New or Improved Machinery for Cutting Out Circular Discs from Non-metallic Materials for the Manufacture of Buttons and for other purposes.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Mar., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 19th Dec., 1892-Accepted, 18th Feb., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
New or Improved Machinery for Cutting Out Circular Discs from
Non-metallic Materials for the Manufacture of Buttons and for
other purposes.
We, ALMA CHRISTOPHER CLEAVER, of No. 75 Clifford Street, Aston, near
Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manager and WILLIAM PERRY, of
No. 364 New John Street West, Birmingham, aforesaid, Tool Maker, and SMITH
AND WRIGHT LIMITED, of Brearley Street, Birmingham, aforesaid, Manufacturers,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
-
The said machinery consists of the arrangements and combinations of parts
hereinafter described whereby the cutting out of the discs is more conveniently
effected and with less waste of material than occurs in the machinery at present
employed for that purpose. Some of the principal motions of the machinery may
be controlled by the workman but the said motions may by certain additions or
modifications be automatically effected.
We will first describe the machine in its simpler form and afterwards the additions
or modifications referred to.
The machine consists essentially of the following parts. A lathe head is provided
with a hollow or tubular spindle which carries a pulley for giving it rotary motion.
by means of a strap or band. This hollow spindle is capable in addition to its
rotary motion of a limited sliding motion in its bearings.
In the said hollow spindle is a rod of somewhat greater length than the said
spindle. The said rod which we will hereinafter refer to as the holding rod,
protrudes from the said spindle at both ends and is capable of a sliding motion but
has no rotary motion.
The acting end of the hollow spindle carries a tool holder in which are fixed
two or more cutters at the required distance apart for cutting out by their rotation
the discs required. The non-metallic material from which the disc is to be cut is
supported between a fixed support in line with the holding rod and the protruding
end of the said holding rod the said material being firmly held without motion
while the rotating cutter acts upon it. The said holding rod is connected with a
parallel sliding rod on the same level and by means of a coiled spring on the last
named rod the holding rod is pressed home against the material being operated
upon. The return motion of the holding rod for the purpose of introducing the
material and letting fall the cut out disc is effected by a treadle. By pressing on
the said treadle the short arm of a crank lever which engages with a pin on the
parallel rod withdraws the said rod and the holding rod. A coiled spring on
the fixed support presses against the material operated upon and liberates the
waste.
The rotating hollow spindle carrying the cutters is connected with a parallel
sliding shaft underneath it, a coiled spring on which shaft presses the said shaft
and with it the rotating cutter into its withdrawn or non-acting position.
By means of a hand lever connected with the sliding shaft the workman brings
up the rotating cutter to its work. After the disc has been cut out the workman
liberates the cutter by means of the hand lever and liberates the disc by pressing
his foot upon the treadle.
To make the motions of the holding rod and cutter automatic we employ the
following arrangement of parts. A rotating spindle parallel to the hollow cutter
spindle at a somewhat lower level and behind it is driven by a band and pulley
from the driving shaft. The end of this supplementary spindle carries a worm
which worm gears with a worm wheel working in a plane parallel to the plane in

page_text: which the axis of the hollow cutter spindle is situated. On the inner face of the
said worm wheel is a driving stud and on the outer face is a cam. By the slow
rotation of the worm wheel the driving stud is at the required time brought against
a shoulder or projection on the vertical arm connecting the rotating hollow cutter
spindle and its lower parallel shaft thereby urging forward the rotating cutter
spindle against the material under operation and effecting the cutting of the disc.
The driving stud escaping from the said shoulder when by the rotation of the
worm wheel it has risen to a certain height the cutter spindle springs back into its
non-acting position. On the further rotation of the worm wheel the cam on its
outer face is brought to act upon the long arm of a lever the short arm of which
engages with a pin on the parallel sliding rod of the holding rod and draws back
the said holding rod and thereby releases the cut out disc. The said driving stud
and cam on the worm wheel are in such relative positions that the cutter and
holding rod being both withdrawn the workman introduces a fresh piece of the
material from which another disc is to be cut between the end of the fixed support
and the protruding end of the holding rod. The further rotation of the said worm
wheel turns the cam so that it no longer presses on the end of the said lever and
the holding rod advances and fixes the said material; the rotating cutter then
advances and cuts out the disc in the manner hereinbefore described.
