IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR TURNING METAL SHAFTING, OR BARS, & CYLINDRICAL RINGS. AND CUTTING SCREWS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Sellers, of Philadelphia, in the State of
Pennsylvania, United States of America, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR TURNING METAL SHAFTING, OR BARS, & CYLINDRICAL
RINGS. AND CUTTING SCREWS."
Sealed the 7th December 1858, and dated the 2nd July 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Sellers at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 2nd
July 1858.
I, WILLIAM SELLERS, of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, United
States of America, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR TURNING METAL SHAFTING OR BARS, & CYLIN-
DRICAL RINGS, AND CUTTING SCREWS," to be as follows:-
I provide a revolving cutter head or chuck adapted to receive suitable tools
or cutters, and revolved by competent power. This cutter head is provided
with an opening in its centre, through which the shaft or bar to be turned, or
the cylindrical ring or screw to be cut is passed, and the said cutter-head is
caused to pass along the said bar or shaft as it revolves, or said bar or shaft is
forced through the said cutter head, so that the revolving cutters shall remove
the metal in the desired manuer. The motion thus given endways of the
shaft being communicated by screws acting on a slide rest or mandril head,

page_text: and to support the shaft or bar and prevent vibration between the cutter
head and the end of said shaft, I make use of double clamps, holding the said
bar centrally of the cutter head, and travelling on a slide rest or bed.
In order to sustain the parts of the bar, shaft, or ring, that has been operated,
on by the cutters in the revolving head, I make use of pairs of grooved rollers
contained in head blocks, set on cross slides, and acting on opposite sides of
the shaft, bar, or ring, to hold it central, and these head blocks are drawn
together to clamp and hold the shaft (by said rollers) by means of a lever
acting on a shaft with connecting rods to said head blocks. A blank shaft
with a centre point is used between said rollers to guide the end of the shaft,
bar, or ring to be turned.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Sellers in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
31st December 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
SELLERS, of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, United States of
America, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of July, 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 me, the said
William Sellers, Her special license that I, the said William Sellers, my
executors, administrators, andassigns, or such others as 1, the said William
Sellers, my 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 MACHINERY
FOR TURNING METAL SHAFTING, OR BARS, AND CYLINDRICAL RINGS, AND CUTTING
SCREWS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Sellers,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Sellers, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to
the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
Plate 1, Fig. 1 is a plan; Fig. 2 is an end elevation, Fig. 3 is a side
elevation, Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation in front of the cutter head; Fig. 5
is an elevation of the opposite end from Fig. 2; and Fig. 6 is a side elevation
of the chuck for holding the shaft.
The object of my Invention in the turning of shafts or cylindrical rings,
with a view to leave them perfectly true when finisbed, is to sustain the metal
bars during the operation in such a manner as to prevent vibration, however
such bars may be out of true when put in the machine, and to obtain the
said result, the mode of operation of my said Invention consists in combining
with suitable rotating cutters or instruments for cutting or reducing the
surface of a bar, a guide bar or bed having one or more chucks or rests sliding
thereon, to gripe and hold the bar at given distances apart, to keep the said
bar from turning, to hold it in line, and to prevent vibration, the said chucks
or supports being so arranged that they shall move towards the rotating
cutters in the direction of the axis of the finished bar or ring, and that they
may be removed in succession as the operation progresses; and it also consists
in combining with the foregoing combination suitable supports to sustain the
bar in a central position beyond the cutters, whether said supports be or not
be self-adapting to any slight inaccuracy in the finished bar; and it also
consists in combining with the foregoing combination, a mode of sustaining in
a central position that end of the bar which is first to be operated upon by the
cutters. The mode of construction which I have tried with success is as
follows:-I provide a bed piece A, supported at such a height as may be
convenient to the workman, near the centre of which I place a stand B, which
serves as a bearing for the bevel wheel and cutter head C, and is so arranged
as to allow the wheel and cutter head to rotate freely without any vibration.
A hole must be made through the centre of the cutter head, of sufficient size
to admit the largest shaft the machine will operate upon. On the front end or
face plate of this head; any number of cutters may be placed that may be
deemed most serviceable, I prefer four which are placed radially, and are
retained in their places and adjusted by two set screws to each cutter.
Motion is communicated to the cutter head by means of the bevel wheel
forming part of the bead, the pinion D, and cone pulley E. To the end of

