Improvements in File Cutting Machines.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in File Cutting Machines.
I, JOHANN CARL ZENSES of Remscheid, Germany, File Cutter do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to such improvements in file-cutting machines, by means
of which the cut of the file at the beginning, where all files, nearly without
exception, are thinner and narrower, will be made finer and smaller, increasing
then gradually by automatic means to its proper pitch and keeping also the same
angle of the cut with regard to the direction of the surface of the file, that is to
say that though the chisel goes down always at the same angle to the horizontal
line, it shall make a cut into the varying direction of the file surface, (this being
more or less curved), of the same angle throughout, or in other words: the
direction of the path of the chisel and tangents laid at each point of the file
surface shall always form the same angle with each other for the whole length of
the file.
I attain these objects by means of special templates which are so connected to
the carriage bed of the file cutting machine, that by means of a roller fixed to a
lever projecting from the anvil and running on that template, the anvil of the
machine while it is moving forwards with the carriage in the direction of the
file, at the same time is turned according to the curve of the surface of the said
template, which is of exactly the same shape as the file. The advance of the
anvil carrying the file blank usually is quite uniform throughout, so that the
pitch of the cut is the same in the middle and at the beginning or at the pointed
end of the file; now I have further improved my file cutting machine, so that by
means of a similar template as the one giving the proper direction to the anvil,
the advance of the same will be varied in correspondance with the size or shape
of the file, that is to say this template will influence the pitch of the cut in such a
manner that the cut at the beginning will be finer and increase gradually up to a
point, where it is desired to be uniform.
A further improvement of my file-cutting machine consists in providing the
anvil with such a bed for the blanks of half round files, that the rows of cut
made on the cylindrical or conical surface of these files will run out to the end
of the file, getting smaller or narrower towards the end of the file according to
the diameter of the cone, of which the pointed end of the same forms a part, and
that they do not intersect each other.
This auxiliary bed is placed on the ordinary file bed of the anvil to receive the
file blank and it is so shaped at the part where the pointed or conical end of the
half round file comes to lie, that when the anvil with the file bed and file is moved
forwards under the chisel, that, notwithstanding the file blank is getting thinner,
its half round surface will be held at any point exactly or at least very approxi-
mately so at the same distance from the chisel with the part just being cut, so
that the stroke of the latter and therefore also the energy of the blow upon the
file will be nearly the same at the pointed end of the file as at that part where it
CD 017

page_text: is of uniform or normal size. All points therefore of the file when passing under
the cutting tool are held exactly at the same, level and at the same angle to the
path of the chisel and therefore the cut is uniform throughout.
My new file cutting machine according to the objects in view specified above
works as follows: A main driving shaft transmits power to a chisel holder causing
it to move up and down pretty well in the same manner as this is done in most
file cutting machines; the same shaft transmits power to an endless screw, by
means of which the carriage of the anvil is moved forwards, but this advancing
movement is so governed by the template mentioned above, that the advance is
regulated and is slower at the point of the file than at its middle part; then at
the same time as the anvil advances the first template named causes the anvil
to be turned according to the curvature of the template which is identical with
the curvature of the file itself. This is made possible by giving the anvil the
form of half a cylinder and lodging it in the carriage which for this purpose forms
a sort of a trough of corresponding shape; both, anvil and trough fitting into
each other like a shaft and the lower brasses of a bearing.
D
T
1 1
171 .
1007
JOHANN CARL ZENSES,
Per Karl J. Mayer,
Agent.
I, JOHANN CARL ZENSES of Remscheid, Germany, File Cutter, 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 such improvements in file cutting machines, by means
of which the cut of the file at the beginning, where all files, nearly without
exception, are thinner and narrower, will be made finer and smaller, increasing
then gradually by authomatic means to its proper pitch and keeping also the
same angle of the cut with regard to the direction of the surface of the file, that
is to say, that though the chisel goes down always at the same angle to the
horizontal line, it shall make a cut into the varying direction of the file surface,
(this being more or less curved), of the same angle throughout or in other words:
the direction of the path of the chisel and tangents laid at each point of the file
surface shall always form the same angle with each other for the whole length of
the file.
