Improvements in or relating to Metal-cutting Machines.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Oct., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 8th Aug., 1899-Accepted, 6th Oct., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Metal-cutting Machines.
I, MONTAGUE HERBERT CHURCHILL SHIANN, of 7, Thanet Place, Strand, in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to means for cutting metals, more particularly to means
for performing different operations on the one piece of work, without resetting
it, the improvements consisting of combinations of parts comprising a rotatable
swinging bridge and a tool holder or ram, and mechanisms for operating the
same to perform varying functions, such as milling boring drilling slotting etc.,
and for controlling and varying the speed of the cutting and feeding operations.
The improvements are exemplified in a typical machine described herein by
way of example only and not as limiting the invention to the form of construc-
tion disclosed.
In this tool there is a planing bed with a boring table superposed on it, the
table bearing at its circumference on the bed and having cone or other bearings
at its centre, preferably capable of a relieving adjustment to lessen the load on
the circumferential bearing. The main frame has a vertical pillar which carries
a slide preferably hand adjusted only. The slide has two lugs upon it in which
pins are rigidly fixed each with a cone and double lock-nut. Said pins project
outwards away from each other; on that slide is a rotary slide-carrier with lugs
through which the aforesaid pins extend each having a loose cone, solid collar,
washer and double-nut adjustment. The carrier is held as rigidly as a lathe
head whilst it can rotate about the axis of the beforementioned pins with absolute
accuracy.
On the rotary slide-carrier is a slide with an overhanging arm. Between the
outer end of the overhanging arm and the face of the slide is a rotatable bridge.
At each end of the rotatable bridge is a circular disc cast with it. The disc at
the inner end of the bridge is held up against the contiguous face of the slide
by a flange bearing on the face of the disc and supported on a circular distance-
piece cast on the slide. The edge or extreme circumference of the disc does
not have any bearing on the distance-piece and therefore does not aid in centre-
ing the disc. The centreing arrangement is similar to the centreing arrange-
ment of the rotatable slide carrier with the addition that one of the bearings is
split to form a jaw which can be tightened to grip the pin resting in it. The
rotation of the bridge is controlled by a worm and worm wheel. Any con-
venient locking device may be used for the bridge. On the rotating bridge is
a tool-carrying saddle. This saddle is adjusted preferably with the three-way
arrangement of bearing described in the Specification of prior Letters Patent
No. 22268 of 1897 granted to me.
The saddle carries a sliding ram or tool-bar preferably octagonal in transverse
section two of its faces bearing on the saddle body and two on a cap secured to
1

page_text: This ram or tool-bar has cast or fixed on one of its free sides a rack which
engages with a power-driven pinion. This pinion shaft may have on it clutch
gear to enable it to be operated by hand when necessary. It is normally operated
preferably by the usual reversing arrangement of three bevel wheels which are
carried on the central shaft around which the bridge slews. The clutch for
engaging this reversing arrangement may be operated automatically by the move-
ment of the octagonal bar so that automatic reversal of the movement of the
latter is obtained.
There are also two tangent gear wheels one of which is on the central shaft
and the other on a shaft parallel with the octagonal ram.
The shaft parallel
with the octagonal ram has a long slot throughout the whole of its length into
which enters a feather on its wheel; this shaft slides with the ram being
journalled in lugs on the top and bottom of the latter.
On the shaft which is situated parallel with the length of the octagonal ram
and is hereinafter termed the auxiliary shaft, are a wheel and pinion gearing
respectively with a pinion and a wheel secured upon a shaft situated centrally in
the ram and presently to be again referred to; on the auxiliary shaft is a duplex
clutch by adjusting which endwise either the pinion on the auxiliary shaft may
be caused to gear with the wheel on the central shaft, or the wheel on the
auxiliary shaft may gear with the pinion on the central shaft, or both may be
put out of gear.
The central shaft on the ram has at its lower extremity a cone bearing with
a solid shoulder and washer arrangement that is well known in milling machines.
At the upper end of the shaft is the ordinary sliding cone and double nut
arrangement similar to that commonly employed at the back-end of a lathe
spindle.