page_text: the bed piece A, farthest from the cutters, I attach a long bed piece or guide
bar F, in line with the axis of the cutter head C, and having its upper surface
planed perfectly smooth and true, and of such form as to receive the sliding
stand C, and allow it to move freely the whole length of the bed piece F with-
out any lateral or vertical movement whatever. In one end of the sliding
stand G, I place a male centre G¹, and a feeding movement is communicated
from the cutter head C to the stand G by means of the screw and nut Hand
h, wheels I, I, shaft k, bevel wheel L, and double bevel pinion i, i. The nut
h is made so as to be readily thrown out of gear with the screw, for the
purpose of giving a quick return motion to the sliding stand G. On the upper
surface of the bed piece F, and between the sliding stand G and cutter
head C, I place one or more sliding chucks M, which are arranged to slide
freely thereon in a similar manner to the stand G. The bed piece F is of
such a height above the bed piece A as to allow the chucks M, to slide
off the end of the bed piece F on to the top of the bed piece A, on which it
can be moved to one side, or lifted off entirely, as may be desired. The chuck
M is provided with two vertical jaws N, N1, having V-shaped recesses in one
side of each and opposite each other, for the purpose of clamping the shaft to
be turned; these jaws are opened or closed simultaneously, by means of the
right and left-hand screws O & O¹, hand wheel P, and gear wheels p, p; one
of the jaws N' is made in two pieces, the upper one falling into the lower one
in such a manner, as to hold it firmly in the direction of the axis of the screws,
but allowing it to swing freely around the axis of the upper one, the object
being to unclasp it from the shaft whilst the machine is in motion, and remove
the chuck from the bed piece, before the sliding stand G shall be brought in
contact with it by the operation of the feed screw H. The V-shaped jaws
must be very carefully adjusted, so as to bring the sides of the jaws equidistant
from the axis of the cutter head C. On the other end of the bed piece A, I
place two slides Q, Q, having their line of motion at right angles to the axis
of the cutter C, and supporting V-grooved rollers q, q, q, made exactly of one
size and shape; the axis of these rollers should be perpendicular to the plane
of motion of the slides Q, Q, and their line of centres must be parallel to the
axis of the cutter head C; the slides Q, Q, are connected together by means
of the levers R, R, connecting rods S, S, and rock shaft T; the rock shaft T
is firmly attached to the under side of the bed piece A in such a manner as to
allow it to vibrate freely about its axis, but in every other direction it should
be perfectly rigid. On the outer end of the rock shaft T, I place an arm U,
having a weight V suspended upon its outer end for the purpose of forcing the

page_text: slides Q, Q, together, and the rollers 1, 2, 9, upon the piece of metal which is
being turned. The slides Q, Q, may be adjusted so as to bring the centres of
the rollers 2,2,2, equidistant from the axis of the cutter head by means of
set screws t,t, in the upper end of the levers R, R. I also provide a cylindrical
piece of metal W, having one end turned conical so as to form a male centre
for the purpose of supporting one end of the shaft to be turned; the axis of
this piece W is supported in a line with the axis of the cutter head C, by the
rollers q, q, q, and is intended to sustain the end of the shaft before and whilst
it enters the cutters, and ensure the turned part of the shaft being concentric
with the centre in the end thereof. To put the machine in operation, I place
the centre mandril W(which for convenience of setting should be of the same
size as the shaft to be turned when finished,) between the rollers 9, 2,9, and
allow the weightVto force the roller against its opposite sides, thereby holding
it firmly; I push this mandril forward until a portion of it has passed beyond
the revolving cutters, and, by means of the set screws t, t, I adjust it so as to
be exactly in line with the axis of the cutter head. I then set down the
cutters so as just to touch the mandril, which, as before stated, is the size of
the bar to be turned when finished. The bar to be turned must first be
centred and straightened sufficiently to have the diameter to which it is to be
reduced within its lines, as is usual with any of the present methods of turning;
it is then placed in the machine and supported in the centres W and G¹, in
the same manner as in an ordinary lathe. Whilst it is thus freely suspended,
turn it on its centres, and by trial select such places as are nearest concentric
with the axis of the cutter head, and on these places attach the chucks M,
which serve to prevent the shaft from turning under the operation of the
cutters, and, if they are placed close enough, will also prevent any vibration on
the entering side of the cutters, and continue to sustain the bar in its true
and central position. Power may now be applied to the cone pulley F' and
the nut h, placed in gear with the feed screw. The sliding stand G with its
centre will now force the shaft forward whilst the revolving cutters will remove
the superfluous metal as it is presented to their operation, the shaft being held
as first described. After the operation has progressed long enough to push
back the mandril centre W, the turned part of the shaft will take its place,
and as each successive chuck M comes to the centre stand B, it is released
from the shaft by the workman, and removed as before described. The
operation is continued until the sliding stand has pushed the shaft entirely
through the cutters, and it is held entirely by the rollers q, q, q, when it may
be removed and another substituted.