I attain these objects by means of special templates which are so connected to
the carriage bed of the file cutting machine, that by means of a roller fixed to a
lever projecting from the anvil and running on that template, the anvil of the
machine while it is moving forwards with the carriage in the direction of the
file, at the same time is turned according to the curve of the surface of the said
template, which is of exactly the same shape as the file. The advance of the
anvil carrying the file blank usually is quite uniform throughout, so that the
pitch of the cut is the same in the middle and at the beginning or at the pointed
end of the file; now I have further improved my file cutting machine, so that by
means of a similar template as the one giving the proper direction to the anvil,
the advance of the same will be varied in correspondance with the size or shape
of the file, that is to say this template will influence the pitch of the cut in such
a manner that the cut at the beginning will be finer and increase gradually up to
a point, where it is desired to be uniform.

page_text: A further improvement of my file cutting machine consists in providing the
anvil with such a bed for the blanks of half round files, that the rows of cut made
on the cylindrical or conical surface of these files will run out to the end of the
file, getting smaller or narrower towards the end of the file according to the
diameter of the cone, of which the pointed end of the same forms a part, and that
they do not intersect each other.
This auxiliary bed is placed on the ordinary file bed of the anvil to receive the
file blank and it is so shaped at the part where the pointed or conical end of the
half round file comes to lie, that when the anvil with the file bed and file is moved
forwards under the chisel, that notwithstanding the file blank is getting thinner,
its halfround surface will be held at any point exactly, or at least very approxi-
mately so, at the same distance from the chisel with the part just being cut, so
that the stroke of the latter and therefore also the energy of the blow upon the
file will be nearly the same at the pointed end of the file as at that part where it
is of uniform or normal size. All points therefore of the file when passing under
the cutting tool are held exactly at the same level and the same angle to the path
of the chisel and therefore the cut, is uniform throughout.
My new file cutting machine according to the objects in view specified above
works as follows: A main driving shaft transmits power to a chisel holder causing
it to move up and down pretty well in the same manner as this is done in most
file cutting machines; the same shaft transmits power to an endless screw, by
means of which the carriage of the anvil is moved forwards, but this advancing
movement is so governed by the template mentioned above, that the advance is
regulated and is slower at the point of the file than at its middle part;
that at the same time as the anvil advances: the first template named causes the
anvil to be turned according to the curvature of the template which is identical
with the curvature of the file itself. This is made possible. by giving the anvil
the form of half a cylinder and lodging it in the carriage which for this purpose
forms a sort of a trough of corresponding shape; both, anvil and trough fitting
into each other like a shaft and the lower brasses of a bearing.
On the accompanying drawings the machine comprising the mechanisms for
realizing these objects is shown and
Fig. 1 is a side view of the complete machine partly in section;
Fig. 2 is a plan of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a vertical section along line I-I of Fig. 1;
Fig. 4 is an end view, seen from the right of Fig. 1;
Fig. 5 shows in detail and in an enlarged scale and in section along line II-II
of Fig. 7 the gear for regulating the advance of the anvil;
Fig. 6 is a side view of Fig. 5, seen from the left;
Fig. 7 is a plan of Fig. 6;
Fig. 8 is a plan of the bed for half round files;
Fig. 9 is a side view of Fig. 8;
Figs. 10, 11 & 12 are, respectively, cross sections of Fig. 8 along lines III-III;
IV-IV & V-V;
Fig. 13 is a similar section of a bed used for cutting the left part of the round
face of a half round file;
Figs. 14, 15 & 16 are respectively a side view, a longitudinal section and an end
view of the worm with half a thread for advancing the anvil at intervals;
Fig. 17 is a diagram showing the working of the machine.
All the working parts of the machine are carried in and erected upon a
V shaped foundation frame A; between the two vertical sides of this frame is
guided the sliding piece B, in which is lodged the anvil W. Upon the rear side
of the frame A at its left end is mounted the standard A' at the front side of
which is erected the hammer guide with the spring box and other known parts,
and which also carries the main driving shaft C with fast and loose pulleys. C'
at the rear end, and the hammer lifting cam D at the front end. The manner of
guiding the hammer and of driving it down is of known design and requires

page_text: therefore no special description. In the middle of the standard A¹ is keyed upon
the shaft C the worm E. This worm, which has a thread that rises only half of
the circumference, the other part having no inclination, gears into a worm
wheel upon a shaft F, which is supported in double bearings G, mounted at the
rear side of the foundation frame A. The bearings G at the same time serve to
carry the screw spindle H. At the right end of the shaft F is fixed a pulley F2
and at the corresponding end of the screw spindle H is keyed a similar pulley H¹;
a guide pulley K, fixed loose upon a bolt K in an adjustable bracket K, which is
secured against the corresponding standard G serves for guiding and stretching
the belt L placed round the pulleys F2 and H. The screw spindle H gears into
a worm wheel M upon a shaft M which is carried in brackets M2 upon the
sliding piece B.
