IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND HEADING NAILS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Matthew James Rice, of the Firm of Matthew James
Rice and Company, Engineers, of Sherlock Street, Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR CUTTING AND HEADING NAILS."
Sealed the 4th April 1868, and dated the 23rd December 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Matthew James Rice at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, ou the
23rd December 1867.
I, MATTHEW JAMES RICE, of the Firm of Matthew James Rice and
Company, Engineers, of Sherlock Street, Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND HEADING NAILS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improved arrangements of machinery for cutting
and heading nails of the character described in the Specification of a Patent
granted to John Garrett Tongue, bearing date 10th November 1866, No. 2942,
in which the cutting and heading of the nails is accomplished without turning or
reversing the nail plate to give the requisite taper after each successive cut.
And the first part of these improvements consists in mounting the heading
dies upon independent slides carried by the oscillating or semi-rotating cutter
frame described in the Specification before referred to. Each heading slide is
connected by a knuckle or other suitable joint to a lever on each side of the

page_text: machine, such levers being actuated by connecting rods and eccentrics (or by
other mechanical means) on the main driving axis of the machine, the
headers and slides being so arranged as to be capable of adjustment on each
other.
The second part of my improvements relates to the arrangement of the
gripper (or grippers), which consists of a slide actuated by a lever, but dis-
connected therefrom, the slide being moved out of action by a spring. The
Jever for actuating the gripper slide is mounted on axis on the oscillating
frame and receives motion by means of a cam on the main driving axis.
The third part of my improvements consists in imparting an oscillating or
semi-rotating movement to the cutter frame with nipper, gripper, and grippers
mounted thereon by means of a spur wheel on the main driving axis, which
takes into and drives another spur wheel carried by and revolving on a stud
on the cutter frame, a connecting rod attached to a crank pin on the last-
named spur wheel and to a pin joint on the frame imparting an oscillating
movement thereto, the amount of such movement being capable of adjustment
as required.
The fourth part of my improvements consists in so arranging the feed plate
or frame that the had nearest the cutter can be turned up on a joint, or be
otherwise readily removed, so as to enable the workman to get at the cutter
and gripping tools without removing the feed frame from the machine. The
feed frame is also so arranged, to this part of my improvements, as to be
capable of having its elevation and the angle at which the nail plate is fed
up to the cutter readily adjusted, as may be required.
Lastly, my improvements consists in so arranging machinery of this character
that the cutter, headers, nipper, and grippers, together with the oscillating
frame, are all actuated by means of one driving shaft or axis.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Matthew James Rice in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 22nd June 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MATTHEW
JAMES RICE, of the Firm of Matthew James Rice and Company, Engineers,
of Sherlock Street, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year

page_text: of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Matthew James Rice, Her special licence that I, the said
Matthew James Rice, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Matthew James Rice, 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 CUTTING AND HEADING NAILS,'
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Matthew James Rice,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, 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.
;,
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Matthew James Rice,, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
:
This Invention relates to improved arrangements of machinery for cutting
and heading nails of the character described in the Specification of a Patent
granted to John Garrett Tongue, bearing date November 10th, 1866,
No. 2942, in which the cutting and beading of the nails is accomplished
without turning or reversing the nail plate to give the requisite taper after
each successive cut.
And the first part of these improvements consists in mounting the heading
dies upon independent slides carried by the oscillating or semi-rotating cutter
frame described in the Specification before referred to. Each heading slide
is connected by a knuckle or other suitable joint to a lever, on each side of
the machine, such levers being actuated be connecting rods and eccentrics (or
by other mechanical means) on the main driving axis of the machine, the
headers and slides being so arranged as to be capable of adjustment to each
other..
The second part of my improvements relates to. the arrangement of the
gripper (or grippers), which consists of a slide actuated by a lever but dis-
connected therefrom, the slide being moved out of action by a spring. The
lever for actuating the gripper slide is mounted on axes on the oscillating
frame, and receives motion by means of a cam on the main driving axis.

