IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF SPOKES FOR CARRIAGE WHEELS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE CUTTING OF WOOD FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Collier and William Noble, both of Halifax,
in the County of York, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS
OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF SPOKES FOR CARRIAGE WHEELS,
WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE CUTTING OF WOOD FOR
OTHER PURPOSES."
Sealed the 27th May 1859, and dated the 29th November 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Collier and William
Noble at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition,
on the 29th November 1858.
We, GEORGE COLLIER and WILLIAM NOBLE, both of Halifax, in the County
of York, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF SPOKES FOR CARRIAGE
WHEELS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE CUTTING OF WOOD
FOR OTHER PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
The improvements relate to an adaptation and combination of means to
facilitate the cutting of spokes for wheels, which improvements are also
adapted to the cutting of forms for other uses. For this purpose the wood to
be cut is held endwise as in a lathe, and so that rotary motion may be given

page_text: to it whilst it is acted upon by two rotating and traversing cutters. One of
these cutters in its rotation during its traverse simply acts to reduce the outer
surface of the wood to a cylindrical character. The other cutter is also
capable of a motion in a direction to or from the wood to be cut, and a
projection or follower from the sliding table supporting it is constantly borne
towards a model spoke or other form being copied, and which is caused to
rotate simultaneously with the wood to be cut, by which the article cut will,
by this second cutter, be cut to the figure of the inodel.
In order to give steadiness to the wood being cut, especially towards the
centre of its length, it passes through a fixed brace or support of a form
suited to embrace the wood just after being operated by the first cutter, and
before being acted upon by the second.
The cutters we employ for cutting spokes and such like articles are of
a disc form with cutting edges formed across the periphery in an angular
direction, and such cutting surface of each cutter is partly cylindrical and
partly curved to a smaller diameter, so as to enable them progressively to
cut from the outer surface to the depth desired; and the face of the cutter in
the direction of its cutting is all round it near its cutting edge recessed or
dished, so as to admit of sharpness at those parts.
The second or finishing cutters as well as the follower, in place of being
carried by a traversing slide, may be supported by a lever or levers capable
of the required movement.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Collier and William Noble in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 28th May 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, GEORGE
COLLIER and WILLIAM NOBLE, both of Halifax, in the County of York, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of November, in the year .of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said George Collier and William Noble, Her special licence that we, the
said. George Collier and William Noble, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said George Collier and William Noble,

page_text: our executors, administrators, and 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 MEANS OR
APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF SPOKES FOR CARRIAGE WHEELS, WHICH
IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE CUTTING OF WOOD FOR OTHER PUR-
POSES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said George Collier
and William Noble, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under our or their hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of
one of us or them, 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 immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the George Collier and William Noble,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement thereof:-
The improvements relate to an adaptation and combination of means to
facilitate the cutting of spokes for wheels, which improvements are also adapted
to the cutting of forms for other uses. For this purpose the wood to be cut
is held endwise, as in a lathe, and so that rotary motion may be given to it
whilst it is acted upon by two rotating and traversing cutters. One of these
cutters in its rotation during its traverse simply acts to reduce the outer
surface of the wood to a cylindrical character. The other cutter is also
capable of a motion in a direction to or from the wood to be cut, and a
projection or follower from the sliding table supporting it is constantly borne
towards a model spoke or other form being copied, and which is caused to
rotate simultaneously with the wood to be cut, by which the article cut will,
by this second cutter, be cut to the figure of the model. In order to give
steadiness to the wood being cut, especially towards the centre of its length;
it passes through a fixed brace or support of a form suited to embrace the
wood just after being operated by the first cutter, and before being acted
upon by the second.
The cutters we employ for cutting spokes and such like articles are. of a.
disc form, with cutting edges formed across the periphery in an angular
direction, and such cutting surface of each cutter is partly cylindrical and