By means of a special arrangement, which I shall describe in detail hereafter,
the shaft M is allowed to turn round or to be held fast. In the latter case the
worm wheel M acts like a screw nut and when then the spindle H is turned round,
the worm wheel or nut is pushed forwards and with it the parts connected there-
with, i.e., the shaft M¹, the brackets M and the sliding piece B.
Now the sliding piece which forms a half circular trough carries in this trough
the anvil W like a pin or a shaft in its bearing so that the anvil can be turned
or oscillate therein. This oscillation or circular movement of the anvil while it
advances with the piece B is done in an absolutely prescribed manner and cor-
responding exactly with the shape or curve of the file; from it depends the
maintenance of an equal angle of the cut in all parts of the file whilst the chisel
goes up and down always in the same direction.
In order to achieve this, I combine with the rear or right side of the anvil a
tail bar passing through and opening in the rear side of the piece B and
carrying at its free end a proportionate and adjustable weight 0¹; a stilt 02
carrying a little roller 03 at its foot supporting the tailbar and this roller 03 runs
on an exchangeable template P which is fixed to the frame A and the upper
surface of the same is of such shape and so curved that while the anvil with the
sliding piece is advancing it is turned in the latter according to the shape of the
template as will be best understood by a glance at Fig. 1 & 17. Fig. 17 shows
that the angle of the direction line a of the chisel and a tangent laid on the
curve of the file surface in any position I, II or III is always the same and there-
fore the angle of the cut made into the file is also always the same.
The file R is placed on an extra layer of lead on a bed Q upon the anvil; this
bed is also of cylindrical form so that it can be turned in the anvil by means of
the screw S (Fig. 3 & 4), which is held in a nut S' of the bracket S2 screwed or
rivetted to the upper side of the anvil; an arm S3 linked to a nut St on the lower
part of the screw S being connected to the bed Q.
The file may be held down upon its bed by any suitable and practical means, as
for instance, by a roller T at the end of an arm T keyed to an axle T2 carried in
bearings T3, and which axle has keyed to its other end a weighted' lever T, which
presses the roller down upon the file. Besides this the file of course is held in
place by a clamp u. These are however mechanisms well known, and do not form
part of the patent and are not my invention.
From the description given so far it will be understood that the anvil advances
regularly, and that it is turned in its trough in accordance with the curve of the
file, so that the angle of the cut will always be the same throughout the length of
the file. Now it is not only desirable that the angle of the cut be the same and
that the pitch of the cut be the same in the main part of the file, but that the
pitch gets smaller towards the pointed end, where the file is thinner and narrower
and in order to realize this with my machine I provide it with the following
device, shown in detail in Figs. 5, 6 & 7.
At the outer end of the shaft M¹ I place two arms U which are connected at
their lower end by a bolt u carrying a roller U between the arms, and in the
middle by a bolt u³ carrying a hand lever U2 with an exentric U³, and upon the

page_text: same shaft M¹ between the arms U is keyed fast, a disk V. Now it will be seen
from Fig. 6 that when the excentric U³ is turned towards the disk V the arms U
and the disk will be rigidly connected as if they formed one piece. In this state
therefore when the arms Ü are free to turn, they also allow the turning of the
shaft M¹ and of the worm wheel M; this turning however is only possible when
the roller U finds no support, or counter action, whereas in the case that U¹
strikes or abuts against a fixture the turning of the worm wheel is stopped and
when the spindle H continues to rotate the wheel M and its connections takes a
linear movement. Now I place underneath the roller U¹, that is upon the frame A,
a template X of a curved shape corresponding to the end of the file. Supposing
now the arms U and the template had the position indicated by dotted lines in
Fig. 6, the roller U1 rests upon the highest point of the template and when the
spindle H is turned the wheel and its connections, brackets Ms and anvil B move
towards the left, hereby the roller U looses its supports upon the template on
account of the concaved shape of this. When therefore the spindle H is turned
again the wheel M will also be turned, instead of receiving a rectilinear move-
ment, until the roller U₁ strikes against, the template X and now only when the
wheel M can not be turned round any further, it is pushed forwards as long as the
turning of the spindle H lasts. When the roller Ui has reached the straight-part
of the template there no more turning of the wheel M takes place and the advance
of the anvil will be a uniform one at every turn of the spindle H. From this it
will be understood that the template can be so shaped that the advance of the
file and the anvil will be so proportioned that while the narrow end is under the
chisel the pitch will be small at the beginning and increasing gradually until
the normal part of the file is reached, when the uniform advance will begin and no
more turning of the wheel will take place.
