Improvements in Vertical Milling Machines for Metal Cutting.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Aug., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 29th Apr.. 1890-Accepted, 2nd Aug., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Vertical Milling Machines for Metal Cutting.
GEORGE RICHARDS of Altrincham in the County of Cheshire, Engineer do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My improvements relate to a method of constructing Vertical Milling Machines, so
as to obviate some of the defects found in their present method of construction.
They refer more particularly to an arrangement of the framing to resist the strains
that come upon the cutter in this kind of work, also the method of driving the spindle
by belts and worm wheel.
The machine consists, first of a base plate on which two uprights are bolted; on the
top of this base, is a table which slides longitudinally with a cross slide on its top so
that the two movements produce what is commonly known as the compound slide.
On the top of this I place a circular table with a circular motion.
These tables are fed in opposite directions, and at varying speeds by friction
gearing.
The uprights carry a cross head, equal the width of the machine. In the centre of
this cross head is a vertical spindle driven by worm and wheel, both of which run
in oil.
The cross head is raised and lowered by screws so as to bring the cutter at various
heights from the table.
The worm shaft is driven by an endless belt, arranged with idler pulleys to com-
pensate for the vertical adjustment of the cross head.
The feed motions are obtained from the end of the lower driving shaft.
On the end of the shaft, I place a disc, this disc drives a friction wheel, which
has an adjustment across its face, so that as the friction wheel is further from the
centre, the feed will be faster.
The reverse motions of the feed are obtained by shifting the friction wheel across
the disc. The friction wheel shaft is connected with the feed giving motions of
the table by a train of gearing.
1
.Ր TL 1000
GEO. RICHARDS.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Vertical Milling Machines for Metal Cutting.
I, GEORGE RICHARDS of Altrincham in the County of Cheshire, Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what mauner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My improvements relate to a method of constructing Vertical Milling Machines, so
as to obviate some of the defects found in their present method of construction.
They refer more particularly to an arrangement of the framing to resist the strains
that come upon the cutter in this kind of work, also the method of driving the spindle
by belts and worm wheel.
The machine consists, first of a base plate on which two uprights are bolted; on the
top of this base is a table which slides longitudinally with a cross slide on its top, so
that the two movements produce what is commonly known as the compound slide.
On the top of this, I place a circular table with a circular motion. These tables
are capable of being fed in opposite directions, and at varying speeds by friction
gearing.
The uprights carry a cross head equal to the width of the machine. In the centre

page_text: of this cross head is a vertical spindle which carries the cutter and is driven by a
worm and wheel, both of which run in oil.
The cross head is raised and lowered by screws, so as to bring the cutter at various
heights from the table.
The worm shaft is driven by an endless belt, arranged with idler pulleys to com-
pensate for the vertical adjustment of the cross head.
The feed motions are obtained from the ond of the lower driving shaft. On the
end of this shaft, I place a disk, this disk drives a friction wheel, which has an adjust-
ment across its face, so that as the friction wheel is further from the centre of the
disk, the feed will be faster.
The reverse motions of the feed are obtained by shifting the friction wheel across
the disk and past its centre. The friction wheel shaft is connected with the feed
giving motions of the table by a train of gearing.
Referring to the drawings, Fig. (1) shows the front elevation of the machine,
Fig. (2) the side view, Fig. (3) plan of cross head, Fig. (4) plan of tables, Fig. 5. is a
section longitudinally through the base of the machine. Fig. 6. is a cross section of
the base through the line E F. Fig. 5.
Like numbers of reference in each figure indicate the same part.
In Fig. 1. (1, 1) are the uprights which carry the cross head (2, 2) which is raised
and lowered by the screws (3, 3) and hand wheel (4). In the centre of the cross
head are mounted bearings in which the spindle (5) revolves carrying the cutter (6)
which may be of any shape, and is attached to the spindle by any known method.
The spindle (5) is driven by a worm (7) and worm wheel (8) which revolve in
an oil box (9). The worm shaft (10) is driven by belt (12) (Fig. 2) and idler
pulleys (13, 13) (Fig. 1. 2 & 3) are arranged so as to allow of the vertical adjustment
of the cross head (2) while keeping the belt (12) in uniform tension.
The piece of work to be operated on by the cutter, is clamped in the ordinary
manner to the rotary table (15) the axis of which is mounted on the table (16)
and is capable of sliding along it. Table (16) is supported by table (17) and is
capable of sliding across it at right angles to the motion of table (15) on table (16).
These feed motions are obtained by screws operated by gears and clutches arranged
in the apron (18) in such manner that they can be worked either separately by
hand, or automatically.
The automatic feed motions are given by the shaft (52) (Fig. 1 and 5) which
passes through the base of the machine and is driven by the cone (53) (Fig. 1) at one
end, and at the opposite end drives the friction disk (37) (Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 5) from
which disk the various feed motions are derived.
