IM- PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF WOOD SCREWS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas James Waters, of No. 31, St. Stephen's Road,
Westbourne Park, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF WOOD SCREWS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas James Waters at
the Office of tho Commissioners of Patents on the 16th March 1876.
THOMAS JAMES WATERS, of No. 31, St. Stephen's Road, Westbourne Park, in
the County of Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE
OF WOOD SCREWS."
My Invention relates to improved machinery for cutting the screw thread and
turning the heads on blanks for wood screws. For cutting the thread on such
blanks I mount upon a framing two sliding tables. One of these tables carries one
or more revolving spindles, having cutters at its or their one end for cutting the
threads on the blanks, while the second table serves to hold the blanks while the
thread is being cut thereon. This table is made to slide beneath a fixed hopper at
back through which the blanks are fed on to the table, which also slides beneath a
fixed bar in front, which carries one or more slides actuated by screws, so that when
the table is made to slide forward so as to carry a blank beneath the slide, this is
made to descend and nip the head end of the blank on to the table so as to hold it
firmly while the thread is being cut on its other end. If there are more than one
slide they are all actuated simultaneously by a cam on the shaft that moves the table
by means of a lever moving a transverse bar, which actuates arms projecting from
the before mentioned screws that raise and lower the slides. When the thread has
been cut on the screw the slide is raised, whereupon as the table recedes the finished
screw is pushed off the table by the blanks, ranged in line behind it, the front one
of which takes its place on the table which carries it under the nipping slide as it
again advances. The revolving spindle or spindles on the second sliding table have
hinged to their front ends two jaws, on the ends of which are cutters; the spindles
are formed hollow and through them pass rods having conical ends situated between
tails on the said jaws. When the table has been moved forward so as to make the
jaws pass over the projecting ends of the blanks on the other table, the said rods
Dino G71

page_text: are pushed forward so as to separate the tails of the jaws, thus causing the cutters
on them to cut into the blank, and as the spindles are made to revolve while at the
same time the table carrying them is made to travel backwards, the desired thread
is cut upon the blanks. The cutters having passed over the ends of the blanks, the
jaws are made to open out again preparatory for the next operation by the with-
drawal of the before mentioned rod passing through the spindle, the requisite
movements being imparted to the rod by means of a transverso shaft having levers
actuating the said rods, and having an arm which is made to slide along a rail that
is raised by a lever actuated by a cam at the commencement of the cutting operation
so as to effect the closing of the cutter jaws, and is lowered at the end of the cutting
operation for causing the jaws to open.
The requisito to and fro motion of the two sliding tables may be effected by cams
on revolving shafts, which press the tables back against the action of springs by
which they are moved forward again.
For turning the heads on the screws a machine is employed somewhat similar in
construction to that just described, the tables for holding the screws and carrying
the cutters being however in this case by preference stationary. The blanks are
pushed forward from the hoppers by means of reciprocating levers actuated by
cams, and they are held by the nipping slides so that the heads project in front
of the table while they are operated upon by suitable shaped cutters. The re-
volving spindles carrying these cutters are hollow, and when the cutters have
turned the head of the screw the jaws carrying them are opened, and the screw is
pushed forward into the hollow spindle by the action of the before-mentioned lever,
the blanks being thus successively pushed along the spindles until they drop out at
the back end into boxes for their reception. The opening and closing of the jaws
carrying the cutters is effected by a tube sliding inside the hollow spindle, having
a cone on its end to actuate the jaws in a somewhat similar manner to that described
with reference to the thread cutting machine.
In both the above described machines it is preferred to provide for the simultaneous
operating on a number of blanks by arranging several sets of the before-described
holding apparatus, feed hoppers, and spindles, with cutters side by side, all operated
by one and the same set of cams and levers, the entire operation of each machine
being automatic, with the exception of the introduction of the blanks by hand into
the hoppers.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by the
said Thomas James Waters in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 12th
September 1876.
THOMAS JAMES WATERS, of No. 31, St. Stephen's Road, Westbourne Park, in
the County of Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE
OF WOOD SCREWS."