The lower end of this shaft is socketed with preferably the ordinary Morse
taper and may also have a screwed nose for receiving a face plate. This face
plate may have an internal gear on it to gear with a pinion on the lower end
of the auxiliary shaft when the above-mentioned clutch at the upper end is in
its central position and both the wheels and pinions on the top are therefore
disengaged.
The power shaft before mentioned is hollow and carries an inner shaft through-
out its entire length. The power shaft goes through the pin about which the
cross-bridge is pivotted at the outer end and there is a hollow sleeve running
round the shaft and between it and the pin. This hollow sleeve gears with
either the guide-screw for operating the saddle or with a secondary power shaft
for transmitting screw feed-motion to the octagonal ram.
The mechanism for this screw feed-motion would have to possess the ordinary
disengaging-nut arrangement similar to that employed in screw-cutting lathes.
There is preferably hand adjustment to this screw feed mechanism on the
octagonal ram. On the power shaft is a long sleeve on which an ordinary pair
of bevel wheels of a three bevel reversing arrangement loosely rotates.
This
sleeve can be either positively engaged with the power shaft through the clutch
gear or engaged with a back gear arrangement to drive it at say 14 times the
normal speed.
The reversing gear arrangement drives a shaft at right angles to the power
shaft and on it are two bevel wheels which engage with two other bevel wheels
of different diameters on the same shaft, the two bevel wheels on the first-
mentioned shaft carry a clutch for throwing them in and out of gear with the
shaft, this provides a two-speed arrangement for this third shaft, with a positive
velocity of ratio two to one. On this third shaft is a bevel wheel engaging with
a bevel wheel on a fourth shaft; the bevel wheel has a clutch arrangement to
enable it to be thrown in and out of gear. There is also a spur pinion on the
third shaft which can also be disengaged by the same clutch. This spur pinion
engages with a wheel twice its diameter, which wheel carries fixed to its a bevel

page_text: pinion engaging with a bevel wheel twice its diameter on the fourth shaft; con-
sequently by operating the last mentioned clutch a ratio of speed of one to four
can be obtained between the third and fourth shafts.
The fourth shaft has two bevel pinions on it controlled by a disengaging clutch
between them which engages with two bevel wheels on a fifth shaft with a speed
ratio of two to one. The larger bevel wheel by means of a back gear arrange-
ment drives the fifth shaft at a ratio of four to one or, in other words, there is
a variation in speed between the fourth and fifth shafts of either one to one or
eight to one; the fifth shaft is geared in any convenient manner with the afore-
mentioned sleeve that runs through the pin and also with the internal shaft that
is inside the power shaft. There is clutch mechanism for throwing either of
these in or out of gear.
By the beforementioned arrangement the power shaft can drive the sleeve and
the inner shaft at the same speed as itself; also at a speed half as fast, one
quarter as fast, or one-eighth as fast, and any combination of one to four and
eight which gives a total range of speeds from unity to sixty-four. Also by
means of the back gear arrangement which runs one and a half to one a second
series of speeds in a ratio to the original of two to three can be obtained. By
these combinations a great range of different travels for feeds, milling, and screw-
cutting is made easily available.
This invention is not limited to the particular construction of nest or combina-
tion gearing just described, which may be varied to provide various speeds by
combinations such as have been indicated by way of example.
The inner shaft in the bridge gears with the screw that raises and lowers the
slide carrying the overhanging arm and the slewing bridge.
The slide which travels vertically on the pivotted carrier referred to earlier
in the specification is provided with a balancing chain or flexible connection led
from its upper portion at an angle towards the vertical pillar to a counter-
balance; the angular "lead" is specially given to it, in order that the tendency
of gravity may be counteracted by a pull in the angular lead directed towards
the face of the carrier. The angular lead is taken over guiding pulleys the
circumference of the last of which has for a tangent the axis of the swivelling
carrier, so that in the rotation of the swivelling carrier about that axis the
portion of the counter-balancing chain or wire leading from the pulley on the
swivelling carrier to the guiding pulley on a stationary part of the machine is
only twisted axially and is never drawn out of the axis of rotation.