Dated the 25th day of March 1892.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
New or Improved Machinery for Cutting Out Circular Discs from
Non-metallic Materials for the Manufacture of Buttons and for
other purposes.
We, ALMA CHRISTOPHER CLEAVER of No. 75 Clifford Street, Aston, near
Birmingham in the County of Warwick, Manager and WILLIAM PERRY of
No. 364 New John Street West, Birmingham aforesaid, Tool Maker, and SMITH
AND WRIGHT LIMITED, of Brearley Street, Birmingham, aforesaid Manufacturers
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:―
The said machinery consists of the arrangements and combinations of parts
herein after described whereby the cutting out of the discs is more conveniently
effected and with less waste of material than occurs in the machinery at present
employed for that purpose. Some of the principal motions of the machinery may
be controlled by the workman but the said motions may by certain additions or
modifications be automatically effected.
We will first describe the machine in its simpler form and afterwards the
additions or modifications referred to.
The machine consists essentially of the following parts. A lathe head is
provided with a hollow or tubular spindle which carries a pulley for giving it
rotary motion by means of a strap or band. This hollow spindle is capable in
addition to its rotary motion of a limited sliding motion in its bearings.
In the said hollow spindle is a rod of somewhat greater length than the said
spindle. The said rod, which we will hereinafter refer to as the holding rod
protrudes from the said spindle at both ends and is capable of a sliding motion
but has no rotary motion. The acting end of the hollow spindle carries a tool
holder in which are fixed one or more cutters at the required distance apart for
cutting out by their rotation the discs required. The non-metallic material from
which the disc is to be cut is supported between a fixed support in line with the
holding rod and the protruding end of the said holding rod, the said material being
firmly held without motion while the rotating cutter acts upon it. The said holding

page_text: rod is connected with a parallel sliding rod on the same level and by means of a
coiled spring on the last named rod the holding rod is pressed home against the
material being operated upon. The return motion of the holding rod for the
purpose of introducing the material and letting fall the cut out disc is effected by
a treadle. By pressing on the said treadle, the short arm of a crank lever which
engages with a pin on the parallel rod withdraws the said rod and the holding rod.
A coiled spring on the fixed support presses against the material operated upon and
liberates the waste.
The rotating hollow spindle carrying the cutter is connected with a parallel
sliding shaft underneath it, a coiled spring on which shaft presses the said shaft
and with it the rotating cutter into its withdrawn or non-acting position. By
means of a hand lever connected with the sliding shaft the workman brings up the
rotating cutter to its work. After the disc has been cut out the workman liberates
the cutter by means of the hand lever and liberates the disc by pressing his foot
upon the treadle.
To make the motions of the holding rod and cutter automatic we employ the
following arrangement of parts. A rotating spindle parallel to the hollow cutter
spindle at a somewhat lower level and behind it, is driven by a band and pulley
from the driving shaft. The end of the supplementary spindle carries a worm
which worm gears with a worm wheel working in a plane parallel to the plane in
which the axis of the hollow cutter spindle is situated. On the inner face of the said
worm wheel is a driving stud and on the outer face is a cam. By the slow rotation
of the worm wheel the driving stud is at the required time brought against a
shoulder or projection on the vertical arm, connecting the rotating hollow cutter
spindle and its lower parallel shaft, thereby urging forward the rotating cutter
spindle against the material under operation and effecting the cutting of the disc.
The driving stud escaping from the said shoulder when by the rotation of the worm
wheel it has risen to a certain height, the cutter spindle springs back into its non-
acting position. On the further rotation of the worm wheel the cam on its outer
face is brought to act upon the long arm of a lever the short arm of which
engages with a pin on the parallel sliding rod of the holding rod and draws back
the said holding rod and thereby releases the cut out disc. The said driving stud
and cam on the worm wheel are in such relative positions that the cutter and
holding rod being both withdrawn the workman introduces a fresh piece of the
material from which another disc is to be cut between the end of the fixed support
and the protruding end of the holding rod. The further rotation of the said
worm wheel turns the cam so that it no longer presses on the end of the said
lever and the holding rod advances and fixes the said material; the rotating cutter
then advances and cuts out the disc in the manner herein before described.
