IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR BORING AND DRILLING
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Harvey and Alexander Harvey, junior, of
Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Engineers, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR BORING
AND DRILLING."
Sealed the 26th August 1856, and dated the 1st July 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Harvey and
Alexander Harvey, junior, at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 1st July 1856.
We, GEORGE HARVEY and ALEXANDER HARVEY, junior, of Glasgow, in the
County of Lanark, North Britain, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR BORING
AND DRILLING," to be as follows, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to machinery or apparatus more particularly adapted
for drilling or boring the bolt holes in the circumferential portions of railway
wheels for fixing the tyres, but which machinery or apparatus is also applicable
under suitable modifications for drilling or boring holes for various purposes
various situations.
in
According to a convenient modification of such machinery, a horizontally-
acting drilling spindle is fitted up with suitable driving pulleys, and gearing
upon a slide which is made adjustable as to height upon a vertical cast-iron
pillar or pedestal. The wheel to be drilled is set during the operation upon a
number of anti-friction rollers arranged at the base in front of the drilling spindle.
7

page_text: The wheel is simply run in on rails to these antifriction wheels, which can
be adjusted to suit wheels of various diameters, and which allow the wheel to
be turned round to bring the different points of the tyre opposite to the drill.
The drill is adjusted as to height so as to be pointed directly to the centre
of the wheel, and when the wheel is brought up to the drill a clamping arm
connected to the pillar is made to enter inside the rim of the wheel, so as to
hold it firmly up to the drill. With this apparatus wheels can be drilled with
great rapidity and accuracy, the requisite adjustment being effected with great
facility.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Harvey and Alexander Harvey, junior, in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 29th December 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, GEORGE
HARVEY and ALEXANDER HARVEY, junior, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, Engineers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
George Harvey and Alexander Harvey, junior, Her special license that we,
the said George Harvey and Alexander Harvey, junior, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said George Harvey
and Alexander Harvey, junior, our executors, administrators, or assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at
all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR BORING AND DRILLING," upon
the condition (amongst others) that we, the said George Harvey and Alexander
Harvey, junior, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said George Harvey and Alexander
Harvey, junior, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in

page_text: what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement in writing, reference being
had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon, that is to say:-
Our said Invention relates to machinery or apparatus more particularly
adapted for drilling or boring the bolt holes in the circumferential portions of
railway wheels for fixing the tyres, but which machinery or apparatus is also
applicable under suitable modifications for drilling or boring holes for various
purposes in various situations.
According to a convenient modification of such machinery, a horizontally-
acting drilling spindle is fitted up with suitable driving pulleys, and gearing
upon a slide which is made adjustable as to height upon a vertical cast-iron
pillar or pedestal. The wheel to be drilled is set during the operation upon
a number of antifriction rollers arranged at. the base in front of the drilling
spindle. The wheel is simply run in on rails to these antifriction wheels, which
can be adjusted to suit wheels of various diameters, and which allow the wheel
to be turned round to bring the different points of the tyre opposite to the drill.
The drill is adjusted as to height so as to be pointed directly to the centre of
the wheel, and when the wheel is brought up to the drill a clamping arm con-
nected to the pillar is made to enter inside the rim of the wheel, so as to hold it
firmly up to the drill. With this apparatus wheels can be drilled with great
rapidity and accuracy, the requisite adjustment being effected with great facility.
And in order that our said Invention may be properly understood, we have
hereunto appended, and shall now proceed to describe, two Sheets of explanatory
Drawings, showing a mode of practically working out the same.
Figure 1, on Sheet 1 of the Drawings, is a front elevation, and Figure 2, on
Sheet 2 of the Drawings, is a side elevation, of our improved apparatus for
drilling railway wheels; a pair of locomotive engine wheels being represented,
in dotted lines, as in a position to be operated upon by the apparatus, the
wheels being supposed to be in front thereof in Figure 2. The drilling details
are carried by a pillar or pedestal A, bolted down to a base plate B, and formed
or. fitted with vertical dovetail pieces C to retain and guide the sliding block
D, which is capable of adjustment as to height upon the said pieces C by
means of a screw spindle E, which works through a nut attached to its inner
face, and is held in bearings in the top of the pedestal A, the spindle E being
fitted with a hand-wheel F, whereby the adjustment is effected. The sliding
block D is formed with bearings to carry a tubular spindle G, inside which is
the drill spindle H, driven by the spindle G by means of a groove and feather,
admitting of the spindle. H being fed up longitudinally as the work goes on.

page_text: The feeding up is effected by means of a weighted lever I, centred on the
spindle of a ratchet wheel J, on which it acts by means of a pall, the weighted
end of the lever being lifted up by hand at intervals to take a fresh hold of the
ratchet wheel. The ratchet wheel J has fixed to it a pinion in gear with a
rack K, which it presses against the end of the drill spindle H, and so feeds it
up as the boring goes on. The spindle G is driven by means of a bevil wheel
L, fast upon it, and in gear with a bevil wheel M, upon a short spindle, passed
through to the back of the sliding block D, where it carries another bevil
wheel in gear with a bevil wheel driven by a vertical shaft N inside the pillar A.
The bevil wheel last mentioned is supported by a bracket on the back of the
sliding block D, rising and falling therewith, and being connected with the
shaft N by means of a groove and feather. The shaft N has fast on its upper
end a bevil wheel O, in gear with a bevil wheel P upon a horizontal shaft,
which passes out through the back of the pillar A to receive the driving
pulleys its outer end being supported by a
bracket R cast upon the
pillar A. The sliding block D is formed with a socket S, in which is fitted
the spindle of a clamp T, and when the wheel is brought up to the drill, the
clamp is turned round inside the rim, and is fixed in that position by a pinching
screw U, so as to hold the wheel up against the drill. The wheel to be drilled
is supported upon antifriction wheels V, carried upon pins in grooved frames W
set in the ground, one of these frames forming an extension of the base plate
B. The frames W are formed with several holes to receive the pins of the
wheels V, so that these can be adjusted to suit different sizes of wheels. The
pair of wheels to be drilled are run in upon rails, so as to rest upon the wheels
V, and the block being adjusted vertically so as to point the drill directly to
the centre of the wheel; the clamp T is fixed in position, and the drill is set
in motion. After each hole is drilled, the wheel is turned round to bring a
fresh point under the action of the drill.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, we may observe, in conclusion, that we do not confine or restrict
ourselves to the precise details or arrangements which we have had occasion to
describe or refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without
deviating from the principles or main features of our Invention; but what
we consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention
secured to us by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,--
First, the herein-before described combination or arrangement of drilling or
boring mechanism taken as a whole.
Second, the application and use of machinery or apparatus for drilling or

page_text: boring holes, wherein the drill is carried in a horizontal position upon a sliding
block capable of adjustment as to height, and is combined with an adjustable
clamp for holding up to it the article to be drilled or bored, as herein-before
described.
Third, the system or mode of drilling or boring holes in the circumferential
portions of railway and other wheels, and similar articles, by means of a drilling
or boring machine, contrived so that the drill can be adjusted as to height so as
to be directed horizontally towards the centre of the wheel, whilst the wheel
can be turned round to bring different points of its circumference opposite to
the drill, as hercin-before described.
Fourth, the application and use of antifriction supporting wheels or pulleys
for carrying railway wheels when being drilled.
In witness whereof, we, the said George Harvey and Alexander Harve y
junior, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-seventh
day of December, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
GEORGE HARVEY
(L.S.)
ALEXANDER HARVEY, JUN. (L.S.)