The octagonal tool-bar is counter-balanced in the saddle by being hung in the
bight of a wire or chain one end of which is secured to the rotating bridge the
other end being led round guide pulleys, and taken off at right angles to
the axis of rotation in such a manner that the rotation of the bridge either
permits it to run out or takes up a certain portion of the length of the lead
without diverting it from the two planes in which it primarily is placed. The
lead is taken over guiding pulleys arranged similarly to those for the afore-
mentioned lead by which the slide carrying the bridge is counterbalanced.
Dated this 6th day of October 1898.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Metal-cutting Machines.
I, MONTAGUE HERBERT CHURCHILL SHANN, formerly of 7, Thanet Place, Strand,
in the County of Midlesex, but now of 61 and 62, Chancery Lane, in the County
:

page_text: of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to improved means of cutting metals, more particularly
to improved means for performing different operations on the one piece of work,
without resetting it, such improved means consisting mainly of combinations
of parts, comprising a rotatable swinging bridge and a tool holder or ram and
mechanisms for operating the same to perform varying functions, such as mill-
ing, boring, drilling, slotting, etc., and for controlling and varying the speed
of the cutting and feeding operations.
The improved means are exemplified in a typical machine described and illus-
trated in the accompanying drawings, by way of example only and not as limit-
ing the invention to the form of construction disclosed.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a side view of a complete machine tool,
Figure 2 is a front elevation on an enlarged scale of the tool holder and the
saddle in which it is carried.
Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 5.
Figure 4 is a vertical central section of the saddle with the ram shown in
elevation.
Figure 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Figure 3.
Figure 6 is a rear view of Figure 3, the back of the bridge being cut away.
Figure 7 is an enlarged detail, showing the gearing of the ram spindle with
the auxiliary shaft.
Figure 8 is an enlarged side view of the reversing and speed mechanism, and
Figure 9 is an end view of the same.
Like letters indicate like parts in all the figures.
A is a planing bed with a boring table B superposed on it, the table bearing
at its circumference on the bed and having cone or other bearings B₁ at its
centre, preferably capable of a relieving adjustment to lessen the load on the
circumferential bearing. The planing bed and boring table are given the usual
movements, reciprocating and rotary respectively, in any convenient manner;
these form no part of this invention and need not be more particularly described.
The main frame has a vertical pillar C which carries a slide D preferably hand
adjusted only. The slide is provided with two lugs D each carrying a hollow
pin D rigidly secured therein preferably by a coned bearing and double lock-
nut, and conveniently projecting outwards away from each other.
E is a slide carrier rotatably carried on the pins 12 by two lugs E' preferably
with a loose cone, solid collar, a washer and double locknut adjustments. The
carrier is thus held as rigidly as a lathe head whilst it can rotate about the axis
of the before mentioned pins with absolute accuracy.
On the carrier E is arranged a vertical slide F with a horizontal arm F having
a dependent free end, between which and the face of the slide is a rotatable
bridge G. At each end of the bridge. is a circular disc, G1 G2 respectively, cast
with it. A flange-bearing, on the face of the disc G', is held up against the
face of a circular distance piece F2 cast on the contiguous face of the slide.
The edge or extreme circumference of the disc does not have any bearing on
the distance piece which therefore does not aid in centreing the bridge. The
centreing arrangement is similar to the centreing arrangement of the slide
carrier E, the pins being hollow to allow of the passage of the power shaft, and
the pin forming the bearing for the outer end of the bridge being preferably
fixed by splitting the dependent part of the arm F' to form a jaw which can be
tightened say by a bolt and nut 13 to grip the pin resting in it.
The rotation of the bridge is controlled by a worm H and worm wheel H',
and any convenient device may be employed for locking the bridge.