page_text: describe the Drawings annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a side view, Figure 2 a plan, Figure 3 an end view, and
Figure 4 a transverse section of apparatus arranged according to our improve-
ments; Figures 5, 6, and 7 show the cutters we employ separately on a larger
scale. a, a, is the main framing; bis the driving axis, which is supported so
as to turn freely in the standards a¹ from the main framing a. The axis b receives
motion from a steam engine or other suitable power by means of a strap or
band acting upon the drum or pulley 6 fixed thereon, and there is also
affixed on that axis ba pinion 62, the teeth of which take into the teeth of the
wheel c affixed upon the axis c¹, and this wheel c takes into the teeth of the
wheel d affixed upon the axis d', to communicate motion thereto. The axis
c is supported so as to turn freely in the standards a', a', and it is formed at
its inner end to receive and hold one end of the piece of wood to be cut, whilst
the other end thereof is held by the conical end of the adjustable pin e. The
axis d' is also supported so as to turn freely in the standards a¹, a¹, and is
formed at one end to receive a model f, said model f representing the form to
which the piece of wood 9 is intended to be cut by the cutters h and i. The
model represented as being copied is that of a spoke, but this may be varied,
and its other end is supported by the adjustable pin j. The cutter h is simply
for the purpose of roughing or taking off the outer edges of the wood g, and
when in operation it simply traverses endways along the surface to be cut.
This cutter h is affixed to the axis h', upon which is affixed also the small
pulley ho, partly around which passes-the-strap or band -h,-to-impart the
requisite rotary motion to the cutter from a suitable overhead motion. The
axis his supported in bearings as shown carried by the arms h; which turn
upon pin joints ho from the sliding bed k, whilst their upper ends are by pin
joints connected to the link ho, which is formed with a screw pin to pass
through the standard &, projecting up from the sliding bed k, and capable of

page_text: from the
also carries a truck or
being set in the position required by the nuts h, h. The cutter i is fixed
upon the axis , upon which is also affixed the pulley, driven by the strap
or band from a suitable overhead motion, and the axis ¹ is supported in
the lever arm *, the lower end of which is carried by a pin joint
sliding bed k, whilst the upper end of the lever arm is by the adjustable link 2
connected to the upper end of the lever 7, the lower end of which turns on a
pin joint 8, carried by the bed k, whilst the lever
bowl, resting against the model f to be copied; and these levers * and 27
are borne towards the modelf by means of the spring, one end of which is
connected to the hook carried by the bed k, whilst the other end is by the
link connected to the lever *, by which whilst the truck or bowl' will
be borne towards the model f, the cutter i will be borne to its work, and what-
.ever to-and-fro motions are imparted to the truck or bowl by the form of
the model f, will in like manner be imparted to the cutter i, to give like form
to the wood g being cut. The sliding bed k is when in operation arranged to
traverse from the right to the left-hand end of the machine, as represented by
Figures 1 and 2, and this traverse is effected in the following manner :-The
wheel & takes into and gives motion to a wheel m, upon the axis of which is
affixed the pinion m³, and these together rotate on the stud m³, carried
by the adjustable plate m³, adapted for change of wheels for varying
speeds, whilst the pinion m¹ takes into and gives motion to the toothed
wheel m, affixed on the screw shaft m³, the thread of which is embraced
by a female screw formed in the boss of the pinion me, carried by the sliding
table or bed k. When the sliding bed k with its cutters has traversed
to the full extent required to the left, an adjustable projection ³ comes
under and raises the rod k to release the sliding bar from the pro-
jection, and by the spring to throw the driving strap off the fast on to
the loose pulley; and the sliding bed k is moved back again by the attendant
turning the winch handle n, affixed to the axis n¹, which turns in bearings
carried by the sliding bed k, and has affixed upon it the pinion n², which takes
into and drives the pinion mo. o is a brace or support fixed to the sliding
bed k, and having a hole through it just large enough to admit that part of
the spoke or other piece of wood g being cut just where such piece of wood
has been cut by the roughing cutter h, and to give support to such wood g
whilst the finishing cutter i is operating upon it.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, we would have it
understood that we do not confine ourselves to the precise details shown, as
these may be varied without departing from our Invention; but what we do

page_text: claim is the adaptation and combination of means for the cutting of spokes
of wheels, and which are also applicable to the cutting of forms for other uses,
in manner substantially as explained.
In witness whereof, we, the said George Collier and William Noble,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Eighteenth day of May,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-.
nine...
Witness,
JOHN COLLIER,
of Halifax.
GEORGE COLLIER. (L.s.)
WILLIAM NOBLE. (L.S.)