IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING CUT NAILS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Southwood, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR MAKING CUT NAILS."
Sealed the 19th April 1876, and dated the 6th January 1876
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Southwood at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th January 1876.
WILLIAM SOUTHWOOD, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Civil
Engineeer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING CUT NAILS."
My Invention relates to machinery for making cut headed nails.
I cause iron, called sheet iron, to be cut into strips varying in width according to
the length of the nail required. I use three cutters mounted in a machine almost
at right angles with each other. Two of these cutters are fixed in a cast-iron
frame opposite to each other with their cutting edges nearly close, allowing only
sufficient room between them for the strip of metal from which the nails are to be
made to pass freely. This piece of metal or strip I cause to oscillate at the opposite
end from which the nail or blank is cut so as to form a point. Immediately under
these two cutters I mount an oscillating bar of iron of sufficient strength to carry
the third or under cutter. This cutter I fix (in this oscillating bar) at right angles,
or nearly so, with the other two cutters, and cause it to cut upon both its edges.
Immediately upon each side of this cutter I fix two guides, "ordinarly called
guages," to regulate the width of metal required for forming the head. I cause this
bar of iron in which the under cutter is fixed to move to and fro by means of a
crank shaft, and in its progress to and fro to cut off each way a piece of metal
(called a blank) sufficient to make a nail. So soon as this blank or piece of metal
has been separated from the strip of iron (or other metal) it is caught by a spring
or catch and held between a pair of dies in order for the head to be formed, which
is made by means of a lever actuating a heading punch in the ordinary way; the
return motion then takes place, and the same process is repeated upon the other
side. There are two sets of holding dies and two heading punches.
The advantage of this arrangement of machinery is that it is unnecessary to turn
over the strip of iron for making cut nails as in the ordinary methods, which is
laborious and tiring when long or heavy nails are made, to which this Invention is
mainly applicable."

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Southwood in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 1st July
1876.
WILLIAM SOUTHWOOD, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Civil
Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING CUT NAILS."
My Invention relates to machinery for making cut headed nails.
I cause iron, called sheet iron, to be cut into strips varying in width according to
the length of the nail required. I use three cutters mounted in a machine almost
at right angles with each other. Two of these cutters are fixed in a cast-iron
frame opposite to each other with their cutting edges nearly close, allowing only
sufficient room between them for the strip of metal from which the nails are to be
made to pass freely. This piece of metal or strip I cause to oscillate horizontally
at the opposite end from which the nail or blank is cut so as to form a point.
Immediately opposite these two cutters I mount a bar of iron of sufficient strength
to carry the third cutter. This cutter I fix at right angles, or nearly so, with the
other two cutters, and cause it to cut upon both its edges in its up-and-down
movements. Immediately upon each side of this cutter I fix two guides,
"ordinarily called gauges," to regulate the width of metal required for forming the
head of the nail. I cause this bar of iron in which the third cutter is fixed to move
by means of a crank shaft, and in its progress each way to cut off a piece of metal
(called a blank) sufficient to make a nail. So soon as this blank or piece of metal
has been separated from the strip of iron (or other metal) it is caught by a spring
or catch and held between a pair of dies in order that the head may be formed,
(which head is made by means of a lever actuating a heading punch in the ordinary
way; the return motion then takes place and the same process is repeated upon
the other side. There are two sets of holding dies and two heading punches.
68
The advantage of this arrangement of machinery is, it is unnecessary to turn over
the strip of iron for making cut nails as in the ordinary methods, which is laborious
and tiring when long or heavy nails are made, to which this Invention is mainly
applicable.
In the description of my machine the same figures and letters represent the
same parts in the different views, section, and details.
Figure 1 is an elevation showing the back of the machine; a is the bed or frame-
work upon which and to which all the other parts are attached. Figure 2 is an
elevation in section through dotted lines A, A, Figure 1, showing more clearly the
construction of the machine; Figure 3 is a plan.
Figures 4 and 5 are elevations of the bed a with various parts removed.
Figures 6 and 7 are elevations of the bed a with all the movable parts taken
away.
Figures 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20 are details.
Operation. The operator takes a strip of iron b and places it in what is known
by the trade as a clam c; this clam has a long tail d attached to it; this tail is
placed in a slot or opening and bar f, which has a to-and-fro motion actuated by
the gripping levers g, which act alternately upon the slides h. It will be easily
seen that by means of this action of the levers g and the slide h that a to-and-fro
motion given to the clam, and strip, and bar f, which is attached to a bell-crank
motion ; to this bell-crank motion is fixed a regulating pin j for giving a greater
or less angle or point to the nail or blank required; the bell crank and bar fare
mounted upon a table k, supported at one end by a leg l attached to the bed a by
brackets m. The strip as it is cut up is caused to advance by means of a weight
and rope u working upon two pullies o attached to the table k. So soon as the
nail blank is cut away from the strip of metal by means of the cutters pit is caught
by the springs q and retained or held against the cutter p¹ until it arrives opposite
the gripping dies r. It will be readily seen that the cutter p¹ is held by and in a
vertical slides, which is moved and actuated by a crank and connection t. Upon

page_text: this crank shaft are the driving pulleys and fly wheels, and immediately upon both
sides of the cutter p¹ are regulating pieces v which arrest the strip b in its forward
motion, and regulate also the form of the blank of the nail required. The blank
now having been brought opposite the gripping dies r is pushed forward into them
by pushers w as far as may be necessary or required. These pushers are actuated
by cams attached to cam shafts y, connected to the main shaft t by bevil wheel 3.
Immediately the blank is pushed forward it is caught by the gripping dies r which
are actuated by the levers g, the latter being worked by cams a¹ upon the cam
shafts y. Immediately thereupon the heading die v mounted in a slide o¹is brought
up by means of a cam d¹ and acts upon the part of the blank which has been
pushed through the gripping dies as far as may be required for the head of the nail
and completes it. The gripping dies then recede and the nail falls through an
opening e¹ made for that purpose in the bed of the machine a.
It will be seen that the foregoing description applies to both the up and down
motion of the slide s, and makes two nails in one revolution of the crank shaft.
a, a, are supports to the machine.
Having now set forth the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I declare that I claim, the special construction and arrange-
ment of the parts forming a machine as described, and as shown in the annexed
Drawings, whereby nails can be cut and formed and then headed, as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Southwood, have hereunto set my
hand and and seal, this First day of July, One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-six
W. SOUTHWOOD. (LS.)