Improved Driving Gear for Lathes.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Feb., 1898-Accepted, 26th Mar., 1898
Improved Driving Gear for Lathes.
I, WILLIAM BUCKLEY, of Patent Piston Works, Millsands, Sheffield, Yorkshire,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention 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 sliding, surfacing, screw-cutting and other similar lathes,
and has for its objects to dispense with or avoid the use of the stepped cone driving
pulleys ordinarily used in such lathes for changing the speed thereof, and to provide
improved means of regulating the speed and purchase of the lathe according to the
diameter and requirements of the article to be turned or bored, which will enable a
much greater range of speed and of purchase, a much greater number of different
speeds and also speeds of much less difference to be obtained than can be obtained
with a stepped cone driving pulley.
To this end, the invention consists in the employment in such lathes, in
combination, of, a lathe main spindle and first and second counterspindles the rear
ends of all which spindles are respectively prolonged so as to extend beyond their
bearings and adapted to receive interchangeable change wheels ;--a series of change
wheels interchangeably applicable directly to and removable from such extending
spindle ends and adapted to serve either to connect the lathe main spindle and the
first counterspindle or to connect the two counterspindles, as may be required
according to the diameter and requirements of the article to be turned or bored and
to the required speed and purchase of the lathe main spindle:- - broad plain driving
pulley of one diameter (as distinguished from a stepped cone driving pulley of different
diameters as ordinarily used in such lathes as aforesaid) adapted to be driven at a
given or uniform speed independent of the speed or of the required different speeds
of the lathe main spindle, and serving to give a broad belt surface and a
uniform initial purchase (as distinguished from the repeatedly lesser initial purchase
which ensues when stepped cone driving pulleys are employed and the belt is shifted
from the larger to the smaller diameters of such pulleys to increase the speed of the
lathe) and gearing arranged between the headstock bearings and serving to connect
said driving pulley with the first counterspindle when the lathe main spindle and the
first counterspindle are connected by the change wheels, and to connect said driving
pulley with the second counterspindle, and the first counterspindle with the lathe
main spindle, when the first and second counterspindles are connected by the change
wheels; the whole being adapted to co-operate in such manner that the lathe main
spindle will be driven, from its rear end, directly by the first counterspindle, when
such two spindles are connected by the change wheels and the main spindle is
required to be driven at any of the higher range of speeds or for turning or boring
articles of small diameter, and will be driven, from its fore end, by the gearing
between the headstock bearings, when the first and second counterspindles are
connected by the change wheels and the main spindle is required to be driven at any
of the lower range of speeds or for turning or boring articles of large diameter, and
that, between the extremes of such lower and higher ranges of speed, the gradations
of change may be regular and of small difference and in number determined by that

page_text: of the change wheels employed and interchangeably applicable as aforesaid; and,
whereby, a much greater number of different speeds and with regular gradations of
much less difference can be obtained than can be obtained with a stepped cone speed
changing pulley, so that the lathe is rendered much more generally applicable and
can be worked in a much more efficient manner than ordinary lathes having a stepped 5
cone speed changing pulley, and can turn out a greatly increased quantity of work,
not being subject to the loss of initial purchase of the belt pulley (whatever be the
required changes of speed of the lathe main spindle) inherent to the use of stepped
cone speed changing pulleys.
On the drawings, like reference letters indicate like parts wherever repeated, and 1
Figs. 1, 3, 5, and 2, 4, 6, respectively represent plans, partly in section, and end
elevations of the same headstock, showing different connections of the parts as
hereinafter more particularly referred to; and Figs. 7, and 8, respectively represent
a plan, partly in section, and an end elevation of a modification or further application
of the invention, also hereinafter more particularly referred to.
a, represents the main spindle, and a¹, its prolonged end, having a projecting
key, a, dovetailed thereinto. b, represents the first counterspindle, and b', its
prolonged end, having a projecting key, 6%, dovetailed thereinto, and c, represents the
second counterspindle, and c³, its prolonged end having a projecting key, c², dovetailed
thereinto: all such spindles being mounted in the headstock bearings, d, d¹, or d, d²,
respectively, and their prolonged key fitted ends, a², b, c, extending beyond the rear
bearings d, as most clearly shown in Figs. 1, and 2, in which the spindle ends are
shown without being fitted with the removable change wheels. e, represents the
change wheels which have recessed key ways, el, cut therein and are interchangeably
applicable to the key fitted ends of the spindles, a, b, c, either for connecting the
spindles, b, a, at one time, or for connecting the spindles, c, b, at another time,
accordingly as required; and a³, represents the broad plain band driving pulley of
one diameter.