A tool carrying saddle J is carried on horizontal guides G³ G on the rotatable
bridge by an upper and lower longitudinal bearing J¹ J2 respectively, adjusted

page_text: on the guides preferably as shown in Figure 4 with the three-way arrangement
of bearing described in the Specification of prior Letters Patent No. 22268
of 1897 granted to me, and is traversed on the guides by means of the screw
shaft engaging in the threaded sleeve K' carried on a bracket K2 extending
rearwardly from the body of the saddle: The shaft K is operated by a shaft N³,
hereinafter more fully referred to, through its spur wheel K³, which, by means
of a clutch K can be thrown in and out of gear with the spur wheel N on the
shaft N³, (Figure 8).
The saddle carries a sliding ram or tool holder L preferably octagonal in cross
section, two of its faces sliding on bearings J3 on the saddle body, and two on
bearings J6 formed on caps J4 J³ secured by studs on the upper and lower portions
of the saddle body.
The tool ram is hollow to receive a central shaft M which is rotatably secured
therein at its lower extremity by a cone-bearing M with a solid shoulder and
washer arrangement such as is well known in milling machines, and at its upper
end by the ordinary sliding cone and double nut arrangement similar to that
commonly employed at the back end of a lathe spindle.
The lower end of the shaft M is socketed with preferably the ordinary Morse
taper and may also have a screwed nose M² for receiving a face plate M³.
The shaft A is rotated by means of a shaft L1, parallel with it, which passes
through the body of the saddle and is journalled in lugs L2 L³ on the top and
bottom respectively of the ram so as to move with the latter.
Loose on the top of the shaft L', hereinafter called the auxiliary shaft, are a
wheel L and a pinion L5 gearing respectively with a pinion M and wheel M
secured on the shaft M, and on the auxiliary shaft is a duplex clutch L by
adjusting which endwise either the pinion or the wheel of the auxiliary shaft
may be caused to rotate with the latter and operate the shaft M or both pinion
and wheel can run idle. The lower end of the auxiliary shaft is also provided
with a pinion L' which gears with an internal gear on the removable face
plate, M³, before referred to and rotates the shaft M when the said face-plate is
used, the above mentioned clutch being then placed in its central position and
both wheel and pinion on the top consequently idle.
The auxiliary shaft is rotated from the power shaft N as follows: --Through-
out the whole length of the auxiliary shaft is a slot into which enters a feather
on a gear wheel L8 (Figures 5 and 6). The wheel L8 gears with a wheel L'
on a short shaft journalled in the saddle body and carrying a second wheel L10
which gears with a wheel L secured on the power shaft by a feather running in
a slot on the latter to allow for the traversing of the saddle.
The ram L is reciprocated vertically in the saddle for cutting purposes as
follows: Gearing with the pinion Ls, above referred to, on the auxiliary
shaft L', is a pinion L2 (Figure 5) carried in the saddle on a short horizontal
shaft; on the front end of the latter is a spur pinion L13, gearing with a
disc wheel L4, carried on a shaft L also journalled in the saddle. Any
convenient means may be provided for placing the spur wheel L¹³ in and
out of action. Superposed on the disc L is an arm L¹ pivotted to the front face
of the saddle at L, and provided with a slot L23 in which is engaged a pin L18
fixed on the disc L4 and furnished with a sliding sleeve L27.
Pivotted on to the free end of the arm L16 is a link L19 of which the other end
is pivotted on a stud L20 adjustably fixed in a slot L2 formed in the front face
of the ram L.
The ram is given screw-feed-motion as follows:
A screw threaded shaft L83
is rotatably secured to the ram at top and bottom in lugs, of which the top
one L is shown in Figure 3. This shaft passes through a split sleeve or
nut L secured in the saddle, one half of the sleeve being screw threaded to
engage the thread on the shaft and capable of being placed in and out of gear
with the same say by means of a thumb screw as shown in Figures 5 and 6.
The shaft L23 is slotted longitudinally to receive the feather of a gear bevel

page_text: wheel L25 (see Figure 4) held in bearings in the saddle, and operated from a
shaft N, by a bevel wheel N through bevel wheels, one on each end of a short
cross shaft L26.
The shaft N3 is operated from the power shaft N as hereinafter described;
preferably a hand adjustment is provided for the screw feed mechanism as shown
at No Figures 1, 5 and 6.