We will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying drawing
the manner in which the said invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation (partly in longitudinal section); Figure 2
in plan (partly in horizontal section) and Figure 3 in end elevation (partly in
cross section on the dotted line B B Figure 1) machinery constructed according
to this invention for cutting out discs of ivory, vegetable ivory, wood, bone and
pearl and other like non-metallic material for the manufacture of buttons, the said
machinery having combined with it mechanism for making the motions of the
holding rod and hollow cutter spindle or shaft automatic, but the automatic
mechanism may be dispensed with and the said holding rod and hollow cutter
spindle or shaft be controlled by the workman as hereinafter described.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of
the drawing.
a, a² is the lathe head of the machine and is the hollow or tubular spindle
or shaft rotating and capable of a limited sliding motion in the uprights or
bearings a², a² of the said lathe head. The said rotating and sliding spindle or
shaft b has fixed to its acting end the tool holder e in which one or more cutters
are fixed. The cutter or cutters which we use is or are of the ordinary kind and

page_text: are not represented in the drawing: The rotary motion of the hollow or tubular
spindle or shaft bis effected by a band working over the pulley c.
The sliding
and rotating cutter spindle or shaft is connected with the parallel sliding shaft /
underneath it through the vertical arm k, k². This undershaft h slides in the
uprights a², a² of the lathe head and by the expansion of the coiled spring h²
around the said shaft h, the said shaft h and with it the rotating and sliding cutter
shaft are pressed into their withdrawn positions so as to take out of action the.
cutter or cutters on the end of the said cutter shaft. The said cutter shaft is
advanced and held to its work automatically as hereinafter described:
d is the holding rod situated and sliding axially in the hollow spindle or cutter
shaft b, the said sliding holding rod d extending through and protruding from both
ends of the hollow cutter shaft or spindle as seen in the drawing. The said sliding
holding rod d is connected at its protruding right hand end by means of the cross
piece g (best seen in Figure 2) with the parallel sliding rod d² on the same level,
the said rod d² working in the uprights or bearings a², a² of the lathe head a. By
the expansion of the coiled spring d³ around the said rod d², the holding rod dis
pressed home against the material being operated upon. The said holding rod is
automatically taken out of action or a retiring motion given to it to permit of
the falling of the cut out disc and waste material and for introducing the fresh
material by the mechanism hereinafter described.
The non-metallic material from which the button disc is to be cut out, is
supported between the fixed support in line with the sliding holding rod d and
the protruding left hand end of the said holding rod, the material being held
firmly at its middle without motion while the rotating cutter in the tool holder e
acts upon it, the end of the holding rod pressing within the marginal part of the
disc to be cut out. A coiled spring f2 around the fixed support presses against
the material operated upon and on the retiring of the holding rod d the said spring
liberates the waste piece of the material from which the button disc has been
cut out.
We will now describe the mechanism by which the holding rod and cutter
spindle or shaft bare automatically operated.
At the right hand end of the machine is a supplementary rotary spindle / working
in a long sleeve or bearing supported by the bracket l³.
Rotatory motion is communicated to the supplementary spindle / by a band
working over the pulley m on its end, the said band being driven in any convenient
manner. Near the inner end of the spindle l, a worm n is fixed, which gears with
and drives a worm wheel n² fixed on the cross spindle n³.
On the inner face
of the rotating worm wheel n² is a driving stud or cam p which on the rotation of
the said wheel in the direction of the arrow on it is at the required time brought
against the shoulder or projection * on the vertical arm k connecting the rotating
hollow cutter spindle 6 with the parallel under spindle h. By the action of the
driving stud or cam p against the shoulder on the vertical arm k, the said arm is
advanced or urged forward and with it the cutter spindle and parallel spindle /
and the spring his compressed. The cutter on the rotating spindle is thereby
advanced against the material held between the holding rod d and the fixed support f
and the rotating cutter cuts out a disc from the said material. On the driving stud
or camp, on the rotating worm wheel n², escaping from the shoulder k² on the
arm k, the cutter spindle is pressed back by the expansion of the coiled spring h³
into its withdrawn or non-acting position.
The sliding holding rod d is automatically taken out of action and permitted to
take its pressing or holding position by the following mechanism.
