Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Feb., 1887
Complete Left, 3rd Nov., 1887
Complete Accepted, 6th Dec., 1887
1, DANIEL SMITH, Junior, of Raglan Street, Wolverhampton, in the County of
Stafford, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to construct a machine to shear a sheet more
accurately than hitherto and to effect this purpose the sheet to be sheared is gripped
by a grip-bar and held firmly in position as determined upon by gauges. This
invention has also for its object to edge a sheet by means of the shearing blades.
A machine constructed according to this invention consists of a grip-bar to hold
the sheet to be sheared, such bar being raised and lowered by mechanism afterwards
to be described, and the sheet is adjusted in position against suitable gauges ; and a
shear arm of the gullotine type.
The shear arm is carried at each end in guides fixed to the bed of the machine.
The grip-bar is carried immediately in front of the shear arm and is supported at
front of the guides carrying such arm. Each end of such grip-bar projects beyond
its respective guide and is formed with a snug through which a pin passes. These
pins have shoulders thereon and the snugs have corresponding shoulders formed in
them, and between these shoulders are spiral springs, such springs fitting around the
pins aforesaid. The pins project through the top of the snugs and are tightened up,
against the springs, by means of nuts. Each pin has a flat part formed on its lower
end and on each side of such flat part a link or strap is fixed. The lower ends of
these straps or links are connected to levers, to be subsequently described, which
operate to move the grip-bar up and down.
A
The main shaft of the machine is carried below the shear arm and grip-bar, and
has a cam fixed at each end, such cams being for the purpose of bearing upon the
levers before mentioned for depressing the grip-bar. On the outside face of each
cam is formed a ring of metal excentric with the centre of the shaft and cams.
connecting rod fits around each of the rings or excentrics and their upper ends fit
around the shaft of the shear arm and are held in position by means of collars. It
will thus be seen that as the main shaft revolves it imparts an upward and downward
motion to the shear arm through the instrumentality of the connecting rods, aforesaid,
fixed at opposite ends of such arm.

page_text: Immediately below the excentrics and cams are placed the levers for depressing the
grip-bar. These levers are fulcrumed at their ends remote from the grip-bar, and a
boxed out part of each lever has a pin through it carrying a roller. The cams,
aforesaid, bear upon these rollers and of course cause the levers to turn downwards
upon their fulcrums, and as they descend they bring down also the grip-har which
is connected to such levers, at each end, by means of the straps or links before
mentioned.
For the purpose of raising the grip-bar to admit of the withdrawal of a sheet and
the insertion of another the end of each lever remote from its fulcrum is slotted and
through each of such slotted parts a rod is passed. Such rods are screwed at their
lower ends to feet projecting from the bed of the machine. Between these feet and
the undersides of the levers are placed spiral springs fitting around the rods
aforesaid. It will now readily be seen that as the levers are depressed (by means of
the cams bearing upon the rollers in such levers) that these springs are in compression
and remain so as long as the cams bear upon them, that is whilst the sheet is being
sheared, but immediately the cams revolve off the rollers the springs force up the
levers and grip-bar.
For the purpose of admitting of the shearing of varying thicknesses of sheets the
top ends of the rods (around which the springs for raising the grip-bar are coiled)
are screwed, that is the ends projecting above the top faces of the levers and such
screwed parts are provided with nuts, and thus if a thin sheet is to be sheared these
nuts are tightened and vice versa. If preferred, by simply disconnecting the links
from the grip-bar, and raising such grip-bar any thickness of sheet can be sheared.
For the purpose of shearing a sheet which has beadings or mouldings on it, the
grip-bar is formed with several notches, spaced at intervals on its underside, that is
the side that grips the sheet, and the sheet to be sheared, which has mouldings
thereon, is adjusted by fixed gauges so that such mouldings come under the notches.
If sheets of great length are to be sheared the machine may be made open-ended
and the sheets he fed in endways.
By means of the grip-bar acting in combination with the shear blides I can readily
edge a sheet. To effect this purpose the guides carrying the shear arm and grip-bar
are set back not less than the thickness of the sheet to be edged, by means of pins
passing through cars standing up from the bed of the machine and provided with
lock nuts (or by any convenient means) and thus as the shear arm descends it edges
down the sheet into the form of a right angle. The grip-bar pressing close on the edge
of the sheet to be edged ensures a perfectly straight edge, and hitherto it has been
impracticable to edge a sheet in this manner on account of the tendency of the
sheet to rise upwards from the table whilst the arm descended.