The power shaft N is hollow and carries an inner shaft N throughout its
entire length. It is carried longitudinally in the bridge passing through the
hollow pins on which the bridge rotates. It is operated by its bevel wheel N
which gears with a bevel wheel P¹, rotatably carried in a bracket F on the
slide F, so as to follow the vertical movements of the bridge. The bevel wheel P
is engaged by a feather working in a slot, in the well known manner, in the
shaft P, the latter being connected in any convenient fashion, say through bevel
wheels P2 P3 P4 P5, with a suitable source of power.
Surrounding the power shaft N, where it passes through the hollow pin on
which the bridge is pivotted at the outer end, is a sleeve N2; one end of this
sleeve has a spur wheel N which gears with a pinion N8 on the end of the
shaft N3, and thus operates both the shaft N for transmitting screw feed motion
to the ram or the screw shaft K for traversing the saddle through the gear N° K³
and clutch K as before described. The other end of the sleeve N2 is provided
with a spur wheel N10 which gears with a wheel St on a shaft S rotated through
the spur wheels SR2 by a shaft R19 of a reversing and speed controlling
mechanism now to be described, and illustrated in Figures 8 and 9.
The vertical reciprocation in the saddle for cutting purposes of the ram L and
the rotation of its central shaft M are not controlled by this mechanism.
Surrounding the power shaft beyond the sleeve №2 is a second sleeve R, pro-
vided with a pair of bevel wheels R of an ordinary three bevel reversing arrange-
ment. The sleeve R can be engaged through clutch gear R25 either directly
with the power shaft or with a back gear arrangement to drive it at say 1 times
the normal speed.
This back gear as shown comprises two spur wheels R2 R27 on the power
shaft and the sleeve R respectively which gear respectively with wheels R28 R29
carried on a short shaft R in the framing T.
The reversing gear arrangement that is the bevel wheels R¹ and their clutch R²
drives a shaft Rat right angles to the power shaft, and on it are two bevel
wheels R which engage with two other bevel wheels R of different diameters
on a third shaft R. The wheels on the shaft R3 are provided with a clutch R
for throwing them in and out of gear with the shaft, thus providing a two speed
arrangement for the shaft Re, with a positive velocity of ratio of two to one.
On the third shaft R is a bevel wheel its engaging with a bevel wheel R❞ on a
fourth shaft R10. The bevel wheel R8 has a clutch arrangement R" to enable it
to be thrown in and out of gear. There is also a spur pinion R2 on the third
shaft R which can also be disengaged by the same clutch. This spur pinion R
engages with a wheel R twice its diameter which wheel carries fixed to it a
bevel pinion R¹ engaging a bevel wheel R twice its diameter on the fourth
shaft consequently by operating the clutch R a ratio of speed of one to
four can be obtained between the third and fourth shafts.
The fourth shaft R10 has two bevel pinions R16 R1 (controlled by a disengaging
clutch R18 between them) which engage with two bevel wheels R20 R2I respectively
on a fifth shaft R¹ with a speed ratio of two to one. The larger bevel wheel R
by means of a back gear arrangement, R2, drives the fifth shaft at a ratio of
four to one, or in other words there is a variation in speed between the fourth
and fifth shafts of either one to one or eight to one. The fifth shaft is geared
in any convenient manner with the shaft N', inside the power shaft, say by
spur wheels RN on the shafts R19 and N respectively, also with the sleeve N²
as before described. Clutch mechanism is provided for throwing either of these
in or out of gear.
=

page_text: The whole of these reversing and speed determining arrangements are held in
a frame T formed with or fixed on the hollow pin on which the outer end of the
bridge rotates.
It will be seen that each member of the above described series of gear
mechanism comprises two sets of gear, one of which, in each case, gives unity
that is neither an increase nor a decrease of the ratio of speed, whilst the other
gives a change in the speed ration.
By the before mentioned arrangement the power shaft can drive the sleeve R
and the inner shaft N at the same speed as itself; also at a speed half as fast,
one quarter as fast or one-eighth as fast and any combination of one to four and
eight which gives a total range of speeds from unity to sixty-four. Also by
means of the back gear arrangement which runs one and a half to one a second
series of speeds in a ratio to the original of two to three can be obtained. By
these combinations a great range of different travels for feeds milling and screw-
cutting is made easily available.