The friction disk (37) rotates constantly in one direction, and at a constant speed,
and imparts motion to the friction wheel (34) (Figs. 4 and 5) which drives the
shaft (33) (Fig. 4) by means of a sliding key in said shaft, along which it can be
moved by the screw (35) and the hand wheel (54) (Fig. 4). The friction wheel (34)
can thus be moved across the face of the disk (37), so that their point of driving
contact may be at any desired distance from the centre of (37), and thus the speed
of (34) can be varied although the speed of (37) remains constant. Also by turning
the hand wheel (54) so as to bring the point of contact (34) exactly to the centre
of (37), the rotation of (34) will be stopped, and by turning it still further, so that the
point of contact is on the other side of the centre of (37), the rotation of (34) will
commence in the opposite direction, and its speed will be increased by still further
turning of (54).
The shaft (33) (Figs. 2 and 4) which is thus driven at any desired speed in either
direction, has a worm (32) (Figs. 1 and 2) which rotates the worm wheel (31) (Figs. 1
and 4) which is fastened to the shaft (30) (Figs. 1 and 4) which shaft with a spline
key and the sliding uitre gear (55) (Fig. 1) transmits the motion to the mitre gear (56)
(Figs. 1, 2, 4, and 6) and also through the shaft (57) (Figs. 2 and 6) and pinion (69)
(Figs. 1, 2, and 6) to the idler gear (70) (Figs. 1 and 6), the pinion of which drives
the clutch wheels (71) and (72) (Figs. 1 and 2) which run loose on the shafts (58)
and (50) (Figs. 2ª and 4). The clutch wheels (72) (Figs. 1 and 2) drives the gear

page_text: wheel (73) (Figs. 1 and 2) which runs loose on the shaft (26) (Figs. 2, 2ª and 4).
The shafts (58) (50) and (26) (Figs. 2 and 4) are fitted with clutches (21) (51)
and (59) (Fig. 2) which slide on keys fastened in their respective shafts, and can be
locked into the clutch gears (71) (72) and (73) (Fig. 2) by the handles (22) (25)
and (29) (Figs. 2, 2" and 4), and when thus locked the gear wheels (71) (72) and (73)
revolve their respective shafts (50) (58) and (29) (Fig. 2) and give the three
automatic feeds, as follows. The shaft (50) (Figs. 2 and 4) ends in a screw which
gives the cross traverse feed motion to the table slide (16) (Figs. 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6) by
means of a nut (68) (Fig. 5) attached to the table slide. The shaft (58) (Figs. 2, 2°, 4
and 6) drives the skew pinion (62) (Fig. 6) which skew pinion drives the geared
nut (60) (Figs. 5 and 6) the rotation of which on the fixed screw (19) (Figs. 3, 4, 5,
and 6) causes itself and the table slide (17) to which it is attached by the bearing (61)
(Fig. 5) to move in either direction, and thus gives the longitudinal traverse feed
motion to the table. The shaft (26) (Figs. 2, 2ª, and 4) passes through the table
slide (17) (Figs. 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6) to the back of the machine, and has the pinion (64)
(Fig. 2) keyed on the end; the pinion (64) (Fig. 2) revolves the gear (65) (Figs. 2
and 4) which by means of a spline key revolves the sliding shaft (27) (Figs. 2 and 4)
at the end of which is keyed the worm (66) (Figs. 4 and 5) which revolves the worm
wheel (67) (Figs. 4, 5, and 6) which is attached to the table (15) (Figs. 1, 2, 4, 5
and 6) by screws, thus giving the circular feed motion to the table.
The three feed motions can at choice be made either automatic or hand motions by
throwing the clutches (21) (51) and (59) (Fig. 2º) in or out of gear by means of
their respective levers (22) (25) and (29) (Figs. 2 and 4) and by clipping a crank
handle (75) (Figs. 2 and 4) on to the squared end of that one of the shafts (26) (50)
or (58) (Figs. 2 and 4) which it is desired to turn by hand.
It is to be observed, and it is a distinctive feature of the improved machine, that
the three levers (22) (25) and (29) (Figs. 2 and 4) which cause the three feed
motions to become at choice either automatic or hand motions, the crank handle (75)
(Figs. 2 and 4) and the hand wheel (54) (Figs. 2 and 4) which governs the speed
and direction of all the automatic feed motions, can all be operated from the front of
the machine, where the workman is in the most convenient position for watching
the work.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is.
1. In a vertical milling machine, the device of supporting the cutter spindle
in a cross head, which slides in uprights and is capable of vertical adjustment.
2. In a vertical milling machine which has the cutter spindle supported in a cross
head sliding in uprights and capable of vertical adjustment, the following devices
either separately or in combinations of two or more of them, viz.—
3. Driving the spindle by a worn and worm wheel running in oil, and placed inside
of the cross head.
4. Driving the worm shaft by an endless belt having idler pulleys so as to allow of
the vertical adjustment of the cross head.
5. Applying automatic variable feed motions to either or all of the sliding tables
and rotary table by a disk and a friction wheel which is adjustable across the face
of the disk.
6. Giving reverse motions to any one of the tables by making the friction wheel
pass across and beyond the centre of the disc.
7. Providing a hand feed motion for each table in addition to the automatic feed.
8. Arranging the cranks, hand wheels, levers and clutches commanding the feed
motions in front of the tables, all substantially as described.
Dated this 28th day of April 1890.
GEO. RICHARDS.