page_text: of each blank projecting beyond the grippers for the beading tool to act upon
first on one one side of the machine and then on the other, as described in the
Specification of the Patent above referred to. e is the stationary cutting tool
secured by means of the set screws e¹ to the frame a; f is the moving cutting
tool secured by means of the set screws f¹ in the vibrating frame f³, to which
motion is communicated from a crank upon the axis 6 by means of the
connecting rod f³. The axes of the vibrating frame få are supported in the
bearings a¹ upon the frame a; g is a gauge of the ordinary form working in a
recess at the back of the cutting tool f, and the gauge g is suspended at g¹
from the frame f¹, so as to be capable of movement. Before the cutting
tool f descends to cut off a blank the end of the nail plate is pressed against
the part of the gauge 9 which is below the cutting tool f, so as to overconie
the resistance of the spring 92 and bring the guage g in contact with the set
screw fin the vibrating frame f, and by turning the set screw f* the
amount of metal cut off for each nail is regulated. After the blank is cut off
it is carried down the face of the fixed cutting tool e by the cutting tool f, the
spring 9 acting to cause the gauge g to hold the blank against the face of the
fixed cutting tool e during its descent. f³ is a set screw which acts as a stop
to regulate the position of the gauge g in relation to the cutting tool f; h is a
vipper secured in the frame a, and when the nail blank is brought into a
suitable position the moving nipper i is caused to press against the nail blank
and hold it until the gripping tools come into operation. Tue gauge 9 is
forked at the end so as to allow the nipper i to pass through it and act as
above described. The nipper i is actuated in the following manner:- is a
cam upon the axis b, and the cam acts upon the lever
pin carried by the bracket & secured to the frame a.
connected by a pin joint to the lever ³, and moves in a recess formed in the
slide j. The nipper i is withdrawn from the nipper h when allowed by the
surface of the cam by means of a spring attached to the bracket i³ and
pressing against the lever 3. k, k¹, are gripping tools below the cutting tool e
secured in the frame a by means of the set screws k2, and 1, l, are the moving
gripping tools secured in the slide j by means of the set screws ; the slide j
moves in a groove formed in the frame a, and after the nail blank is brought
into a proper position by the means above described, the gripping tools l, P,
are brought to bear according as the heading is to take place at either side of
the machine, and hold the blank during the heading operation in the following
manner is a cam on the axis b which acts upon the lever j, moving upon
the pin j³ secured to the frame a, and the lever j' presses against the end of
the slide j, so as to bring the gripping tools into operation when required;
moving upon the
The nipper i is

page_text: is a spring attached to the slide and bracket to, and this spring acts to
withdraw the slide j and grippers 1, l', after the beading of the nail. The
slide and lever may if desired be connected by a link to ensure the with-
drawal of the slide j in case of accident to the spring. When the blank is
securely held between the gripping tools the heading tools m and n are
brought into operation upon the end of the nail blank projecting beyond the
gripping tools. The heading tools m and n though they are moved up to the
gripper at each action of the machine operate alternately to form the head of
a nail according to the angle of the machine when the blank was cut off.
The heading tools m and n are. secured in the slides m¹, n¹, by means of the
screws m³, n², and the slides m', n¹, are supported and guided upon the
frame a at the points a², a³. The heading tools m and n are actuated in the
following manner-m³ is a fly wheel, and n³ a toothed wheel, secured upon
the axis b, and the fly wheel m³ and toothed wheel n³ carry crank pins which
communicate motion to the levers m, n, by means of the connecting rods
m³, no. The levers m, n, move on pins secured in the brackets no, no, fixed
to the frame a; m², n', are stirrups or connecting links by which the move-
nient of the levers m³, n', is. communicated to the knuckle joints m³, ns,
having their fulcra upon the projections a, a, upon the frame a, and the
points m, n, upon the slides m³, n¹; mo, no, are springs fixed to the frame a
aud acting upon the slides m', n', so as to withdraw them and the heading
tools after operating to form the head of the nail. The axis b is of conical
form at either end, and the wheel m and the toothed wheel n³ are secured
upon the axis b by means of the nuts b¹, 63, so that when the crank pins are
adjusted to the required position by tightening the nuts 61, 62, the fly wheel m³
and the toothed wheel n³ can be secured upon the axis b. When the nail is
finished and the gripping and heading tools withdrawn the nail is allowed to
fall through the opening p in the frame a into a receiver placed below the
machine. The frame a and parts attached are caused to oscillate from side to
'side, so as to cut the nail plate first at one angle and then at the other in the
following manner:-o is a toothed wheel driven by the toothed wheel nupou
the axis b. The toothed wheel o moves upon the stud. o' secured to the
frame a, and carries a crank pin, the throw of which is capable of adjustment.
is a bracket upon the stationary frame c, and o2 is a connecting rod
connected by means of ball joints to the bracket c, and the crank pin upon
the wheel o, which by its revolution acting against the stationary bracket
causes the frame a aud parts attached to oscillate. The nail plate upon the
feed table d is urged forward against the gauge g, as above described, by
means of the sliding piece d³, to which the weight d' is attached by means of