My Invention relates to improved machinery for cutting the screw thread and
turning the heads on blanks for wood screws. For cutting the thread on such
blanks I mount upon a framing two sliding tables. One of these tables carries one
or more revolving spindles having cutters at its or their one end for cutting the
threads on the blanks, while the second table serves to hold the blanks while the
thread is being cut thereon. This table is made to slide beneath a fixed hopper at
back through which the blanks are fed on to the table, which also slides beneath
a fixed bar in front which carries one or more slides actuated by screws, so that
when the table is made to slide forward so as to carry a blank beneath the slide,
this is made to descend and nip the head end of the blank on to the table so as to
hold it firmly while the thread is being cut on its other end. If there are more
than one slide they are all actuated simultaneously by a cam on the shaft that moves
the table by means of a lever moving a transverse bar, which actuates arms pro-

page_text: jecting from the before-mentioned screws that raise and lower the slides. When the
thread has been cut on the screw the slide is raised, whereupon as the table recedes
the finished screw is pushed off the table by the blanks ranged in line behind it,
the front one of which takes its place on the table, which carries it under the
nipping slide as it again advances. The rovolving spindle or spindles on the
second sliding table have hinged to their front ends two jaws, on the ends of
which are cutters; the spindles are formed hollow, and through them pass rods
having conical ends situated between tails on the said jaws. When the table
has been moved forward so as to make the jaws pass over the projecting ends of the
blanks on the other table the said rods are pushed forward so as to separate the
tails of the jaws, thus causing the cutters on them to cut into the blank, and as the
spindles are made to revolve, while at the same time the table carrying them is
made to travel backwards, the desired thread is cut upon the blanks. The cutters
having passed over the ends of the blanks the jaws are made to open out again
preparatory for the next operation, by the withdrawal of the before-mentioned rod
passing through the spindle, the requisite movements being imparted to the rod by
means of a transverse shaft having levers actuating the said rods, and having an
arm which is made to slide along a rail that is raised by a lever, actuated by a
cam at the commencement of the cutting operation so as to effect the closing of the
cutter jaws, and is lowered at the end of the cutting operation for causing the jaws
to open.
The requisite to-and-fro motion of the two sliding tables may be effected by
cams on revolving shafts, which press the tables back against the action of springs,
by which they are moved forward again.
For turning the heads on the screws a machine is employed somewhat similar in
construction to that just described, the tables for holding the screws and carrying
the cutters being however in this case by preference stationary. The blanks are
pushed forward from the hoppers by means of reciprocating levers actuated by cams,
and they are held by the nipping slides so that the heads project in front of the
table while they are operated upon by suitable shaped cutters. The revolving
spindles carrying these cutters are hollow, and when the cutters have turned the
head of the screw the jaws carrying them are opened and the screw is pushed for-
ward into the hollow spindle by the action of the before mentioned lever, the blanks
being thus successively pushed along the spindles until they drop out at the back
end into boxes for their reception. The opening and closing of the jaws carrying
the cutters is effected by a tube sliding inside the hollow spindle, having a cone
on its end to actuate the jaws in a somewhat similar manner to that described with
reference to the thread cutting machine.
In both the above-described machines it is preferred to provide for the simul-
taneous operating on a number of blanks by arranging several sets of the before-
describod holding apparatus, feed hoppers, and spindles, with cutters side by side,
all operated by one and the same set of cams and levers, the entire operation of
each machine being automatic with the exception of the introduction of the blanks
by hand into the hoppers.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 represents a longitudinal section; and Fig. 2 a plan of a machine accord-
ing to my Invention for cutting the threads on wood screws. I have shown the
machine as a double one, that is to say, capable of threading two screws at the
same time, but it may be readily understood that a single spindle and set of cutters,
or more than two spindles and sets of cutters could be arranged to operate in a
similar manner for threading only one screw at a time, or for threading more than
two screws at a time. The same remark applies to the machine for heading the
screws of which a longitudinal section is shown in Fig. 3, and a plan in Fig. 4.
Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, A is a longitudinally sliding frame on which are
mounted two shafts M and N, and the cutter spindles B. The shaft M is driven

page_text: by any suitable power, and by means of a pinion M', gearing with a wheel N¹, it
drives the shaft N at a slower speed. Also by means of oblique bevil wheels M²,
gearing with pinions B2, it drives the spindles B at a higher speed. Farther, by
means of a skew gearing M³, R³, it drives a spindle R, which by a bevil pinion R¹,
gearing with a bevil wheel G³, drives a shaft G at one quarter of the speed of the
shaft N. As the spindle remains stationary and the direction of its length, while
the shaft M moves to and fro with the frame A, the skew-geared wheel R is fitted
with a feather on the spindle R, so that it can slide thereon, but must cause it to
revolve with it, and is retained between two cheeks A¹ projecting from the frame
A. A block C supporting a hopper D (one for each threading spindle) is fitted to
slide longitudinally backwards and forwards against stops C₁, a spring P being
attached to A and to C so as always to draw them towards each other. On the
shaft N is a cam N², which at each revolution by bearing against a fixed bar O
causes the frame A to make a stroke toward the left, the spring P causing it to
make its back stroke to the right. Also on the shaft G is a cam G³, which at each
revolution of the shaft G, that is to say, once in every four revolutions of the shaft
