A NEW AND USEFUL IMPROVEMENT IN NAIL MACHINES, OR THE FEEDING MECHANISM THEREFOR
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Cogswell Davis, of Boston, in the County of
Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, of the United States of America,
for the Invention of "A NEW AND USEFUL IMPROVEMENT IN NAIL MACHINES,
OR THE FEEDING MECHANISM THEREFOR."-A communication by Cyrus
Dexter Hunt, residing at Fairhaven, in the County of Bristol, and State
of Massachusetts.
Sealed the 27th February 1866, and dated the 18th November 1865.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Henry Cogswell Davis at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and Declara-
tion, on the 18th November 1865, pursuant to the 9th Section of the
Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, BE IT KNOWN
that I, HENRY COGSWELL DAVIS, of Boston, in the County of Suffolk, and
State of Massachusetts, of the United States of America, am in possession of
"A NEW AND USEFUL IMPROVEMENT IN NAIL MACHINES, OR THE FEEDING
MECHANISM THEREFOR," (the said Invention being a communication to me by
Cyrus Dexter Hunt, a person resident at Fairhaven, in the County of Bristol,
and State of Massachusetts,) and I do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, to be
fully described in the following Specification, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawings making a part thereof, and of which Figure 1 is a
top view, Figure 2 a side elevation, and Figure 3 a longitudinal section of my

page_text: improved cut nail machine feeder; Figure 4 is a view of the lower pawls and
their springs, to be herein-after described.
The nature of the said Invention consists in the construction and arrange-
ment of a double rack bar, two pawls, a lever, a spring, and a crank as
applied to a vibratory arm, and a shaft, the whole being substantially as
hereafter specified; the same constituting the feeding mechanism for a
machine for making cut nails.
In the Drawings, A denotes a vibratory arm or frame, which is mounted on
a slide plate (B), and turns horizontally on a pin or screw (a), which connects
the two. A cam (c) fixed on a shaft (E), and operating in a fork (D)
projecting down from the plate (B), serves to impart to the said plate a
reciprocating horizontal motion on the top of the frame or table F. A side
view of this cam and fork is shown in Figure 5. The two parts (b, b,) of
the frame (A) embrace near their outer ends a projection (c¹) extending up
from a stationary arm (d), the same being to cause the frame (A) to have a
vibratory motion when moved with the plate B. A bent lever (G), having its
fulcrum (d) sustained by the frame (A), is arranged within and extends
below and above such frame, and is formed in manner as shown in the
Drawings. The foot (e) of this lever rests on a cam (H) fixed on the
shaft (E), and formed as shown in Figure 6. On a cross head (f), making part
of the lever (G), and situated on the upper end thereof, are two pawls (I, I,)
which are forced towards each other and against a double rack bar (K) by
means of springs (9, 9,) projecting from the upper arm of the lever. The
said double rack bar (K) receives the nail plate (L), or has it fastened to its
larger end or head (h), the said nail plate being projected from the bar in
manner as exhibited in the Drawings. While the cam (H) serves to move
the lever (G) in one direction, a spring (M), arranged as represented in
Figures 2 and 3, answers to move it in the opposite direction. The rod or
double rack bar carrying the nail plates should be heavy enough to retain its
position on the projection (c¹) and in the fork of a rest or standard (N)
during the rearward movement of the pawls (I, I,) and the upper arm of the
lever supporting them. In the operation of this feeding apparatus the cam
answers the purpose of simply moving the lever in order to cause the
reversion of the pawls on the double rack bar, the spring (M) effecting the
feeding of the nail plate forward as fast as may be required. The end of
the nail plate brings up against a gauge of the machine, against which it is
forced by the said spring. Thus while each movement of the lever in order
to retract the pawls carries them back to one determined position, the
forward movement of the lever by being produced by the spring will be

page_text: certain to force the nail plate up to the gauge and hold it there, however the
nails cut from the plate may vary in width relatively to each other. The
said feeding apparatus is found to be very certain in its operation, and
generally to cause the nails made to be of a uniform size.
I claim the combination and arrangement of the double rack bar (K), the
pawls (I, I), the lever (G), the spring (M), and the cam (H), as applied to the
vibratory arm (A) and the shaft (E), substantially as specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Cogswell Davis, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this 25th October 1865.
HENRY COGSWELL DAVIS. (L.S.)