A machine, constructed as above described, may be provided with any suitable
clutch mechanism which operates to give one revolution to the main shaft and throws
the machine out of gear when the shear arm and grip-bar are in their upward
position; or such machine may be operated by hand.
Dated this Seventh day of February 1887.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Shearing and Edging Sheet Metal.
I, DANIEL SMITH, Junior, of Raglan Street, Wolverhampton in the County of
Stafford, 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, reference being had to the accompanying drawings
and the letters of reference marked thereon:-
The object of this invention is to construct a machine to shear a sheet more
accurately than hitherto and to effect this purpose the sheet to be sheared is gripped
by a bar, hereinafter called the grip-bar, and held firmly in position, as determined
upon by guages. This invention has also for its object to edge a sheet by means of
the shearing blades.
This invention will be readily understood on reference to the figures on
sheets 1 and 2 herewith. Figure 1 is a front view of a machine constructed
according to this invention, and figure 2 is a view looking in the direction of the
arrow a figure 1.
A is the grip-bar which is carried immediately in front of the shear arm as shewn.
a a etc. are straps or links connected to the bar A by means of pins e e. The lower
ends of these links are connected to side levers BB. These levers are fulcrumed
at at one end, and the opposite ends are boxed out to carry rollers c c.
Care
cams keyed to the crank-shaft. D D are spiral springs around rods d d and these
springs bear up against the underside of the levers B B as shewn.
When it is desired to shear a sheet, such sheet is adjusted against suitable guages
and the parts of the machine are in the position shewn by the drawings. When
motion is imparted to the machine the cams CC depress the levers BB and
consequently cause the grip-bar A to grip the sheet to be sheared whilst such shearing
takes place. When the cams revolve off the rollers the springs D D force up the
levers B B and consequently also the grip-bar A, when the parts are in position for
the insertion of a fresh sheet.
I prefer to form holes in the grip-bar as shewn and these holes enable the
operator to ascertain if the edge of the sheet being sheared is in proper position for
the purpose.
For the purpose of admitting of the shearing of varying thicknesses of sheets the
pins ee have shoulders formed thereon as shewn by figure 1. The ends of the
grip-bar A, through which these pins pass, have also shoulders therein, and between
these shoulders are placed spiral springs. It will readily be seen that if a thin sheet
is to be gripped the nuts ff are tightened, and if a thick sheet is to be gripped the
nuts will be slackened.
For the purpose of shearing a sheet which has beadings or mouldings on it the
grip-bar is formed with several notches spaced at intervals on its underside, that

page_text: is the side that grips the sheet, and the sheet to be sheared, which has mouldings
thereon, is adjusted by fixed guages so that such mouldings come under the notches.
If sheets of great length are to be sheared the machine may be made open-ended
and the sheets be fed in endways.
The machine above-described is shewn to be worked by band; but such machine
may readily be worked by power by taking off the fly wheel E and replacing with a
pulley. A clutch, of any suitable description, would of course be employed.
By means of the grip-bar acting in combination with the shear blades I can readily
edge a sheet. To effect this purpose the guides carrying the shear arm and grip-bar
are set back, not less than the thickness of the sheet to be edged, by means of pins,
or any convenient means, and thus as the shear arm descends it edges down the sheet
at right angles to the plane thereof. The grip-bar pressing close on the edge of the
sheet to be edged ensures a perfectly straight edge and hitherto it has been
impracticable to edge a sheet in this manner on account of the tendency of the sheet
to rise upwards from the table whilst the arm descended.
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 :-
1. The grip-bar A acting in combination with the links a a and side levers B B
substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.
2. The side levers B B, and rollers cc, substantially as and for the purpose set
forth.
3. Adjusting the grip-bar (so as to admit of varying thicknesses of sheeis) by
means of pins e e and springs in end of such bar, substantially as described.
4. Edging a sheet substantially as described and shewn.
5. The grip-bar A acting in combination with the guides, adjustable, by means of
pins, or other convenient means, for the purpose of edging a sheet substantially as
described and shown.
Dated this Second day of November 1887.