This mechanism is best seen in Figures 1 and 3. On the outer face of the
rotating worm wheel 2 is a cam 9 which acts upon the cranked lever r, turning
on the centre, the upper short arm 2 of the said lever being engaged with a
cross pin (see Figure 1) on the parallel sliding rod d connected with the holding
rod d. As the cam y comes into action, it advances the long arm of the lever and
gives a back or retiring motion to the short upper arm of the lever, thereby

page_text: drawing back through the pin rod d² and connecting cross piece 9 the holding
rod d and thus releasing the cut out disc and the waste material.
are so
It will thus be understood that the driving stud or camp and the can
disposed on the slowly rotating worm wheel n' that when the cam p is out of action
the cutter spindle is withdrawn and when the cam q is in action the holding rod dis
in its withdrawn position and the reverse.
b
When both the cutter shaft and holding rod are in their withdrawn positions, the
workman introduces a fresh piece of the material between the end of the holding
rod d and the fixed support f. By the further rotation of the worm wheel n², the
cam p is put into action and the cam y taken out of action. On the cam q being
taken out of action, the lever r, r² being no longer pressed upon, the holding
rod d is released and is advanced by the extension of the coiled spring and
fixes the material between its protruding end and the fixed support as before
described and on the camp coming into action the cutter shaft or spindle is
advanced and the cutter, held in its holder, cuts out a disc from the material.
When the motions of the cutter shaft or spindle and holding rod d are to be
controlled by the workman, the mechanism for actuating the said parts automatically
is omitted; that is to say, the worm shaft I, worm n worm wheel n² and its cams and
the lever r", ² are removed and the sliding shaft or spindle carrying the rotating
cutter or cutters is advanced so as to bring its cutter or cutters to and maintain it or
them at work upon the material by means of a hand lever (not shown) connected to
the end of the parallel rod h at 3 secured to the said cutter shaft, and the with-
drawal of the holding rod d for the purpose of introducing the material and letting
fall the cut out disc is effected by a foot treadle, connected by a crank lever to the
parallel rod d² of the holding rod d, the short arm of the said crank lever engaging
with a pin on the said parallel rod d². Or the withdrawal of the holding rod may
be effected by a hand lever instead of by a treadle operated by the foot.
By the
use of the central holding rod described and represented and the appliances
connected with it for holding the material being operated upon, the said material is
supported at its middle, and within the marginal part to be cut out, instead of
supporting and holding the material externally to the part to be cut out as usual.
By thus holding the material from which the discs are to be cut out less waste
of material occurs than when the material is held in the ordinary way; and
by the use of the said holding or supporting rod and its adjuncts in conjunction
with the other parts of the machine, the cutting out of the discs is conveniently
and economically effected.
Although the machinery described and represented is especially applicable to the
cutting out of circular discs from non-metallic material for the manufacture of
buttons, yet it may also be applied to the cutting out of circular discs from non-
metallic material for other purposes; such for example as the cutting out of the
discs or counters used in the playing of the game of draughts and the like.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and the manner in which the same is to be performed, we declare that we claim
as the said invention of "New or improved machinery for cutting out circular discs
from non-metallic materials for the manufacture of buttons and for other purposes
"
:
First-The combination in machinery for cutting out circular discs from non-
metallic material of a sliding holding rod of less diameter at its acting end than the
discs to be cut out, and the appliances connected with the said holding rod for
holding the material to be operated upon by pressure applied centrally and within
the margin of the discs to be cut out, the said centrally sliding holding rod
being situated and working in the hollow cutter spindle or shaft of the machinery
whether the motions of the said sliding holding rod be controlled by the workman
or be operated automatically by the machinery substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
Secondly-The arrangement or combination of the parts of the rotating and
sliding hollow cutter spindle or shaft hereinbefore described and illustrated in the

page_text: accompanying drawing; whether the motions of the said rotating and sliding cutter
spindle or shaft be controlled by the workman or be operated automatically by the
machinery as hereinbefore described.
Thirdly-The combination with the centrally sliding holding rod and the rotating
and sliding cutter spindle or shaft of the machinery of mechanism, the parts of
which are arranged and operated substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawing, for automatically effecting the motions of
the said sliding holding rod and cutter spindle or shaft.
Dated the Nineteenth day of December 1892.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants.