever has an adjustable stud
, the end of which takes into a sliding block f', fitting in the slot
plate f, bolted to the face plate. When the lathe is in motion the
back shaft in revolving imparts a reciprocating motion to the face

page_text: plate f, the amount of which can be increased or diminished by bring-
ing the stud, nearer to or further from the centre of the back shaft.
Figures 5, and 6, represent two views of one of our improved man-
drils; h, is a plate to be bolted to the face plate of a lathe; in this case
the plate h, is shewn as forming part of the conical arbor i, on which
fits the shell or bush j, which is cut open at j', and is forced on to the
arbor i, by the nut j². When a wheel or other article to be turned
is put on this improved mandril the outer diameter of the shell j, must
be such that the hole in the wheel or other article will fit easily on it;
the workman by then turning round the nut j, forces the shell gra-
dually on to the conical arbor i, the action of which expands the split
shell, and causes its outer cylindrical surface to fit tightly the hole in
the wheel or other article to be turned; by this means much labor is
saved, and the injury caused by driving the mandril into the hole of the
article to be turned is avoided. By unscrewing the nut j, the wheel
or other article on the mandril is set at liberty. In some cases the
screw and screw nut may be dispensed with, and the shell tightened
on the cone by a tube brought against and acted upon by the loose
headstock centre; this mode of construction is particularly applicable
for light work. Figures 7, and 8, represent two views of our improved
combination of machinery for turning articles of a definite shape, such
as the heads of screw bolts, or the cutters for cutting the teeth of
wheels, or other articles; 1, is part of the bed of a lathe; m, is the
socket of the common hand rest; in this socket is supported the shank
of the circular plate n, which is provided with a lid n; o, is a bar,
which has a spherical projection on it fitting in a spherical recess in
the plate n, and lid ; the shorter end of this bar has a cutter o', fitted
into it, and the longer end, which serves as a handle, is held in contact
with and moved along the edge of the template or shaper plate p, by
the operator. This shaper plate p, is bolted to a bracket p', fixed by
a bolt to the lathe bed, as shewn in Figure 7. The distance of the
shaper plate from the centre of the lathe can be varied by passing the
bolt which holds it to the lathe bed through any of the other holes in
the bracket p'. When the article to be turned has been fixed in the
lathe, the attendant by moving the long end of the bar o, along the

page_text: edge of the shaper plate p, imparts a corresponding motion to the cutter
o', thereby turning the article in the lathe to the same shape as the
template; but as the distance of the cutter to the fulcrum of the bar o,
is much less than the distance between the said fulcrum and the tem-
plate, it is evident that the cutter moves through a proportionably less
space, and consequently the article turned is reduced in size.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, we wish it to be understood that we do not limit
ourselves to the details herein set forth, as the sanie may be varied; but
what we do claim is, first, the improvements described and shewn in
Figures 1, and 2, for grinding metal balls to make them spherical.
Secondly, the improvements shewn and described in reference to
Figures 3, and 4, for imparting a reciprocating motion to face plates.
Thirdly, the improvements in mandrils, as shewn in Figures 5, and 6,
and as described. And, lastly, the improvements in turning articles of
a definite shape, as shewn and described in reference to Figures 7,
and 8.
In witness whereof, I, the said Hiram Barker, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of December, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
HIRAM BARKER. (L.S.)