N, pushes the block C towards the right, the spring P causing it to make its back
stroke towards the left. The hoppers D are stationary, and on their faces are
vertical slides E, worked from a rocking shaft E', which is moved by a lever arm
E, having on it a stud E³, bearing against a cam F, on the shaft G, so that once in
every revolution of G the slides E are lifted for a short time by the action of the
cam F, and during the rest of the revolution they are pressed down by the action
of a spring. The spindles B are tubular, and have within them spindles H. conical
at the ends. On each of the spindles B are mounted levers B¹, carrying cutters for
the threads of the screws. These cutters are kept open by springs acting on the
tails of the levers B', and are closed together, more or less, by the coned ends of
the spindles H being pushed, more or less, forward between the tails of the levers
B. The spindles H are advanced or retracted by means of lever arms I¹, on a
rocking shaft I, which has a lever arm I², resting by its point on a guide rail K,
which can be raised or lowered vertically in a guide on the fixed part of the framing
by means of a lever K', worked by a cam L, on the shaft G. The upper face of
K remaining stationary while the lever 1 is made to travel along it by the recipro-
cating movement of the slide A, it can be made, as shewn, with steps or with any
desired slope, so that the cutters B¹ can be, more or less, closed together at different
parts of the length of the screw which they have to cut. For example, if the screw
is to be cut with a regular taper then K being sloped downwards towards the right
will permit the lever 12 to descend a little and thereby retract the cones of H, and
so allow the cutters B¹ to open a little as they advance along the screw Z, which
they have to cut. On the shaft G is another cam G³, acting by a spring lever S¹,
on a catch lever S, the left hand end of which at one part of the revolution of G
rises in front of the frame A when it has made its left hand stroke, and prevents
it from making its return stroke to the right, until, at a certain part of the revolu-
tion of the cam G³, the spring lever St being raised, the catch lever S drops, and
permits the slide A to advance in obedience to the spring P.
The machine operates in the following manner. Blanks Z', that is to say, the
pieces of metal to be formed into screws, having their heads roughly formed on
them, are fed into the hopper D, lodging in recesses on the upper surface of the
slide block C. This slide advancing while the slide A is back, and the plate E is
raised, brings one of the blanks forward to the position shewn at Z, where it is
clamped by the descent of tho plate E. The cutters B are caused by the action of
the spring P and cam N to advance and retreat three times along the blank Z
cutting the thread upon it; the cam L by turning three quarters round having
in cach of these quarters of a revolution the effect of raising farther the guide
rail K, and thereby causing the cutters B¹ to approach more nearly together so as
to deepen the thread cut at each advance. During the fourth revolution of the
shaft N the slide A is held back by the catch lever S, and the slide E is raised so
as to release the screw Z, whereupon the block C is caused to slide back to the

page_text: right, but as the last of the blanks Z is stopped by a fixed shoulder on the hopper
D the set of blanks remaining in position at the bottom of the hopper, the front
screw Z on which the thread has been cut drops into any convenient receptacle
below the machine. The block C then advancing towards the left causes another
blank to protrude in the position of Z, and it becoming clamped is operated on as
above described.
In the machine shewn in Figs. 3 and 4 for heading the screws, that is for cutting
to a true figure the conical head, the screws Z are advanced successively by a pusher
f, worked by a lever F¹. This lever is drawn forward by a spring F2, when a cam
F on the main shaft of the machine permits it. Each screw as it is protruded is
clamped by slides E, operated as in the screw cutting machine. The tubular spindle
B having in this case no reciprocating movement is driven from any suitable
countershaft. It has mounted on its end the cutter levers B¹, the cutters of which
are caused to approach by the backward movement of the cone end of the inner
tube b, effected through the bell-crank lever I', worked by a cam I on the main
shaft. The cutter levers B¹ are acted on by springs causing their cutters to
expand unless when they are caused to approach by the action of the cone on b.
This machine operates in the following manner. The cutters B¹ being_expanded
and the slide E being raised, the pusher f advancing thrusts a screw Z forward
which is clamped by the slide E, and then it retreats allowing another screw
to drop down in front of it. The cutters are then caused to approach each other
while they revolve, and thus finish the coned head of the screw, whereupon they
are expanded, the slide E is raised, and the piston f is made to advance another
screw, which pushes the screw already headed into the interior of the tube b when
the action is repeated.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I claim,-
First. The combination of parts constituting the machine for cutting the threads
of wood screws, substantially as described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2 of the
accompanying Drawings.
Second. The combination of parts constituting the machine for finishing the heads
of wood screws, substantially as described with reference to Figs. 3 and 4 of the
accompanying Drawings.
I also claim as subordinate parts of the machines referred to in the preceding
claims.
Third. The arrangement for feeding the blanks to have the screw cut on them by
the sliding bottom of the hopper operating in combination with the stationary back
thereof, substantially as described.
Fourth. The arrangement for arresting by means of a catch lever the stroke of
the sliding cutter frame during the extrusion of the screwed blank, and the ad-
vance of a blank to be clamped for screwing, substantially as described.
Fifth. The guide rail operated, substantially as described, for varying the
approach of tho thread cutters, and thereby tapering or otherwise varying tho
diameter of the screw.
Sixth. The tubular spindle of the heading machine for receiving the headed
screws when extruded from the clamp, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas James Waters, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.