page_text: hinder end of the
a cord passing over the pullies do, do, and when the peg d' is removed and the
piece d³ released it is at once pulled by the weight to the lower end of the
table d. The nail plate is inserted in the removeable tongs d³ and with the
tongs is placed upon the table d, the tongs and nail plate being supported.
upon and guided by ledges on either side of the table d. The peg d' is then
removed and the piece allowed to press against the
tongs de, so as to urge the nail plate forward, as above described, the tongs
being so formed as to be capable of a partial rotation within their support, so
as to allow the nail plate to accomodate itself to the surface of the cutting
tool. The part of the feed table d' which is above the cutting tool e, the.
nipper h, and the grippers k, k¹, is capable of being turned back upon the
hinge joints do, so as to afford ready. access to the working parts of the
machine without disturbing the position of the feed table, and when the
machine is in operation the part d' is secured by means of the nuts d¹¹.
upon:
bolts carried by the brackets d; ds, d, are brackets with adjustable.set
screws, the ends of which act alternately according to the angle of the
machine upon sliding pins on either side of the part do, and the ends of the)
sliding pins come in contact with spring pieces d¹³ on either side of the part
d, so as to cause them to guide the edge of the nail plate correctly..
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into practice, I would have it understood that I do not
confine myself to the exact details or to the particular form or arrangement of
the parts herein described; but what I claim is,
First. The improved arrangement of parts of an oscillating nail cutting and
heading machine wherein the heading tools m, n, are mounted on independent
slides m, n, substantially as herein described.
Secondly. I claim the means herein described for adjusting and actuating
the slides m³, n¹ in an oscillating nail cutting and heading machine.
Thirdly. I claim the improved arrangement of the heading tools upon slides,
as herein described, in nail cutting and heading machines where two sets of
grippers acting alternately on each side of the machine are employed.
Fourthly. claim the mounting of the grippers 1, 1, upon a slide in
oscillating nail cutting and heading machines, substantially as herein shown
and described.
Fifthly. I claim the means herein described for actuating the slide; and
grippers 1, 1, by means of the direct pressure of the lever j in oscillating nail
cutting and heading machines.
Sixthly. I claim the improved mode of imparting an oscillating movement

page_text: to a nail cutting and heading machine by means of a toothed wheel o revolving
upon a stud o¹, substantially as herein shown and described.
Seventhly. I claim so forming and arranging the part of the feed table
nearest the machine that it can be readily removed or turned over upon a
hinge joint, and thus give access to the working parts of the machine without
disturbing or removing the feed table d, substantially as herein shown and
described.
Eighthly. I claim the means of regulating the height and angle of the feed
table din relation to an oscillating nail cutting and heading machine, sub-.
stantially as herein shown and described.
Ninthly. I claim the so arranging machinery of the character herein
described and shown in the accompanying Drawings, that the cutter headers,
nipper, and grippers, together with the oscillating frame are all actuated by
means of one driving shaft or axis.
Lastly. I claim the general arrangement and combination of the parts of
an oscillating nail cutting and heading machine, substantially as herein
described and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
. In witness whereof, I, the said Matthew James Rice, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
MATTHEW JAMES RICE. (L.S.)