By this means all sorts of files of flat, triangular or square shape can be cut
in as good a manner as by hand; it is only the half round files and those of similar
shape which require still a specially shaped support wich is placed upon the anvil
or upon the bed Q to receive the file to be cut.
Half round files are pointed towards the end which forms part of a cone.
Now in order that this thin cone shaped end receives a cut gradually decreasing in
width and depth, I provide for such files a layer Y of the form shown by
Figs. 8-12 for the one half of the round face and of the symetrical shape, as
indicated by Fig. 13 for the other part of the round face. This layer is of the
shape shown in section by Fig. 12 up to the line X-X; the file lying with its
flat face upon the surface a, and bearing with its left edge against the corner b:
from the point X-X, where the cone part, or reduced part of the file begins, the
surface is made to slope and the corner 6 as well as the edge c converge towards
each other, and the file blank to be cut, is bent to fit the surface a. By this means
I can cut half round files with a cut getting gradually narrower and less deep at
the pointed half round end, than at the normal part of it. After the cutting has
been finished the file of course is made straight again.
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. In a file cutting machine in combination with a U shaped foundation
frame A carrying on a standard A¹ the hammer guide, a sliding piece B having
a half circular troughlike excavation, a half cylindrical anvil in said excavation
below the hammer guide, a driving shaft C journalled in standard A¹ and carrying
fast and loose pulleys C at the rear end and a hammer lifting cam D at the front
end as set forth and as illustrated.
2. In a file cutting machine in combination with a U shaped foundation
frame A carrying on a standard A¹ the hammer guide, a sliding piece B having
half circular troughlike excavation, a half cylindrical anvil in said
excavation, a driving shaft C journalled in standard A¹, a worm E
a

page_text: on said shaft, a worm wheel Fat one end of a spindle F1 carried in
double bearings G and engaging with worm E, a pulley F at the other end of
spindle and a belt L put round pulley 2 to drive a pulley H¹ at the end of a
screw spindle H journalled in the double bearings G, the whole as set forth and
for the purpose specified.
3. In a file cutting machine in combination with a U shaped foundation
frame A a sliding piece B, a half circular anvil in said sliding piece, a driving
shaft Ca worm E on said shaft engaging with a worm wheel F, spindle F carry-
ing said worm wheel at one end and a pulley F2 at the other end, a pulley H¹
driven by a belt L placed round pulleys F2 and H, a screw spindle H carrying
said pulley H¹ a screw wheel M engaging with said screw spindle, said screw wheel
being keyed upon a shaft M¹ journalled in brackets M² fixed to the top of the
sliding piece Bat its rear end, the whole as set forth and for the purpose specified.
4. In a file cutting machine in combination with a U shaped foundation
frame A, a sliding piece B having a half circular troughlike excavation, a half
cylindrical anvil in said excavation, a loaded tailbar fixed to the anvil and
projecting through an opening in said piece B, a stilt 02 fixed to the end of the
tailbar, a template P fixed to the rear part of the frame A and serving as a guide
or rail for a roller 03 fixed to the foot of the stilt 02, the whole as set forth and
for the purpose specified.
5. In a file cutting machine in combination with a U shaped foundation
frame A, a sliding piece B having a half round troughlike excavation, a half
cylindrical anvil in said excavation, a loaded tailbar O fixed to the anvil and
projecting through an opening in said piece B, a stilt O fixed to the end of the
tailhar, a template P fixed to the rear part of the frame A, a bracket M² secured
to the top of the sliding piece B, a shaft M¹ journalled in said bracket and carry-
ing two arms U and a disk V between them, said arms having a hand lever U2
and an excentric Us upon a bolt between them in the middle and a roller U¹ at
their outer end upon a holt u, a template X fixed to the upper flange of the
frame A just below said roller U₁ the whole as set forth and for the purpose
specified.
6. In a file cutting machine in combination with a U shaped foundation
frame A a sliding piece B having a half round trough like excavation, a half
cylindrical anvil Wi in said excavation, a bed Q on the top side of the anvil and
a layer Y fixed to said bed, the whole as set forth and illustrated and for the
purpose specified.
Dated this 28th day of Aroust 1007
JOHANN CARL ZENSES,
Per Karl J. Mayer,
Agent.