ments in Machinery or Apparatus for Cutting Blanks in the Manufacture of Animal Shoe Nails.
Year: 1887

page_text: [Communicated from abroad by JOHAN OLIVER JOHANSSON KOLLÉN and AUGUST
BERNHARD JOHANSSON KOLLEN, of Rädanefors, Sweden, Engineers.]
Improvemonta in Moobinouw on Anno wotus fox PRAH
As Danchine
ments in Machinery or Apparatus for Cutting
Blanks in the Manufacture of Animal Shoe Nails.
aching
I, GEORGE MACAULAY CRUIKSHANK, of 62 Saint Vincent Street Glasgow in the
County of Lanark, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents, 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 :-
This Invention consists in improvements in machinery or apparatus for cutting or
punching out from lengths or strips of plates or rods blanks to be used in the manu-
facture of horse and other animal shoe nails and the invention relates to that part of
such apparatus by which the strip, plate or rod is grasped and fed forward to the
cutting punches and dies.
In some machines used for the like purpose the slide carrying the punches has
bolted or otherwise connected to it an arm the function of which is to release the
pressure of the grasper on the nail plate or rod when the plate or rod is being acted
upon by the punches and it is found in practise that owing to the heavy work the
said arin has to perform it has a tendency to warp or move the punch carrying slide
from its true position and cause the punches to cut into the die necessitating these
tools being more frequently taken out and sharpened than would otherwise be required.
One of the objects of the present improvements is to dispense altogether with the said
arm and thereby to obviate the defect above mentioned.
The apparatus constituting the Invention is illustrated in front elevation by figure 1
in side elevation by figure 2 and in plan by figure 3 on the accompanying drawings
figures 4 and 5 being details hereinafter more particularly referred to. A's shewn by
these figures the table a on which the plate or rod b rests it is of the ordinary con-
struction and is reciprocated as usual by a lever c actuated by a cam on the driving
shaft of the machine. The table a has also as usual formed on or secured to it two
vertical brackets d, between which there is carried on a pin or stud e supported by
the brackets the grasping jaw or lever f. The said jaw or lever is under the Invention
caused to take hold of and to release the nail plate, strip or rod by a bar which
(as more particularly seen at g' figure 4) has an inclined or wedge shaped part formed
upon it and by a spring h which is connected to the tail end of the grasping jaw by
inks i. The wedge bar g is laid at right angles to the length of the jaw and at the
times when it is necessary the jaw should grip the plate or rod b, so as in conjunction
with the table a, to feed it to the punches, the bar g is caused to move forward until
is inclined or wedge part g' lifts the tail of the jawf sufficiently to cause the forward
bart to take a firm grip. The movements of the bar g are effected by a rocking
I

page_text: lever, which is centred at l' on the framing of the machine and has its lower end
connected to a bar m whereto the wedge bar g is adjustably attached. The lever
is rocked by a cam n, on the driving shaft, and to enable the wedge bar g, to follow
the grasper in the reciprocations of the table a the bar m is jointed in its length as
indicated at o figure 2.
in
When the strip or plate is caught by the punches j, the bar g is moved back by
the lever, thereby releasing the pressure on the gripping jaw which is opened
from the plate with the assistance of the spring hand the table a is moved back
(preparatory to again feeding forward the plate) in the usual way the extent of its
movements being regulated by the adjustable stops p carried on the frame of the
machine. When the limit of backward movement of the table a is reached the wedge
bar g again moves forward causing the jaw to grasp the plate which being effected
the punches rise free of the plate and the table a is then moved forward to feed the
end of the plate into position to be acted upon when the punches again descend.
The wedge bar g reciprocates between two friction rollers the under one of which
is carried in a bridge or bearings made on or secured to the table a whilst the upper
one is carried by the jaw fits bearings having preferably a cushioning springs,
conjunction with them to provide for different thicknesses of the nail plates or strips
used. The rearward end of the bar g is contained within a sleeve or jaw made at the
forward part of the rod or bar m and the two bars are connected by the locking pin t
seen more particularly in detail at figure 5 which pin passes through the bar m and
enters a recess u, made in the side of the bar g, thereby locking both bars together.
When it is required to remove the waste end of a nail strip or plate and insert another
length of plate between the table a and jaw f, the bars m and g are disconnected by
turning the pin t, until the recess in it comes opposite the recess in the bar
The bar is then drawn rearwards by the lever w figure 3 which is centred on the
frame of the machine at w¹ and has a hook e jointed to it the point of the hook being
inserted in a hole ¹ made to receive it in the bar g. When the wedge has been so
pulled backwards the spring h, is free to lift the gripping end of the jaw and the
scrap or waste iron may be removed from and the end of another strip or plate inserted
under the jaw.
To prevent the locking pin from being turned by the vibration of the machine it
has or may have a spring y provided in conjunction with it and the hand lever wis
jointed at w in order that it may be turned up out of the way except when it is
required to operate the wedge bar g, as before set forth.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said Invention
as communicated to me what I claim is:
11
1. In a machine. for punching or cutting blanks in the manufacture of animal shoe
nails the general arrangement and combination of parts constituting the grasping
mechanism substantially as herein before described with reference to the drawings
annexed.
2. In a machine of the class referred to the combination of the grasping jaw ƒ
wedge bars g, m, lever land cam n, operating substantially as described with reference
to the appended drawings.
3. In a machine of the class referred to the combination of the bars g, m, lock
pin t, and lever w, substantially as and for the purpose described with reference to
the accompanying drawings.
D
1 1.
CRUIKSHANK & FAIRWEATHER,
62, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow,
Agents.