This invention is not limited to the particular construction of nest or com-
bination gearing just described, which may be varied to provide various speeds
by combinations such as have been indicated by way of example.
One end of the inner shaft N' gears through the spur wheels R23 N as above
described with the fifth shaft, its other end is provided with a gear wheel N¹²
and operates the screw that raises and lowers the slide F, through intermediate
gearing comprising the vertical shaft E2 and gear wheel E3, which wheel, by
means of a clutch E4, can be placed in or out of gear with the screw that raises
or lowers the slide F. The shaft E2 is also provided with a gear wheel E
engaging a gear wheel P on the upper end of the sleeve shaft P which surrounds
the lower part of the operating shaft P. The lower end of the sleeve P7 is
geared in any convenient manner with the mechanism for giving feed motion
to the planing bed and boring table.
The slide F is provided with a balancing chain or flexible connection U led
from its upper portion at an angle towards the vertical pillar to a counter-
balance: the angular "lead" is specially given to it, in order that the tendency
of gravity may be counteracted by a pull in the angular lead directed towards
the face of the carrier E. The angular lead is taken over guiding pulleys the
circumference of the last of which U has for a tangent the axis of the swivelling
carrier E so that in the rotation of the swivelling carrier about that axis the
portion of the counter-balancing chain or wire leading from the pulley U2 on the
swivelling carrier to the guiding pulley U¹ on a stationary part of the machine
is only twisted axially and is never drawn out of the axis of rotation.
The octagonal tool bar is counter-balanced in the saddle by being hung in the
bight of a wire or chain W one end of which is secured to the rotating bridge
say at W the other end being led round guide pulleys, and taken off at right
angles to the axis of rotation in such a manner that the rotation of the bridge
either permits it to run out or takes up a certain portion of the length of the
lead without diverting it from the two planes in which it primarily is placed.
The lead is taken over guiding pulleys arranged similarly to those for the afore-
mentioned lead by which the slide F F is counterbalanced.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. In a metal cutting machine a tool carrying bridge rotatably supported at
each end in a swinging support.
2. In a metal cutting machine and in combination a swinging carrier such
as E a slide such as F F¹ and a rotatable tool carrying bridge such as G substan-
tially as described.
3. In a metal cutting machine a swinging carrier such as E a slide such as F F¹

page_text: a rotatable bridge such as G a traversing saddle such as J and a reciprocating
tool holder the whole combined and operating substantially as described.
4. In a metal cutting machine the combination with a tool holder of mechanism
such as a disc L pin Ls arm L16 and link L for reciprocating the tool holder
for cutting purposes mechanism comprising a screw shaft such as L2 for giving
the tool holder a feed motion a shaft such as M. and means for rotating the shaft
comprising a shaft such as L' substantially as described.
5. In a metal cutting machine tool-holder the combination with a reciprocating
ram such as L having a central rotatable shaft such as M of a rotating shaft
such as L' carried by the ram and means for placing it in and out of gear with
the shaft M and for driving the latter at a fixed or varying ratio substantially
as described.
6. In a metal cutting machine the combination with a traversing saddle of a
tool-holder having a rotatable shaft and separate means for reciprocating the
tool holder, for giving it a screw feed movement and for rotating the central
shaft substantially as described or illustrated in Figures 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the
accompanying drawings.
7. In a metal cutting machine and in combination a plurality of change gear
mechanisms operating in series, each member of the series comprising two speeds,
one of which is in each case unity and the other arranged to form one of a
geometrical series.
8. In a metal cutting machine a reversing and speed controlling mechanism
substantially as described or illustrated in Figures and 9 of the accompanying
drawings.
9. In a metal cutting machine a duplicate system of shafts one rotating within
the other one for conveying power for cutting purposes and the other for feed
purposes, substantially as described.
10. The complete metal cutting machine substantially as described or illus-
trated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated thie 8th day of August 1899
MONTAGUE H. C. SHANN,
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicant.