AN IMPROVED METHOD OF TRANSMITTING MOTIVE POWER TO POTTERS' WHEELS, LATHES, JIGGERS, AND OTHER SIMILAR MACHINERY FOR THE MANU- FACTURE OF POTTERY AND OTHER ARTICLES MADE FROM CLAY
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Boulton, of Providence Foundry, Burslem,
in the County of Stafford, Engineer and Ironfounder, for the Invention
of "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF TRANSMITTING MOTIVE POWER TO POTTERS'
WHEELS, LATHES, JIGGERS, AND OTHER SIMILAR MACHINERY FOR THE MANU-
FACTURE OF POTTERY AND OTHER ARTICLES MADE FROM CLAY."
Sealed the 4th February 1868, and dated the 23rd November 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Boulton, at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
23rd November 1867.
I, WILLIAM BOULTON, of Providence Foundry, Burslem, in the County
of Stafford, Engineer and Ironfounder, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF TRANSMITTING MOTIVE POWER. TO
POTTERS' WHEELS, LATHES, JIGGERS, AND OTHER SIMILAR MACHINERY POR. THE
MANUFACTURE OF POTTERY AND OTHER ARTICLES MADE FROM CLAY," to be as
follows:-
This Invention consists principally of a round endless band (made of cotton,
hemp, india-rubber, or any other suitable material, to be driven from a
grooved or other pulley in either a horizontal, vertical, or oblique position, as
may be best suited for the machine to be driven, and to be direct acting

page_text: without the aid of discs or long shafting, and to drive a number of potters
wheels, lathes, jiggers, or other machines in connection with the making of
pottery at one and the same time, and so that the speed of any or all of them
can be varied at pleasure or reversed. And in order to accomplish this I take
the belt from the first driving pulley in the most convenient manner and pass
it near to a grooved pulley in connection with the machine to be driven; I
then fix a small friction pulley attached to a lever or treadle, or any other
convenient appliance, and when the machine is required to move or revolve,
the friction pulley is caused to bring the belt in contact with the driving
pulley, and when the speed is required to be reduced the belt is partially
removed from the driving pulley, in order to allow a little slipping; or a hand
wheel or brake may be attached in order to vary the speed; or the belt may
be moved to another pulley of a larger size by a lever, treadle, or other
convenient arrangement. If the motion is required to be reversed I move
the belt to the contrary side of the pulley, or bring the return belt in contact
with another pulley in the same shaft or spindle, by this means the reversed
motion can be varied in speed according to the size of the second pulley.
In order to keep the belt at a uniform tension I introduce a balance or
tightening weight that will move with the variation of the belt.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Boulton, in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
22nd May 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
BOULTON, of Providence Foundry, Burslem, in the County of Stafford,
Engineer and Ironfounder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Boulton, Her special licence that I, the said William Boulton,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Boulton, 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

page_text: Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF TRANS-
MITTING MOTIVE POWER TO POTTERS' WHEELS, LATHES, JIGGERS, AND OTHER SIMILAR
MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF POTTERY AND OTHER ARTICLES MADE FROM
CLAY," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Boulton,
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 William Boulton, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement in writing, and on reference to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings,
that is to say:-
This Invention consists principally of an endless band (made of cotton,
hemp, india-rubber, or any other suitable material) to be driven from a grooved
or other pulley in either a horizontal, vertical, or oblique position, as may be
best suited for the machine to be driven, and to be direct acting without the
aid of discs or long shafting, and to have a number of potters' wheels, lathes,
jiggers, or other machines in connection with the making of pottery at one
and the same time, and so that the speed of any or all of them can be varied
at pleasure or reversed. And in order to accomplish this I take the belt from
the first driving pulley in the most convenient manner and pass it near to a
grooved pulley in connection with the machine to be driven. I then fix a
small friction pulley attached to a lever or treadle or any other couvenient
appliance, and when the machine is required to move or revolve the friction
pulley is caused to bring the belt in contact with the driving pulley, and when
the speed is required to be reduced the belt is partially removed from the
driving pulley in order to allow a little slipping, or a hand wheel or brake
may be attached in order to vary the speed, or the belt may be removed to
another pulley of a larger size by a lever, treadle, or other convenient arrange-
ment. If the motion is required to be reversed I move the belt to the
contrary side of the pulley, or bring the return belt in contact with another
pulley on the same shaft or spindle; by this means the reversed motion can
be varied in speed according to the size of the second pulley. In order to
keep the belt at an uniform tension I introduce a balance or tightening weight
that will move with the variation of the belt.

page_text: Such being the nature and object of my said Invention for "An Improved
Method of Transmitting Motive Power to Potters' Wheels, Lathes, Jiggers,
and other similar Machinery for the Manufacture of Pottery and other Articles
made from Clay," I will now proceed to describe more in detail the manner
in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into practical
effect; and in order that the same may be distinctly understood I have annexed'
hereunto a Sheet of Drawings illustrative thereof, and have marked the same
with figures and letters of reference corresponding with those in the following
explanation thereof, that is to say:―
In the annexed Drawing Figure 1 is an end view, and Figure 2 a front
elevation, and Figure 3 a plan view drawn to a scale of about one and a half
inch to a foot, and showing my improved method of transmitting power by a
continuous or endless band or belt as applied to a potter's lathe and a jigger,
and I would here observe that although have only shewn the improved
method of driving as applied to these machines for the sake of illustrating my
Invention it is intended that the same endless band or belt should drive a
series of several machines attached to the same work bench. Figures 4 and
5 are elevation and plan view of a potter's throwing wheel showing my improved
method of driving the same.
a, a, is the work bench to which the machines and driving apparatus are
attached, and b, b, is the endless band or belt, which may be either a round
band or cord, as shown in the Drawing, or a flat belt, but I prefer the former.
At one end of the work bench the endless band b, b, passes round a return
pulley c, c, the bearings of which are mounted in a slot in the frame d, d.
To the bearings a weight e, e, is attached by a cord f, f, passing over a pulley,
and the action of this weight is to keep the band a, a, always stretched at an
equal tension. To drive the potters' lathe A, A, the band a, a, passes first
ander a guide pulley 9, 9; then up over a return pulley 'h, h, above and back
under another guide pulley i, i, 'beneath the bench, and so on to the next
machine. In ascending the band passes in the groove of a pulley k, k, and
in descending it passes into the groove of a larger pulley 1, 1, both pulleys being
keyed on the overhead shaft m, m, which drives the lathe A, A, by means of
the speed pulleys n, n, and short endless bando, o.
The band a, a, passes
doosely through the grooves of the pulleys k, k, and I, 1, and does not drive
the lathe excepting when pressed into the groove of either pulley by means of
one of the friction pulleys p or q actuated by their respective treadles 7 or 8.
The pulley k, k, is for driving the lathe at a quick speed, and the pulley 1, 1,
for driving it slower and in the reverse direction. The jigger B, B, is driven

page_text: by the action of the band a, a, upon a grooved pulley t, t, mounted on the
jigger spindle. u, u, is a friction pulley for pressing the band a, a, into the
groove of the pulley t, t. When the jigger is required to revolve this friction
pulley is mounted at the upper end of a lever v, v, to the lower end of which
is attached a sliding rod w, w, by pressing against the flattened end of which
the workman sets the jigger in motion. For driving the throwing wheel C, C,
(Figures 4 and 5) the endless band a, a, passes in the groove of the pulley b, b,
mounted on a spindle c, c, on which is also keyed a curved conical pulley d, d;
this curved conical pulley revolves in contact with a straight conical pulley e, e,
keyed on the vertical spindle f, f, of the throwing wheel. The spindle c, c, of
the curved conical pulley is carried in a frame 9, g, which is mounted on
pivots h, h, so as to be capable of oscillating slightly in order to bring any
desired part of the curved cone into contact with the straight cone. The
pivots h, h, are carried in eyes formed in the rods or spindles i, i, which are
capable of a slight longitudinal motion in the uprights of the wheel frame,
and are provided with spiral springs k, k, to keep the cones always in contact.
The cone d, d, is caused to oscillate when required by means of a treadle 1, 1,
attached to one of its pivots. The workman sits on the seat m, m, with his
feet on the footboard n, n. When the machine is in the position shown in
the Drawing the cone d, d, drives the throwing wheel at about the same speed
at which it revolves itself, but if the workman causes the cone d, d, to oscillate
so as to bring its smaller diameter into contact with the larger diameter of the
cone e, e, the speed of the throwing wheel is proportionally reduced, and if
he causes it to oscillate in the reverse direction the speed is correspondingly
increased. This arrangement of cone pulleys may also be adapted to drive
the potter's lathe at different speeds in place of the ordinary speed pulleys.
The throwing wheel may also be provided with a friction pulley worked by a
treadle or otherwise for pressing the endless driving band a, a, into the groove
of the pulley b, b, when the wheel is required to revolve.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention for "An
Improved Method of Transmitting Motive Power to Potters' Wheels, Lathes,
Jiggers, and other similar Machinery for the Manufacture of Pottery and
other Articles made from Clay," together with the manner in which the same is
to be or may be performed or carried into practical effect, I would remark in
conclusion that I do not intend to limit myself to the precise details and con-
figuration of the parts as shewn in the Drawings and described, as the same
may obviously be varied or modified without departing from the principal
feature on which the Invention is based, which is the use and application of

page_text: an endless belt or band to drive a series of potters' machines, substantially as
herein-before set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Boulton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
said William Boulton in the
presence of
ISAAC WALKER,
Solicitor,
Burslem.
VILLIAM B
ON. (L.S.)