page_text: In Plate a variation in my machine is represented, wherein the motions
cf the parts are transposed, so that the shaft to be turned remains a fixture,
while the revolving cutter head travels over the same from end to end; this
construction is in many respects preferable.
In Plate 2, Fig. 1 is a plan, Fig. 2 is a side elevation, Fig. 3, is an end
elevation of that end to which the feeding gears are attached; Fig. 4 is an
end elevation opposite to Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a transverse section of bed showing
a front view of the cutter head; and Fig. 6 is a transverse section of bed
showing a front view of the jaws for clamping the shafts.
The bed piece A, Figs. 3,4, 5, & 6, is of triangular form, having one side
parallel to the horizon, and resting on suitable supports B, B, B. The other
two sides C & D are each at an angle of 45° to the base, and are at right
angles to each other. On one of these sides D, I place the two centre heads
E&E, one of them E being easily adjusted upon the bed so as to suit the
different lengths of shafts by means of the balance wheel and pinion e acting
on rack F, and when adjusted it is held in position by tightening the screws
c, c. Between the centre heads E, E', I place the sliding rests F, F, which
can be moved along the bed from end to end by means of a balance wheel
and pinion F acting on rack F. The chucking jaws g, g, which are operated
by right and left hand screws, and constructed as previously described in
Plate 1, are with the screws placed in the frames G, G, which slide upon the
rests F, F, at right angles to their line of motion upon the side of the bed D.
Motion is imparted to the frames G, G, by means of the pinion h and rack h¹.
At the lower ends of the frames G, G, I provide a piece i of such form as to
fit one edge of the side D, thus preventing the frame G from moving farther
in the direction of the centre of the shaft than is contemplated by the position
of the piece i. When the frame G is moved as far towards the centre of the
shaft as the piece i will permit, it is clamped and held firmly in this position
by means of the latch k attached to the end of the slide rest F. The right
and left hand screws, which operate the chucking jaws y, g¹, are so adjusted
that when the frames G, G, are held in position by the latch k, the centre
of jaws g, g', will correspond with the line of centres of the two heads
E, E. On the side C of the bed piece A, I place the cutter slide H, which
slides freely thereon, carrying with it the cutter head I. Motion is imparted
to the cutter head by means of the wheel L and sliding pinion m, which is
driven by the shaft J from the cone pulley K. L., are bearings to support
the shaft J, which slide upon the-side C of the bed piece A; they are
attached together by means of the bars n, n, and are moved from place to

page_text: place by the cutter slide H. A feed motion is communicated to the head H
by means of the screw O, which is driven at the proper speed by the shaft J
through the change wheels P. At the other end of the screw O, I provide
wheels connecting it with the driving shaft J, to impart to the screw motion
in the opposite direction to that given by the change wheels P, and at a
much greater velocity, for the purpose of bringing the cutter slide H back to
the position it may have occupied previous to commencing its operation upon
the shaft to be turned. I also provide the tumbler wheels Q, R, for the
purpose of connecting either end of the screw O with the driving shaft J, the
wheels Q, R, being operated by the hand shaft S, and so attached to the same
that both may be so placed as not to impart motion to the screw; or either
one be used, as may be required, to give the requisite motion to the same,
but in no case can both ends of the screw be in gear with the shaft J at the
same time. To put the machine in operation, I first adjust the centre heads
E, E', to suit the length of the shaft to be reduced or turned, I then place
the shaft on the centres, and revolve it as on the centres of an ordinary lathe,
by this method selecting such points in its length as may be true with the line
of centre. To these points I bring the chucking jaws G, G, and by means of
the right and left hand screws clamp and hold it firmly in this position. The
cutters may now be adjusted to the proper size, and the machine be put in
motion, and the screw O be thrown into gear with the driving shaft J, thus
bringing the revolving cutters into contact with the shaft or bar, and reducing
it to the desired size. As the operation progresses, the cutter slide H will
gradually approach the first chucking frame G, G, which can be removed out
of its way by releasing the latch Kand sliding them down on the slide rests
F, F.
After the cutter head has passed the first chucking frame, the frame
may be moved up to its first position, and the shaft be again clamped by the
chucking jaws, and so on until the operation is completed.
It will be obvious from the foregoing that bars of different diameters along
different portions of their length may be worked on this machine by changing
the adjustment of the cutters as the operation progresses, and it will also be
obvious that by the use of suitable cutters and proper gradation of the feed
motion, as is well known to machinists, screw threads of any pitch may be
cut on bars. For turning cylindrical rings, the rotating cutters and the
supports for sustaining the ring in a central position beyond the cutters may
be fixed on one bed, as before, while the chucks for holding the ring before
it is turned may be attached to a revolving plate, the distance from the centre
of the plate determining the curve of the ring, or if the curve should never

page_text: require changing, the chucks may slide on a curved bed similar to the one
used for straight work. I do not wish to be understood as limiting my claim
of Invention to the special construction herein specified, as it will be obvious
to the skillful machinist, from the modifications suggested; that the mode of
application of my said Invention may be greatly varied.
What I claim as my Invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,
in combination with rotating cutters substantially as described, the employ-
ment of a guide bar and sliding chucks, or their equivalents, for the purpose
of keeping the rough bar in the line it is intended to have when finished, and
preventing it from turning or vibrating during the operation, substantially as
described, and for the purpose specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Sellers, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighth day of November, A.D. One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witnesses,
COLEMAN SELLERS,
No. 728, N. 19 St., Phil".
THEODORE BERGNER,
WILLIAM SELLERS. (L.s.)
No. 1931, Callowhill Str., Philadª.