IMPROVEMENTS IN FILE-OUTTING MACHINES
Year: 1886

page_text: I, AMBROSE SHARDLOW of Washford Road, Attercliffe, in the County of York
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN
FILE-OUTTING MACHINES, to be as follows:-
The first part of this invention has for its object to enable the operator to vary the
power of the blow given by the cutter upon the file and thus regulate the depth of
the cut; the second part of the invention relates to a method of automatically
graduating the width of the cut, from the point of a file to any given point upon its
body, and the invention is carried out in the following manner.
In a file cutting machine such as described in the Specification of Patent
No. 4660, 1883, or any machine that is driven by a cam of the volute or snail-
shell design, I fix the cam shaft with its driving pulleys upon a slide having a
vertical movement upon the body of the machine, and raised or lowered by means
of a screw and nut worked by a handwheel, thus when the slide is lowered from its
normal position, the cam (it is evident) will not lift the ram with the cutter to the
usual height and therefore the blow will not be so heavy.
The operator will therefore lower the cam before commencing to cut the taper
point of a file, and gradually raise it to its normal position by the time the cut has
reached that part where the full cut is required.
To automatically graduate the width of the cut at the point, I cause the cradle or
bed on which the file lays to be moved forward in the gratuated speed as follows:-
The nut upon the traversing screw is not attached permanently to the cradle or slide,
but has a short horizontal sliding movement in a recess or undercut slot formed in the
end of the cradle or slide.
The top of the nut is provided with a rack and the end of the cradle or slide carries
a pinion gearing into the said rack; on the axle of the pinion I fix an outside pinion
geared into a third pinion working on a stud and having a lever provided with a roller
which rests upon the face of a suitably shaped templet or " former" fixed to the bed of
the machine.

page_text: As the pinions have only a limited movement, they may conveniently be replaced
by segments of pinions.
«
When the cradle or slide is in position to commence cutting the point of the file, the
templet or 'former" has raised the lever, and the nut is moved in the undercut recess
from its point of contact with the cradle or slide.
When the machine is started the revolution of the screw draws forward the nut,
and the teeth of the rack being in gear with its pinion attached to the cradle, would
also impart to it the same amount of traverse, but as the lever and roller before-
mentioned follow down the curve of the templet, a slight rotary motion is given
to the rack pinion which draws back the cradle a certain distance, thus diminishing
the traverse; the curve of the templet is arranged that when the full amount of
traverse is required to give the full cut, the nut is in contact with the cradle, and the
motion is imparted direct and not through the rack and pinion.

page_text: I AMBROSE SHARDLOW of Washford Road Attercliffe in the County of York
Engineer, 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 :-
The first part of my invention enables the operator to vary the power of the
blow given by the cutter, and thus to regulate the depth of the cut; The second
part relates to automatically graduating the width of the cut, from the point of a
file, to any given point upon the body.
The Improvements are especially adapted to such machines as are described in the
Specification of Patent No. 4660, 1883, or similarly constructed machines.
That my invention may be fully understood I annex a sheet of drawings, in which "
like letters of reference indicate like parts in any of the figures in which they occur.
Fig. 1, is a side elevation of the bed of a File cutting machine, showing the
mechanism in two positions.
Fig. 3, is a side view of the traversing movement, with graduating action.
Fig. 2, is an end view of same.
In carrying out the first part of my invention as applied to a File cutting machine
such as described in the Specification of Patent No. 4660 1883, for example, the ram
or slide of which is raised by a volute or snailshell cam; I fix the said cam with its
shaft and driving pulleys upon a slide having an adjustable vertical movement upon
the body of the machine and which can be raised and lowered by means of a hand
wheel and screw or equivalent means. When the slide is lowered from its normal
position, it will be evident that the cam will not raise the slide to the usual height, and
that consequently the weight of the blow will not be so heavy.
The operator will therefore lower the cam before commencing to cut the point of a
file where the blow is required to be light, and will gradually raise it to its highest or
normal position by the time the cutter has reached that part of the file where the full
power of the cut is required.
The second part of my invention which relates to a method of automatically graduating
the width between the cuts at the point of a file, I carry out in the following manner,
reference being had to the Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings.
The nut A upon the traversing screw which gives motion to the bed or cradle B
upon which the file is held to be cut, is not permanently or rigidly secured thereto,
but has a short horizontal sliding movement in a dovetailed slot C formed in the
end or of the bed or cradle B.
The top of the nut A is provided with a rack D, and the end of the bed carries a
pinion E, gearing into the said rack; on the axle of the said pinion, is fixed an
outside pinion F, gearing into a third pinion G, (or as there is only a limited move-
ment required, segments of pinions may be substituted with advantage).

page_text: The pinion or segment G, works upon a stud and is rigidly connected with a lever
or arm H, on the end of which is a roller I, which rests upon and travels along the
face of a suitably shaped template J, fixed to the side of the machine; the action of
the apparatus is as follows.
When the sliding bed is in position to commence cutting the point of a file, (where
the teeth are lightly cut and closer togeter) the end of the bed is where represented in
Fig. 1, by dotted lines, and the curved configuration of the template J, will have
raised the lever to the position shown, and by the action of the pinions and the
rack will have moved the nut A, in the dovetailed slot C, a short distance back from
its point of contact with the bed B. When the machine is started the revolving
screw acts on the nut A, and draws it forward, and as the teeth of the rack are in
gear with the pinion carried by the bed, it would consequently follow that the same
movement would be communicated to the bed, but as the bed begins to travel, the
roller I, follows down the curve of the template J, and causes a slight rotary motion
of the pinion E, which acting on the rack D-forces or draws back the sliding bed a
short distance, and thus diminishes the traverse.
When the roller has reached the bottom of the curve and rests on the straight path,
the action of pinions and rack will have ceased, and the nut will be in contact with the
sliding bed, and the intermittant forward movement will be imparted direct, and not
through the rack.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In Machines for cutting Files, a vertical adjustment applied to the cam shaft,
for the purpose specified, and substantially as described.
2. In Machines for Cutting Files, the mechanism for automatically graduating the
width of the cut, (that is from fine to coarse, or vice versa), substantially as herein-
before described, and as illustrated.
Amil 1007
ROBT. F. DRURY,
Agent for the Applicant.