In the arrangement of gearing between the headstock bearings represented on the
drawings, the lathe main spindle, a, carries the pulley, a³, which runs freely thereon
and is fast to a pinion, at, and also a wheel, as, which is fast to the spindle. The
first counterspindle, b, carries a wheel, 63, which runs freely thereon and is driven by
the pinion, a, and is fast to a pinion, 64, and also a pinion, 65, which can be slid along
the spindle into or out of gear with the wheel, as, but is keyed to the spindle so as
to be rotated thereby, and also a clutch plate, 6º, which is fast to the spindle, and to
which the wheel, 63, may, when required, be connected by suitable clutch details, 67.
And the second counter spindle, c, carries a wheel, c³, which can be slid along the
spindle into or out of gear with the pinion, 6+, but is keyed to the spindle so as to
rotate the same.
This arrangement of gearing permits of the lathe being driven double geared (vide
Figs. 3, and 4,) for turning or boring the smaller diameters and working at the
higher range of speeds, the lathe main spindle, a, then being driven, at its rear end,
from the band pulley, as, through the gearing aª, 6³, clutch plate, 60, spindle, b, and
the change wheels, e, connecting the spindles, b, a;-and the wheel, c³, and pinion, 65,
being slid along their respective spindles, c, b, out of engagement respectively with
the pinion, 6+, and the wheel, a; or, of the lathe being driven quadruple geared
(vide Figs. 5, and 6,) for turning or boring the larger diameters and working at the
lower range of speeds, the lathe main spindle, a, then being driven, at its fore end,
from the band pulley, a³, through the gearing, a, b, b, c, spindle, c, change
wheels, e, connecting the spindles c, b, spindle, b, pinion, 65, and wheel, a³ ;—and the
wheel, 68, being disconnected from the clutch plate, 6º.
The advantage obtained by the prolongation, as aforesaid, of the ends of the three
said spindles, namely:-the lathe main spindle and the first and second counter-
spindles conjunctively, and conjunctively with the use of the change wheels directly
applicable to and removable from the projecting spindle ends and interchangeably
applicable for connecting the first counterspindle and the lathe main spindle, or the
two counterspindles, as may be required, and with the gearing arranged between the
1

page_text: headstock bearings, is the ready adaptability of the double geared arrangement
(Figs. 3, and 4,) for small diameters and quick speeds, in which arrangement the
largest change wheel when applied to the first counterspindle and driving the smallest
change wheel applied to the lathe main spindle, neutralizes the purchase of the
pinion, a, and wheel, 63, and causes the purchase of the lathe to commence at zero,
from which point the purchase may be gradually increased by steps of small and
regular gradation (providing the change wheels are applied in their proper order of
rotation to the spindles, b, a, until eventually the smallest change wheel applied to
the first counterspindle drives the largest change wheel applied to the lathe main
spindle) until the total purchase of both such pairs of wheels (namely, the change
wheels connecting the spindles, b, a, and the pinion, a*, and wheel, 6³,) is available;
and also the like ready adaptability of the quadruple geared arrangement (Figs. 5,
and 6,) for large diameters and slow speeds, in cases wherein a greater purchase is
required than can be obtained by said double geared arrangement, in enabling the
whole of the gearing between the headstock bearings to be employed conjunctively
with change wheels connecting the counterspindles, c, b, thereby giving a further
range of purchase beyond that obtainable with the double geared arrangement, and
which, in like manner as aforesaid, namely, by the application of the change wheels
to the counterspindles, c, b, in their proper order of rotation, beginning with the
largest change wheel applied to the counterspindle, c, driving the smallest change
wheel applied to the counterspindle, b, and ending with the sinallest change wheel
applied to the counterspindle, c, driving the largest change wheel applied to the
counterspindle, b,) can be increased by steps of small and regular gradation until the
maximum purchase of the lathe obtainable with the change wheels so applied and
with the gearing between the headstock bearings is reached.
Figs. 7, and 8, represent the application of the invention to lathes in which purchase
is obtained by means of an internal wheel, a, applied to the back of a face plate, a³,
mounted on the lathe main spindle, and in which lathes a still further range of
purchase than that obtainable with the arrangement of change wheels and gearing
described with reference to Figs. 5, and 6, can be obtained by means of a pinion, b",
applied to the first counterspindle and gearing with the internal wheel, a', applied to
the face plate.
In this arrangement, the first counterspindle, b, is prolonged at 6º, beyond its fore
bearing, d', and carries a clutch plate, 10, made fast to it, and also the pinion, 65,
which, while the face plate, a', is driven by the lathe main, spindle, as in Figs. 5,
and 6, and until said further range of purchase is required, runs loosely on the
counterspindle, but, when the said further range of purchase is required, is made fast
to the clutch plate, 610, while the pinion, 65, on the counterspindle is slid out of
engagement with the wheel, a, on the lathe main spindle, so that the lathe face
plate then driven from the belt pulley, a³, by the means described with reference
to Figs. 5, and 6, excepting that, in lieu of the pinion, b, gearing with the wheel, a³,
the pinion, bs, gears with the wheel, a, and, in like manner as aforesaid, said further
range of purchase is obtained in successive steps of small and regular gradation from
the minimum to the maximum by applying the change wheels to the counter-
spindles, c, b, in their proper order of rotation beginning and ending as hereinbefore
described with reference to Figs. 5, and 6.
As herein before described, the first counterspindle, b, is supposed to be arranged
equidistant from the lathe main spindle, a, and from the second counterspindle, c, and
is preferably so arranged, as, in such case, the same series of change wheels, e, may
be interchangeably used to connect either the first counterspindle and the lathe main
spindle, or the two counterspindles; but, the counterspindle, b, need not necessarily
be so arranged, as it may be arranged differently distant from the main spindle, a
and from the counterspindle, c, but not so advantageously, as then the same series of
change wheels used to connect the one pair of spindles, say, for example, the counter-
spindle, b, and the main spindle, a, may not, as regards all thereof, be usable to
connect the other pair of spindles, namely, the two counterspindles, and, consequently,

page_text: a larger number of change wheels would, in such case, be required to effect the object
attained by the interchangeable series of change wheels.
I would also remark that the gearing between the headstock bearings need not
necessarily be of the exact arrangement represented on the drawings, as other
equivalent arrangements of gearing adapted to serve the like functions may be used
in lieu thereof.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
In lathes of the nature aforesaid;-
-
1. In combination ;-a lathe main spindle and first and second counterspindles the
rear ends of all which spindles are prolonged beyond their bearings and adapted to
receive interchangeable change wheels;-a series of change wheels interchangeably
applicable directly to (and removable from) such prolonged spindle ends so as either
to connect the first counterspindle and the lathe main spindle or to connect the two
counterspindles;-a broad plain driving pulley of one diameter adapted to be driven at
a uniform speed independent of the speed or of the different speeds of the lathe main
spindle and to give a uniform initial purchase; and gearing arranged between the
headstock bearings and serving to connect the driving pulley with the first counter-
spindle, or with the second counterspindle and the first counterspindle with the lathe
main spindle-when adapted to co-operate as hereinbefore described with reference
to Figs. 3, to 6, of the drawings.
2. The modification or further application of the invention herein before described
with reference to Figs. 7, and 8, of the drawings.
3. In such lathes, in combination ;-a lathe main spindle the rear end of which is
prolonged beyond its bearing;-first and second counterspindles the rear ends of which
are respectively prolonged beyond their bearings ;-a series of interchangeable driving
change wheels directly applicable to (and removable from) all such prolonged spindle
ends and serving either to directly connect the first counterspindle with the lathe
main spindle, at its rear end, when required for turning small diameters or at quick
speeds, or to directly connect the first and second counterspindles and to actuate the
main spindle, at its fore part, through gearing arranged between the headstock
bearings, or to actuate a face plate on the lathe main spindle through gearing arranged
between and in advance of the headstock bearings, when required for turning large
diameters or at slow speeds, substantially as herein before described.
T1000
DAY, DAVIES & HUNT,
Chartered Patent Agents, 321, High Holborn, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.